Er Ge interrupted them, "Regardless of whether they are here or not, since they’re not with them, we have to keep looking. With so many people, there must be some trace."

"Could they still be hiding in the mountain without coming out?"

Er Ge frowned, "Impossible. Without anyone to respond, they can’t escape. And they killed our men. Do you think they are capable of wielding a knife to kill our brothers?"

"When pushed to the brink of despair, it’s possible. The wolves in the mountain were howling fiercely last night."

Er Ge furrowed his brows again, looking back at the mountain not far away. Could it be that the people are still in the mountains?

The others looked on, fearing he would tell them to search the mountain now. Even during the day, the mountain forests aren’t easy to search, let alone at night, even if the mountain isn’t very large.

Immediately, someone changed the topic, "Second Brother, are we just going to let that convoy pass?"

Er Ge glanced at the person speaking and said, "That’s the imperial convoy."

"What’s the big deal about the imperial convoy? It’s just a little girl, right? If we really capture them, do you think they would send a large army to wipe us out? If they come, we’ll just run again. By the way, the divine doctor, I just saw her not long ago. She looks quite beautiful, hahaha..."

"Indeed, Second Brother, I got a glimpse earlier. They brought a lot of luggage. Who knows how many good things these officials are carrying for their long journey?"

"Shut up," Er Ge frowned, "These are not ordinary minor officials. Usually, when they go missing, the authorities send people just to go through the motions. But this one is an imperial physician from the capital who reportedly cured the crown prince and holds a significant position with the emperor. Who knows if someone would stick their neck out for her? Don’t mess with a small wolf; you might really attract a pack of wolves."

"She looks quite young—probably stacked her money and beauty to reach that level—what skills could she possibly have?"

In Er Ge’s mind flashed Bai Shan’s calm eyes, "Don’t underestimate a small wolf; a wolf king is not necessarily an old wolf but can be a young one."

He said, "Let’s go back first. At dawn tomorrow, we’ll have the brothers search the mountain."

"Second Brother, should we ask the Tata Tribe?"

"There’s no need," Er Ge’s gaze deepened, "That old fox is very cunning. Even if you ask him, he wouldn’t say anything meaningful. Last time over a few sheep, we almost got into a fight. If we go at night and they don’t listen and act directly, we can’t win."

Er Ge didn’t plan to ask the Tata Tribe. Their tribe had many people, with most of them strong and robust. They nearly got into a fight last time, and going there suddenly in the dark would only give them an excuse to kill.

Although Big Brother would avenge them afterward, there wasn’t much point in avenging the dead,

So the group returned to the mountain.

Once confirmed there was no immediate danger, Mr. Zhuang looked at Bai Shan and Manbao, nodding slightly, "You two go back to sleep."

The two nodded and turned back.

The next morning, Yin Huo remembered the incident only when having breakfast, "It seemed we didn’t see you last night when we awoke."

Bai Shan finished his porridge, took a flatbread to chew, and said, "Last night, some guests came. We went out to meet them."

Bai Erlang asked, "What kind of guests?"

Manbao lowered her voice mysteriously, "It was guests from the mountains..."

Bai Erlang was startled, Liu Huan was so frightened that he dropped his flatbread, "The bandits... the bandits came?"

Manbao and Bai Shan nodded together.

The two shivered collectively, immediately asking, "Did you not fight them?"

Yin Huo asked, "Did they come in disguise?"

Bai Shan nodded, "After breakfast, we plan to visit that tribe. By the way, when Wei Xingren returned last night, he said their tribe is called the Tata Tribe, right?"

He added, "Bring some daily necessities, if possible. We might stay there today."

Yin Huo asked, "What about you guys?"

Bai Shan said, "Manbao is the chief officer. If she isn’t there, the military’s morale won’t be stable. So, I’ll accompany her."

Bai Erlang poured the remaining porridge into his mouth, swallowed it, and said, "I’ll accompany you. Let Yin Huo and others stay with the teacher at the Tata Tribe."

Bai Shan didn’t refuse. After all, the three of them were always together, their riding skills were similar, and their archery wasn’t very different either. If they went to battle, they’d be more or less on equal footing, and if they had to run, they’d be about the same.

Liu Huan looked left and right, unsure whether to refuse or agree.

Zhou Liru tore off a piece of flatbread to eat, "Stop looking, by not causing trouble, we’re already contributing. So once we get to the Tata Tribe, we need to find a way to stay there."

Liu Huan asked her, "Aren’t you scared?"

Zhou Liru shook her head, "Not scared. If the sky falls, there’s someone taller to hold it up."

But she still turned to Manbao and said, "Auntie, if you can’t beat them, run. Don’t confront them directly; we’re still young."

Manbao nodded, "I know. If the situation isn’t right, I’ll run. However, as long as Governor Duan brings the troops, we shouldn’t lose."

Even if not winning, losing would be difficult.

"By the way, did those people confess?"

Bai Shan paused, holding the flatbread in his hand, "Oops, I forgot about them." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

While they forgot, Assistant General Nie did not. Early in the morning, he went to visit them, bringing along a large basin of meat porridge, then squatted nearby to eat his porridge in front of them.

The bandits, who hadn’t eaten for a day and a night: ...

With significant blood loss and hunger rumbling in their stomachs, their vision blurred. Some couldn’t help but swallow and then turned their heads and closed their eyes to avoid looking.

But, although they could avoid looking, they couldn’t avoid smelling. Wave after wave of aroma wafted over, eagerly filling their nostrils. Plus, Assistant General Nie was not quiet in his actions; they constantly heard the sound of him slurping his porridge.

They remained silent, and so did Assistant General Nie, as he ate in front of them. Finally, someone couldn’t bear it any longer and asked, "Are you planning to starve us to death?"

Assistant General Nie slowly took another spoonful of porridge, picked out a piece of meat, and ate it in front of them, thinking to himself, what a bunch of roughnecks—they say it’s stewed meat porridge, but they leave the meat in such large chunks. Is this the meat in meat porridge?

His expression showed little change; he finished eating and then asked, "Are you going to talk?"

Their vision blurred, and they asked, "If we don’t speak, won’t you give us anything to eat?"

"If you don’t speak, after we have our fill, we’ll cut off your heads. What difference does it make whether you’re hungry or full?"

One of the bandits closed his eyes and said, "If we’re all going to die, at least let us die with a full stomach."

"Did you feed the caravan people before you raided them and killed them?" Assistant General Nie sneered, "Our supplies are limited. If you’re destined to die, there’s no need to waste resources."

He said, "This isn’t a jail here."

Assistant General Nie’s gaze swept over them as he finished the meat porridge in his basin, grabbing another flatbread to eat in front of them. Then he stood, dusted off his hands, and said, "It looks like no one wants to talk. In that case, let’s kill them. Men—"