My daughter was sold, I want to divorce her and go back to my parents' home to escape the famin

"Hurry back to the tree hole! There are a lot of animals running towards us!"

Gu Xiaoya shouted at her two sisters in horror. Although they were not hurt at this moment, their faces were pale and frightening due to excessive shock.

Hearing his elder sister's extremely anxious and terrified words, Gu Huaining, who was always known for his boldness, felt his heart tighten suddenly.

She used her hands and feet to quickly climb up the tree hole, her movements as fast as a nimble monkey.

Although Gu Huaining was filled with fear at this time, she was not completely dominated by panic.

At this critical moment, she did not forget Gu Xiaowan beside her. While Gu Huaining was struggling to climb up the tree hole, her other hand tightly held Gu Xiaowan's hand, and the two of them crawled towards the tree hole in a panic.

Finally, after a tense and difficult climb, the two sisters successfully got into the tree hole one after another.

However, before they even had time to catch their breath or calm their violently beating hearts, they saw their eldest sister Gu Xiaoya appear at the entrance of the cave and climb into the tree hole at the fastest speed.

But just when the three sisters thought they were temporarily safe and could breathe a sigh of relief, they discovered that the noise outside the cave not only did not decrease, but became louder and louder.

The noisy sounds seemed to be gradually approaching this small hiding place, causing the already frightened sisters to fall into deep fear again.

As the noisy sounds outside the cave grew closer, the three sisters hugged each other tightly, not daring to breathe.

Gu Xiaoya tried hard to calm herself down, put her ear against the wall of the cave, and tried to figure out what was happening outside.

Suddenly, a shrill scream pierced the sky, followed by roars and the sounds of animals fleeing.

Gu Xiaowan was so frightened that her whole body was shaking. She sobbed softly, "Sister, are there a lot of scary beasts fighting outside?"

Although Gu Huaining was also scared, he pretended to be calm and patted Gu Xiaowan's back gently to comfort her: "Don't be afraid, we'll hide in this tree hole, they won't be able to get in for a while."

Gu Xiaoya frowned, thinking, "From the sound, it seems like some large beast is chasing other animals. The dangers of this forest are far beyond our imagination, but hiding here all the time is not a solution. We have to find a way to leave."

At this moment, the sound of branches breaking came from outside the cave, followed by heavy breathing.

A huge black bear appeared at the entrance of the cave. Its huge body almost blocked the entire entrance, and a strong fishy smell instantly filled the tree hole.

The three sisters opened their eyes wide with fear. Gu Huaining subconsciously protected Gu Xiaowan behind him, and she and Gu Xiaoya stood in front of Gu Xiaowan. The two sisters clenched their fists tightly, and their nails dug into their palms.

The black bear used its huge paw to explore the entrance of the cave, and its sharp claws scraped the edge of the tree hole, making a creepy sound.

Gu Xiaoya was extremely anxious. She knew that if the black bear insisted on getting into the tree hole, they would be powerless to resist.

She quickly scanned the inside of the tree hole, trying to find something to protect herself, but there was nothing except some dry branches.

Just as the black bear was about to take further action, a horn sounded suddenly in the distance. The sound was passionate and majestic. The black bear seemed frightened, hesitated for a moment, turned around and slowly left the cave.

The three sisters breathed a sigh of relief when they heard the black bear's footsteps going away, but they still did not dare to let their guard down.

Gu Xiaoya thought for a moment and said, "The horn sounds like hunters or guards. We have to find a way to attract their attention, otherwise the three of us will die here."

Gu Huaining nodded, picked up a thicker branch from the ground, and knocked it hard on the inner wall of the tree hole, making a "bang bang" sound.

Seeing this, Gu Xiaowan quickly squatted down, picked up a branch of appropriate thickness, and started knocking gently like Gu Huaining.

On the other side, Gu Xiaoya walked cautiously to the entrance of the cave, stuck her head out, and looked down nervously.

As expected, as the rhythmic knocking sounds continued to spread outward, the originally faint and indistinct horn sounds outside the cave became increasingly clear and audible, as if they were gradually approaching where they were.

Not long after, a deep male voice suddenly came from not far away: "There seems to be someone here, quickly search for him!"

Hearing this, Gu Xiaoya was delighted and quickly responded with a loud voice: "We are here! Come and save us!"

As soon as he finished speaking, several figures flashed quickly and arrived near the cave entrance in the blink of an eye. These people all held sharp weapons and looked at the surrounding environment with vigilance.

At this moment, the sunlight happened to fall on the face of one of them, making that face clearly appear in front of the three sisters.

I saw that this man was young, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and his face was resolute and handsome.

When he saw the three sisters in the cave, a look of astonishment flashed in his eyes: "You three princesses are here? This place is very dangerous. Come with us and leave!"

After saying that, he quickly directed his men to clear away the obstacles at the entrance of the cave. Soon, the entrance was unobstructed.

The young and handsome face appeared in front of the three sisters again. He smiled and stretched out his hand to them, signaling them to quickly climb out of the tree hole.

So, with the concerted efforts of everyone, Gu Xiaowan, Gu Xiaoya and another sister finally managed to escape from the predicament and stood on the ground safely.

It was not until then that Gu Xiaoya had the opportunity to carefully observe the group of people who came to rescue.

After a closer look, she was pleasantly surprised to find that these people were actually a patrol team composed of palace guards, who were specifically responsible for protecting the safety of this royal estate.

Gu Xiaoya expressed her gratitude to the captain of the guards who led the team. The captain of the guards respectfully returned the greeting and said that protecting the princesses was their duty.

"How far is this place from the imperial manor?" Gu Xiaoya asked. Gu Huaining and Gu Xiaowan followed behind her without saying anything, but let her take the lead in socializing with the three sisters.

The captain of the guards replied, "My lord, this is already the edge of the royal estate. However, the terrain of this forest is complex and there are many wild animals. We must proceed with caution. We will reach the outer safety area in about two hours."

Gu Huaining couldn't help but complain: "It's all my fault for chasing rabbits while playing around. I accidentally got separated from the guards. I didn't expect to walk further and further away and encounter these dangers."

Gu Xiaowan lowered her head and whispered, "Second sister, it's okay."

Gu Xiaoya touched Gu Xiaowan's head and comforted her gently, "Don't blame you. It was my eldest sister who didn't think it through. We're lucky to be alright. I'll have to trouble you to take the three of us sisters back."

At this time, Gu Xiaoya showed the demeanor of a royal princess, and her temperament was no less than those of the young ladies from aristocratic families.

Seeing that the three sisters had calmed down a bit, the captain of the guards ordered the team to set off. The guards spread out in a fan shape, protecting the three sisters in the middle, and moved forward carefully in the forest.

Along the way, everyone remained highly alert and kept an eye on the movements around them.

As they walked, Gu Xiaoya suddenly remembered something and asked the captain of the guards, "How did you happen to be here?"

The captain of the guards explained, "My lord, there have been recent rumors among refugees that a rare beast has appeared in this forest and is frequently attacking those who approach. The Emperor is concerned that this could jeopardize the safety of the royal estate, so he has sent us on patrol. Today, while we were patrolling nearby, we happened to hear the beast's roar. Fearing an accident, we followed the sound and came here."

Gu Xiaoya nodded slightly, secretly feeling fortunate in her heart. If it weren't for the emperor's precautionary measures, they would probably have died here today.

But, is it really as the guard said? Could it really be such a coincidence?

At this moment, the guards in front suddenly stopped and made a warning gesture. Everyone immediately became nervous. Gu Xiaoya and others also stopped and dared not breathe.

I saw a smaller wolf rushing out from the bushes. It seemed to have an injured leg and was running with a limp.

Immediately afterwards, several more wolves chased out, their eyes fierce and their sharp fangs exposed.

The chief guard whispered an order: "Protect the princess, don't panic, follow my command."

The guards quickly surrounded the three sisters more tightly, weapons in hand, ready for battle. The wolves circled around them several times, seemingly looking for an opportunity to attack.

One of the wolves suddenly jumped up and pounced on a guard. The guard quickly blocked it with the spear in his hand. The wolf was stabbed and screamed, then retreated.

But the other wolves did not retreat, instead they attacked even more frantically. Gu Xiaoya held the branch tightly in her hand. Although she was afraid, she secretly vowed to protect her two younger sisters.

Gu Xiaowan and Gu Huaining hid behind Gu Xiaoya, holding each other's hands tightly, their bodies trembling slightly.

Gu Xiaoya gently comforted her two younger sisters behind her while observing the situation on the battlefield and thinking about how to respond.

Seeing the wolves' attacks becoming increasingly fierce, the chief guard, worried about the princesses' safety, shouted, "Shoot!"

Several guards quickly took out their bows and arrows, put arrows on the strings, and shot at the wolves. Several wolves were shot and fell to the ground, but a few wolves still rushed forward desperately.

At this critical moment, Gu Xiaoya suddenly thought of a solution. She shouted, "Wolves are social animals. We need to get rid of them quickly, otherwise the smell of blood will attract other animals. Also, wolves are afraid of fire. Pick two people out to serve as torches."

After hearing Gu Xiaoya's words, the captain of the guards was not stupid. Thinking of Gu Xiaoya's background, he naturally knew whether these words were true or false.

"Two of you come to act as torches, and the rest of you follow me to protect the three princesses in the middle," the captain of the guards said, and the formation changed.

Before long, torches were quickly made. The captain of the guards and the team he led walked out of the camp and began patrolling. Of course, they carried a variety of tools with them. Making torches was a piece of cake for them who were experienced.

Each member of the team was holding a blazing torch. The captain of the guards led the team, holding the torch firmly in his left hand to illuminate the way ahead, and holding a sharp weapon in his right hand just in case.

Looking at the three sisters Gu Xiaoya, each of them was holding a bright torch in their hands and walking carefully in the center of the team.

At this moment, the originally bright sky gradually dimmed, and a gentle breeze blew by, causing the jumping flames on the torches to sway and drift in the wind.

Fortunately, despite the constant shaking of the fire, the torches never went out and still stubbornly emitted warmth and light.

When this team holding torches faced the aggressive wolf pack, the wolves seemed to be suddenly frightened by the sudden appearance of the dazzling fire.

The wolves, which had been extremely ferocious and attacked without hesitation, now became a little hesitant.

After the two sides confronted each other tensely for a while, the wolves finally chose to turn around and flee.

They seemed to be frightened and ran wildly towards the depths of the forest without looking back. Soon they disappeared completely from the sight of Gu Xiaoya and others.

It was not until this moment that everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and their tense hearts finally relaxed.

Gu Xiaoya's face was full of admiration, and she did not hesitate to praise the guards for their brave and fearless performance.

The chief guard responded modestly, "Protecting the princess's safety is our unshirkable responsibility!"

After this little episode, everyone continued on their journey. As time passed, it became completely dark.

The forest became very scary at night. The air was filled with the stench and roars of wild beasts, which added a terrifying atmosphere to the silent forest and deepened the fear in the hearts of Gu Xiaoya and her two sisters.

Gu Xiaoya suppressed the growing fear within her and tried to sound calm. "Everyone, don't panic. Let's hold our torches and advance steadily. Captain of the Guards, you're most familiar with the terrain around here. Let's stick to our original plan and head towards the safe area outside the Imperial Manor."

The chief guard nodded and replied, "Don't worry, my lady. I will protect you three. However, the forest at night is more dangerous than during the day. We must speed up our pace and pay more attention to our surroundings."

After saying this, he raised his hand to signal the team to continue moving forward. The guards raised their torches higher. In this gloomy night, the jumping flames became the only light of hope.

Gu Huaining tightly grasped the flickering torch in his hand, as if trying to rub it into his palm, muttering to himself, "This damn place is scary enough in broad daylight, but I never thought it would be so eerie and terrifying at night. It's simply terrifying and sends chills down my spine!"

At this time, Gu Xiaowan was like a frightened little rabbit, clinging tightly to Gu Xiaoya's side. She was trembling with fear with every step she took, as if something terrible would pop out from under her feet at any time.

Her once clear and pleasant voice was now trembling slightly with fear. "Sister... I... I'm so scared. I feel like there are so many pairs of cold eyes staring at us with ill intentions."

Hearing her sister's frightened words, Gu Xiaoya felt a little panicked.

But she still forced herself to remain calm and reached out her hand, gently patting Gu Xiaowan's trembling shoulder, and softly comforted her, "Don't be afraid, little sister, you have the sisters here to accompany you, and there are so many well-trained guards protecting us, everything will be fine."

Although she said this, only Gu Xiaoya herself knew best that in this pitch-black forest where you couldn't see your hand in front of you, there were so many unpredictable dangers and unknown threats hidden. I'm afraid even God couldn't give a definite answer.