As soon as Shen Qingge and Liu Ji’an left, the others immediately followed.
Before setting out, the village chief had told them to obey Liu Ji’an’s orders completely. If they went back just like that, there would be consequences.
They followed Shen Qingge deeper into the mountains. The further they went, the more eerie the surroundings became. Cold winds blew around them, making their hearts waver.
“I think I heard wolves… maybe… we should go back.”
Liu Ji’an tightened his grip on the sickle and said, “What’s there to be afraid of? There are so many of us. If we kill them, we can eat meat.”
“…”
Those were wolves, not rabbits.
Even if they wanted wolf meat, they had to be strong enough to kill them.
Wolves lived in packs. Even if they could handle one, they couldn’t fight a whole group.
Half an hour later, Shen Qingge suddenly stopped.
“What’s wrong?” Liu Ji’an asked.
Shen Qingge pointed toward a tree not far away.
Looking in that direction, they saw many mushrooms growing under the tree.
Although they weren’t very fresh, they were still edible.
And it wasn’t just under that one tree.
For the villagers of Liu Village, this was undoubtedly good news.
Liu Ji’an looked at Shen Qingge thoughtfully. She had led them straight here as if she already knew there was food.
But the time she had left earlier wasn’t enough for her to come here and check.
So how did she know in advance?
The others didn’t think that much. As long as they could find food, nothing else mattered.
They picked all the mushrooms, smiles never leaving their faces.
“Since we’ve gathered all the mushrooms, let’s keep going deeper. Maybe we’ll find more.”
These mushrooms gave everyone confidence. Now they all wanted to keep moving forward.
But Shen Qingge said, “There’s water here. Let’s get water before we go.”
“Water? Where?”
Everyone looked around but saw no sign of it.
Shen Qingge tapped the ground with her foot. “Right here.”
She had done missions in deep mountains before. Finding water sources was an essential skill.
“It’s a drought, yet the ground here isn’t cracked, and mushrooms can still grow. That means there’s enough moisture underground.”
“As long as we dig a deep pit here, water will collect soon.”
It worked the same way as digging a well.
They worried—what if no water appeared after digging? Wouldn’t that be wasted effort?
Before leaving the village, all the wells there had already dried up.
“Start digging. There’s no other water source. We can only try.”
Liu Ji’an completely trusted Shen Qingge. He picked up a hoe and began digging where she indicated.
Seeing him start, the others quickly joined in.
With more than ten men working together, they dug a nearly two-meter-deep pit in less than half an hour.
To save time, they continued moving forward after finishing.
With Shen Qingge guiding them, they quickly found many edible things.
Although they were only wild vegetables and fruits, it was enough to sustain them for quite some time.
Before setting out, they hadn’t taken Shen Qingge seriously because she was a woman. But now, they looked at her as if she were a shining treasure.
Everything they found was thanks to her.
If her luck continued, they wouldn’t have to worry about starving anymore.
Yes, they attributed it all to her good luck.
Only Liu Ji’an felt it wasn’t just luck.
It was more like she already knew where things were.
He pulled Shen Qingge aside and whispered, “Wife, are you a fairy from heaven?”
“…”
Shen Qingge asked, “Why would you say that?”
“If you weren’t a fairy, how would you know what’s on the mountain?” Liu Ji’an patted his chest and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret.”
Shen Qingge couldn’t help but laugh softly.
She had done it on purpose—to let them think her luck was extraordinary.
That way, if she took things out of her space later, she could explain it as luck instead of something suspicious.
But she didn’t expect Liu Ji’an’s imagination to go so far—thinking she was a fairy.
She deliberately didn’t explain and instead gave him a mysterious smile.
Liu Ji’an immediately nodded, looking like he had confirmed his guess.
At that moment, he was convinced she was a fairy and felt proud.
His wife was a fairy—who else could say they married one?
Even if one day she returned to heaven, he had already prepared himself. He would remain faithful to her for life.
…
Back in Liu Village, Ying Huan and eight other women secretly gathered.
Ying Huan asked, “How are things on your side?”
“Don’t worry, dealing with those men is nothing for us.”
“Yes, I just beckoned with my finger, and they agreed to everything.”
“Boss, what should we do next?”
“Should we act now? While those people they sent out haven’t returned, we’ll definitely succeed.”
Ying Huan shook her head. “Not yet.”
“Why?”
“Because I want revenge. That woman ruined the team we worked so hard to build. I won’t let her off easily.”
“I’ll make her pay for interfering in things she shouldn’t have.”
Thinking of Shen Qingge made Ying Huan furious.
She was the one Shen Qingge had chased to the cliff that night. If she hadn’t prepared a substitute in advance, she wouldn’t have escaped so easily.
Originally, she planned to seduce Liu Ji’an to take revenge on Shen Qingge.
But Liu Ji’an was like a block of wood. No matter what she did, he didn’t even look at her. Instead, he sent her to Liu the Lame’s bed.
Liu the Lame not only had a crippled leg but was also ugly.
And he dared to dream of marrying her?
Impossible!
“Keep seducing those men. Make them completely devoted to us.”
“When the time comes, I’ll have all of them die together.”