Bright Sword: Conquer the monk at the beginning and take down Zhou Weiguo

After doing all this, he stood up and thought quickly in his mind.

The room was too empty, with little room to hide. Forcing someone to hide would inevitably lead to discovery. Unless—the enemy had no suspicion of anyone being here, or had been lured away.

Qin Cang's eyes swept across the pile of rags and worn farm tools in the corner. With a sudden thought, he walked over and quickly pulled out a worn cowhide cloak, stained with dirt and oil, and emitting a pungent smell.

"Just right."

He quickly put on his cloak and wiped some dust and mud on his face. His movements were so skillful that it seemed as if he had done it countless times.

There was no mirror, but Qin Cang could sense his current appearance—a tired, slovenly, down-and-out farmer. This image was enough to confuse those careless pursuers.

At this time, the footsteps outside were getting closer and closer.

"Quick, search this side!" A hoarse voice suddenly exploded, with impatience and irritability, as if afraid of missing the prey.

The barking of dogs sounded again, getting closer and closer, almost just outside the gate.

Qin Cang narrowed his eyes, his heartbeat still as steady as ever. He slowly walked to the corner of the house, pretending to tremble, and sat down next to a pile of hay, looking like a frightened old villager.

The door was pushed open suddenly, bringing with it the smell of cold wind and mud.

Several enemies wearing gray shorts and with fierce expressions rushed in, their weapons still dripping with rain water, their eyes darting around like wolves looking for food.

"Hey, old man!" A younger guy stepped forward, kicked away the haystack in front of Qin Cang, and roared fiercely, "Did you see those two suspicious people?!"

Qin Cang deliberately shuddered, holding his head in his hands, his voice trembling: "No... I didn't see it, gentlemen... I, I'm almost freezing to death, how could I dare to cause trouble..."

The enemy frowned and looked at him with disgust, as if his nose was choked by the pungent smell of cowhide.

Another enemy stepped forward, grabbed Qin Cang's tattered cloak, and pulled it roughly, as if wanting to see if there was anything hidden underneath.

Qin Cang fell to the ground in an exaggerated manner, letting out a terrified cry: "Don't hit me, I don't know anything! My wife and children have all run away, and I'm the only one left with my life..."

The enemy spat in disgust, kicked him, and cursed, "You are so poor, and you still dare to harbor people!"

"Search the house!" The leader waved his hand.

The two enemies began to rummage around, kicking the old wooden boxes and farm tools in the corner into pieces, and even half of the fire was broken up.

Qin Cang's heartbeat quickened slightly, but his face remained terrified and helpless. He knew that Xiao Hu was hiding not far away. If he was careless, everything would be over.

The enemy turned around, his face becoming increasingly grim, and it was obvious that he hadn't found anything.

"Boss, this lousy place has so little to offer. I haven't even seen a mouse."

The leader snorted coldly, with unwillingness in his eyes, but he was too lazy to waste any more time in this rotten place.

"Go!" He waved his hand and kicked Qin Cang hard, "Get out of my way!"

Qin Cang rolled and crawled, begging repeatedly, looking extremely miserable.

The enemy cursed and retreated quickly out of the yard, and the door was slammed shut.

In the room, the only sounds were the wind and the occasional crackling of the fire.

Qin Cang remained lying on the ground, his ears fixed on the noise outside. After a long while, until he was sure that the enemy's footsteps were gradually fading away, he slowly stood up, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

He walked over to the haystack and patted it gently.

"Xiaohu, come out."

The hay moved slightly, and the tiger cub's head popped out from it. His face was covered with sweat and dust, but his eyes were unusually bright.

"Brother, it was so dangerous..." he whispered, his voice full of gratitude and admiration for surviving the disaster.

"Lao Qin, I'll go." Xiaohu suddenly said in a low voice, with a stubborn tone in his voice, like a dead branch standing stiffly in the cold night.

Qin Cang glanced sideways at him. Xiaohu's face still held a hint of childishness, but the determination between his brows made him frown slightly. He patted Xiaohu's shoulder, not hard, but with an unquestionable tone: "Listen to me, when it's completely dark, we'll go over together."

Xiaohu pursed his lips, but a stubborn light flashed in his eyes. "Lao Qin, I can go faster on my own and come back faster. If you follow me, I'm afraid they'll hear me if I move too loudly."

Qin Cang's heart skipped a beat. Xiaohu was right. The Japanese and puppet troops were heavily guarded in this mountain forest, and the slightest movement would easily arouse alarm. Xiaohu was nimble and much more agile than he was. If they wanted to find a safe route, he was indeed the best choice.

But the uneasiness in his heart was like a thorn stuck in his flesh, making him feel uncomfortable.

He was silent for a moment, and finally whispered, "Okay. But remember, watch first, don't do anything. If you encounter a situation, hide on the spot and don't try to show off your strength."

Xiaohu nodded heavily, tightening his grip on the gun, his eyes gleaming. He lowered his body to the ground, slithering forward like a nimble snake. Qin Cang watched him disappear into the twilight, a heavy weight weighing on his heart.

The wind in the forest gradually died down, leaving only the rustling of leaves, as if they were whispering to each other.

Qin Cang moved slowly along the ground to a large moss-covered rock. He held his breath and stared at the direction where Xiaohu disappeared.

Xiaohu's figure appeared and disappeared, occasionally outlined by a ray of moonlight, his thin but firm outline. He moved very lightly, his footsteps were almost silent, leaving only a tiny, imperceptible mark on the grass.

"Hurry up, come back quickly..." Qin Cang muttered to himself, his palms slightly sweating.

Time seemed to be stretched out very long, and every second was like sandpaper grinding on my heart, so rough that it hurt.

Suddenly, a faint noise came from the depths of the woods, as if something had stepped on a dead branch and broken it.

Qin Cang's heart suddenly tightened, his eyes fixed on the front, wishing he could turn his sight into a dense net to cover Xiaohu tightly.

After a while, a low bird song was heard, which was the secret signal they had agreed upon.

Qin Cang felt relieved, but his body tensed even more. He saw Xiaohu retreating quickly, each step steady and light. But at that moment, Xiaohu suddenly stopped, frozen in place like a stone statue.

Qin Cang's heart almost jumped out of his throat.

Following Xiaohu's gaze, he saw a group of Japanese soldiers slowly patrolling from the other end of the path. Their steps were steady, their eyes were alert, and the bayonets on their rifles flashed a cold light.

The little tiger was crouching behind a bush, his face pale, but his teeth clenched tightly, not moving a muscle.

The Japanese were getting closer and closer, and the air seemed to freeze. Qin Cang could almost hear the rumbling sound of his own blood flowing.