In an instant, several bandits behind the old man drew their broadswords and pointed them at Lu Qiqi.
Seeing this, Gu Shaoqing quickly shielded Lu Qiqi behind him.
He reminded him, "Old Master, is this really the right thing to do?"
"Since my father fell seriously ill, the prestige of Tianlang Escort Agency in the martial arts world has declined significantly."
But even a starved camel is bigger than a horse, and my Heavenly Wolf Escort Agency is not to be trifled with! I hope Elder Gu will reconsider!
After speaking, the old man raised his right hand, signaling the people behind him to calm down.
Just as Gu Shaoqing thought that Gu Laoda was still having some reservations, she heard Gu Laoda say in a low voice, "Little girl, you have quite the nerve. I only need to give the order, and I will definitely take your heads off."
Old Gu narrowed his eyes, wanting to see Lu Qiqi's panicked expression.
To everyone's surprise, Lu Qiqi showed no fear whatsoever; instead, she stared sharply at him.
For some reason, he felt a pang of surprise.
Lu Qiqi spoke calmly, "I wonder if Elder Gu still remembers the Tartars who set up camp at the foot of the mountain a few months ago?"
Old Gu's pupils contracted slightly, and his brothers behind him exchanged glances, clearly aware of the matter.
"The Tartars have set up camp on the old lord's territory, humiliating women and eating human flesh. The old lord couldn't possibly not know this, could he?"
Lu Qiqi spoke softly, but every word she uttered was piercing.
This was a great disgrace to the mountain stronghold. A bandit stronghold of several hundred people did not even dare to come down the mountain to kill a few dozen Tartars.
If word gets out, we'll be ridiculed by all the mountain strongholds, and no more escort agencies will come to pay their respects.
Gradually, murderous intent crept into the old man's large eyes.
He asked, "How did you know about this?"
If they were refugees fleeing famine from these mountains, they would never have the courage to come back here again.
Lu Qiqi said, "Having taken back the Tartars' iron hooves, the old and grand village must have made a fortune, right?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Da's expression changed several times, and a faint killing intent crept into his voice, "Who exactly are you?!"
Lu Qiqi smiled without saying a word, while Gu Da dared not make any rash moves.
The Jin Dynasty had already announced the execution of the Tartars and issued an order to reward the Marquis of Anyang.
The Tartars' warhorses were obtained by his brothers in the mountain stronghold through interception and killing.
So, this woman is someone from the Marquis of Anyang's household?
Regardless of whose side she is on, as long as she is kept out of the stronghold, Marquis Anyang will never know that he stole the horses.
"Tie these two up! The mere Tianlang Escort Agency is nothing to me, Gu!
At his command, the bandits behind the old man raised their long knives and immediately surrounded Gu Shaoqing and Lu Qiqi.
Gu Shaoqing stood beside Lu Qiqi as if facing a formidable enemy and whispered, "I will hold them off, and the village chief will take the opportunity to escape. Find Biaozi and leave quickly. There's no need to come back to save me."
But he didn't know that Lu Qiqi had hearing loss in her left ear and hadn't heard what he said at all.
The bandit raised his broadsword high, its blade gleaming coldly.
Just as tensions were about to rise, Lu Qiqi shouted, "Wait! Isn't Elder Gu afraid of having his entire family executed for killing someone sent by the imperial court?!"
The sound echoed through the thatched house, startling everyone inside.
Lu Qiqi continued, "I was personally ordered by the Emperor to go to the border to treat the soldiers. You dare to kill us on the spot? Aren't you afraid of being investigated by the court?"
Although the people of the mountain stronghold were bandits, they dared not openly oppose those sent by the imperial court.
After all, there is no historical record of bandits killing officials sent by the imperial court.
As the saying goes, the common people cannot fight against the officials. If the court officials are killed, the imperial reputation will be damaged, and troops will be sent to besiege the mountain stronghold.
Not only were the mountain strongholds destroyed, but even the rat holes within them were not spared.
Having been a bandit for many years, Gu Laoda naturally understood the reasons behind it.
Upon hearing Lu Qiqi's words, he suddenly stood up.
When he saw Lu Qiqi's calm and composed demeanor, he became suspicious and asked, "How can you prove it?"
Lu Qiqi took out the imperial edict, "Would the old master like to read it?"
The imperial edict was made of brocade and silk, and was exquisitely beautiful.
Old Gu had never seen an imperial edict, but he had heard storytellers mention it.
Imperial edicts are not ordinary objects; they cannot be viewed by just anyone.
He figured that even if Lu Qiqi was incredibly audacious, she wouldn't dare use an imperial edict as a shield, let alone carry it with her.
Thinking of this, the old man's big eyes rolled around, and he quickly went around the table, stepped forward, and clasped his hands in apology.
"I was blind to your greatness, and I hope you will not take offense."
This was the first time Lu Qiqi had ever seen a bandit leader from a mountain stronghold speak in such a refined manner, and she even found it quite novel.
She had important business to attend to, so she naturally wouldn't stay any longer.
However, judging from Old Master's appearance, she might as well enhance the reputation of the Tianlang Escort Agency.
If we cooperate with the Tianlang Escort Agency in the future, we can make good use of it.
Lu Qiqi stepped forward, sat down, picked up the water on the table, and poured herself a bowl.
"I don't understand what the old man is saying. I just came here to ask for a bowl of water."
Gu Shaoqing was completely bewildered by her actions.
Old Gu was no exception; he stared at Lu Qiqi's retreating figure, completely bewildered.
A moment later, he sat down opposite Lu Qiqi.
As Lu Qiqi poured water for Old Gu, she said, "Tianlang Escort Agency persuades people with reason and is deeply respected by people in the martial arts world. I hope Old Gu can give us some face in the future."
After saying that, the old man's face turned ashen. Did this mean that from now on, the mountain stronghold would no longer be allowed to block the Tianlang Escort Agency's shipments?
This completely ruined the reputation of his Tiger Mountain stronghold!
But he refused. If Lu Qiqi found a pretext to besiege Tiger Mountain, wouldn't he have no way to survive?
Seeing the old man's expression, Gu Shaoqing felt anxious, thinking that Lu Qiqi was being far too bold.
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