Wow, this rough-around-the-edges pregnant wife is something else, she's incredibly ruthless!

With a knowing look in their eyes, Lu Chuan and Meng Tong headed towards the village exit, while Bai Ye gracefully stood up, forming a protective encirclement around the wooden house with the wolves.

Here, four people were already standing outside the thorny gate at the village entrance. They were very thin, so thin that they looked almost unrecognizable.

Upon seeing the wooden door that appeared before them, the four men's dull, lifeless eyes flickered slightly, and the man in the lead gently nudged the woman to his right.

"Go over and have a look."

"I……"

A hoarse and weak voice, regardless of gender, conveys a sense of lifelessness.

The woman was thin and bony, with two-thirds of her face covered by dry, messy hair, revealing only a set of yellowed teeth.

Hearing the man's urging voice, the woman walked blankly toward the Thorn Gate.

Although they couldn't see the people outside through the door frame, both Lu Chuan and Meng Tong knew their movements.

As the woman stepped closer, Lu Chuan's machete was already poised to strike.

Meng Tong raised her arm to stop him, glanced at him briefly, and shook her head.

Now is not the time.

"Dong dong dong."

Three muffled sounds came from the wooden door, followed by a weak, hoarse female voice.

Is anyone there?

There was no response, and Meng Tong did not use his special abilities to utilize the thorns on the door.

The wooden door was knocked three more times. This time, Lu Chuan and Meng Tong still did not respond. The two walked quietly toward the wooden door. When they were only a step away, Meng Tong could clearly feel that the woman's breathing was unsteady.

Is someone taking them hostage? Or...?

Meng Tong and Lu Chuan exchanged a glance. Just as the woman turned around to say something to the three men opposite her, Lu Chuan spoke up at Meng Tong's signal.

"Who!"

"Ah!" the woman exclaimed softly, her empty eyes filled with surprise. Then she quickly turned around and leaned against the door frame, saying with all her might, "I am Zhou Man."

Zhou Man?

Lu Chuan and Meng Tong exchanged a glance, both of them seeing disbelief in each other's eyes.

She... is still alive.

"My wife, she..."

"Don't be impulsive." Raising her hand to stop Lu Chuan, Meng Tong leaned close to his ear and whispered something.

Lu Chuan then glanced at her and said towards the wooden door, "I don't know any Zhou Man, you can leave!"

"I...I'm Zhou Man! Your wife saved my life before, I just wanted to come and see if you and your wife are still alive..."

"The lady you mentioned isn't here. Let's go!"

Lu Chuan continued speaking, while Meng Tong listened to the commotion outside.

Although Meng Tong hadn't had much contact with Zhou Man, she knew that Zhou Man wasn't that kind of person.

Who exactly are they, and why do they know about her?

And she also knew that she had saved Zhou Man back then.

Could it be...

With her eyes narrowed, Meng Tong's gaze was filled with murderous intent. The only thing she could think of was that Zhou Man must have suffered abuse or something similar...

Not daring to imagine such a scene, Meng Tong nodded to Lu Chuan.

"What should we do if the couple doesn't believe her?"

"What do you mean, 'what to do'?" The leading man spoke contemptuously, his smile eerie. He took a few steps to the woman, casually grabbed her hair, and flung her far away. The man bowed obsequiously and approached the wooden door, smiling, "Madam, I am Zhou Man's elder brother. My little sister has been talking to me about your kindness to her while she was in the deep mountains. Our Zhou family will never forget it."

"The snow in the mountains has just melted, so my younger sister, my two cousins, and I came over to thank you and your wife in person. Please, please join us..."

Before he could finish speaking, the wooden door suddenly collapsed, and the man who had been dutifully playing the role of a gentle older brother was pinned down underneath.

The screams carried far, but the man remained silent, as Lu Chuan stood atop the wooden door.

A man's strength is immense, and besides, the one below is no match for him.

She collapsed to the ground, looking so fresh and delicate. Lu Chuan stood on the wooden door, holding a machete, watching the two trembling men not far away.

Ha...that's it?

Meng Tong was speechless.

I thought I'd met my match!

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

Looking at the woman lying on the ground, too afraid to move, Meng Tong took two steps forward and asked.

The woman shrank back twice without making a sound.

Seeing the bruises and swellings on her exposed skin, Meng Tong knew without a doubt that she was a woman who had gone through a lot of hardship.

She glanced up at the two men; they were still very thin, but much better off than the woman.

It seems that life in these deep mountains is not easy for them either.

"You two come here."

"no, do not want……"

"come over."

The commanding tone instantly subdued the two, who trembled and hunched over as they approached Lu Chuan and Meng Tong.

A strong stench filled the air, and Meng Tong frowned as she glanced at it.

They had many wounds, all of which were fresh and had rotted and smelled bad because they hadn't been treated in time.

"I'll ask you one more time, who sent you here, and how do you know Zhou Man?"

"We were forced into it."

A man dressed in gray-black linen clothes knelt on the ground and said, trembling.

Another person continued, "Yes, yes, we were all forced into it. It was a man with exceptional martial arts skills. He brought a woman with him in town."

"The woman's name is Zhou Man. She told us that there was a couple living a very good life here, and she asked us to come and steal some things to take back with us."

"A man with superb martial arts skills? Who is he?"

Meng Tong took two steps closer and asked.

Lu Chuan clung tightly to Meng Tong, his cold gaze making neither of them dare to look him in the eye.

They just kept replying, "I...we don't know. He always wears a black hat and a mask. We don't know his name or anything..."

"The man wearing a mask."

Meng Tong suddenly remembered the man she had seen in Meng Xuan's memories.

Could it be him?

And how did Zhou Man end up with him? Was she forced or...?

How many people are in the town now?

While Meng Tong was deep in thought, Lu Chuan spoke up and continued to ask.

The two men were still trembling, but what they said still made sense.

As far as they knew, there were only thirty-four people in the town, and none of them were people they already knew.

They all met in the town after coming out of the deep mountains.

As for the masked man and the so-called Zhou Man, they only appeared a few days ago.

Because the two were dressed smartly and had food, the other people in the town supported them.

Even after hearing Zhou Man's explanation, he disregarded the danger to his life and insisted on coming to Duanshan Village.

Actually, Meng Tong didn't care too much about any of that. What she wanted to know was what this man's purpose was.

Is he really the masked man?