In the meantime, on the outskirts of Fuling City, in a village hidden within the mountains and forests.
A woodcutter, carrying a bamboo basket on his back, hurried into the depths of the woods.
As he ran, he kept glancing back, then continuously used the complex terrain to dodge and evade.
Before long, he leaped into a cave hidden beneath bushes and tree roots, observing the scene outside.
Gently pushing aside the leaves, the woodcutter peered through the tree hollow at the situation outside.
The ground was still covered with lingering snow and fallen leaves. A small rabbit darted from afar, seemingly wanting to gnaw on some grass roots.
Suddenly, a sharp spike with a metallic sheen pierced the rabbit's body, pinning it to the ground.
Then, the owner of the claws paused, tore the rabbit's carcass in half with another sharp claw, and continued deeper into the mountain forest.
The woodcutter held his breath, listening to the receding footsteps. After confirming they had disappeared for a while, he poked his head out to look, then quickly retracted it.
He then picked up the bamboo basket and softly called out:
"Little one! Come out, listen to me!"
A small head popped out of the basket lid and said, "Daddy, I'm cold..."
"Don't worry, Daddy will go find clothes for you..." The woodcutter stroked the child's red cheek and said, "Little one, you must carefully remember what Daddy says. There is three days' worth of food in the basket. If you get thirsty, drink the water in the gourd. Remember, after three days, you run hard down the mountain. If you see anyone, tell them to call the police, and then bring the police uncles home as guests. Before that, you absolutely must not leave this tree hollow. Do you understand?"
The child nodded, seemingly understanding, and asked, "Daddy, where are you going?"
"Good child, Daddy is going to earn money for your clothes. You must do as Daddy says. Daddy will buy you clothes later." The woodcutter dotingly patted the child, then stood up and said, "Alright, Daddy's leaving. You must listen to Daddy... Daddy's leaving..."
As the man spoke, his eyes welled up with tears. He hugged the child, and although the child didn't know why her father was crying, she still nestled in his embrace.
After a while, the woodcutter released his arms and left the tree hollow, leaving the child peering from the edge of the basket, at a loss.
The woodcutter emerged from the tree hollow, drew the axe from his waist, and continuously scanned his surroundings.
Although it was winter, the climate in Bazhou still kept some trees verdant.
The woodcutter seemed to be searching for the monster from earlier. He first cast his gaze towards the rabbit's remains, then followed the rabbit's blood to track the monster's whereabouts.
Wait a moment...
Why did the blood... turn... behind him?
The woodcutter suddenly thought of a possibility, and then, trembling, looked up at the treetops.
A monster with the upper body of a beautiful woman and the lower body of a giant spider was hanging from a branch, looking at the woodcutter with a playful expression.
"Tsk tsk tsk tsk... Discovered so quickly? How boring..." The monster blinked its six purple eyes and said, "I was planning to play a little longer..."
The woodcutter, terrified, slid to the ground. He didn't even bother to pick up the axe in his hand, frantically scooting backward, but his now-weakened legs were completely unresponsive.
"Tsk tsk tsk... So undignified..." The monster shook its head, looking at the wet patch beneath the woodcutter's crotch, then extended both its sharp claws, piercing his shoulder blades.
And before the woodcutter could let out a scream, the monster's beautiful face suddenly split into four, and it bit off the woodcutter's head.
A few seconds later, the protein fluid generated by the melting flesh and blood flowed onto the ground.
The monster nodded with satisfaction, then moved its sharp claws away.
After a while, once a few wolves had licked the woodcutter's corpse and bloodstains clean, the child poked her head out.
She had completely forgotten her father's words. She only knew now that if she ran quickly, those wolves would chase her by her scent.
She wrapped the contents of the basket in a tattered cloth and, carrying the gourd, began to run outside.
But as soon as she stepped out of the tree hollow, she noticed a few drops of water falling onto her gourd.
The "water drops" burned a small hole in the gourd, emitting a faint wisp of smoke.
The child thought it was raining and instinctively looked up.
She saw the monster, its six eyes fixed on her.
A flock of birds suddenly took flight from the forest.
...
Badong Dam.
Tang Shuntian glanced at his watch and whispered to Mo Chuan, "What should we do? Should we wait for the supply troops?"
Mo Chuan thought for a moment and replied, "Let's not wait. We can't wait that long. Let's deal with this batch of people first. Don't bite off more than you can chew."
"Okay... then I'll go and pick out the Tang family members," Tang Shuntian said with a smile, looking at Tang Zhou, who was observing the map of eastern Bazhou. "Xiao Zhou, take me to meet our Tang family disciples. I want to see how this generation of yours is doing."
"Sure! Second Uncle, let me tell you, the people I've brought this time are all elite-level. You can absolutely rest assured!"
As Tang Zhou spoke, he led Tang Shuntian outside. Tang Shuntian watched Tang Zhou's retreating back, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Once upon a time... I was also this spirited...
Although Tang Shuntian had decisively surrendered after the defeat, he was actually very conflicted.
To be honest, Tang Shuntian had also tried to discuss with Mo Chuan whether these people could just be captured, or if there was some other way to spare the lives of these children from Sichuan.
But Mo Chuan refused: "Their lives are lives, and so are ours, father-in-law. This is war! This is the battlefield! The faster I end this internal strife, the less loss Dragon Country will suffer!"
Tang Shuntian fell silent, because as a former soldier, he also knew that Mo Chuan was right—a compassionate person cannot command an army.
So in the end, after discussion, they agreed to spare the Tang family's lives, and also to help Tang Shuntian return to Tang family city in Yuzhou, to create diversions from within the enemy ranks and confuse them with false information.
This method would mean Mo Chuan losing the opportunity to continue weakening the enemy, but it would also appropriately settle Tang Shuntian. As for Tang Shuntian, although he didn't have much affection for the self-serving Tang family, blood was thicker than water, and he truly couldn't lead the charge to slaughter his own kin.
At this moment, it was a time to stand by one's relatives. Since his daughter liked Mo Chuan, he could also try standing by Mo Chuan's side.
By the time Tang Shuntian came back to his senses, they had already arrived at the training ground.