With Shen Qingwan as their secret weapon, driving these intruders out of the village was only a matter of time.

The bandits never expected the villagers to be so united.

When they saw the women charging out with weapons in hand, fear overtook them.

“Retreat! Hurry and retreat!”

No one knew who ran first, but soon, more and more bandits fled.

The faster ones managed to escape with their lives, while the slower ones were beaten to death by the furious villagers.

The women in the village often worked the fields, so their strength was in no way inferior to that of men.

When Shen Qingwan arrived at the village chief’s house, she found it in complete disarray.

Fortunately, the chief’s two sons were strong fighters, so no one in their family was injured.

By the time the sky began to lighten, the village had finally calmed down.

The only sounds left were the occasional faint cries from different households.

Thankfully, the bandits were mainly after wealth and hadn’t started killing outright from the beginning. Otherwise, the entire village would have been bathed in blood.

Even so, many had already lost their lives.

“Chief, we must leave the village as soon as possible. I overheard those bandits saying they have over five hundred men, but only about a hundred came here today. The rest went to other villages. If they find out how many of their own we’ve killed, they won’t let this go easily. We must quickly bury our dead and leave before they return,” Shen Qingwan warned.

Her words immediately reminded the village chief of the potential danger.

The bandits might come back with even greater numbers, and by then, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

“You’re right! Everyone, get to work! The men will dig graves and bury the dead, while the women pack our belongings. We leave in one incense stick’s time!”

Understanding the urgency, the villagers put aside their grief.

Every family cooperated, burying their dead and tending to the wounded as quickly as possible.

At the village entrance, Shen Qingwan’s home was closest, followed by Aunt Zhao’s, Grandma Wang’s, Big Head’s family, and Zhang Qiao’er’s family.

Aunt Zhao’s house remained safe thanks to Shen Qingwan’s timely intervention.

Grandma Wang’s home was left untouched because she had a dog, which likely deterred the bandits from attacking.

Big Head’s family, however, suffered heavy losses—his father and grandfather were killed, leaving only the widows and children behind.

Zhang Qiao’er’s family managed to escape without casualties. Her parents, knowing the danger, handed over all their valuables, so the bandits spared their lives.

However, Zhang Qiao’er herself was not as fortunate.

As a young woman with remarkable beauty, she immediately caught the bandits’ attention. Her parents, terrified of the sharp blades pointed at them, dared not resist.

Luckily, her mother’s appearance was plain, so she was left alone.

By the time the villagers arrived, Zhang Qiao’er had already fainted from the ordeal. Many had witnessed what had happened to her, so her reputation was now ruined.

Shen Qingwan led a search of the bandits’ corpses.

Though they didn’t find much money, she carefully retrieved all the bullets from the bodies. Under the guise of looting for wealth, she made sure to remove any trace of the weapon she had used.

Lu Wenguang, seeing her digging through the wounds with blood-covered hands, couldn’t help but ask, “Sister-in-law, what are you doing? Do you need help?”

Shen Qingwan smiled faintly. “I’m retrieving the hidden weapons lodged in their bodies. These things can be reused, so I want to take them back.”

She casually made up an excuse, but Lu Wenguang immediately thought of the strange black iron object she had used during the fight—something that could kill with just a single sound.

He realized how powerful this hidden weapon was and understood why she wanted to recover it.

“I’ll help you find them,” he said.

Together, they retrieved more than thirty bullets.

This meant Shen Qingwan had personally killed over thirty people.

At that moment, Lu Wenguang suddenly understood why she always returned from the mountains with so much wild animals.

With such a formidable weapon, hunting must have been incredibly easy.

The village chief approached and said, “Sister-in-law, if not for you sounding the alarm in time and saving so many people, our village would have suffered a terrible fate. We thought those raiders wouldn’t reach Ping’an County for a few more days, but they arrived much sooner than expected.”

Shen Qingwan sighed. “These people aren’t from Jizhou; they came from nearby counties. After today, there will be even more refugees on the roads. We need to leave immediately before those who escaped bring back reinforcements. Chief, I suggest we set off at once.”

Fearing that delays would bring more trouble, she urged everyone to move quickly.

Many had no time to grieve for their lost loved ones before they were forced onto the road of exile.

This time, over twenty villagers had died.

Thankfully, due to their swift response, only two women had been violated—Zhang Qiao’er and Widow Wu.

More than fifty bandits had been killed.

Though it seemed like a victory, it was only because of Shen Qingwan’s presence.

Without her, the village would have suffered a much greater disaster.

The village chief followed Shen Qingwan’s advice and ordered everyone to gather at the village entrance.

After burying the deceased, the villagers of Dahe Village stepped into the first rays of dawn, beginning their long journey of escape.

Lu Jiaojiao, still shaken, continued sobbing.

Li Qiuju, who had narrowly avoided assault, was trembling in fear.

Meanwhile, Li Wenzhi remained unconscious.

The elderly Lu couple looked exhausted but knew they had no choice but to push forward.

The young children were placed in the mule cart.

Shen Qingwan drove the cart, with Lu Jiaojiao sitting beside her.

Lu Wenguang pushed a wooden cart carrying the unconscious Li Wenzhi, while Li Qiuju, Old Man Lu, Old Madam Lu, and Zhou Huiniang followed behind.

The road was narrow, stretching their group into a long line.

The village chief led the way in his donkey cart, while Hunter Zhang’s family took up the rear with their mule cart.

Grandpa Liu’s ox cart was packed full of supplies, showing he had prepared well for the journey ahead.

And so, with heavy hearts and uncertain futures, the people of Dahe Village embarked on their arduous road to survival.