Reincarnation and Rebirth

Old Man Su had been gone for several days, and Old Woman Su was constantly distracted. Su Wan'er felt that all of this was very abnormal, but she didn't have the energy to deal with their troubles. With the war approaching, the price of grain in town was changing daily, and in recent days, groups of refugees from other places had frequently appeared on the main road outside the village. The villagers were filled with anxiety, and after discussing it, they all went to see the village chief for advice. Su Wan'er naturally went with him, wanting to find out everything about the Zi family.

"Village chief, the New Year is just around the corner, I hope nothing bad will happen."

"Don't panic, everyone. If the Purple Flame Kingdom really invades, the government will definitely notify us to evacuate. You must trust General Xiao."

"Yes, yes, General Xiao is brave and skilled in battle, he will definitely defend the border. Let's not panic."

"But this can't go on forever. The price of grain in town is rising every day..." a villager said worriedly.

"Hey dog, your harvest was pretty good this year, how come it's all gone so quickly?"

"Sigh, it's all because of that short-sighted son of mine. Seeing that grain prices went up this year, he sold most of it a month ago. I was thinking that we could manage by doing odd jobs after the New Year, and we still had some corn growing at home. I thought we could manage, but who knew that... if a fight really breaks out..."

Su Dewang said helplessly, "Grain is our livelihood. No matter what, we can't sell it all." However, he also knew about Gouzi's family's situation. Their son had been weak since childhood, and the couple spent most of their earnings on medicine. That's why they sold all the grain without considering the consequences.

"Village chief, what should we do now? We're so close to Qingzhou. What will we do if a fight really breaks out?"

"Everyone, please calm down. I'll go to town tomorrow to inquire and then we'll talk about it. Maybe we're just worrying unnecessarily."

Just then, Su Mulin, the village chief's eldest grandson who was studying in town, returned covered in injuries. The village chief was taken aback. "Why are you back? Didn't you just go to school this morning?"

"Grandpa, a gang of bandits appeared in town and killed many people. The teacher was worried that something might happen to us at school, so he arranged for someone to send us out of town overnight?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked, including Su Wan'er. Calculating the time, it seemed that this was even earlier than expected.

Ignoring the occasion, Su Wan'er frowned and asked, "Shouldn't the city gates be closed at this time?"

Everyone glanced at Su Wan'er, who was speaking, but didn't blame her for being nosy.

“A few days ago, something happened in the magistrate’s backyard. They said thieves broke in, so they’ve been searching the whole city for them. At night, there are a lot of soldiers guarding the city gates, just in case the thieves sneak out of the city.” Su Mulin looked at his grandfather. “Maybe it was those bandits who did it, so they’re desperate.”

Su Wan'er didn't think so. She had done everything herself, including dealing with the magistrate and the Gou family, and it had nothing to do with the bandits. The only possibility was that the bandits were actually spies from the Zi Yan Kingdom. When they heard that the whole city was being searched, they thought they had been exposed, which was why...

"So, when you left the city, those people, those people just let you go like that?" the village chief asked in a trembling voice.

"No, no, the people who escorted us from the school were killed by those bandits, and several of my classmates were also killed... I was rescued by a classmate and ran back at the cost of my life. Now, I'm afraid we can't go to town."

The village chief plopped down on a stool, his eyes bloodshot. The villagers were in complete disarray, chattering and arguing incessantly.

At this moment, Lin Nanxing suddenly stepped forward and said, "Everyone, don't panic. Since they are only operating within the town, they probably don't want to alert people outside. Tomorrow, I will find an excuse to go in and check."

Su Mulin shook his head, "Grandpa Lin, no, it's too dangerous. When I ran out, there were corpses all over the city gate. Those people kill without blinking an eye."

Su Wan'er suddenly thought of Su Yang and quickly searched through the crowd. She saw Wu Shi standing there with her grandson, looking panicked.

Lin Nanxing calmly said, "Don't worry, I often go to town to sell medicinal herbs. I'm familiar with that place. If those bandits were just acting on a whim and came down the mountain to rob, they should have left by now. If not, I wouldn't have rashly entered the city."

The village chief stood up solemnly. "Brother, I'm counting on you then. Please be very careful."

"Don't worry, there's not a sound at all, so it should be fine. Mu Lin is injured, isn't he? Let's go, I'll help you get bandaged up."

Su Wan'er felt that Lin Nanxing seemed not afraid at all, and even a little angry, which was not the demeanor that an ordinary barefoot doctor should have.

However, she agreed with one point: those bandits probably didn't want to alert the enemy, but they didn't know why the magistrate was conducting a city-wide search, so they deliberately created this incident to prevent people from suspecting the Purple Flame Kingdom.

As Su Mulin just mentioned, several students escaped from the city gates, but those people didn't chase after them. Presumably, they didn't receive orders to leave Sunset City without permission.

That night, Su Wan'er began to consider the supplies in her spatial storage. There was no shortage of food and medicine, and as for daily necessities, the supplies she had previously plundered from the Gou family and the county magistrate's house were enough for her own family.

However, if I were to retrace my steps in my past life, would I really just stand by and watch those people freeze to death outside?

Sigh, forget it. Should I go to town again tonight? But that doesn't seem to work either. Those merchants aren't having an easy time either. I can't just take their goods away like this. In the current situation, even if I give them money, it won't help. They probably won't be able to buy anything.

By the way, when they were talking about bandits earlier, they mentioned a group of bandits in Bayi Mountain.

Su Wan'er remembered that Bayi Mountain runs across Meizhou and Qingzhou, and the back mountain on their side is already the tail of Bayi Mountain.

These bandits commit all sorts of evil deeds; if they themselves...

Hmm, that's a good idea.

Su Wan'er immediately took action. Everyone in the family had already gone to sleep. Nowadays, the Su family only eats one meal a day. Moreover, because Wang Shi is recuperating in the outer room, Su Youlu often accompanies her. Su Wan'er is very careful when giving the little ones extra food. She only dares to give them some meat or eggs when they go up the mountain during the day.

So before leaving, Su Wan'er simply used a sleeping potion to drug the entire Su family, letting them sleep comfortably. It was really too good for them.

Su Wan'er is no longer the novice she was before she died. Her lightness skill is comparable to those masters who have studied for decades. However, she doesn't know where the bandits are hiding, which is a bit of a headache.

I only have two hours at most, and I must get back before dawn.

Su Wan'er nimbly darted among the treetops. Just as she was about to give up and go back to find out more before coming back, her ears suddenly twitched. It was so late, and in this deep mountain forest, how could there be footsteps? Listening carefully, she realized that it was indeed the sound of human footsteps.