Chapter 78 Humans are bad! Eagles are good! ...

"Two months ago, a group of bandits came to Quanshan Mountain. They not only plundered the money of the surrounding villages and ordered the able-bodied men to build palaces on the mountain, but also coerced the handing over of women of marriageable age..."

“If a girl is found to be hiding and not yet handed over, her entire family will be killed, and the girl will be taken away.”

"There were also villagers who escaped with girls, but they were pitiful and homeless, with thieves chasing after them."

"The martial arts world is all about loyalty. Although I am the innkeeper, I have learned a few moves and consider myself a member of the martial arts world. So I opened my doors and took in people, which naturally made me enemies with those bandits."

The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, then finally made up his mind, gritted his teeth, and pulled out a worn letter: "I know this is putting you two in a difficult position, but I beg your help!"

The rain stopped but the river still didn't move, and there was no response from the stream.

She asked, "What is this?"

"Inside is evidence of the bandits' crimes, obtained at the cost of the lives of the mountain girls... There is a Master Mo in Yangzhou City named Mo Anxin. Please trouble the two of you to deliver this letter to him."

"Have you tried writing a petition yourselves?"

"Well, the magistrate here can't control the bandits, so we plan to head to Yangzhou."

"To protect them, I cannot leave the inn. Previously, a waiter evaded the bandits and took the evidence to Yangzhou City. After handing over the evidence, he stayed in Yangzhou for an extra day to wait for news, but unexpectedly saw that the official Fu En burned the letter."

"Through the information from the Fu Lai Inn, we learned that Fu En was involved with the bandits. The further we investigated, the more we discovered that he had connections in the capital. We still haven't found out much more."

"On the contrary, the waiter was caught in the wrong by the bandits, and when he returned to the inn and told us about it... he eventually succumbed to his injuries and died."

"That time we angered the bandits, who cut off our communications and our water and food supplies. Fortunately, the inn had some stock, so we could hold on for a while."

"It was Lord Mo who helped Xiao Er escape. He works for Fu En and is looking for the thief's fault. It was also he who told Xiao Er that if he found new evidence, he would take the opportunity to bring down Fu the thief who was involved with the mountain bandits."

So what he held in his hand was the news that the girl from the mountain had gathered with blood and tears for the second time.

A sense of unease filled my chest; the few flimsy sheets of paper seemed to be stained with heavy resentment.

She frowned and asked in a low voice, "So, the government officials are just going to ignore these thieves and let them harm the villagers?"

"……Yes."

"It's better to ignore it; it'll make things much easier."

The shopkeeper looked up in surprise: "Miss?"

He added worriedly, "Miss, there's no need to take action. These people from last night didn't return on time, and the people on the mountain will surely suspect something and send someone to investigate. I hope you'll leave as soon as possible."

Shang Yuji looked over and said, "How can we stand idly by after seeing such disgusting thieves? Rest assured, shopkeeper, we will leave unscathed, but please tell us the details of the Quanshan thieves' den."

After much deliberation, the innkeeper asked first, "May I ask how you intend to proceed, young lady? Your martial arts are excellent, but it is truly difficult for you to fight against a hundred men alone!"

She turned her head to look at Jiang Xi and whispered, "If I remember correctly, you learned it, right? Wan... Qifei?"

"Yes, I've finished learning." Jiang Xi nodded vigorously, understanding her meaning.

"Then let's go and put it into practice, since there are plenty of them on the mountain."

He then told the shopkeeper that he wanted to leave. Seeing that he could not persuade him to leave, he had no choice but to explain the situation of the thieves' den in detail. If he could persuade them to leave, that would be the best outcome.

The four hundred bandits, mostly young men, were led by what they called Lord Huang. They had plenty of food and weapons...

The more she listened, the more confused she became. Why did these people sound more and more like they were using their military power for personal gain?

Most mountain bandits establish strongholds in the mountains, making a living through theft and small-scale raids, and prefer to avoid direct conflict and remain hidden.

But the thieves in Quanshan sound increasingly organized, disciplined, and well-connected...

They don't seem like ordinary bandits.

Sigh, I was originally thinking of sending Jiangxi directly, and with one move of 'Ten Thousand Insects Flying,' they would be devoured beyond recognition, leaving no way to prove their deaths.

If these bandits are carrying some other secret, then it's not appropriate to simply eliminate them.

However... there is another way.

"If you still have concerns, I have other reinforcements. However, the girls in the mountains need to hold on for a while longer. They must survive no matter what and not anger those thieves."

"Has the shopkeeper maintained contact with the girls?"

"...No."

The waiter brought over two bowls of vegetarian noodles, with a few slices of meat added to the top. It seemed the inn was short of funds, and these meat slices were already the best they could offer.

Shang Yuji accepted the shopkeeper's letter: "Give it to us, and we have a way to send it out."

"Thank you both."

After quickly finishing breakfast, she had just pulled Jiang Xi back to their room when, halfway upstairs, they heard a creak as the sturdy table and chairs collapsed, having finished their task.

Several girls exclaimed in surprise and rushed over with their tools to begin repairs.

Back inside, Shang Yuji opened the letter and quickly wrote down their experiences at the inn. The writing was so moving and tearful, depicting the two women as having suffered endless humiliation and misery.

Only after sending the letter did they return to the main topic, instructing Yining to gather people and arrest the bandits.

Calling for help is great. If she can call for help from those thieves, why can't she?

Her men are far more formidable than the bandits!

A knock sounded at the door, and Jiang Xi opened it herself, taking the paper from the shopkeeper: "Gentlemen, this is the layout of the thieves' den and the distribution of their manpower. There is more information at the end; I hope it will be of use."

"Don't worry, it will definitely be useful," Shang Yuji reassured her.

The shopkeeper didn't disturb the two of them; he delivered the letter and left.

Shang Yuji packed the letters, and Jiang Xi whistled outside. In an instant, a majestic eagle appeared.

The eagle looked around, and Jiang Xi approached it, telling it the address it had flown to, and describing the appearance of Yining and the layout of the house.

The eagle, having accepted the mission, cawed. Shang Yuji tied the letter to its leg and said hopefully, "Good eagle, you must deliver it."

The eagle held its head high and puffed out its chest, croaking with a dignified air.

“Aji, it’s very smart, it will deliver it,” Jiang Xi explained from the side.

The eagle, confident and prepared, flapped its full, broad wings and cried out, "Coo!"

With agile movements, it flapped its wings and flew out of the wooden window, heading towards Yangzhou City.

She smiled and praised Jiang Xi, "Ying is good, and you are very good too."

Jiang Xi said with a sweet smile, "It's good that I can help Aji."

Ah Ji had been taking care of him all along, and now he could help Ah Ji in return.

He had been hoping to be able to help for a long time.

Ah Ji needs him!

The book says that the more you need something, the more reluctant you are to part ways later!

"You'll have to work harder in the next few days. Those thieves won't give up, and we might have a tough fight with them." She frowned slightly, a little worried. "Fighting all the time will be tiring. How about we make up some excuses to buy some time?"

"It's not hard work, leave it to me, I can do it, Ah Ji, don't try to fool me."

Since we've finally found someone who can share the burden, we absolutely cannot let Ah Ji suffer because of this.

Shang Yuji patted his shoulder: "I'll be with you."

"Okay! As long as Ah Ji is here, that's fine."

At noon, Shang Yuji took out some dry rations and shared them with the innkeeper. After the innkeeper thanked her, the waiter took the rations to the kitchen.

The shopkeeper pointed to the backyard: "Miss, what should we do with those people in the woodshed?"

"..." She almost forgot about it if I didn't tell her.

As Jiang Xi pondered, she lightly scratched Shang Yuji's palm with her fingers. Shang Yuji turned her head and looked at her in confusion: "?"

"Let them go."

It was rare to see Jiang Xi take the initiative to speak, so Shang Yuji silently watched him.

Even though his ears turned red from being stared at, he didn't look away, only tightening his grip on her hand.

Okay.

Let it go.

She turned to the shopkeeper and said, "It's fine to release them, but let them exchange grain for people. The amount to be exchanged can be negotiated between the shopkeeper and them."

Then, she smiled warmly and said, "If we can't reach an agreement, just leave it to us. We don't mind adding more people they want to redeem."

While talking, he patted Jiang Xi, making no attempt to hide the fact that if they couldn't reach an agreement, Jiang Xi would beat them up until they were "easy to talk to".

The brighter the girl's smile, the more uneasy the shopkeeper felt.

One can foresee the thieves who are about to arrive being beaten until they are crying their eyes out.

"Before they arrived, the people in the woodshed were at the manager's disposal."

.

As dusk fell that day, in Yizhai, Yangzhou.

Yi Ning watched helplessly as an eagle circled overhead, making several turns above her.

As soon as their eyes met, it was as if she had found the right thing, and the eagle swooped straight at her.

She reached out and stopped the guard who was about to raise his spear: "Wait a moment."

Sure enough, the eagle landed steadily on a peach tree branch two steps in front of her, looking majestic and proud, like a victorious general returning home.

"..." She was silent for less than a moment, then glanced at its whole body and saw the letter tube wrapped around the eagle's leg.

She didn't seem to notice anything amiss and asked naturally, "Did someone ask you to give me the letter?"

"Gurgle~"

"Thanks."

"Coo coo!"

She stepped forward and untied the letter tube wrapped around its leg. When she opened it, the flowing words rushed to her eyes, and she could almost feel Shang Yuji muttering dissatisfaction in her ear.

After a strange pause, Yi Ning flipped through the letters at the back, her expression growing increasingly grim.

Fu En?

Isn't this the person Sun Dashu reported hired to cause a scene at Shang Yuji's wedding banquet?

This is a bit tricky...

Behind this person is... the Second Prince Zhou Ao.

I don’t know why the Second Prince sent him to Yangzhou.

Hopefully, they're not here for Shang Yuji and Jiang Xi; otherwise, they're up to no good.

Then I examined the terrain of Quanshan and the evidence in the indictment.

Yi Ning felt as if a ray of light had appeared after a period of darkness, and everything suddenly became clear.

They seized fertile land, oppressed the people, and abducted women...

hoarding food...

Manufacturing weapons illegally!

With the arms trade involved, no one can protect Fu En anymore.

We need to get there as soon as possible; Shang Yuji might not be able to hold on for much longer.

But speaking of calling for reinforcements...

Yi Ning pondered for a moment, then decided to also call him Senior Yi Sha.

"What did you say?! Someone wants to harm my disciple's wife and disciple? This is outrageous! I'm not dead yet!"

Enraged, Yi Sha grabbed her whip and was about to set off. Yining tried to dissuade her but to no avail, so she told her the address.

Hearing the commotion, A-Cuo popped his head out and looked at Yining: "I'll go too. There are many insects and beasts in the mountains and forests, which will make it easier for me to take action."

The more the better, and Yi Ning would naturally be happy to accept it.

Finally, Yi Sha and A Cuo rode ahead on horseback, while Yining launched a surprise attack and captured Fu En. Fearing that he might escape while she was capturing the bandits, she sought out Huo Shengge and asked her to send two highly skilled martial artists to take turns guarding him.

Huo Shengge waved her hand: "You hurry up and save him. I'll keep a close eye on him for you."

Thank you.

“No need. Miss Shang is my good friend. Helping you is helping her.” Huo Shengge paused for a moment, then added, “You too, remember to be careful on the road.”

Yi Ning smiled and said, "Okay."