Exile: Empty half of the capital and blow up the enemy's palace

Not long after she changed her clothes, Chen Daming's anxious voice rang out from outside the house, "Miss, are you all packed? The village chief and his men are here."

Yun Qingqing replied, "It's settled."

Chen Daming felt relieved when he heard this and hurried to the gate to greet the village chief and his entourage.

The village chief came up to Chen Daming and asked, "Chen Daming, have you packed up the five girls that were offered as sacrifice to the mountain god?"

Chen Daming said quickly: "It's all packed, they are waiting in the house..."

The village chief nodded slightly, then turned to the five women behind him and instructed, "The time has come. Go in and bring them out."

Upon hearing this, the five women walked straight into the house.

When Yun Qingqing and her five siblings heard footsteps in the room, they all picked up the red veil and covered their heads with it.

Not long after, the door was pushed open from the outside and footsteps were heard.

The fat woman in the lead glanced at the five figures in the room who were wearing wedding gowns and covered with red veils and sitting quietly on chairs. She said in a calm voice:

"Help them out."

As soon as she finished speaking, the other four women came forward and each supported one person as they walked out.

The fat woman finally stepped forward and supported Yun Qingqing, who was left.

Five women supported the five "brides" and walked out of the house in silence.

Outside the house, the village chief, Chen Daming and others were waiting. Five simple red sedans had been parked in the yard at some point.

The women helped the girls to the sedan chair one by one, lifted the curtain, helped them sit in the sedan chair, and then lowered the curtain.

The village chief shouted loudly: "Lift the sedan chair——"

Several strong villagers waiting beside the sedan heard the sound and nimbly carried the sedan onto their shoulders.

Five red sedan chairs were lifted steadily, and the team moved silently towards the ancestral hall in the village.

The group walked quietly on the village path, and soon the dark gate of the ancestral hall appeared before them.

The sedan chairs landed in front of the ancestral hall door one by one. The women stepped forward, opened the curtains, helped the five "brides" out one by one, and helped them into the village ancestral hall.

As soon as I entered the yard, the scene suddenly changed. The yard in front of the ancestral hall was already filled with villagers kneeling.

They closed their eyes and muttered prayers.

The appearance of the five "brides" made the buzzing sound of prayers seem louder.

The villagers did not look up, but prostrated themselves even more reverently, as if they were performing a crucial ceremony that could not be disturbed.

Yun Qingqing and her four siblings were supported by the women and walked step by step through the yard full of kneeling villagers to the main hall of the ancestral hall.

The light in the hall was extremely dim, with only a few eternal lamps flickering with faint light in front of the ancestral tablets. The air was filled with the thick smell of incense, candles and old wood.

After the women helped Yun Qingqing and her four siblings into the main hall, they turned around and left, locking them in the main hall.

After hearing the footsteps outside fade away, Yun Qingqing and her four siblings pulled off their red veils.

"I'm dying of suffocation." Yun Chengying threw the red veil to the ground.

"Xiao Ba, you can't lose this red veil now." Yun Chengxi bent down, picked up the red veil he had thrown away, and put it in his hand.

Yun Qingqing quickly swept her eyes across the main hall of the ancestral hall, taking in the environment. It looked like a fairly ordinary rural ancestral hall, with old buildings and years of dust visible on the beams and pillars.

In the center of the ancestral hall stands a long, dark-colored offering table, on which are placed many spirit tablets densely and orderly.

"This is so baffling." Yun Chengying frowned, surveying the gloomy surroundings with disdain. He couldn't help but grumble in a low voice, "Are these people mentally ill? Why are they offering us as sacrifices to the mountain god? Why don't they just carry us up the mountain? Instead, they've locked us up in this lifeless ancestral hall. Could it be that their mountain god resides in this pile of tablets?"

Yun Chenghao listened attentively to the faint, persistent humming of voices outside the door and whispered, "Outside, the villagers are kneeling in the yard, mumbling incessantly, as if they're performing some kind of blessing ritual. Imprisoning us here is probably part of that ritual."

Yun Chengying snorted coldly, "These villagers are truly foolish and ignorant. They think they can please the mountain god and ensure good weather and good harvests by using this method? They are nothing but self-deception."

Yun Chengxiao, who had been silently observing his surroundings, suddenly turned to Yun Qingqing and asked, "Abao, is there anything strange about this ancestral hall?"

Yun Qingqing shook her head and whispered, "This is just an ordinary ancestral hall."

Yun Chengxi said, "We need to stay here until tomorrow night before we're sent up the mountain. Let's find a place to rest first."

As he spoke, his eyes quickly swept across the hall and noticed several old cushions scattered under the altar.

He walked forward, picked out the one that looked the cleanest and most intact, and placed it next to a relatively sturdy pillar. He said to Yun Qingqing gently, "A Bao, come here and sit here for a while to rest and get enough rest."

Upon hearing this, Yun Qingqing directly took out three large beds from the space and said, "Let's sleep on more comfortable beds."

Yun Chengying raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Abao, your Qiankun bag is really good. It allows us to sleep in our own bed when we are away from home."

Yun Qingqing smiled and said, "I only brought out two beds. You two can take one."

Yun Chengying heard this and said quickly, "Seventh Brother and I will share the same bed. He is the most obedient sleeper and won't fight with me for the quilt."

Upon hearing this, Yun Chengxi immediately glanced at him with disdain: "Xiao Ba, you don't sleep well at night. I really don't want to sleep with you at all."

Yun Qingqing listened to what the two said and took out two more beds from the space. "Let's each have one. You can choose your own bed to sleep on."

As she spoke, she walked to her bed, took off her shoes neatly, and got on the bed. "I'm going to sleep first, you guys should get some rest early too."

Yun Chengying immediately rushed to the bed closest to him: "This one is mine."

In the Yun family yard.

Jiang walked to the door and looked out, and said worriedly: "It's already so late, why haven't Abao and the others come back yet?

Yun Jingzhong walked over to her upon hearing the sound, gently placed his hand on her shoulder, and said in a gentle voice, "Don't worry too much. They might just be having fun and will be back soon. Abao is very capable, nothing will happen to him."

At this time, Wu also walked to the courtyard gate and said with a smile: "Oh, sister-in-law, don't worry too much. The five brothers and sisters went out together. Nothing will happen. Maybe they saw something new and played so much that they forgot the time."

As soon as she finished speaking, Yun Xun came running over, hugged Wu's legs, looked up and asked, "Grandma, when will my aunt and the others come back? I miss my aunt."

Mrs. Wu pinched his little face and said, "Go to sleep. You'll be able to see your aunt tomorrow morning."

Yun Xun shook his head, "I'm not sleepy now. I want to wait for my aunt to come back."

Yun Chengyuan just came out of the house. Hearing his son's words, he strode over and picked up the little guy: "Go to bed, sweetheart. You still have to go to school tomorrow morning."

Yun Chengyuan carried the squirming little guy into the house and patted his butt gently: "Behave yourself, or I'll beat you if you squirm again."

Yunxun immediately calmed down.

The elder lady walked to the gate and waved her hand, "Alright, stop standing there. Go back to your rooms and rest. Abao and the others will be back soon."

As soon as the elder lady finished speaking, Wu suddenly pointed to the distance and said, "Hey! Look, there's someone coming towards us."

Everyone looked in the direction she pointed, and saw a figure hurriedly walking towards the Yun family courtyard in the night.

When the visitor came closer, he was recognized as the villager Zhou Dashan by the light of the lantern at the door.

Zhou Dashan came up to the elder lady and said, "Old lady, Miss Yun, I was asked to tell you that they have gone out for a trip and will be back in a few days. Don't worry."

The elder lady nodded and said, "Okay, thank you for coming here to pass on the message. I understand."

Then he gestured to Mrs. Wu beside him, "Go get some hard-earned money for Dashan."

Zhou Dashan waved his hands quickly: "No, no, it's just a message, no need to pay..."

He said that without waiting for their reaction, he turned and left quickly.

Mrs. Wu looked at Zhou Dashan's hurriedly leaving figure and couldn't help but scold him, "These four brats took Abao out to play without even telling the family in advance."

The elder lady smiled and said, "Young people are always playful, let them be." She waved her hand and said, "Alright, don't stand around here anymore. Go back to your rooms and rest. It's cool outside."

After she said that, she turned and walked into the yard.

Seeing this, Mrs. Wu and Yun Jingzhong turned around and went back to the yard.