Chapter 2 Bandits
Whether it was from being in the water for too long and being cold, or from being frightened, Yu Wanyin could feel herself trembling uncontrollably.
This was a bandit camp full of men. Countless ways she might be treated ran through her mind. Yu Wanyin couldn't make a sound. She passively clenched her fingers slightly, suppressing the fear that was about to burst forth.
This small act of resistance did not escape the man's notice.
Rong Si looked at the little girl hiding in his box. She was thinly dressed and soaked to the bone, and she was trying hard not to look too disheveled.
Unfortunately, she was already in a sorry state.
Her hair was unkempt, and her dress was torn, revealing her exquisite and rounded curves. Her whole body exuded a timid, pure, and fragile charm.
Until the man outside couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with the leader?"
"Nothing much," Rong Si straightened up, his voice deep and rough, and slammed the suitcase back shut with a "snap." "Does he have to rush me to change my clothes?"
The man's fierce tone made Yu Wanyin tense up.
Even if I wasn't being mean to her.
Yu Wanyin was plunged into darkness again, and heard the rustling sound of changing clothes coming from outside the box once more.
You could tell from the sound that the man was moving quite roughly; the bone chains were clanging and rattling.
A sliver of light shone through the gap in the box, indicating that lamps were lit inside the room.
It took Yu Wanyin a long time to recover from the man's fierce tone. She rested her chin lightly on her knees, trying to figure out what the man really meant.
Before she could figure it out, the man had already changed his clothes and gone to the outer room.
He gestured simply: "Tell me."
The traitor, who had been suppressed, had his gag loosened and began desperately begging for mercy, "Master, spare me! I know I was wrong! It was Qi Zhong's men who lied to me!"
Zong Cheng punched him so hard he couldn't speak, "What did I lie to you about?!"
"When Qi Zhong came to us, he said that the new king was greedy for pleasure and that the taxes and corvée labor were too heavy. He lamented the suffering of the people and said that his lofty ambitions could not be realized. He wanted to find a way out and bought our fire. Damn it, he talked a good game. Didn't I make everything clear to you back then?"
"Qi Zhong is no good. Seventh Brother's father worked for Qi Zhong's family and overheard the dirty deeds of his master. He was silenced because of this. To keep his mouth shut, Qi Zhong killed the whole family. If Seventh Brother hadn't come up the mountain with me, he wouldn't be alive."
"And you, you eagerly cling to him, even trying to ruin your own brother's show."
Rong Si interrupted the man and asked slowly, "What benefits did Old Qi promise you? What did he tell you?"
These words had far-reaching implications, and Yu Wanyin felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing them.
The Qi Zhong they were talking about was the new king's uncle. It seemed that today's rebellion was all Qi Zhong's doing, attempting to replace the new king and seize Yingzhou.
She never expected that a bandit would dare to address a royal count in such a way.
And that royal count was actually involved with bandits.
However, in these turbulent times, there is little difference between soldiers and bandits.
The soldiers who went to search the palace today were actually doing the same thing as bandits.
“They said that after today’s mission is accomplished, they will appoint me as a general. But a general cannot have any blemishes. If others find out that I was once a bandit, then…” the man said haltingly, “so we have to keep everyone who knows about this quiet.”
Enraged, Zong Cheng threw another punch and cursed, "Idiot!"
"Open your eyes and look around. Has our camp ever done anything heinous? Have we done as many dirty things as Qi Zhong? Is that a stain on your reputation?! Are you trying to erase your stain, or do you want to shut up those of us who know about his dirty deeds?"
"I've told you again and again, every single member of the royal family in Yingzhou has the blood of our brothers and family members on their hands. The new king and Qi Zhong are both scum. We are sworn enemies with those corrupt officials, and we'll kill them one by one!"
As a member of an official's family, Yu Wanyin's lips were taut, and she felt uneasy in waves.
The man was so frightened that he slapped himself in the face, "Yes, I was bewitched!"
He slapped me for every word I said, saying, "It was the younger one who was stupid!"
"The little brat deserves a beating!"
The loud, abusive slaps echoed throughout the camp, sharp and piercing.
Rong Si pulled out a boning knife. "The child is young and doesn't know any better. Look how scared you've made him."
"It's normal for people not to understand my rules when doing business with me."
“He’ll understand once you teach him.”
The man thought things had taken a turn for the better, and his face lit up with joy. "Master..."
Just then, someone outside reported, "Master, we didn't catch Old Qi, but we caught a younger one."
“Bring him in,” Rong Si gestured, “and let him watch from the side.”
Brother Zong immediately picked up the traitor and put him aside.
Immediately afterwards, something heavy was thrown to the ground.
The sack was opened, revealing Qi Zhong's son, who was also the captain leading the troops in today's rebellion.
The boy looked up, glaring furiously at Rong Si, "Who dares to kidnap me?! Do you even know who I am...?"
Rong Si scorched the bone-shaving knife in his hand three times by the stove that had been lit up nearby, and said in a drawn-out tone, "You are Qi Zhong's only son, and the Commandant of the Three Armies under Yingzhou."
The young man, brimming with youthful vigor, declared, "Since you know that, why don't you untie me already!"
Rong Si held the bone-shaving knife and lightly tapped the boy's face twice with the blade. "Coincidentally, I haven't killed a captain yet."
After these words were spoken, the room fell into a deathly silence.
The traitor looked at his master in terror.
The boy was stunned for a moment, then, in a daze, thought he had misheard. His voice rose until it was hoarse, "You madmen, how dare you speak such nonsense! Aren't you afraid...?"
"What are you afraid of?"
"Are you afraid of those good-for-nothing bastards from the royal family of Yingzhou?" Rong Si's long sword grazed the boy's cheek. "If you can really outwit me, then I'll respect Yingzhou for producing a few true strategists."
Rong Si's knife tip slid down his face, seemingly searching for a convenient spot to strike.
"What a pity." Rong Si's knife tip stopped at the back of his hand. "Just a bunch of cunning and lazy good-for-nothings."
The boy realized the man's intention and withdrew his hand in fear.
But a burly man beside him pressed him firmly to the ground, spreading his hands out.
The boy cried out in alarm, "How dare you! If my father wins today and ascends the throne, I will be the crown prince!"
A piercing scream ripped through the air, sending chills down one's spine.
Yu Wanyin felt a cold sweat break out on her back. She hurriedly covered her ears, trying to block out the eerie sounds, but the sounds continued to seep in.
She heard the leader say nonchalantly, "Take this severed hand and give it to Qi Zhong."
Rong Si casually tossed the boning knife aside and added, "Hang it on his doorstep."
Upon hearing the words "severed hand," Yu Wanyin felt a faint pain emanating from her wrist.
The boy fainted and was dragged away.
Rong Si turned his head, his blood-stained knife lifting the little traitor's chin. "Now you know the rules?"
The little traitor nodded hurriedly, "I understand, I understand."
Rong Si nodded, and with a swift motion, slit the traitor's throat with the boning knife. "Then be more careful in your next life."
In an instant, blood splattered everywhere!
Bloodstains were sprayed on the tent curtains.
The little traitor stared wide-eyed, as if he hadn't yet reacted. A sharp pain in his throat stimulated his nerves, and his hands struggled weakly and painfully, but he couldn't grasp anything.
He was making gurgling groaning sounds.
Rong Si did not slit his throat, but ordered his men to throw him out.
Let him bleed to death on his own; that would be enough to cause him pain for several hours.
Someone stepped forward and asked, "Boss, what should we do with that shipment?"
"If old man Qi is capable enough to use that stolen batch of goods to kill the new king and those corrupt officials like Chu Yu, then consider it a gift from me. We'll settle the score later."
Yu Wanyin's heart skipped a beat when she heard the familiar name.
"If he doesn't live up to expectations, then consider it as my funeral fire."
The group outside talked about other things, related to arms.
Yu Wanyin didn't listen carefully, but she knew that this group of bandits was different from the bandits she knew before.
They did not plunder the people's property, but made a living by selling arms, and they had more or less some grudges with the officials of Yingzhou.
What would a group of wicked bandits, who have a grudge against officials, do if they captured an official's wife?
Yu Wanyin dared not think about it.
Her head was buzzing.
Yu Wanyin knew that her luck had never been very good, but it had never been so bad that she had just escaped one danger only to fall into another.
Right now, it's not even clear whether it's better to stay in the palace and be captured, or to escape and be captured by this group of bandits.
Ugh, so annoying. I should have known better than to run away.
Even after the box where she was hiding was opened again, Yu Wanyin maintained the posture of covering her ears.
The light around her suddenly brightened, and Yu Wanyin felt very uncomfortable.
She didn't want to face reality, so she covered her ears and hid in the box, pretending not to hear anything.
Rong Si could tell what she meant, so he dragged over a wooden stool and sat down next to the box with an air of authority.
He tossed her a fur blanket, saying, "I know you heard everything."
The woman before me had half-wet hair and clothes, clearly quite frightened by the sound she had just heard. Layers of white gauze were piled up around her forearms, revealing her soft, tofu-like arms.
It was white and damp.
Upon hearing this, Yu Wanyin had no choice but to slowly lower her hand, secretly glance at him, and then hurriedly withdrew it.
Like a frightened deer in the forest, filled with unease, he asked, "So, are you going to silence me?"
Rong Si raised an eyebrow, pondering for a moment, "We'll see."
Yu Wanyin hugged the blanket tightly, her thin lips pressed together, her heart pounding so hard that she felt weak all over.
She still retained a sliver of reason, knowing that if he truly wanted to kill her, he wouldn't have waited until now.
But his voice was deep and his expression was indifferent, so it didn't seem like he was joking.
Yu Wanyin pondered his words, "it depends on the situation."
It depends on the situation... "I am a daughter from a good family."
Rong Si chuckled and responded in a deep, magnetic voice, "Mm."
Yu Wanyin's lips tightened, afraid that if she said the wrong thing, he would chop something off in a fit of rage. "Our family has never done anything bad."
"It has nothing to do with officials."
He was lying.
“Like you, my lord,” Yu Wanyin had just finished speaking when she saw the man suddenly pick up a chop to the side, startling her so much that her voice trembled, “I also hate them…”
Rong Si wiped the blood off the long sword in his hand while looking at her.
Once those amber eyes lock onto their prey, the prey has no chance of escape.
Just like the countless animal hides and bones hanging inside this tent.
Yu Wanyin felt exposed under the man's deep gaze. If she looked away, all she could see was the blood-stained blade. Her voice weakened slightly, "I am in trouble here today. Thank you for taking me in and rescuing me, my lord."
"I will forever remember your life-saving grace." She clenched her fingers, knowing that even if she escaped again tonight, she might not have a good ending. "If you, my lord, remain kind and protect me, spare my life, and take my life..."
A moment of silence followed inside the tent.
Only the crackling sound of sparks breaking from the lamps beside him remained.
Yu Wanyin's lips trembled uncontrollably, unable to utter the second half of her sentence.
The man just stared at her. His appearance was a deep, cold, and rugged look mixed with wildness. His resolute and strong face flickered in and out of focus under the lamplight. He had a high nose bridge and a muscular body that exuded extreme danger and masculinity.
Every meridian in his body exudes a wild, surging energy.
Yu Wanyin had noticed this when he came in to change his clothes.
She still remembered the bone whistle hanging around his neck striking his waist and abdomen, and a long, winding vein running down his V-line and disappearing deep into his waistband.
At this moment, he sat beside the box like an immovable mountain, exuding an immense sense of oppression, which no one could shake in the slightest.
Between her life and her innocence, Yu Wanyin knew which was more important.
Yu Wanyin trembled violently, but forced herself to continue, "I'll do anything you ask."
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