How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Qingru was so frightened that she lost her mind and chased after him.

But the voices outside were clearly audible, even to Xiao Fuzi and the other two.

They looked at Que Qingru in horror, not knowing what to do.

Qingru simply couldn't believe that this scene was real. These people had actually caught up with her so quickly. Yes, the traces they left behind were very conspicuous, and she had been delayed because of her injured foot, so it wasn't impossible that she had been caught.

Forcing herself to calm down, she suddenly came to her senses when she touched the mountain wall and felt the icy coldness on her body. "Let's go, let's find a high place to hide first, they won't be able to find us so quickly."

"Hiss~!" Qingru gasped, her whole body trembling. She felt a burning pain in the soles of her feet, and the sudden movement aggravated her wounds.

After catching her breath, she immediately struggled to her feet. She rubbed her right leg, feeling waves of excruciating pain coursing through her body. Qingru gritted her teeth and forced herself to continue walking forward.

"Sister Lü, let me carry you." Guiying carried Qingru on her back and walked forward carefully. Xiao Fuzi wanted to scout ahead, so she put all the luggage on Qiushuang.

Qingru was perhaps running a fever; her mind was foggy, her eyelids grew heavy, and finally, her head lolled to the side, and she fell asleep.

"Sister Lü?"

After a long silence from Qingru, Xiaofu called out softly a few times, but received no reply. She called again, but still heard no sound. Finally, she gave up and asked Guiying, "Sister Guiying, what should we do? Sister Lü, what about her…?"

Guiying shook her head, her expression grave, and said, "I don't know what to do either. Let's hide first. The person Sister Lü mentioned who would come to meet us hasn't shown up, and we haven't even seen them. We might miss them. Let's find a hiding place first, so the people from the yarn factory don't find us. We'll wait until Sister Lü wakes up before we decide what to do next."

There were no other good ideas at the moment, so they could only do as Guiying said. Therefore, they took the things, found a secluded cave to hide in, and then wait and see what happened.

Qiu Shuang was with them anyway, and the other three wouldn't listen to her advice, so she didn't say anything else, just stayed close to them, afraid of being left behind.

On the other side, the people from the Toyo Cotton Mill indeed followed the trail with their dogs.

They were careless. Although they hadn't directly contacted the dogs, there were traces of their lives everywhere in the pipes. How could they not find them?

But there was no other way. At the time, there simply weren't the conditions for them to come up with a perfect plan. Moreover, even if they had, given their disheveled state during their escape, they probably hadn't even figured out their escape route, let alone how to carry out the plan.

"Hey? Look, there's a cave here, let's go take a look."

“There’s blood here, and it’s still fresh. They must be here.”

"Yes, this cave is obviously a hiding place. These four bastards might be hiding nearby."

The people at the Dongyang Textile Factory quickly analyzed the situation and decided to search the surrounding area first before making a further decision. After all, the cave was very dark and deep, and no one knew what was inside. Taking rash action might lead to losses.

So the group, along with several dogs, searched around, only to find that apart from the cave they had just encountered, there was nowhere else to hide on the mountain.

Ultimately, after consulting Ruika, these people decided to go in and investigate to see what was going on.

Ruika called over a quick-witted man to lead the way, then waved to the others, and the group crept into the cave. The cave was pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, but at least they could use the faint light of flashlights to see the way; otherwise, they would have been completely helpless in the darkness.

"Wait a minute," the quick-witted man suggested, "We don't know what's going on inside. Let's go in with torches, in case we can't breathe."

But no one had one on them at the time, so in the end Ruika struck a match, lit it at the entrance of the cave, and provided a faint light.

"It's alright, everyone. Just be careful and try not to disturb those four women, lest things get complicated," Ruika advised.

"Okay," everyone agreed in unison, and then tiptoed towards the inner wall of the cave. The cave walls were uneven and covered with moss and various vines, making them very slippery to walk on, and one could easily slip and fall. Unless one was a person who had been exercising for many years, it would be impossible to walk steadily.

"There seem to be footprints here." Suddenly, a short man squatted down in front of the stone steps and said excitedly. Hearing this, everyone quickly went over to check and sure enough, they found a row of shallow footprints in the corner of the left side of the cave.

“Looks like those four sluts are hiding here. Let’s follow the footprints,” Ruika ordered.

"Good, these idiots, they don't even know how to clean up their mess after they ran away."

"That's right, it's a bargain for us brothers."

The group chatted and laughed as they slowly made their way towards the footprints. The cave wasn't very open, and the footprints were shallow; they searched for a long time without finding them clearly.

Moreover, the footprints moved very slowly, as if deliberately luring them forward.

Seeing this, everyone's expressions gradually turned grim. They knew this was a trap set by the other side, but since they had already come this far, there was no reason for them to back down.

"Heh, not bad, a little bit clever, but not much." Ruika chuckled and stepped inside first.

Since they had dogs with them, they could find them even without following footprints.

Seeing this, everyone followed suit.

The cave was long, widening as they went deeper, but it was empty, containing only some rubble and mud. After walking for a long time, the group finally arrived at a relatively flat area inside the mountain, surrounded by sheepfold paths, making it impossible to tell which path concealed people.

"What's going on?" The leader frowned, muttering to himself. These dogs seemed to have lost their effectiveness once they entered the cave, their keen sense of smell gone. Sniffing around, the four dogs went their separate ways, none pointing in a clear direction.

He looked around, his eyes flashing with a fierce light, and he was losing some patience.

"If you ask me, we should just go in and take a look. They're just a few women. We have a dozen or so grown men. What are we afraid of?" the younger brother asked impatiently. If they had that kind of brain, would they have been tricked into working as factory girls?

Moreover, those female workers are usually very timid and dare not fight back when they are bullied. If you scare them a little, they might go back with you.

Unlike him, Ruika was not optimistic; his expression was unpredictable, and he couldn't make up his mind for the time being.

These women seemed somewhat clever, but not exceptionally so. The forest floor was slippery, and the footprints of the four women had long been clearly visible on the ground. However, since arriving at the cave, they had discovered that one of them had deliberately used footprints to mislead their judgment. Who knew if there were other preparations ahead?

"Let's go, let's just go straight there," the younger brother advised.

"Wait a little longer and see how things go," the leader refused, still hoping the dogs could point him in a clear direction.

Guiying and the others hid in the shadows with Qingru, listening to the people from the yarn factory discussing how to capture them and take them back nearby. They were so frightened that they trembled and dared not move.

Fortunately, Guiying was quick-witted; before hiding, she deliberately left footprints to mislead them. But looking at those vicious dogs, she wasn't so sure anymore. Shouldn't they be able to lure them away?

Now that Qingru is unconscious again, and their leader is gone, they feel even more insecure.

They hadn't expected their escape to be so difficult. The textile factory had actually sent men to chase them, and there were more than ten strong men who had now blocked their way.

"Brother, look!" a man suddenly exclaimed excitedly.

The man in the lead looked in that direction and saw a light not far ahead, suggesting that there might be someone nearby.

Only then did Ruika's face show joy, and she shouted, "Let's go, go and catch them! These little women are so capable of causing trouble!"

Upon hearing this, everyone perked up and rushed over excitedly.

Inside the cave, Guiying and the others heard the sounds of those people getting closer and closer, and immediately huddled together in a panic.

"I'm scared...I'm afraid," Qiu Shuang said tremblingly, her eyes filled with fear.

"Shh, don't speak," Xiao Fuzi whispered, but her eyes gleamed with determination. If they dared to rush in, she would take one of them down with her even if it meant her death.

"Ugh..." Xiao Fuzi immediately covered Qiu Shuang's mouth, afraid that she would make a sound.

Qingru woke up with a soft moan, startling Guiying and the others. She shook off the dizziness, looked around, and immediately understood what was happening, especially with the sounds of voices coming from the cave.

A chilly wind blew through the cave, and the group sat close together, keeping each other warm.

"What should we do?" Qiu Shuang asked fearfully.

"Why don't we go out and fight them?"

"Oh? That's not a good idea. How about we go that way? There's a light and a cliff edge there," Qiu Shuang quickly chimed in.

"A cliff edge?" Guiying, who was standing to the side, was taken aback. She hadn't noticed it before. "There can be a cliff edge inside a cave?"

Qingru guessed, "Perhaps there's an underground river. Did you see it clearly?"

Qiu Shuang shook her head, "I...I didn't see it clearly either."

"..." Qingru didn't know what to say.

Qiu Shuang continued, "Xiao Cui, are we really going to go out and risk our lives? Maybe if we jump in, we can swim home with the river. Think about it, if we stay here, they will definitely catch us."

Qingru was racking her brains for a solution. Qiushuang's suggestion was too immature and unacceptable. Who knew what that light was all about?

"Let's follow them and see what happens," Qingru decided, and took the lead.

Guiying and the other two hurried to follow in her footsteps; they all had a kind of blind trust in Qingru.

Just as they were about to walk forward, they saw that the group seemed to be turning back, so they stopped to see what they were up to.

At the light, Ruika was furious. "There's nothing here." He'd come all this way for nothing. It turned out that the light was just a sliver of sunlight slanting down from a small opening in the cave. Behind the light was a massive, solid, and heavy mountain wall, impossible to hide in.

"What should we do?" the tall, thin man asked.

The leader gritted his teeth and said, "Go back and search again. They must be around here."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ruika led the way back.

They kept turning back, only to encounter several different paths, none of which bore the marks of their previous journey. They took the wrong path, then turned back to choose a new one, repeating this several times, yet they still hadn't left the flat ground.

Those watching from a distance exchanged bewildered glances, seeing Qingru and the others circling around in circles, as if they had entered a maze.

"Damn it, what is this thing? We can't get out of here?" one of them cursed, pointing to the end of the cave. "It's like being trapped in a maze, it just keeps going on and on."

Ruika's face darkened, and she led the dog over to help them find their way. The dog sniffed around for a long time, running back and forth in circles, seemingly nervous and scared, before suddenly running off in one direction at breakneck speed.

Caught off guard, Ruika was tripped up by the running dog.

"What...what is this thing?"

The group that followed were stunned. They never expected there to be so many paths inside the cave, and all the smaller paths seemed to be misleading options. Only the path in front of them was the "right path," and at the end of this tunnel was an ancient tomb.

"This...this is...a cemetery?" Ruika exclaimed in surprise, her eyes wide.

At this moment, everyone in the yarn factory stood there dumbfounded, unable to believe their eyes.

It turned out that there was a hidden world here. The flashlights of a dozen or so people illuminated the place, and only then could everyone see the scene before them. In front of the tall stone wall stood a huge stone tablet with the words "The Tomb of Madam Lü" written in large characters, and on the right side, in smaller characters, "Those who open the coffin will die."

It's simple and clear, easy to understand at a glance. However, apart from these few sentences, nothing else is written, which is quite puzzling. It should be noted that when writing tombstones for ancestors, they would not be so careless; at the very least, the names of the descendants would be engraved, not left blank like this stone tablet.

Either the descendants of this family are unfilial, or they are covering something up, yet they left behind warning words, as if it were a deliberate reminder.

Moreover, the nearby villages are not close by, and instead of burying their ancestors in auspicious burial sites, they were buried in caves where they never see the light of day. It looks suspicious no matter how you look at it.

"Boss, are we rich this time? I've never robbed a tomb before," the underling said excitedly. They rarely saw antiques, but this obviously problematic tomb tempted them to steal their money.

As for that warning, it makes people forget the past. Many tomb raiders have done it, and no one seems to face any retribution. Take the warlord Sun, for example; everyone knows he was a tomb raider, yet he still got promoted and made a fortune.

Immediately, the people from the yarn factory swarmed over and began frantically digging at the stone tablet, hoping to find out if a huge fortune was hidden behind it.

The girls, including Qingru, were stunned by what they saw. Had these people gone mad? Why were they going to start digging at a simple gravesite?

What's more, the owner of this cemetery shares the same surname as Qing, which makes her feel somewhat uncomfortable and offended.

"Let's escape now." Guiying was the first to regain her composure, and she pulled Qingru and the others to prepare to enter the tunnel and leave.

At this moment, the sound of them digging into the rock wall was deafening, which effectively drowned out the sounds of Qingru and the others.

The four of them crept back along the path they had come from. They were lucky; they had been walking along the stone walls at a high point, so unlike the undefended guards of the yarn factory, they entered the maze of cave paths.

A faint glimmer of light gradually appeared in the distance, and the girls' faces lit up with long-lost smiles.

"Great, we're almost out!" Qiu Shuang immediately cheered.

Overjoyed, the group rushed towards the cave entrance.

"Who's there? Stop right there!" Ruika shouted.

Although their attention was drawn to the cemetery, the dogs keenly noticed the slight movements of Qingru and the others.

"Run!" Qingru shouted, leading Guiying and the others to run for their lives. The other two women followed, but Qiushuang was terrified and unable to move. A dog that caught up with them bit her trouser leg.

"stop!"

"Ah! Help me!" Qiu Shuang's shrill cry for help echoed throughout the cave, extremely piercing.

Hearing Qiu Shuang's scream, Qing Ru stopped in her tracks.

She pushed Xiao Fuzi in front of Guiying and said, "You guys go first. The camera is still on Qiushuang. I have to get it back, or all our efforts will be in vain."

"No," Guiying nodded, ignoring Xiaofuzi's struggles, and pulled her forward. In case... in case something happened to Qingru, at least the two of them could fulfill Qingru's aspirations.

"Hahaha..." The people at the yarn factory burst into unrestrained laughter upon hearing this. "Run? Do you think you can escape?"

A dozen or so people rushed forward and surrounded Qingru and the others, while the three dogs also pounced on them, blocking Guiying and the other girl's path.

"You?" Qingru glared angrily, her eyes red with intense hatred. She was just one step away from killing him.

"Hey, running away? Why did you stop running?" A lewd-looking man stared at Guiying with a lewd grin.

"Hahaha......"

The crowd burst into laughter, mocking their naivety and overestimation of their abilities—four petite women trying to escape from a dozen burly men.

"Alright, let's tie him up first and see what's in this cemetery. Today's trip won't have been a waste, haha..."

Ruika smiled smugly, then waved his hand. Immediately, someone brought over the prepared ropes and tied up Qiushuang and the others, throwing them aside. Then they continued digging the tomb. For a moment, the sound of stones hitting each other echoed throughout the cave.