She was so scared that she yelled, "Xiao Hu, what are you doing here? Ah Ya, take him back to Luomu City!"
Ye Xiaohu didn't care. When he couldn't squeeze in, he grabbed the railing with both hands and started to push hard, his cheeks puffed out and his fat showed.
The Great Elder found it funny, and the others also laughed. This little fat boy was really too funny. Did he think that the railing was made of vegetables and tofu that would break if he broke it with his hands?
"Someone, come and grab that little kid!" As long as he was in hand, he was not afraid that the woman would be disobedient.
"Aya!" Ye Nuan looked at Qi Ya, but the boy was helping his elder brother.
"Xiaohu, run!"
Two burly bandits walked towards Ye Xiaohu, their faces filled with disdain and mockery. But then the fat boy yelled—"Bang!" and snapped the iron cage into a circle. Then, he slipped between the iron pillars and threw himself into Ye Nuan's arms.
I hugged her and started crying: "Sister, Xiao Hei is dead, they killed Xiao Hei!"
Qi Ya dragged his brother into the iron cage without a word. After finally dragging him in, he said to the still crying Ye Xiaohu with a dull face, "Come here and close it!"
Before Ye Nuan could comfort him, he wiped his tears, muttered an "oh," and ran over to bend the bent bars back into place. The entire process felt like playing house, and everyone in the hall was stunned. The bandits who had come to arrest him stared at the closed bars in amazement, then turned to look at the elders, who were equally stunned.
"Elder, what should we do?"
Such a small kid has so much strength! No wonder he was able to run out!
Ye Xiaohu closed the iron bars and ran back to hug Ye Nuan, continuing to cry. Ye Nuan patted his back and comforted him, "Don't cry, Xiao Hei, you're great." Her eyes fell on the bag slung across Ye Xiaohu's back. At first, she didn't notice it, but after taking a closer look, she said in surprise, "Xiaohu, why are you carrying my cloth bag on your back?"
Ye Xiaohu sniffed and cried, "Aya and I ran out and got lost. We were very hungry, so we looked for food in a house and found Ajie's cloth bag. Aya said you must have been captured as well. Then we heard some noises and came here."
Ye Nuan was delighted and kissed him hard, praising him: "Xiaohu, sister loves you so much!" Ye Xiaohu was confused.
The elder, who had seen enough of the show, said impatiently, "That's enough! We're still in Weijia Village, and you're all acting like you're at home. Why are you showing off your affection? Come on, shoot them all except this woman!"
In the hall, the archers regrouped, bows drawn and arrows ready to shoot. Qi Wuze and Chu Xuesong each grasped their swords, swaying as they stood in front of Ye Nuan and the two children. Ye Xiaohu stopped crying and stood with Qi Ya, standing in front of Ye Nuan.
Ye Nuan helped his brother stand up, took the cloth bag from his shoulder, and shouted to the four people blocking the way, "Get out of the way!"
As she walked, she brushed aside the few people who turned their heads to look at her. Her bright red wedding dress draped across the ground. A cold and mysterious smile appeared on her face. She said to the elder outside the iron cage, "Don't you want to see what else I can do? I'll show you now."
Pushing aside Qi Wuze and Chu Xuesong who were blocking her way, she revealed a section of her fair wrist in front of the four elders and the others. She said in a cold voice, "I have a treasure in my hand. You will all be shocked when you see it!"
The elders looked at each other, waved their hands to signal the archers to stop, and then looked at Ye Nuan, urging, "Hurry, show us!"
Ye Nuan spread out her hand, a glowing seed teetering in her slender white palm. As the spiritual spring water slowly swirled around her, the fluorescent algae began to grow rapidly. It was dark and moonless, and a north wind blew into the hall, extinguishing the few remaining lights. Vines of fluorescent algae climbed along the iron cage, emitting a dazzling pale blue glow. The five people were enveloped in this radiance, ethereal and ethereal.
Chu Xuesong opened his eyes slightly, turned around and looked at Ye Nuan in disbelief. Ye Xiaohu and Qi Ya were stunned, only Qi Wuze remained calm.
The others in the lobby were a little uneasy. This scene seemed to bring them into a fairyland. Someone shouted, "She must be a fairy!"
The Great Elder seemed mesmerized by the dreamlike scene before him, muttering to himself as he leaned closer on his dragon-headed staff. He even reached out to touch the fluorescent algae wrapped around the iron cage. The moment he touched it, the algae suddenly stretched forward, strangling his neck, and then entwined itself more and more, dripping a sticky solution onto him.
He screamed in agony as he was corroded, and in the blink of an eye, he was reduced to a pile of bones. The scene was so horrific that the people in the lobby began to panic and retreat. Some tried to escape, but the cages blocked the entrance. With a cold expression, Ye Nuan poured the spiritual spring water into the vines. Nourished by the spiritual spring water, the fluorescent grass continuously sprouted new branches. Countless vines spread out in all directions, attacking the people still standing accurately.
Ye Nuan gritted her teeth: "Go to hell!"
Someone finally reacted in panic and shouted, "This thing killed Wei Dangjia. When we found Wei Dangjia, he was already reduced to bones."
"It's her, this woman!"
"She's a monster!"
Ye Xiaohu's face flushed with anger as he argued, "You're talking nonsense! My sister is a fairy. She's the goddess of spring who controls all the grasses. She's a fairy!"
"My sister is a fairy!"
"It's a fairy!"
Yet no one paid him any attention. The bandits in the hall wailed in agony, watching in horror as their companions melted away bit by bit, and then watched themselves melt away bit by bit. The elderly, the weak, the women, and the children in the village gathered around at the noise, and seeing the scene in the hall through the bloodstained iron cages, they doubled over and vomited uncontrollably.
But in an instant, hundreds of horse bandits turned into bones. When the fluorescent algae extended its vines towards the unconscious people in Luomu City and Chujiazhai, Ye Nuan stopped in time.
The effect of the medicine on Chu Xuesong has been completely eliminated. Even though he had heard of her abilities before, he was still shocked when he saw them in person. He was just a little confused as to why she didn't take action earlier.
But then I thought of her action of taking out the cloth bag. Could it be that the cloth bag she had been carrying was also a treasure?
Everything happened and ended too quickly. In one night, the four elders and the people they brought with them were all destroyed. The remaining useless horse bandits and women and children were scattered and could only obey Chu Xuesong's orders.
It was too late, and the people Qi Wuze had brought were all injured, so they couldn't leave for a while. After Chu Xuesong took control of the entire village, he transferred all the remaining people from the Chu Family Village here, and had them clean up the house and arrange for Luo Mucheng's people and Ye Nuan to sleep first, and return early the next morning.
Seeing that her brother was too sleepy to open his eyes, Ye Nuan, who really didn't have the energy to stay, had no choice but to agree to stay. Since she had stayed, Qi Wuze naturally stayed too. The two of them lived very close to each other, so close that if they spoke a little loudly, the neighbors could hear them.
Everyone went to sleep, as sleeping in the bandits' territory was not a safe place. Ye Nuan had specially summoned some snakes to guard the place. Fortunately, there was no realgar here, so the snakes could easily crawl in.
Soon the village fell into darkness again, with only the occasional sound of heavy objects being moved coming from the hall in the east.
The sound of roosters crowing was heard, and the village, which had been busy all night, was still asleep. In the dim morning light, Chu Xuesong stood on a high platform of the village and looked out at the empty wasteland. The hem of his wedding dress swayed in the wind, and all he could see was white snow.
Occasionally a winter bird flew by. He looked around and his sight finally stopped at the southwest of Weijiazhai.
He Xin walked up the stairs on the snow, and seeing him bowing politely, he asked, "Master, everything has been handled. What should we do next?" The horse bandits were badly wounded this time. The elders and their close subordinates were all killed. Only some women and children were left in Weijiazhai, and Chujiazhai also suffered heavy losses. If Luomucheng attacked at this time, they would be unable to stop it.
Now the Lord of Luomu City is living in the village with a dozen people, and he is injured. He Xin doesn't understand why his master doesn't take action.
Chu Xuesong didn't answer him, and suddenly asked without thinking: "He Xinna, do you think being a horse bandit is a good thing?"
"Ah?" He Xin didn't understand what he meant.
"I don't know, I was born a bandit. I was lucky enough to be rescued by my master when I was young. My master is a bandit, so I will be a bandit for the rest of my life."
Chu Xuesong chuckled: "What if I don't become a horse bandit?"
He Xin was at a loss. What else could he do in the wilderness if he wasn't a bandit?
Before he could figure out what was going on, Chu Xuesong had already walked downstairs and headed towards the southwest corner. Her red dress looked slender and dazzling in the hazy morning light.
Master, are you going to look for Miss Ye?
An idea came to my mind: Does the master still want to be Miss Ye's teacher?
It was still early, and Qi Wuze and his group had already packed up. He ordered his subordinates to wait in front of the wooden house while he went to knock on Ye Nuan's door. Before he could knock, a bright red figure stood beside him. He turned his head and saw Chu Xuesong, dressed in red.
"Good morning," Chu Xuesong said with a smile on his face and nodded in greeting.
The red was too eye-catching. Qi Wuze frowned and asked unhappily, "Why don't you change your clothes?" Thinking of his wedding with A Nuan yesterday, his heart felt like a knife cutting through him. Although he knew that he had to make a decision in an emergency, he couldn't help but feel jealous.
Chu Xuesong said helplessly in spite of his anger: "This is not Luomu City but it is not Chu Family Village either. City Lord Qi didn't change his clothes, so why should I?" He usually loved cleanliness, and if it were an ordinary thing he would definitely change, but he just didn't want to change this set of clothes.
Qi Wuze couldn't stand him, and he couldn't stand Qi Wuze either. Qi Wuze hated this dress, but he insisted on wearing it to show off!
"Mr. Chu is addicted to being a fake groom, and he's just acting!" Qi Wuze sneered coldly.
Chu Xuesong raised the corners of his lips: "I am a little addicted. I was almost done with the ceremony last night. It was such a pity, but fortunately it was fulfilled in my dream!"
Is the dream fulfilled?
Qi Wuze's heart was filled with jealousy, his eyes red with anger, "You!"
The door opened, and Ye Nuan appeared in front of them with a stern face.
Aren’t these two childish? They actually quarreled at the door!
“A Nuan…”
"A Nuan..."
They both stopped and looked at her eagerly.
Suddenly, two heads popped up behind her, one on the left and one on the right, looking at the two people opposite. The one on the left asked mischievously, "Sir, are you the groom?"
Ye Nuan grabbed her brother and said angrily, "Stop talking nonsense and go away." Although what happened last night was unavoidable, the atmosphere between the three of them was really too strange, and it was inevitable that they would feel embarrassed when talking about it in public.
Especially when she saw the hair sachet tied around Chu Xuesong's waist, she always felt that there was something between him and her, and she felt more and more awkward when she looked at Qi Wuze.
Qi Wuze saw that she had changed out of her wedding dress, and he immediately felt relieved. He reached out for her to hold his hand: "A Nuan, let's go back."
Ye Nuan looked at the hand, then at Chu Xuesong, whose eyes were burning, and simply took Aya and Ye Xiaohu by the hand, "Let's go!"
Qi Wuze: “.”
I feel a little wronged!
Chu Xuesong chuckled and took a step forward to block her way. "Ah Nuan, can you please spare me a moment to talk?"
Ye Nuan was suspicious.
Chu Xuesong pointed to the house and said, "It's right inside. There's no need to close the door."
"Okay." Ye Nuan handed the two children to Qi Wuze and followed Chu Xuesong into the house. The two children wanted to leave, but Qi Wuze held them still and warned them in a low voice: "Stand still!"
Huajuan came out from somewhere and ran around the three of them. Qi Wuze thought to himself that he was not trying to eavesdrop, he wanted to listen openly.
Ye Nuan stood still in the room and asked, "Just tell me what's going on." After last night, her attitude towards Chu Xuesong had finally improved a lot.
Chu Xuesong chuckled, and his already handsome facial features became even more extraordinary.
"Ah Nuan, now that the Wei Family Village and the Elders' Hall have been destroyed, and the Chu Family Village has also suffered heavy losses, the horse bandits are no longer a threat. If Luo Mucheng wants to strangle us, we will definitely be defeated. I have no intention of fighting for anything. Today I just want to tell you some of my thoughts."
"Why do you need to tell me what you think?" The Ma bandits can just solve the matter among themselves.
Chu Xuesong said calmly, "From now on, there will be no more bandits in the wilderness. We want to be good citizens and change Chujiazhai to Chujia Village. The villagers will work from sunrise to sunset and earn a living with their own hands. What do you think?"
Qi Wuze heard every word he said clearly and sneered immediately: "Master Chu, you are joking. The horse bandits in the wilderness have been around for a long time. Can you change them just like that?" His father and even his father's father's generation of horse bandits have always been there. It is difficult to change one's nature.
He didn't believe a word Chu Xuesong said!
Chu Xuesong smiled bitterly and continued, "I know you won't believe me when I say this suddenly. But the reason bandits are rampant in the wilderness is simply because of poverty. Now that Ah Nuan is here, the power of the wilderness is in our hands. If I'm determined to change the bandits, why wouldn't City Lord Qi give it a try?"
"The wilderness can be as prosperous as the interior of the Great Wall. In five or ten years, it will be covered with green trees, with cattle and sheep everywhere. It will also be well-ordered, with everyone abiding by the law."
Qi Wuze felt a little uneasy. He had thought about this the day he became the city lord. But his mind told him how could a group of horse bandits gain trust? His mother died because of horse bandits, his father went crazy because of horse bandits, and innocent citizens in the city lost their loved ones because of horse bandits.
How could this not be Chu Xuesong's trick?
The horse bandits are the most cunning, just like they were back then!
Ye Nuan's eyes flickered, "What's the point of you telling me this?"
Chu Xuesong further said frankly: "It is useful. I need your help. I want you to teach the villagers how to grow vegetables and farm and become real villagers."
Ye Nuan sighed, "You can see that the reason why Yunjian Farm can grow vegetables is because of my special ability. No matter how hard you try, you can't grow vegetables on the wasteland." It is enough to do such a stupid thing as common prosperity once. Even though she believes in Chu Xuesong, she dare not trust these horse bandits easily.
Chu Xuesong said hurriedly, "I know, but we can start from the very basics. Although we can't grow as good crops as Yunjian Farm, we can still cultivate the land, grow vegetables, and raise chickens and ducks, so that the remaining women and children don't starve to death. I will control them, and I will personally select those who will go to learn. They will behave well during the period. When you are relieved, can you give them a chance to work like you did with Luo Mucheng?"
He then turned to Qi Wuze and said, "I know City Lord Qi is still brooding over what happened back then, but all the bandits are now dead. If you're still not satisfied, how about sending someone to kill everyone here tomorrow?"
He is a mean man. He knew Qi Wuze would not do that, but he still said it.
Qi Wuze did as he expected and didn't say a word.
The farm belongs to An Nuan, and even if he is unwilling, he respects her decision.
Chu Xuesong continued, "Do you still remember the child I told Ah Nuan about before?"
Of course I remember. Ye Nuan wondered why he mentioned this.
He smiled bitterly and said, "I wasn't born a bandit. My parents taught me not to do evil. If Ah Nuan doesn't agree with my proposal, I don't want to control these bandits. I want to enter the customs and visit my hometown."
Is this a bit difficult?
As soon as he leaves, the horse bandits will inevitably cause chaos again, the wilderness will still be in turmoil, and transporting salt water will also be a hassle. It is not possible to let Luo Mucheng kill these old, weak, women and children, and it is even more impossible to take them in.
It seems that the only option is to accept his proposal!
"Let me think about it." Ye Nuan paused, then said, "I'll go first." Then he walked out of the house.
"A Nuan!" Chu Xuesong called out softly and chased after her. However, the scene outside the house surprised him. He Xin and the elderly, weak, women and children in the village blocked the road, all kneeling in the snow and kowtowing to Ye Nuan.
"Goddess, we don't want to be bandits anymore. Please help us."
"We are willing to worship you from generation to generation. Please bring the will of spring to the village."
"Goddess, please have mercy on us."
The women behind He Xin held their children and kowtowed. They had witnessed the previous scene. Bringing back dead trees to life was beyond the power of gods. Anyone who offended the goddess would die. They had to ask for her protection.
Chu Xuesong stood by the wooden door and said to her from a distance, "Ah Nuan, look at these women and children. They can also become good citizens. You also hope for peace in the wasteland, right?"
Of course I hope so. Just as Jiang Ji said, there are too many and too diverse forces in the wasteland. Once a fight breaks out, Yunjian Farm will sooner or later be affected.
She thought for a moment, and finally said to Chu Xuesong: "I agree. You can arrange for the people who go to the farm later. But I have to say it first. You have to help with the work on the farm, otherwise you have to bring your own food and drink."
Chu Xuesong's eyes curved slightly, and he chuckled and nodded: "Okay, Ah Nuan, wait for me at the farm. I still have some things to take care of here."
After Ye Nuan and his group left the village, Chu Xuesong said to He Xin, "Tie up those disobedient troublemakers."
By daybreak, the snow on the square had been cleared. Chu Xuesong was waiting in the stands. A moment later, He Xin had someone bring over thirty or so cursing bandits. The bandits were forced to their knees on the cold ground, still defiantly cursing at him, "You lunatic! If you want to farm, do it yourself. If you want to join Luo Mucheng, don't drag us along. We've been bandits for generations, our whole lives. You can't expect us to behave properly unless you kill us!"
The woman standing nearby with the child hurriedly advised, "Don't talk nonsense. Master Chu is doing this for our own good. With the goddess by our side, we'll live a peaceful life sooner or later. What's wrong with not being a bandit, not killing people, and not being killed?"
The horse bandit kneeling in the front struggled and shouted, "Shut up! What's wrong with being a horse bandit? I just want to be a horse bandit. I will be a horse bandit in my next life and the next life after that!"
Then the next second his head fell to the ground. Chu Xuesong smiled and said slowly, "As you wish." He threw away the bloody knife in his hand and said to He Xin, "Kill all the stubborn ones." He did not do evil, but he always fought evil with evil.
After the heavy snow had cleared, Ye Nuan had originally planned to take Xiao Hu to find Xiao Hei, but Qi Wu Ze said that Gao Zang Feng had already ordered Xiao Hei to be sent to the farm and piled up on a mound. So the group rode on horseback to Yunjian Farm, the warm winter sun blazing down on the thick snow, and thick smoke billowing behind them.
Ye Nuan turned around to look, with a look of confusion on her face, and asked, "Why is Weijiazhai on fire?"
Qi Wuze shook his head: "I don't know." Chu Xuesong has always been mysterious and unpredictable.
When they arrived at the farm, Gao Zangfeng was already waiting outside. Ye Nuan exchanged a few words with Su Shi, then accompanied him to see Xiao Hei's mound.
Xiao Hei was buried on the eastern slope of the pasture, a small pile that was invisible if you didn't pay attention. Hua Juan sniffed around the slope and howled a few times, while Xiao Hu held on to the mound and wouldn't let go, crying breathlessly.
Ye Nuan's eyes moistened slightly as she squatted down and planted a sweet-scented osmanthus tree on the mound. The sapling took root and sprouted, growing to the height of her calf. She pulled Xiao Hu up and coaxed him, "Don't cry, I've planted a tree for Xiao Hei. Every year it grows an inch taller, Xiao Hei will be a year older. This tree is Xiao Hei, and it will accompany Xiao Hu as he grows older!"
Xiaohu sniffed and sobbed, "Is it true?"
Ye Nuan nodded: "It's true, it will accompany you every day, and Xiaohu can also raise Xiao Xiaohei to play with it."
Xiaohu shook his head: "I don't want to raise him anymore. I'm grown up now and I have to learn martial arts seriously to protect my sister and mother." Xiaohei's death cast an indelible shadow on his young mind. The feeling was too sad and he didn't want to experience it again.
At that moment, the little baby seemed to have become much more sensible and grown up.
Yunjian Farm was back to its usual bustle. The next day, Chu Xuesong showed up with his men. Twenty of them, including men and women, young and old, were among the bandits. Su arranged for them to work alongside the farmhands. The people from Luomucheng clearly didn't get along with these bandit-turned-horsemen, and they'd occasionally exchanged a few words, but the bandits were clearly at a disadvantage.
There's no way around it. Their boss warned us to be humble before we came.
There was a large round winnowing basket on the terrace in the yard. Ye Nuan and the whole family sat together to pick peanut seeds. Qi Wuze and Chu Xuesong sat on the side and competed with each other secretly. They picked the peanuts very quickly and almost swept them up.
Ye Nuan looked down and saw that the peanuts in the basket were the same whether they were picked or not. She even picked up the single ones. She picked up the peanut and asked, "Who picked these?"
The two shook their heads together and said innocently, "How could it be me!"
Qi Wuze: "Just do as Ah Nuan said, pick the big ones, the ones that are plump and firm."
Chu Xuesong: "Don't want open ones, small ones, or single ones. It's best to have two sections. Remember all of this."
The two of them spoke coherently, and then continued to throw the peanuts around, which made Ye Nuan so angry that she scolded them. Then Qi Wuze and Chu Xuesong threw back the peanuts they had picked, and raised their hands to promise that they would pick them carefully.
A whole morning's effort was wasted.
Ye Nuan gritted her teeth and said, "You can't have dinner until you finish picking."
She went to feed the horses, and soon the two of them followed. Ye Nuan was puzzled: "Have you finished picking the peanuts?"
There's no need to ask them to pick peanuts. The people in Luomu City and the bandit village are all smart people. They naturally know what the master wants to do, and there is no need to tell them to work together to poach people.
The originally harmonious farm seemed to have formed two invisible dark forces, each of which was trying its best to help its master win Ye Nuan's favor.
Both sides endured it again and again. On the fifth day, late at night, Qi Wuze and Chu Xuesong stood in the shadows by the pond at the same time.
The north wind howled, and undercurrents surged in the eyes of the two men. Qi Wuze spoke first: "Chu Xuesong, what do you want?"
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