Chapter 278
"I brought some food with me; I wonder if I could exchange it for some news."
There wasn't much stuff, but all the children in front of this family's house looked pale and thin.
Even these slightly wealthier families are like this, which shows how much they are starving.
The children, the women, and even the man in front of them finally showed expressions of longing for the food.
But at the same time, there was also a hint of worry on his face.
Fan Xiaoxiao understood, picked out a piece from each item and ate it herself, then wrapped it up and handed it over.
“We are passing through here and have brought some clothes that we don’t need. If you can help us solve our problem, we can give them to you as a token of our gratitude.”
This time, the man reacted; he turned to look at the people inside the room.
At this moment, a woman came out, lifting her skirt, and gritted her teeth as she took out some dried meat and fruit: "Gentlemen, why don't we go into the courtyard to talk?"
Fan Xiaoxiao and Xiao Hei exchanged a glance, both secretly delighted.
This means they agreed.
Indeed, in times of great calamity and chaos, material goods always seem more appealing than silver.
Fan Xiaoxiao didn't stand on ceremony and followed them into the courtyard.
This family has nothing to offer us.
All that was served was plain water.
It's genuine well water, with a slightly sweet taste.
Fan Xiaoxiao didn't dare to delay and told them about her team encountering insects.
The man's expression changed slightly, and he raised his hand to stroke his short beard: "It's good that you stopped to treat me, my wife."
“Those insects are only found in our area. At first, they only cause a slight fever, but after ten days or so, they will have a sore throat, itchy throat, and persistent cough.”
"If the wrong medicine is used, it will cause coughing up blood incessantly."
Fan Xiaoxiao's face turned pale when she heard the end of the story, and she felt a lingering fear.
This insect venom is not fatal at first and is easily overlooked, but the more it is overlooked, the more terrifying it becomes. The key is that it can drag on, and it won't get better until it's too late.
In the end, he was in a state worse than death, unable to recover from medication, and left with only torment and suicide as his only options.
"Since there are no doctors here, how can we treat this?"
“It’s easy.” The man nodded slightly, stood up and pointed in a direction: “There’s a white flower on the mountainside of the highest one over there. It grows next to the blue mushrooms and is very easy to spot. Dry it, grind it into powder, and drink it with water boiled with common herbs here. You’ll be better in three to five days.”
Fan Xiaoxiao was overjoyed.
Come to think of it, the people here have lived here for a long time. If there hadn't been a way to detoxify them, they would probably have all died long ago.
After sending someone back to fetch clothes and food, Fan Xiaoxiao took the prescription and description the man had given her and went to find the medicine.
"Please wait, my lady." Before they had even left the courtyard, the man called out to them again, albeit hesitantly.
"It's getting late, you'd better not go up the mountain."
"Why?" Xiao Hei asked in surprise, "We all have martial arts skills, why would we be afraid of jackals and tigers?"
"..." The man paused, then lowered his voice, "The reason our town is so desolate... is because there are a few bandit leaders up there..."
"Gold and silver treasures cannot be kept. If you accidentally go up the mountain and encounter them, you may lose your life."
"I don't think you guys are easy to mess with, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. Let's go early in the morning."
"The thieves were probably dozing off then, so the chances of running into them were lower..."
Upon hearing this, Fan Xiaoxiao clenched her fists.
Suddenly, an idea struck her. She looked up at the fellow villager and asked, "How many of them are there? Do you know?"
"I don't know..."
The man then explained, "It's not that we're unwilling to tell."
"But those people come several times a month to take away the food and other useful items."
"If you don't give it to me, I'll... I'll say I'm going to kill you..."
"Given their actions, it's impossible for them all to come, so..."
I see.
After thanking him for the reminder, Fan Xiaoxiao followed Xiao Hei and the others out of the town.
The streets remained deserted.
Xiao Hei sighed: "In this world, the common people suffer the most."
"When a dynasty prospers, the people suffer; when a dynasty falls, the people suffer."
Who can argue with that?
Therefore, Fan Xiaoxiao could only do what she could at the moment.
Ask people to donate any extra food and clothing from the team.
"Miss Xiao, are we still going up the mountain now? Or should we go tomorrow?" Xiao Hei asked, getting down to business.
Fan Xiaoxiao shook her head: "I'm not waiting any longer, I'll go now."
Xiao Bao and everyone else are currently in dire straits, and even if they went back, they wouldn't be in the mood to sleep.
Moreover, the few people who came out were carrying steel knives that had been forged with tempering chains back in Tianshan Village, all for self-defense.
Because there was no iron ore or raw materials, at that time they only made one for each of the people with martial arts skills, including the Guyue Sect, the veteran, and Xiao Hei.
They all used old iron quenched chains.
Now we've encountered bandits.
This is a good opportunity to test the weapon's power.
Incidentally, it can also rid the people of harm.
However, caution is still necessary where it is warranted.
"Let's estimate the number of the enemy before it gets dark."
There were two veterans in the team.
With extensive experience in military campaigns and the assistance of Xiao Hei, the conclusions reached, even if not entirely accurate, will not be too far off.
But when the group finally arrived and finished discussing things...
Fan Xiaoxiao finally breathed a sigh of relief.
There weren't many people, just over forty.
For the townspeople at the foot of the mountain, this is naturally a large sum.
But the group that Fan Xiaoxiao led were all experts, and they were equipped with weapons and equipment that were many times more advanced than theirs.
There's no way we can lose.
After weighing their options, the group went straight up the mountain.
As expected, once he got up the mountain, the quick-witted Xiao Hei discovered quite a few traps for catching wild animals.
And they successfully encountered bandits who were out and about.
They found the bandit's den without much effort.
Fan Xiaoxiao's men were utterly devastating; he single-handedly took down a large number of the eight, and Xiao Hei even captured the bandit leader.
Sitting so quickly on the animal-skin chair in the dilapidated bandit's den, Fan Xiaoxiao felt like she was dreaming.
"That's it..."
Even Xiao Hei couldn't stand it anymore, and kicked the bandit leader in the back of the knee: "With your abilities, you dare to be bandits! Shameful!"
"Yes, yes, yes... we've made a fool of ourselves." The man whose head had been beaten into a pig's head felt wronged.
It's not that they're weak; the methods and weapons these people have are probably much stronger than the government troops who are trying to encircle and suppress them.
"Stop talking nonsense! Tell me, how many lives have you taken?!" Xiao Hei didn't give these people a friendly look.
"Injustice! Heroine!" The bandit leader knew that the person sitting directly above him held the power of life and death, so he quickly kowtowed: "We have never killed any civilians."
"At most, they'll threaten to collect money and grain..."
"yes!"
The others also knelt down and begged for mercy.
"We never actually killed any of their people."
"I don't believe it. You became outlaws and didn't harm a single person?" Fan Xiaoxiao wasn't so easily fooled.
"..."
The bandit leader gritted his teeth and kowtowed repeatedly: "I've killed a few, but it has nothing to do with the brothers!"
"I'll take full responsibility for my actions!"
He stood up: "We were just ordinary people fleeing from disaster."
(End of this chapter)
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