I am the Holy Poisoner, the Empress advised me to calm down

Everyone stopped immediately, weapons at the ready. Several shadowy figures slowly emerged from the bushes. In the occasional flash of lightning, it was vaguely apparent that they were unarmed, seemingly lost.

"Who are you?" Lu Yining asked vigilantly, while signaling the team members to stay alert.

"Don't get me wrong, we're from a nearby village," one of them explained hurriedly. "We saw all this commotion and thought a war had broken out, so we ran out to see what was going on."

Hearing this, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief. Although the villagers had no military training, they had lived on this land for many years and had rich experience in how to move in complex environments. Uncle Li walked over and patted the man on the shoulder: "It's okay, we are all good people, we just ran into some trouble."

"Good people?" One of the younger children looked at Lu Yining and the others curiously, his eyes full of admiration. "Are they the ones who defeated the bad guys and protected us?"

Lin Hao smiled, "About the same."

Just as they were about to move forward, they heard the sound of footsteps not far away. "Oh no! The enemy has discovered us!" a team member whispered a warning.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense. Even the usually quiet children grew nervous in the face of the impending battle. "What should we do? Why don't we hide?" another villager suggested.

Applejack shook his head, "No, now's not the time to run. We have to buy time for the captain."

"Yes, we can't let these brave people face the enemy alone!" The child said firmly and stood in the team, as if he was ready to face everything that was about to happen.

Just as everyone was ready for battle, Lu Yining suddenly remembered the secret path Uncle Li had mentioned. "Wait, let's stick to the original plan! Follow Uncle Li and get out of here as soon as possible!" With that, she rushed in the direction Uncle Li pointed, followed by the others, including the villagers who had just joined.

Meanwhile, in another direction, the enemy commander was communicating with the front line via radio. "Is it confirmed? The target is retreating to the southeast."

"Yes, sir, but we can't find the exact location. This area is too complicated and it's easy to get lost."

"Increase the search intensity and catch them at all costs!" The other party was obviously unwilling to let the prey escape.

As time passed, the rain got heavier, almost drowning out all the sounds. But at this moment, Uncle Li suddenly stopped and said, "We're here. The place we're looking for is right ahead."

Everyone looked closely and realized they had arrived at a hidden cave. Lu Yining immediately directed everyone to go inside to take shelter from the wind and rain while also taking a brief rest. "Very good, this should be safe enough."

"Captain, is everything really okay?" a team member asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, we have shaken off the pursuers." Lu Yining comforted him.

"But what if we are discovered?" The other person still did not dare to let his guard down.

"Then we have no choice but to fight hard." Lin Hao, who had been silent until now, spoke up, "But I don't think it will happen so quickly."

Just as he finished speaking, there was a sound of hurried footsteps outside the cave. "Who's there?" Lu Yining immediately became alert.

As a flash of lightning split the night sky, a figure appeared at the door. It was the child we met earlier. "Come out and take a look! There's something going on over there!" he shouted breathlessly.

After exchanging glances, everyone quickly rushed out of the cave, only to see an unidentified group moving towards them not far away...

"Whose men are these?" Ajie asked doubtfully.

"No matter who it is, we have to be prepared." Lu Yining clenched his fists, "We must ensure our safety no matter what."

"That's right. No matter what difficulties we encounter, we must never give up." The child held Ajie's hand tightly and said, "As long as we unite, there will be no obstacles that we cannot overcome."

Just as everyone was preparing to face a new round of challenges, a familiar voice was heard from the team in the distance. "Captain Lu? Is that you?"

"Mr. Lin, did you hear that?" Lu Yining turned to look at Lin Hao, who nodded, obviously hearing it too.

As they slowly approached, they discovered that this group of people were actually friendly troops coming to support them!

"Great! I didn't expect to see you here!" An old friend excitedly stepped forward to hug Lu Yining. "We heard you were in trouble, so we came here to help."

"It's really one crisis after another." Lin Hao sighed, "I don't know what kind of difficulties we will encounter next."

"But no matter what, we can't give up easily." Lu Yining said firmly.

"That's right," the children nodded in agreement. "We will work together to overcome all challenges!"

Just as everyone was about to discuss their next course of action, thunder rumbled again in the sky, as if foreshadowing the approach of a bigger storm...

"It seems the road ahead is still long," Lin Hao looked up at the dark night sky, "but since we've chosen this path, there's no turning back."

"Yes, no matter how many unknowns are waiting for us ahead, we will move forward courageously." Lu Yining responded firmly. Her words were like a ray of light, illuminating the fire of hope in everyone's heart.

"Then let us face a bigger storm." Lin Hao's mouth corners slightly raised, and there was a fearless light in his eyes.

"The storm has only just begun." With a rumble of thunder, the entire world seemed to cheer them on for this adventure. They would continue on, writing their own legendary story amidst the unknown and challenges. After a brief rest in the cave, the team led by Lu Yining and Lin Hao, along with the villagers who joined them, prepared to face the next round of challenges. The thunder in the sky seemed to be a clarion call for their advancement, and everyone's heart was filled with hope and determination for the future.

"We have to leave here as soon as possible," Lu Yining said to everyone, "the enemy will catch up soon."

At this time, a young villager suddenly spoke up: "Captain, I am actually very familiar with this area. I know a secret passage that can quickly bypass the enemy."

Everyone looked at him, their eyes full of surprise. "Really?" Lu Yining asked.

"Yes, I've walked this path with my father before. It's difficult to walk on, but it's definitely hidden," the young man answered firmly.