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

"Good idea," Lin Chen nodded in agreement. "Walking along the stream will not only help us avoid the enemy's sight, but also help us find water."

Everyone quickly adjusted their direction and continued along the edge of the stream. The clear water flowed, its gurgling sound cheering them up. Although their bodies were exhausted, their hearts were filled with hope.

"Look, there's a bridge over there!" a child pointed excitedly ahead.

Everyone looked in the direction he pointed and saw a simple wooden bridge spanning the stream. On the other side of the bridge was a dense forest, which seemed to be a good hiding place.

"Let's go over there quickly!" Lu Yan urged.

The group quickly crossed the small wooden bridge and entered the woods. The air in the woods was fresh and moist, and the sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows. Suddenly, a villager stopped and pointed at a nearby bush. "There looks like something in there!"

Everyone immediately became alert and tightened their weapons. An old man slowly emerged from the bushes, holding a cane and a kind smile on his face.

"Don't be nervous. My name is Uncle Zhao. I live in a nearby mountain village." The old man said slowly, "I heard you guys just now and came to see you."

"It turns out they are friendly forces!" Uncle San breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward to greet them.

"Excuse me, old man, is there any safe place nearby where we can rest for a while?" Lin Chen asked.

"Of course, follow me." Old Man Zhao nodded and led them into the depths of the woods.

Before long, they arrived at a small thatched cottage. Although simple, it felt cozy. Mr. Zhao opened the door and invited them in: "This is my cottage. You can rest here for a while."

"Thank you so much!" Lin Chen said gratefully.

"You're welcome. This is what I should do." Mr. Zhao said with a smile, "Are you here to hide from those bad guys?"

"Yes, the man in golden armor and his men have been chasing us." Amin replied.

"Those people are truly notorious," Old Man Zhao sighed. "But it doesn't matter. You're safe here for now. I'll get you something to eat."

Mr. Zhao turned and walked into the inner room. Soon, he brought out a pot of hot porridge and some dry food. Everyone sat around the table, eating and chatting about their experiences.

"Uncle Zhao, do you know if there is any secret passage here that can lead to a farther place?" Lin Chen asked.

"Of course there is," Old Man Zhao nodded. "There's a maze-like network of caves beneath this mountain, leading to a valley dozens of miles away. However, the caves are very complex, and we need an experienced guide."

"Then can you take us there?" Lin Chen asked anxiously.

"No problem," Mr. Zhao agreed readily, "I'll take you there after dinner."

After a simple lunch, everyone, led by Mr. Zhao, arrived at the foot of the mountain behind the village. There was an unassuming cave entrance, almost completely covered in weeds. Mr. Zhao pushed aside the weeds, lit a torch, and led the way into the cave.

"Follow me closely. There are many branches in this cave and it's easy to get lost." Uncle Zhao warned.

Everyone followed closely, moving forward cautiously. The cave was dark and damp, with a faint musty smell in the air. Occasionally, the sound of dripping water could be heard, which seemed particularly loud in the silence of the cave.

After walking for about ten minutes, they came to a fork in the road. Mr. Zhao stopped, observed carefully for a moment, and then pointed to the passage on the left: "Go this way, it's the fastest route."

Continuing forward, they finally arrived at a spacious cavern. In the center of the cavern was an underground river, the water so clear that you could see the bottom, making a gurgling sound.

"This is the underground river. We can follow it all the way to another exit," said Mr. Zhao.

"Great!" Xiaomei said excitedly, "This way we can escape safely!"

At this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps came from deep in the cave. Everyone immediately became alert and drew their weapons.

"Who's there?" Mr. Zhao shouted.

"We are hunters from the village and we are here to help you." A voice came from the darkness.

Soon, several hunters armed with bows and arrows appeared in the firelight, their faces filled with determination and resolve.

"We spotted you entering this cave, so we followed you," one of the hunters explained. "We can also lead you to the correct exit."

"Thank you so much!" Lin Chen said excitedly, "Then let's take action together!"

Hunters joined the team. They were familiar with the cave network and quickly led everyone to find the correct route. Following the underground river, a ray of light appeared ahead, indicating that the exit was not far away.

However, just as they were about to reach the exit, the voice of the man in golden armor suddenly came from outside: "Guard all the exits and don't let anyone escape!"

"Oh no, they found out!" Lu Yan said nervously.

"Quick, rush out!" Lin Chen gave the order decisively.

Everyone rushed out of the cave quickly, and the scene before them surprised them - dozens of enemies were guarding outside the exit and surrounded them.

"Looks like we have to force our way in!" Lu Yan drew his knife and prepared to fight.

"Everyone be careful!" Xiaomei warned, "There are too many of them. We need to disperse and break out!"

"Yes, divide into two teams, cover each other, and rush out!" Lin Chen ordered.

The crowd split into two teams, attacking from the left and right sides respectively. A fierce battle broke out instantly, with both sides engaging in close combat and the sound of killing shaking the sky.

"We must hold on!" Lin Chen waved his sword and fought hard.

After a fierce battle, they finally broke through the enemy's defenses and escaped the encirclement. Behind them, the man in golden armor roared angrily, "You won't get far. I will chase you to the ends of the earth!"

"Brother Lin, what should we do now?" Amin asked anxiously.

"Keep running forward," Lin Chen said firmly, "We can't stop."

Xiaomei comforted her softly, "Don't worry, as long as we unite, we will definitely find a way out."

Everyone ran forward quickly, their figures gradually disappearing in the distance. Behind them, the man in golden armor and his men followed closely behind, and a new round of pursuit began.

"They are really powerful," a villager hiding in the bushes whispered, "even with so many people surrounding them, we can't stop them."

"Yeah, it's hard to imagine," another villager agreed. "But where will they go next?"