Feng Daqian saw that the villagers were not listening to him and hurried to find his father.
Village Chief Feng’s expression turned unusually stern. He was trembling with rage.
“I am the head of Shangxi Village. My word is an order! If anyone disobeys my arrangements, I will not issue them any identification papers when we enter the city. From now on, don’t even think of saying you are people of Shangxi Village!”
Seeing the village chief’s thunderous anger, everyone reluctantly discarded part of their luggage.
Village Chief Feng had governed the village for nearly twenty years and had contributed greatly to it, even securing many benefits for the villagers.
If anyone truly angered him and lost their entry papers, they would become undocumented drifters—people without identity, forced to wander without a home for the rest of their lives.
So no one dared to challenge his authority, nor disobey his orders.
Among the villagers, some had heard that the idea had come from Gu Jiu. They immediately grew resentful, blaming her for being just a young girl who knew nothing yet still caused trouble at critical moments.
Gu Rong and Gu Xiaoman were very unhappy. Their elder sister had clearly been trying to save everyone, yet she was being blamed instead.
“Let’s go. People can say whatever they want. Why care?”
If Gu Jiu had not considered that this group might lead the enemy here and put her and her younger siblings in danger, she wouldn’t have bothered saving them at all.
Mount Lin was not very high. With help from more than thirty strong villagers, they quickly reached the summit and gathered to await further instructions from Village Chief Feng.
“Village Chief, let’s not waste any more time. We should keep running!” someone anxious urged.
But Village Chief Feng did not immediately give orders. Instead, he fell into deep thought.
He looked toward Gu Jiu standing in the crowd and cautiously asked, “Jiu girl, in your opinion, which direction should we flee to have a chance of survival?”
“Village Chief, such a big decision should be yours. You are the village chief—wherever you say we go, we’ll follow. But why are you asking a young girl like her? What is this supposed to mean?”
Liu Guihua, holding her child, was so anxious she nearly exploded. Seeing the village chief actually consult Gu Jiu, she couldn’t help shouting.
The other villagers quickly echoed her, criticizing Gu Jiu.
Village Chief Feng raised his hand to quiet everyone. He had already seen Gu Jiu’s abilities earlier and naturally wanted to hear her opinion.
“Everyone quiet down. Let’s hear what Jiu girl has to say.”
Gu Jiu saw that the village chief still trusted her, but what she said next shocked everyone even more.
“Grandpa Feng, we can’t keep running. Everyone needs to stop right now.”
“Damn girl, if you can’t come up with ideas, then shut your mouth! Why are you trying to get everyone killed along with you?” Old Lady Gu cursed viciously, her eyes almost popping out from rage.
Now that the whole village was blaming Gu Jiu, the Gu family immediately tried to distance themselves to avoid being dragged into the backlash.
Old Master Gu directly declared in public, “Let me make this clear—this girl has already been separated from our family. From now on, she has nothing to do with us! Whatever disgraceful things she does, don’t associate them with the Gu family!”
Gu Jiu’s gaze turned sharp as she swept across the people cursing her.
“We’ve only been out of the village for less than half an hour. Many people must have lit fires to cook this morning, right? Do you think those barbarians wouldn’t notice that the village was recently occupied?”
“When they realize the villagers have just fled, they will definitely chase along the footprints at full speed. So tell me—who runs faster, your two legs, or their cavalry horses?”
Village Chief Feng and the two elders from the village immediately understood. This was indeed a dead end.
“Jiu girl’s analysis is correct. We’re in a dead situation now!”
Hearing this, panic spread across many faces.
Gu Jiu sneered inwardly.
A group of ignorant fools—unless they were made to understand the danger, they would never listen.
“If we keep running, we’ll eventually be caught. But if we don’t run, we’re still just waiting to die! Jiu girl, what should we do now?”
Realizing the severity of the situation, the villagers immediately switched sides and began asking Gu Jiu for guidance.
“Jiu girl, your mind works fast. Stop hiding your ideas and tell us quickly! This is a matter of life and death!”
Seeing those who had just been insulting her sister now flattering her instead, Gu Rong stepped in front of Gu Jiu in anger.
“I spit on you! You just cursed my sister, and now you’re begging her for ideas? If you want her help, you must apologize first!”
Gu Xiaoman also chimed in, “Apologize to my sister!”
Even little Gu Changle in Gu Rong’s arms raised his tiny arms, waving them as if in protest.
Everyone was frantic and nearly jumping in place, but no matter how they pleaded, Gu Jiu remained silent, listening only to her younger siblings. If they wanted to live, they would have to lower their pride.
A few thick-skinned villagers had already started apologizing. Seeing the urgency, Village Chief Feng also stepped forward to lead the apology.
As for the Old Gu family and Liu Guihua’s group, they still hadn’t spoken. Gu Jiu didn’t bother with them either.
“Grandpa Feng, you didn’t do anything wrong. I don’t deserve your apology.”
Gu Jiu helped him up and calmly looked at the crowd.
“We are all in this together now. If anyone gets separated and is caught by those barbarians, they could be forced to reveal everyone else’s whereabouts. So from now on, we must all work together to survive this crisis.”
The villagers, now focused only on survival, fully supported her.
“Jiu girl, we’ll listen to you! If anyone runs off on their own and harms everyone else, they are no longer part of Shangxi Village!”
Li Dazhao, the leader among the village men, spoke up. He had some martial training from working with a escort agency in his younger days.
With him speaking, the other thirty-odd men naturally followed his lead.
Seeing everyone united, Gu Jiu finally gave her instructions coldly.
“We continue forward a bit. Uncle Dazhao will lead five men to scout ahead for a cave—one big enough to hide the entire village.”
“We’ll hide inside and wait. Those barbarians probably didn’t find food in the village, so they won’t stay long. Once they leave, we’ll avoid their horse tracks and change route.”
Village Chief Feng and the elders agreed this was the right plan.
“Li Dazhao, follow Jiu girl’s instructions. Take five men to search ahead. I’ll bring the rest behind you. If you find a suitable cave, come back immediately and report!”
After issuing the orders, they quickly reorganized the group and continued moving faster.
The villagers were still uneasy and confused, but at this point, they could only trust Gu Jiu and hope for the best. Whether they could escape the enemy or not—no one knew.