Chapter 96 His screams sounded awful.

Chapter 96 His screams sounded awful.

The Jiang family stumbled and ran into the depths of the woods. The sky was dark, and they could only make their way by the faint moonlight.

Everyone was in a panic, supporting each other and not daring to stop.

Jiang Yutang held Yun Shi tightly, Xiao Xiao was terrified and confused in Mu Shi's arms, crying out in heartbreaking pain. Jiang Jiuze supported the immobile Zhu Shi, Jiang Songzhi carried the elderly Jiang Shengan on his back, and Jiang Huaiyu and Jiang Sumin brought up the rear.

After running for an unknown amount of time, Jiang Yutang felt like her lungs were about to explode and asked breathlessly, "Can...can we stop now?"

Upon hearing her words, the others slowed down, leaning against the tree trunks and panting heavily, their bodies sticking with sweat and feeling extremely uncomfortable.

Jiang Yutang put her hands on her hips and took a while to catch her breath before asking, "Is everyone alright? Is anyone hurt?"

Mu quickly comforted Xiaoxiao in a low voice: "Don't cry, it's okay, Mom is here."

Zhu, trembling and pale, asked, "What exactly happened? Were those people... bandits?"

Jiang Yutang pursed her pale lips and nodded heavily: "It should be."

She was filled with doubt. Logically speaking, this area had already broken away from the territory previously occupied by bandits, so how could it suddenly be attacked?

"The bandits may have been holding a grudge."

Jiang Songzhi forced himself to calm down and analyzed, "When Cheng Lanzhou lured away the bandits earlier, he also took the opportunity to kill a few of them. Maybe they still remember the grudge, which is why they went to great lengths to chase after us and take revenge."

His mention of it made everyone suddenly realize what he meant.

Where are Cheng Lanzhou and his family?

Jiang Yutang immediately looked around. In the dark woods, there were only the figures of her own family members, and no trace of anyone else.

She gasped, the breath caught in her chest, and couldn't exhale for a long time, thinking to herself, "It's over."

When disaster strikes, do people scatter and flee, or do they simply drift apart?

But whatever the reason, if something happens to the Cheng family while their family remains unscathed, this newly made alliance will definitely break down.

"Where's the third brother?" Jiang Jiuze suddenly asked.

Jiang Sumin quickly looked behind him and, seeing no one there, said with a hint of panic, "He was following me when I was running!"

Upon hearing this, everyone quickly counted the number of people again, but Jiang Huaiyu was still nowhere to be found.

Jiang Sumin immediately became anxious: "Could it be that he acted impulsively and went back to fight the bandits?"

These words made everyone even more anxious.

How could one person possibly defeat a group of bandits wielding broadswords? The folding knife in Jiang Huaiyu's hand was practically a toy compared to those deadly weapons; going back would only mean certain death.

"Don't panic, everyone."

Jiang Yutang quickly calmed down and comforted them, "Maybe they got separated. Third Brother is so clever, he won't easily confront them head-on. You all rest here. Eldest and Second Brothers, take care of Father, Mother, and Sister-in-law. Fourth Brother and I will go look for them nearby and will be back soon."

We cannot afford to panic now; the more critical the moment, the more someone needs to stabilize the situation.

Jiang Sumin nodded, exchanged a glance with her, and the two turned to walk back the way they came.

But before they had taken two steps, a clear sound of footsteps came from the dark woods.

Their steps were steady yet rapid, crunching on the fallen leaves as they approached.

Everyone held their breath instantly. Jiang Songzhi and Jiang Jiuzhe immediately shielded their family members behind them, and everyone stared warily in the direction from which the footsteps came.

Are the people who came Jiang Huaiyu, or members of the Cheng family? Or perhaps bandits who have come after them?

In the darkness, no one could make out the appearance of the approaching person; only the increasingly loud footsteps sent chills down their spines in the pitch-black, silent forest.

Two figures pushed through the dense foliage and staggered out. When they saw them, they stopped abruptly and assumed a defensive posture.

The night was too dark for either of them to see each other's faces clearly, only vague outlines of what appeared to be a person.

Jiang Yutang's gaze swept over the clothes on one of the people, and he could vaguely make out the light blue fabric, which might be the clothes that Cheng Daier often wore.

Her voice rose unconsciously as she tentatively called out, "Auntie?"

"Jiang Yutang?" The other person responded with surprise upon hearing her voice.

Only after receiving a definite reply did the two families finally relax, and Cheng Dai'er helped Lin Shi out from behind the tree.

In the dim light filtering through the leaves, only the two of them could be seen; Cheng Lanzhou was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is Cheng Lanzhou?" Jiang Sumin asked first.

Cheng Dai'er frowned, her grip on Lin's hand tightening unconsciously: "He stayed behind to deal with the bandits with the guards, giving us time to escape."

After a moment of silence, Jiang Yutang asked, "Did you see my third brother when you ran here?"

Cheng Daier immediately responded, "I saw it, he went back to help Lan Zhou."

Now, everyone fell completely silent; each of the two sides had sent out two heroes.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Yutang explained dryly, "When we were attacked, the scene was too chaotic, so we could only run into the forest to hide. We wanted to go back and find you, but the bandits were chasing us so closely that we didn't have a chance."

"What's there to explain?"

Cheng Daier waved her hand dismissively, her tone calm: "At times like this, taking care of your own life is the most important thing. If we were in your shoes, we would do the same."

Hearing these words, Jiang Yutang couldn't help but give her a thumbs up for the second time.

The first time was when she encountered the Black Hawk Gang. Although Cheng Dai'er lost the fight, she didn't back down at all, which showed commendable courage.

Jiang Shengan sighed and asked, "What should we do now? I wonder how Third Brother and General Cheng are doing."

Cheng Dai'er helped Lin Shi sit down next to a relatively clean stone. Her expression was much calmer than before, and she said calmly, "Mother and I will stay here to wait for Lan Zhou."

The Jiang family members exchanged silent glances and decided to stay together.

Jiang Songzhi nodded in agreement, "Then let's wait together. We'll find a secluded spot to keep watch, so we can wait for them to return and avoid the bandits' search."

They don't know martial arts and don't have any decent weapons for self-defense. If they go out to look for them now, they might not only fail to find anyone, but they might also run into bandits, which would only cause more trouble.

No one objected, and they all set to clear away the weeds and dead branches around them, then found a low-lying spot surrounded by trees to sit down.

Waiting in a dangerous and unsettling situation is the most anxious thing.

Jiang Yutang wished he could bring a drone so he could understand the current battle situation from the air.

But then I thought, since we can carry drones, why not buy some safer or more powerful weapons?

She tilted her head and immediately shook it: No, China does not allow the sale of guns.

Suddenly, a strange bird call came from the woods, a long and sharp sound.

"What kind of bird is that? Its song is so awful," Jiang Yutang complained, pouting.

Cheng Dai'er glanced at her indifferently, her eyes filled with disdain. She helped Lin Shi up slowly, dusted herself off, and straightened her back: "Let's go."

The Jiang family was taken aback: "Where are you going?"

Cheng Daier patiently explained, "Lanzhou just sent us a signal, we're safe now."

Signal?

Jiang Yutang blinked twice, her eyes narrowing into slits, before belatedly realizing that perhaps the strange bird call she had just heard was made by Cheng Lanzhou.