"Oh, distinguished guest!"

On a large rock not far away stood a man with a full beard.

"It's you!" Li Ruo's eyelids twitched.

Xie Xiao had already jumped down, looking at her with a smile, "It's true what they say, 'We meet again so soon, Madam Prefect.'"

"What, the Prefect's wife!" The two rickshaw pullers' expressions changed, and they immediately brandished their weapons.

At the same time, several men rushed out of the woods, brandishing swords and surrounding Li Ruo and her companions.

It gives off a feeling of: "This mountain is mine, this tree is mine, if you want to pass through this mountain, you have to pay the toll."

They were all fierce and menacing.

Even Liao Fusheng, a disciple of Laozi, couldn't help but tremble. "Everyone, let's talk this out."

The eldest sister-in-law also looked terrified, supporting her pregnant belly and standing in front of Li Ruo, saying, "We came for General Li and his son, it has nothing to do with the prefect, please don't hurt us."

The seemingly frail pregnant woman tried to remain calm and protect her family; she truly deserves to be General Li's daughter-in-law.

Upon hearing the name of General Li, the men slightly lowered their swords and glared at the prefect's wife.

Li Ruo acted as if nothing had happened.

And he didn't seem very surprised, which made Xie Xiao raise an eyebrow. "You've got guts. You're on my Black Wind Stronghold's turf and you don't even flinch."

Li Ruo: Hey, how did General Mountain become your Black Wind Stronghold's territory?

She smiled sweetly, "This General Mountain has your Black Wind Stronghold's name on it? This mountain is under the jurisdiction of the government, isn't it?"

Xie Xiao paused for a moment, his eyes darkening slightly, then laughed mockingly, "So, you're representing the government?"

"No, I represent the Li family."

Xie Xiao stared at her coldly for a while, and seeing that her eyes were bright and open, she really did have the air of a general's family. He smiled again, "Alright, let's not talk about whose territory it is. How do you account for the nose I got punched by you?"

Li Ruo didn't laugh when she saw his nose swollen up to two high points. "Oh dear, that's terrible. But who are you? When did I beat you up?"

"Last night!" Xie Xiao's eyes widened. "You're denying it again, aren't you?"

"Did I beat you up last night? It doesn't seem like it."

Sun Ergou, who arrived late, trembled when he met his boss's gaze. "Boss, weren't you going to settle the score for her molesting you? What about the beating you got last night?"

Xie Xiao: ...

"Damn it, I'm done playing." He ripped off his beard. "It was me both times, see?"

It would be difficult for Li Ruoxin not to see it.

She glanced around again. Okay, with three kids to support, she was indeed at a disadvantage. "So what do you want? To fight back?"

"I—" Xie Xiao was stunned; he seemed to have not yet made up his mind.

Before an incense stick burns...

He overheard his men, disguised as villagers, reporting that a man dressed as a Taoist priest, a beautiful woman, a delicate pregnant woman, a toothless old woman, and a teenager were going up the mountain. Curious, he ran down to investigate.

Ha ha.

It's like searching high and low without finding it, only to have it come to you effortlessly.

He quickly ran back, took a shower, changed his clothes, put on a beard, and then went down to ambush her.

There was no time to think about what to do with her.

Li Ruoxin thought to herself, "Hmph, you're the male lead in the book. It's just that the author portrayed you as a rogue hero. Heroes don't hit women, pregnant women, the elderly, or children, which is why she was so calm."

(Master Liao: What should I do then?)

However, Li Ruo dared not relax completely, because she could not rule out the possibility that the author might ruin the character's personality later on. In the early stages, this person was as warm as spring to his comrades, but as ruthless as winter to his enemies.

Having thwarted his plans twice, and being the wife of the prefect, it's hard to guarantee he won't see her as an enemy.

She stood in front of Master Liao and his family.

"There are many paths to take, so I only want a small piece of land on Ziyang Peak. It won't affect Black Wind Stronghold at all. What do you think, Chief?"

Since she was already here, it would be too much trouble to drag a bunch of kids down the mountain. This was her choice after careful consideration.

Xie Xiao's expression softened slightly. "A small plot of land? What do you want it for?"

Sun Ergou pointed at the Taoist priest and said, "Boss, you can tell at a glance that he's here to look after the grave. The pregnant woman just said it was for General Li."

Li Ruo, who has excellent hearing: ...If this can save her from having to explain, that's fine too.

Xie Xiao blinked. "Really?"

"What do you think?" Li Ruo asked back.

Sun Ergou chuckled, covering his mouth. "Boss, are they here to stay on the mountain instead of to look after the graves? Who's that stupid to leave their nice house in the city for this desolate wilderness?"

The foolish Black Wind Stronghold leader and his robbery brothers: ...

You're the stupid one, your whole family is stupid.

Seeing his boss's face darken, Sun Ergou belatedly realized what was happening and quickly shut his mouth.

Xie Xiao smiled and said, "Alright, for General Li's sake, I'll go up with you to take a look."

One of the brothers said seriously, "Boss, she is the wife of the prefect. We should be wary of a trap."

The constable Ruan, whom we caught yesterday, is still locked up in the village. Who knows if they're working together from the inside or outside?

"What's there to be afraid of? Aren't there still the old lady and General Li's posthumous child?" Xie Xiao said.

The old lady, who had just squinted her eyes a crack, closed them again.

And so, in this strange and unpredictable way, the group reached Ziyang Peak.

Li Ruo's eyes suddenly lit up.

There is a very flat area here, backed by a cliff, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

There is also a small waterfall cascading down the cliff, which forms a stream that flows down the mountain, and this is very useful.

The flat area was estimated to be over 3,000 square meters, far exceeding her expectations and perfectly suited her taste.

Not far away was a large mountain valley, lush with vegetation that stretched as far as the eye could see. Li Ruo asked, "What's down there?"

Xie Xiao's playful smile changed slightly. "Guess?"

Holy crap, could this be Black Wind Stronghold's lair?

Li Ru chuckled inwardly. "Life is full of unexpected encounters," he thought, "I've unexpectedly become neighbors with Black Wind Village."

She remembered that in the original book they weren't at General Mountain, but rather at something like Purple Cloud Mountain, which is why she wasn't on guard.

A dark glint flashed in Xie Xiao's eyes as he stepped onto the rock. "Would the Prefect's wife like to come for a walk at my humble abode?"

Testing her? Li Ruo scoffed, "What's there to be afraid of? But I'm busy today."

Master Liao walked over and said, "Oh dear, why are you still wandering around here? This place is nice, but not the best. Come with me."

Li Ruo's eyes lit up. Was there something even better?