Chapter 92: Social Butterfly Syndrome [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

The middle-aged man did not immediately agree.

He said he needed to discuss it with others.

Shen Tang, relying on her excellent hearing, overheard the middle-aged man go back and whisper a few words to a few colleagues. Those colleagues shared the same concerns, but Shen Tang had her "servants" wait at a distance while she came alone to "borrow" flint, water, and food, appearing to pose no threat.

The final decision was to help with this.

The middle-aged man nodded, turned around and waved to Chen Tang and his companion, calling out loudly, "Come over here, you two young men."

Shen Tang put on an innocent, naive smile and clasped his hands in thanks to the group, saying, "Thank you all, brave warriors, you have been a great help. Although it's not yet autumn, the nights on the mountain are cold and windy, and we brothers are not dressed warmly enough. I'm really worried we'll catch a cold..."

The middle-aged man thought the two of them were being overly delicate.

Young people have abundant yang energy, and it's not the dead of winter yet. How could they easily get sick from being outdoors for just one night?

He thought this to himself, but didn't show it on his face. He took Zhai Le to get fire starter and water bags of dry rations. Not long ago, a fierce battle with the bandits caused them to lose a lot of supplies, so they didn't have many dry rations and water bags left, only enough for two or three people.

The middle-aged man looked embarrassed and troubled, and said with difficulty, "Sigh, this is all I have. Please don't mind, young man."

Zhai Le naturally wouldn't mind.

It is truly remarkable that with so many wounded among them, they are still willing to lend a helping hand to complete strangers.

Zhai Le was thinking about how to delay staying when he turned his head and saw Shen Tang sitting by the campfire, chatting and laughing with several wounded guards. Shen's eyes were filled with pure admiration, appreciation, and curiosity, making one subconsciously lower one's age.

Brother Shen is not very old to begin with, not even twelve years old yet. At this age, he hasn't started to grow taller, and his face is full of childishness, coupled with his overly innocent and naive eyes. At first glance, he looks like he's not even ten years old. Who would be too wary of a little kid?

They just find it childish and cute.

Zhai Le: "..."

He always thought he was quite talkative, that even his older brother, with his strong personality, sometimes couldn't stand him and would make him shut up for some peace and quiet. It wasn't until he met Brother Shen that he realized there were always people more capable than him, and that his mouth never stopped, chattering on and on.

When Zhai Le walked over, Shen Tang greeted him.

"Brother, come and sit down to listen to the story."

Zhai Le was momentarily dazed—if he hadn't remembered that he and Brother Shen weren't brothers and had only known each other for a few days, based solely on Brother Shen's warm attitude, familiar and intimate tone, and his sticky "brother"... he would have seriously doubted that he had such a big younger brother!

Even his brother, who was his true brother, had never been this close to him.

However, being someone who knows how to seize opportunities, he naturally sat down and asked with a smile, "What's the story?"

When no one was watching, the middle-aged man's face stiffened slightly.

"This brave man told me that someone in his village encountered a fox demon in the deep mountains on a rainy night, and it was a male fox demon!" Shen Tang's face was full of curiosity and longing, and she couldn't help but gesticulate excitedly. "To repay the kindness, he gave his benefactor a mansion and fertile land and even offered himself in marriage..."

In short, it's about a lazy, good-for-nothing farmer who lives in abject poverty, eating dirt and making a living by chopping wood. One day, he's trapped on a mountain by a heavy rain and happens to rescue a fox spirit. To repay his kindness, the fox spirit not only helps the man marry a beautiful wife, gives him a mansion, gold and jewels, but also offers herself to him as a concubine. However, due to their incompatible natures, they are forced to separate, leading to a tragic love story of longing for each other every day.

The core of the story is both vulgar and unrealistic, but because the storyteller claims it happened to someone in the same village and is eloquent, it gains a degree of credibility. In addition, the children listening to the story are not very knowledgeable, so they naturally listen with great interest and are completely absorbed.

Zhai Le smiled – if this story is true, it's probably because a farmer's son dug up someone's grave, took the deceased's belongings as burial goods and made a fortune, but was afraid of being targeted, so he staged this "cat's gratitude" drama himself – while still cooperating with Brother Shen's performance on the surface.

Shen Tang kept listening to the story, praising it from time to time. Even the most boring stories would elicit her surprise and excitement, satisfying the storyteller's sense of accomplishment. The flattery made the wounded guards feel less pain in their wounds.

How could they possibly remember driving the person away?

Seven or eight similar fairy and ghost stories were told, and Shen Tang also played along with their clichés, revealing all his "family wealth." The essence of his story can be summarized in a few labels: "rich and stupid," "spendthrift rich kid," and "a spoiled brat who is naive and easily fooled."

Shen Tang also discovered something interesting from the information they inadvertently leaked—they were indeed guards of the Lin family in Lingzhou. It was estimated that the Lin family was a wealthy family who had moved south due to the war and were preparing to seek refuge with a powerful relative in the area.

What's interesting about it?

Interestingly, Shen Tang and his companion hadn't seen any so-called "family members" after all this time; all they saw were blood-stained and wounded guards.

Of course, this could also be because the group had too many people and belongings, and the host's family and relatives were elsewhere, not mingling with these guards. But the commotion that Shen Tang and his companion had caused was quite significant; the host couldn't have missed it, and out of courtesy, they would have come to greet them.

There was no result.

Taking advantage of her age and appearance, Shen Tang chattered away with the guards, her voice quite loud, and none of the guards or servants reminded her to be quiet...

Despite her doubts, Shen Tang did not raise them.

Firstly, I was afraid of alerting the enemy, and secondly, I was worried that I might have misunderstood.

then--

She quickly changed the subject and steered the conversation towards the bandits. Everyone had a lot to say about them, their teeth clenched with hatred, wishing they could tear them apart alive.

Shen Tang seemed to be trembling with fear because of them.

With a sob in her voice, she clung to her brother's arm and cried, "Brother, these bandits are so terrifying! Are we going to be unlucky enough to run into them? Brother, I really want to go down the mountain. If I had known this would happen, why did I even go hunting in the mountains? I miss Father and Mother, sob sob..."

Zhai Le froze, his expression stiff and petrified.

However, this did not affect the performance. To outsiders, it appeared that he was frightened by the bandits and worried that he would lose his life that night.

So, his handsome face paled, and he tried to soften his harsh voice, pleading with the guards to let him and his brothers rest nearby. They outnumbered each other, and the bandits would think twice before attacking. It was better than being separated and picked off one by one by the bandits.

This request made the guards hesitate for a moment.

But Shen Tang and his companion, especially Shen Tang's previous performance, were too deeply ingrained in people's minds—what trouble could two young lads possibly cause? Even if there was a trap, they weren't afraid! Shen Tang was indeed likable, so they agreed.

Having received permission, the two breathed a sigh of relief.

Because it was already dark, Shen Tang yawned wearily, found a tree to lean against, and went to sleep with her arms crossed. Zhai Le was not far from her.

The two were completely unprepared.

Seeing this, the guards were completely convinced that they were harmless and continued their night watch or chatting, unaware that Shen Tang, who seemed to be asleep, was subtly adjusting her posture by leaning back.

She had just heard a very faint "thump" sound.

It seems something is hitting the wooden board.

Listening closely, she could hear the rustling sound of fabric rubbing against wood. She slightly opened her eyes, her gaze quickly sweeping over the large wooden crates protected by the guards.

The sound was coming from one of the wooden crates.

There are definitely people inside!

There was indeed a problem.

ε≡(><) Dedicated to learning

(End of this chapter)