The guard leading the way gave a whistle that cut through the valley, starting a flock of birds, and even the beasts drinking by the river stopped and looked toward them in unison.
After waiting for a while, there was no response from the valley. The guard's face changed, and he turned to Wang Yongzhu: "Madam, normally Qin Laowu, who stayed behind to guard here, would have come out from the cave after hearing my whistle, but there's no sign of him. Could something have happened?"
Hearing this, the others immediately became alert and touched the sabers at their waists.
Wang Yongzhu glanced around the valley and, after listening to the guard, said, "Let's go down and take a look—" and was about to step down the mountain.
The guards hurried to stop Wang Yongzhu: "Madam, the situation down there is unusual, and combined with Qin Laowu's lack of response, something might have gone wrong. Perhaps you should stay here while we go and check it out first."
