Liu Chuyu twisted her body with difficulty again, raised her head, and said, "Brothers, see, I didn't lie to you!"

Zhang San and Li Si squatted down in front of Liu Chuyu. "Speak, now that you've revealed your identities, what do you want?"

Liu Chuyu chuckled twice, "It's nothing much, I just need you guys to help me untie the ropes. It's so uncomfortable being tied up like this."

That guy named Song Laosan was really ruthless. He used too much force when tying him up with the rope, and almost strangled him to death.

"Brothers, don't worry. As long as you untie me, I..." Liu Chuyu looked at it and then promised, "I'll give you this piece of white jade, and the one tael of silver I hid in the sole of my shoe. You can take it all!"

Upon hearing the word "silver," their eyes lit up.

This is a good deal, especially since he's only been untied; the prison is still locked up. Even a young brat like him can't escape.

Li Si quickly rummaged through Liu Chuyu's shoes and found the one or two taels of silver.

He looked at it carefully and, after confirming that it was real, he went to untie the ropes binding Liu Chuyu.

Liu Chuyu took a deep breath, and he finally felt a little lighter.

"Thank you both, brothers..." Liu Chuyu said politely, feeling as humble as dust.

This was arguably the day he, the son of a county magistrate, had ever smiled broadly at his enemy.

Zhang San and Li Si happily locked the prison door again. Having received the money, they naturally wanted to go down the mountain to buy some new wine.

At night, moonlight shone through the cage window onto Liu Chuyu's small body.

Liu Chuyu was awakened by the cold in a daze.

When he opened his eyes, he didn't see Zhang San or Li Si. There was no one else in the huge cell except him.

Liu Chuyu immediately regained consciousness. Ignoring his injuries, he scrambled to his feet.

He checked the lock on the cage, then pulled a silver needle from his boot.

After fiddling with it for a while, with a "click," the lock on the cage finally opened.

In the darkness, Liu Chuyu let her eyes adjust before slowly groping her way out.

The night on the mountain was exceptionally quiet; not a single sound could be heard.

Liu Chuyu walked for a long time before she gradually heard the noisy sounds of people drinking.

"Brother, come on, let's drink! We've been so useless for so many years, this year we're finally going to pull off a big heist!" Song Lao Er brought a bowl of wine to his eldest brother.

Song Laosan quickly chimed in, "What do you mean by being spineless? Our eldest brother is called forbearance! He has a lot of magnanimity! If you ask me, we should kidnap the county magistrate's son."

They have already sent someone to the county magistrate's office to deliver a message; this time, they will definitely need three thousand taels of silver.

Money in exchange for the person.

Otherwise, the ticket will be killed.

I heard that Magistrate Liu only has one son, so he's definitely reluctant to part with him. Therefore, this time, they're guaranteed to make a profit.

The group of underlings below were overjoyed, each holding a bowl and gulping down their drinks.

Today is arguably the happiest day in their village, even more lively than the Lunar New Year.

Liu Chuyu was so nervous that he broke out in a sweat. Looking at the flickering firelight outside, he couldn't find his way out for a moment.

He could only lean against a large rock and curl up as much as he could.

He couldn't remember how to get back the way he came, so he could only crouch down and slowly move towards the darkness.

Anyway, as long as he doesn't leave this bandit den behind, he'll accept whatever dangers he encounters on the road.

Old Song sat on a tiger skin, with a small table lamp that he had taken from He Tiantian's house next to him.

After drinking for a while, Song Laosan, feeling dizzy, looked at the small lamp and then swayed away.

He picked up the lamp and said loudly, "Brother, this thing is really interesting. Let me show you how it works."

Everyone turned their attention to Song Laosan, wondering what that green thing in his hand was. They had never seen it before.

Old Song was also quite curious, and from the city all the way to the mountains, Old Song the Third kept showing off this thing.

They couldn't name it, yet they said it was a good thing, making it all very mysterious.

Song Laosan deliberately stood on a large rock, held up the desk lamp in his hand, and shouted, "Everyone, look over here, let me show you how amazing this treasure is!"

In the darkness, with a "click," the desk lamp was switched on.

In an instant, the surroundings were brightly lit. If Liu Chuyu hadn't been agile, she probably would have given herself away.

Song Laosan pointed to the dark figure that flashed by in the distance and rubbed his eyes.

"Hey... who was that over there just now?"

Everyone turned to look in the direction Song Laosan was pointing, but it was pitch black and they couldn't see anything.

What they were more interested in was this glowing treasure.

The eldest brother took the lamp and looked it over from left to right. "Third brother, is that round thing on top a luminous pearl?"

Old Song had only ever heard that luminous pearls could emit light at night.

But this fist-sized luminous pearl was truly the first time he had ever seen one.

To show off, Song Laosan patted his chest and said confidently, "Of course! What else is as bright as a luminous pearl?"

"By the way, brother, such a big bead must be worth a lot of money. When should we go down the mountain to sell it? I don't think Changning County can handle it, they can't afford it. We'll have to go to a big town in Quanzhou to ask."

Boss Song quite liked this thing, but he preferred silver to money.

He nodded. "After we collect this vote from Magistrate Liu, the three of us will go to Quanzhou to take a look."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!