Chapter 2820 The Substitute Was Forcibly Taken by the Bandit's Wife 24

The bandits surrounded the artificial hill. They were quick and familiar with the terrain, and in no time they forced Chu Ming and Chu Yi, who were hiding in the shadows, into a corner with nowhere to retreat.

Chu Ming and Chu Yi cursed inwardly, but dared not reveal themselves. They could only hurriedly hide, and from time to time they had to dodge the sticks in the hands of the bandits.

Jin Chen stood still, his smile deepening. He turned his head and whispered a few instructions to A Yan, who was holding an umbrella.

Ayan: "Don't worry, young master, I'll go right away!"

Jin Chen, holding an umbrella alone, turned and walked towards the bamboo forest.

Before long, Chu Ming and Chu Yi, who had finally dodged the bandits' sticks, exchanged a glance and followed.

Because of the continuous spring rain, the ground in the bamboo forest was muddy and slippery, and the fog was thicker than outside, making people's figures blurry even ten steps away.

Chu Yi and Chu Ming met in the mist, both looking extremely grim.

"What bad luck!" Chu Ming cursed under his breath, shaking off the mud and bamboo leaves that clung to his raincoat. "What a stupid snake! That guy surnamed Jin is clearly just looking for trouble!"

Chu Yi's expression grew even colder. He was more perceptive than Chu Ming and vaguely sensed that something was amiss.

Jin Chen didn't look for snakes earlier or later, but he did it precisely when they had just left the side courtyard and were preparing to take action, and he even happened to point them in the right direction.

"Be careful, I feel something's off." Chu Yi gripped the hilt of the short sword at his waist, his sharp gaze sweeping over the bamboo shadows shrouded in mist.

The two dared not be careless and moved slowly through the bamboo forest, trying to find a way.

However, they were unfamiliar with this bamboo forest, and with the fog thickening, they quickly lost their way.

Suddenly, Chu Ming tripped and stumbled forward a few steps. Chu Yi tried to pull him up, but he also slipped and they tumbled down the slope, which was extremely slippery from the rain.

The two tumbled down the hillside and landed in a ditch. Their raincoats were disheveled, and their faces and bodies were covered in mud. They looked quite pathetic.

"Damn it!" Chu Ming was so angry that the veins on his forehead throbbed, and he struggled to get up.

Just then, a figure seemed to flash by in the depths of the thick fog ahead, holding a green bamboo umbrella.

It's Jin Chen!

The two brothers exchanged a glance and saw murderous intent in each other's eyes. This guy surnamed Jin had actually delivered himself to their doorstep.

Without even bothering to think about why Jin Chen would appear deep in the bamboo forest, they quickly got up, drew their short swords, and chased after the direction in which the figure had disappeared.

The fog thickened, carrying a biting, damp chill.

The ground beneath our feet became increasingly muddy and difficult to traverse, and the surroundings were eerily quiet.

After chasing for a while, a moon-white figure could be seen faintly in the mist ahead, seemingly not far away, but I could never catch up.

Chu Yi's ominous premonition grew stronger, and he suddenly stopped in his tracks, shouting, "No, stop!"

Chu Ming also noticed the abnormality, so he stopped and looked around warily.

It's so quiet.

Apart from the sounds of wind, rain, and bamboo, there was nothing else; not even the chirping of birds, beasts, or insects could be heard.

Chu Ming seemed to have heard something, and he turned around abruptly, his pupils suddenly contracting.

A fierce tiger with piercing eyes and a white forehead stood on a boulder only a few feet away, emitting a deep and terrifying roar.

It's the legendary mountain king from near Black Cliff! What's it doing here?!

The two brothers' blood froze, and their hands holding the knife trembled. Facing such a mountain overlord, even though their martial arts skills were not weak, they had no chance of winning in this terrain!

What terrified them even more was that behind the tiger, which was poised to pounce, a figure stood silently.

She wore a pale white cloak, her dark hair was half-tied up, and she held a green bamboo umbrella in her hand.

Jin Chen stood a few steps behind the tiger, and slowly curved the corners of her lips towards them.

Against the backdrop of misty rain and surrounding tigers, he was strikingly beautiful and incomparably gorgeous, yet also eerily cold, sending chills down one's spine.

She seemed like a beautiful ghost emerging from the underworld.

-

Meanwhile, at the remote drill ground behind the village.

Dozens of burly men were practicing close combat in pairs on the muddy field, exchanging blows and shouts.

Gu Fanghe stood with his hands behind his back under the corridor, dressed in black with dark hair, his face cold and stern. He swept his gaze over the movements of everyone in the room, occasionally offering instructions in a deep voice.

Suddenly, a commotion arose at the entrance to the training ground. The guards stopped someone and spoke in hushed tones.

Gu Fanghe frowned and looked up.

Ignoring the guards' attempts to stop her, Ayan looked anxiously in his direction, muttering something rapidly.

Gu Fanghe's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason. He raised his hand to pause the training and said in a deep voice, "Let him come over."

The guards immediately let them through. Ayan rushed across the muddy ground to the corridor, not even bothering to bow, and cried out, "Boss! Something terrible has happened!"

"Young Master went into the old bamboo forest behind the mountain, and two unfamiliar men carrying knives came out from the west courtyard and followed him in furtively!"

"I wanted to stop them, but they are very skilled, and I dared not act for fear of alerting them. So I ran here to tell you! Please go and take a look!"

"what!"

Gu Fanghe's pupils shrank suddenly, and a terrifying aura of ferocity erupted from his body.

What unfamiliar faces could there be in the village, especially coming from the west courtyard...?

"Chen Xiaoshan!" Gu Fanghe turned around abruptly and shouted sternly, "Immediately gather your men and block all the routes down the mountain! Without my order, not even a fly is allowed to escape!"

"Liu Mianfeng! Take men and surround the west wing! Detain everyone inside! Anyone who resists will be killed without mercy!"

"Yan Qishi Meng, bring all your best men and come with me to the bamboo forest!"

Before he finished speaking, Gu Fanghe had already leaped into the rain and sped off towards the bamboo forest behind the mountain.

Dozens of men responded in unison, grabbed their weapons, and rushed into the rain.