Horse Bandit Officer (12)
One wave has not yet subsided when another wave rises, and the sound reaches the ears and goes straight to the heart. At this time, in the dead of night, the crying is no longer like the sound of nature as before, but becomes noisy and finally becomes a deadly sound.
Just when everyone was caught off guard, Ba Niang straightened her clothes, picked up the child, left the team without looking back, and walked straight to the edge of the cliff.
The child's crying became louder when he was separated from his mother's warm embrace, but Ba Niang remained indifferent.
No one knew why she ran to the cliff, so they could only stay where they were, motionless.
"Banniang, if you get closer, the child will only make the noise louder!"
"Don't worry, he won't cry anymore."
By the time they realized what Ba Niang was going to do, it was too late.
She stood on the edge of the cliff, the wind lifted her skirt, she looked down, letting the breeze brush through her soft hair, a barely perceptible tremor flashed in her eyes.
Ba Niang lifted the child in her arms with both hands, raised it above her head, with the shoulder blades protruding through the thin shirt. Then she stretched out her arms, and the baby fell into the abyss like a fruit in the blink of an eye.
"Banniang, what are you doing?" Sanniang wanted to speak out to stop her, but her voice was hoarse and she did not dare to alarm the thief who was patrolling below.
Not only Xiao Lin, but even Mu You was frightened by Ba Niang's action, and subconsciously stretched out his arms to hold Xiao Lin's head.
What's worse, several women hurriedly covered the eyes of the children beside them and couldn't help shivering themselves.
It was with this throw that the child's cry echoed through the valley, and suddenly disappeared after a few seconds.
In an instant, the strange sound also lured several thieves hiding in the house of the stronghold out.
Hiding in the mountains, Tong Huan watched Ba Niang abandon her child, and his grip on the knife tightened a little.
At this moment, when the thieves appeared, he immediately gave orders and rushed towards the stronghold with a group of county residents, like a tiger pouncing on its prey.
Cruel, extremely cruel, and therefore hateful to the bone.
Only Ba Niang looked calm. She didn't care to linger any longer at the edge of the cliff. She feigned a relaxed demeanor, rubbed her face with her back to the others, and forced a smile of relief before returning to the group. "Let's go, everyone! That child is a bastard. Even at the foot of the mountain, I'll strangle him to death myself. If he drags us down, it would be a heinous crime..."
Ba Niang said this, but her tearful eyes, still sparkling even under the starlight filtered by the shadows of the trees, silently betrayed her.
Indeed, the child should not have been born, but since he was born, how could Ba Niang, as a mother, not feel pity for him?
The ones who were wrong were the thieves, not him.
If she really hated him, she wouldn't have gone to such great lengths to hide him when he was born...
Xiao Lin couldn't help but shed tears, and clenched Mu You's thin shirt on his chest with both hands.
At the same time, Mu You's hand holding the branch also twisted off a few leaves.
Following Ba Niang's urging, the escaping team had no choice but to continue setting sail.
All I can say is that without that child, Ba Niang's body straightened out a little.
Everyone was silent, only paying attention to the mountain road below their feet, lowering their heads and following the person in front of them.
The mountain breeze, carrying moist water vapor, blew in my face. The last ray of sunset in the sky had already sunk behind the mountains, and the night slowly enveloped me like a thick piece of black silk.
Tong Huan led the way, and everyone followed closely behind, quietly moving down the steep slope.
The gravel under my feet occasionally rolled down, making a slight sound, but it was covered by the mountain breeze.
Tong Huan took every step very steadily, as if the steep mountain road under his feet was no different from flat ground.
Suddenly, the dogs in the village started barking, and their barking sounded particularly harsh in the quiet night.
Tong Huan frowned, drew his saber, and shouted, "Charge!"
Before he finished speaking, he rushed out like an arrow, followed closely by the county residents. The shouts of killing instantly exploded in the valley.
In the stronghold, the bandits had just lit the torches when they were attacked, catching them off guard.
Then there was the firelight, and Tong Huan's saber flashed with a cold light. His figure was like a ghost, and he approached the village gate in a few jumps.
The guards in the village obviously did not expect someone to rush down the mountain, and they were panicked for a moment. The archers on the watchtower drew their bows hastily, but the arrows lost their accuracy due to panic and missed the target.
Tong Huan kicked open the gate of the village, swept his saber across, and then thrust it upwards. Before the guard could react, he was thrown up, his arm broken in an instant, and fell in a pool of blood, lifeless.
The gushing blood splashed into a dark red coral hairpin, which pierced his broken eyebrow diagonally, but did not force it back.
At the same time, the county residents behind him rushed in like a tide. Although the hoes and sickles in their hands were simple, they looked particularly fierce because of their anger.
The village was suddenly in chaos. The bandits fought back hastily, but were defeated because they were caught off guard.
To kill the lackeys, Tong Huan swung his sword and headed straight for the wooden building in the center of the village.
He knew very well that the person staying there was the culprit Zheng Ju.
Thinking of this, he turned the blade around and blew out a blood mist.
Although he did not like killing when he was young, he was born in a family of horse bandits. No matter how hard he tried to make himself look bookish, he could not cover up the bloodiness. Therefore, no matter what, he was always familiar with the bandit's moves.
Over a decade later, even though he had given up his butcher knife and turned over a new leaf, the memory still flooded into his mind. He didn't need to think twice and killed with every strike.
Yes, the soul of a horse bandit runs in his bones and blood, and this is a fact that he can never change.
It doesn’t matter. He can’t change his own miserable fate, but being able to change the fate of others becoming prisoners and slaves is also a great achievement!
Zheng Ju must die.
He kicked open the door of the wooden building. It was dark and damp inside, and a musty and bloody smell hit him in the face.
He moved swiftly. As soon as his younger brothers reported the battle situation, he stood in front of the door, facing Zheng Ju on the steps.
Zheng Ju still looked honest, with a few more wrinkles at the corners of his eyes than in the portrait. And it was in those extra wrinkles that Tong Huan saw the lives of several people who had returned to the underworld during this period of time.
"Zheng Ju, why don't you surrender?" The knife in Tong Huan's hand was soaked with blood. His fingertips, palms, and wrists were all stained with hot blood. Then he raised the knife and pointed it at Zheng Ju's nose.
Zheng Ju was caught off guard by this sudden attack, but the moment he saw Tong Huan, a hint of cunning flashed in his eyes.
He rose from the throne slowly, picked up his broadsword, and slashed the ground with the tip of the blade. His expression was arrogant: "Tong... Huan? Lord Tong, right?"
Tong Huan did not respond, but secretly gripped the hilt of the knife tighter.
"You're pretty good with a saber, aren't you?" He leaned closer, the sharp sound of the blade scraping against the ground filling the wooden building. "Oh, I forgot you're a bandit yourself, aren't you?"
Tong Huan: “…”
Zheng Ju provoked again, "You and I are both doing shameful and dirty things. We are both rats in the fields. How can we distinguish between good and bad? We are clearly birds of a feather. Yet, you are holding a knife and want to kill me?"
"Zheng Ju, I am different from you. I serve the people, and you harm them."
When these words were spoken, Zheng Ju laughed out loud, with tears in the corners of his eyes.
But Tong Huan did not lower his sword at all. The fire in the building was so strong that it gave his bloody blade a new look.
Zheng Ju continued, "I'm harming the people? Do you know how many men who couldn't find wives I've helped to continue their family line? I help them to have children and procreate, and that's what I'm doing for the people! I'm a kind person! Now you come and cut off my path, severing their roots, and that's what's harming the people!"
"Bah!" Tong Huan immediately spat at Zheng Ju, his eyes bloodshot and his hair standing on end. "Stop flattering yourself! Do you think that if I arrest you, I'll let those buyers go? You're all parasites. Today, I'm going to make a living from you!"
"Are you targeting me?" Zheng Ju raised an eyebrow. "I heard you only brought twenty men with you? With such a large force, you think you can slaughter everyone in Canghu Valley? You're dreaming!"
"Then you better open your eyes and watch carefully to see if I, Tong Huan, can overturn your lair!"
Putting aside the nonsense, Tong Huan rushed towards Zheng Ju like an arrow breaking through the air with the force of lightning and thunder.
Zheng Ju also picked up his sword and attacked head-on.
When the blades collided, sparks flew everywhere, making Tong Huan's mouth numb, but he did not move at all, and the cold light in his eyes became even stronger.
Zheng Ju was shocked and retreated hurriedly, narrowly avoiding Tong Huan's knife.
The tip of the knife hit the ground, sparks hung in the air, and floated out of the window with the night wind, turning into stars in the sky that guided the way, illuminating Xiao Lin and others who were leaning over to escape.
After going around the hill, the sound of Tong Huan leading his troops in battle came with the wind, and Mu You's blood couldn't help but boil.
But his mission is to ensure that these trapped women and children are safe.
Fortunately, he managed to fully complete the task assigned to him by Tong Huan.
The night is as dark as ink and the stars are shining. From this day on, the future of everyone present here will be as bright as light.
The waterfall in the valley hangs down from the sky like a silver dragon, roaring and deafening. The mist is so thick that the coolness penetrates into the bone marrow. The water droplets splash and hit the women's cheeks like broken jade, which is icy cold, but also has a hint of sweetness.
After a lot of effort, Xiao Lin still got lost in the mountains.
Ba Niang had just experienced the pain of childbirth and her stomach was still full. She was exhausted and inevitably felt weak, so she had to lean against a rock and rest for a while.
Everyone was not heartless. Seeing Ba Niang sitting down, they stopped one by one.
"Everyone, let's go quickly. There's no need to wait for me. Don't let us be kidnapped by those bandits again." Ba Niang lowered her head and waved to the others.
Sanniang was very sensitive and quickly heard the slight cry in Ba Niang's words, and her heart ached.
Yes, after enduring all this journey, her heart has long been overwhelmed.
However, before Sanniang could react, Liuniang appeared like smoke and took advantage of Ba Niang's unpreparedness to hug her in her arms: "Banniang, cry if you want to."
Her body stiffened, her throat seemed to be blocked by something, her eyes suddenly felt sore, but she bit her lips stubbornly, refusing to let the tears fall.
Xiao Lin started crying again and immediately hugged him.
A moment later, the women who had been standing by were all moved. One after another, they used their thin arms and warm hearts to wrap around the broken Ba Niang.
Finally, Ba Niang could no longer hold on, her body softened, and she threw herself into the arms of her sisters. Tears gushed out like a dam bursting, her sobs were suppressed and broken, as if they were torn out from deep in her chest.
Her hands tightly grasped everyone's sleeves, her fingertips turned white, and her low sobs inadvertently turned into heart-wrenching howls. For a moment, she seemed to pour out all the sorrow, despair and unwillingness she had experienced before.
Mu You couldn't go forward, so he could only stand aside and silently suppress his jealousy.
The wind swept across the mountains and fields, blowing up a few dead leaves. It seemed as if the only sound left between heaven and earth was her mournful cry, which echoed for a long time.
After an unknown amount of time, Ba Niang finally stopped sobbing, wiped the tears from her face, and patted everyone on the shoulders: "Alright, alright, everyone, hurry up and get going. I don't need to rest any longer."
Indeed, more than an hour had passed since they escaped from the stronghold and lost their way. The night had become much darker. If they did not hurry down the mountain, there might be wild beasts in the deep valley.
So Ba Niang took charge and pulled up the women who came to comfort her one by one, packed their luggage, and continued on their journey.
Fortunately, hard work pays off. Xiao Lin did not get lost on the last part of the journey, and soon he saw the lights of the county town at the foot of the mountain.
After going through many hardships, which lasted from half a year to several years, they finally got an oil lamp of their own.
I don’t know if it was because I cried too much before or what, but when everyone reached the foot of the mountain, I was speechless for a moment.
"We... succeeded?" Liu Niang pressed the root of her tongue against the roof of her mouth, her voice soft and gentle.
Seeing the firelight, Xiao Lin confidently affirmed: "Yes! We succeeded!"
There were no cheers, no tears, everyone just stood quietly at the foot of the mountain, letting the cool night breeze flow through every corner of their bodies.
Sanniang's throat was blocked by sadness and she couldn't speak. Then she twisted her body and immediately held Xiao Lin's hands, shaking them in the air, tears in her eyes.
The two of them looked at each other in silence, but Xiao Lin understood the gratitude reflected in every drop of her tears, and then nodded gently.
Suddenly, when Xiao Lin and Sanniang were still immersed in the mutual sympathy of going through hardships together, a strange and deep voice broke their trance -
"Ming...Mingzhu?"
When I heard the sound and looked over, I saw an old man carrying a hoe, with some bloodstains on his face.
Xiao Lin woke up immediately and protected Sanniang behind him.
However, the man suddenly choked up, threw down the hoe on his shoulder, and ran straight towards Xiao Lin in two steps instead of three.
What's going on? What on earth is he going to do?
Xiao Lin subconsciously closed his eyes.
Then, she felt a breeze passing over her head, and was accidentally bumped by his elbow.
"Mingzhu... my daughter... we finally found you... where have you been..." The old man's hands trembled and his cloudy eyes suddenly widened.
Sanniang was half distracted at first, but the memories of the past came flooding into her mind like a tide when her cheeks touched the old man's rough calluses.
"Dad... Dad!" Her eyes and nose felt hot, and tears immediately flowed.
What? This is Sanniang's father?
His throat rolled, his dry lips trembled slightly, and he stumbled a few steps. His skinny hands tightly grasped his daughter's shoulders, his fingertips deeply embedded in her clothes, afraid that she would disappear again: "Child, you have suffered... You have suffered..."
It turns out that Sanniang’s name is not Sanniang, her name is Mingzhu.
When the old man came closer, his somewhat frightening white hair caught Xiao Lin's eye - it seemed that he had worried a lot during the years that Mingzhu was away.
Without even saying goodbye to everyone, the old man took the pearl back without stopping.
She really couldn't wait to be reunited with her family.
Looking at Mingzhu's back as she walked away with her arms waving and disappeared into the lights of thousands of homes, everyone at the foot of the mountain fell into silence again.
Until Liu Niang's voice sounded behind him: "So San Niang's name is Mingzhu? That sounds so nice."
Another woman chimed in, "Then I don't want to call you Second Mother anymore. I want to call you... Pearl! Pearl is so beautiful, I want to be as beautiful as Pearl!"
"Then my name is Jade! Jade is so precious! I've always dreamed of having one!"
"Then I'll call myself Shanzao! Because Shanzao... is delicious!"
"I want to change my name too! I want to change my name too! You guys have all taken the good names, what should I choose!"
"There's no such thing as a good name or a bad name. From now on, all our names will be good names!"
…
Yes, from now on, their names will all be good names.
After bidding farewell to the other women, except for Ba Niang who was too weak, she went back to the county government office with Xiao Lin and the others to recuperate. As for the other women in distress, some stayed in Hanlu, while others went straight on their journey. In any case, everyone had hope for the future.
Xiao Lin and Mu You should also return to the county government to report.
But, did Tong Huan succeed in suppressing the bandits?
The two were filled with fear and anticipation, wishing they could run faster.
They changed paths when they were tired, and ran again after taking a break. Facing the evening breeze, Xiao Lin and Mu You knocked on the red door of the county government office, sweating profusely.
However, just after they knocked a few times, the door opened a crack.
Looking through the gap, they saw a figure - the man was wearing a short coarse cloth robe stained black with blood, and was bowing and greeting with a group of men dressed as farmers in front of him.
Xiao Lin took another step closer and saw the man's identity clearly - it was Tong Huan! He came back alive!
The two of them noticed the clue almost at the same time, and strode forward at the same time and stood behind Tong Huan.
"County Magistrate Tong, have you succeeded?" Xiao Lin's words revealed joy.
He had been kowtowed to the elders who had assisted him one by one, but upon hearing Xiao Lin's voice, he immediately turned around, wiped the blood from his eyes with his sleeve, and said calmly, "Well, thanks to the help of all the villagers, we have captured Zheng Ju alive and brought him back to the government office. The rest of the thieves have been either killed or imprisoned."
"Great!" Mu You exclaimed, "Now we can be considered to have done something good!"
Perhaps because he was not yet accustomed to Mu You's female appearance, Tong Huan had only noticed Xiao Lin before. Unexpectedly, when Mu You spoke, he was frightened.
Xiao Lin pressed the issue, "What are your plans for the future, County Magistrate Tong?"
"You let the trapped woman go, didn't you?" Tong Huan tilted his head to glance behind the two men. Seeing no one there, he figured they must have released the woman first, so he didn't pursue the matter any further. "I'm planning to host a banquet for all the heroes tomorrow night. After all, without them and you, I definitely wouldn't be able to accomplish this bandit suppression mission alone."
Mu You nodded accordingly.
Afterwards, Tong Huan bowed deeply to the two of them, and then turned back to chat with the talkative villagers.
Seeing that they had nothing to do here for the time being, Xiao Lin and Mu You quietly left the county government office and walked towards Dong Wu's courtyard.
On the way, Mu You took out the Nachuan box that had come in very handy and started playing with it between his fingers: "Thanks to this inconspicuous little box, otherwise I don't know how I would have gotten them away!"
Xiao Lin smiled lightly.
"Xiao Lin, don't say anything. I haven't seen Chu Mo in the past two days, and I miss him a little bit."
"Isn't it going to happen soon?"
"I'm afraid that while we're here worrying about our lives, he's drinking tea in the house." As he spoke, Mu You raised his arms, crossed them behind his head, and looked up at the moon. "Do you think Chu Mo will come to the celebration party?"
"Of course..." Xiao Lin just wanted to say that when he felt a chill on his spine and his eyes widened instantly.
She suddenly remembered something important.
"What did you just say?"
"Hmm? You mean Chu Mo?"
"That's not it."
"A celebration banquet?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Xiao Lin nodded immediately.
Mu You was puzzled and asked back, "Celebration banquet, is there any problem?"
But Xiao Lin was tongue-tied and somewhat incoherent. After a while, he finally got to the point: "Do you still remember what our mission is this time?"
"You mean... the County Magistrate who saved the child?"
Xiao Lin nodded again: "Do you still remember what Boss Chu said about how he died?"
"Oh, I see! He was poisoned to death! So you suspect he was poisoned at this celebration party!"
Mu You was clever for once, and Xiao Lin was very pleased.
Admittedly, the case of rescuing abducted women and children was not the most important thing for them. After waiting for so long, they finally got a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg of this journey to change their lives.
Success or failure will probably be decided tomorrow.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
