The three brothers quickly buried the fire and, grabbing the rhizomys, ran back the way they had come. When they arrived at the base of the big tree, they saw that it was desolate and empty, and no one was there.
The Zhou brothers glanced at each other and shuddered in unison. They were in the mountains, after all!
Zhou SiLang's face turned pale as he stuffed the rhizomys into Zhou Liulang's hands, saying, "Run back home immediately. If you run into Manbao on the way, bring her back with you. If you don't see her, go home and call our eldest brother and the others to come search."
Zhou SiLang and Zhou Wulang said, "Let's split up to search for her. She has short legs and can't run fast. If you find her, bring her back here."
Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang both agreed and ran off in different directions.
Zhou SiLang searched the nearby area first and as soon as he saw the pile of fire in the bamboo that had gone out, his eyes widened. This had not been there before.
