The escapees lost most of their belongings, bringing only a small amount of food. Mountain bandits were chasing them relentlessly, and with their possessions, they couldn't run quickly.
After running out, everyone scattered. Mu brought his mother into the woods, searching for a place to settle her with Village Head, so he could return to the valley.
But his mother said, "I can find Village Head and the others myself. You hurry back."
She was anxious, as her eldest son and grandson were still in the valley, and any delay would be dangerous.
Yet she hadn't considered that Mu was just an ordinary farmer. Apart from physical strength, he had no skills. How could he rescue them? With what means?
He would only add to the death toll.
Mu gave his mother all the food and water he had brought, then knelt and kowtowed three times.
"Mother, take care. Whether I return alive or not, consider me no longer your son from now on. I'm unfilial and cannot provide for you in your old age. Please forgive me." His voice was calm, neither sad nor joyful. After kowtowing, he turned and left.
Mu's mother knew that from tonight, she had lost this younger son. She covered her mouth and wept bitterly, but didn't try to stop him.
Her eldest son and grandson still needed rescuing, and she couldn't be soft-hearted.
Not hearing his mother's pleas, Mu's previously hesitant steps became resolute, as he had given up on his mother.
In the valley, people were panic-stricken and screaming. The mountain bandits toyed with them like rats, occasionally throwing small stones or branches from above.
Their aim was precise, not hitting anyone, but scaring them into trembling. If they had mustered the courage to fight back, they might have escaped.
Alas, they were utterly cowardly. Seeing the bandits' large knives, they dared not move. With people throwing stones from the cliffs above, they were even more afraid.
Then they remembered Old Gu Six. Surely someone so formidable could defeat these bandits! People began searching for him, but he was nowhere to be found.
They started shouting, "Old Gu Six! Old Gu Six! Please save us!"
No one responded. Everyone realized Old Gu Six wasn't with their group - he had either escaped or fallen behind.
The mountain bandits roared with laughter. Their leader mocked, "Calling your ancestors won't save you!"
The villagers knelt, kowtowing and begging, "Please spare our lives, mighty lords! We're only disaster victims, with no valuables."
The leader scoffed coldly, "Killing you would soil my hands. Listen up - the women, girls, and all your belongings stay. The men, elders, and your grandsons can leave."
The elders were relieved to keep their grandchildren. Losing belongings didn't matter, as long as they lived. As for their daughters-in-law and granddaughters, once their sons survived, they could just remarry. No fear of lacking granddaughters - more likely too many!
The men expressed boundless gratitude, leaving with their fathers, mothers, and sons without a glance at their wives and daughters.
The women wailed for help, but the men acted deaf. Some refused to abandon their wives and daughters.
Most people had left, but these few kept kowtowing, begging the bandits not to take their wives and daughters, until their foreheads bled.
The bandit leader ordered his men to take the belongings back to their mountain lair. Watching those still kowtowing - twelve of them - he considered them braver than the cowards who deserted their wives and daughters.
"Enough, get going!" he barked.
Fearfully, they asked, "We can take our wives and daughters?"
"Yes, scram!"
"Thank you, thank you, great lord!"
They supported each other, hobbling away, but were soon halted.
"Wait!"
Their legs turned to jelly and they knelt, faces pale as death.
The leader gestured with his chin. "Which belongings are yours?"
The villagers trembled, identifying their meager possessions. Surely their paltry goods wouldn't determine if they were spared?
They were poor, with barely a month's food.
The leader looked disdainfully. "Take your own things and go. I don't need your paltry garbage."
Immensely grateful, the villagers left with their families, pushing handcarts.
The abandoned women and girls were bound, enviously watching those dozen-odd men depart with their wives and daughters.
The leader bellowed, "Shut up! Another sound and I'll behead you. If your men had persisted, they could've left with you too. Blame your own bad luck!"
The fully laden mountain bandits headed back up the mountain with their spoils and captives. A junior bandit reported to the leader.
"Big Boss, ten li ahead there's another group of refugees, but only small parties. Doesn't look like they have much."
Indeed, as the junior had observed, the small groups had little - one handcart per family at most, some only wheelbarrows or nothing at all. Compared to Qingfang Village's mass exodus, these refugees were unimpressive.
The leader waved a dismissive hand. "A bunch of paupers, what's to plunder? If we do, it'll be big groups like tonight's, enough to feed us for a year."
Then one of the bound women suddenly shouted, "They're not poor! Old Gu Six has silver and food! His daughter is very pretty, you could sell her for a fortune! Spare us and go rob them instead!"
"Yes, yes, great lord! Spare us and rob Old Gu Six, you'll profit far more than selling us!"
The leader's interest was piqued. What kind of unlucky man was this Old Gu Six, to be betrayed by such scum?
"Well then, brothers, let's see how fat this sheep is!"
The leader took some men towards the group ten li away, but soon stopped. "Bring those two loudmouths."
Two li away, Old Gu Six already knew they were coming. He leapt nimbly over fallen trees to scout ahead.
Soon he returned, calling for Yang Poxiao. "Rouse Yu San and the others - everyone! Mountain bandits are coming!"
Then he lifted the carriage curtain again and saw that Chang'an was already awake, so he said, "My daughter, stay inside the carriage for now. Those men are no match for your father's skills."
Chang'an nodded. With her father's agility and ability to move like the wind, dealing with a few mountain bandits shouldn't be a problem.
The refugees who were awakened in the distance started to panic when they heard about the mountain bandits. Even before seeing the bandits' shadows, they began to gather their families and belongings and flee into the woods, as if they wanted to run ten miles in a single step.
Little Ya's Dad and Yang Poxiao, the two brothers, gathered their people around Old Gu Six's location, using Chang'an's carriage as the center. They gathered the elderly, women, and children in the middle, while the men formed a circle around them, enclosing them.
When the bandit leader and his men arrived, they saw the group led by Old Gu Six standing ready, while the other refugees had already scattered and fled.
The leader didn't care. Their target was Old Gu Six. He asked the two bound women, "Which one of them is Old Gu Six?"
