Chapter 178 Then Kill
It was late at night, the innkeeper had kept the door tightly shut, and several people were sitting in the lobby, having dinner.
The shopkeeper also sat down and began to sigh, "It's not just rampant, it's simply lawless."
"In the past, our area was the most prosperous and lively. Tianshui City was prosperous and many merchants came here. We who did business also made a lot of money."
"But since the bandits came last year, not only did we target the merchants and passers-by, we have had to pay them money to barely get shelter. We have lost money over the years and now we can't even make a living."
Shen Anan picked up a piece of tender chicken, took a small bite, and asked casually, "When did those bandits appear?"
The shopkeeper thought for a moment and said, "Probably... last winter, about a month or two."
"What about the government? Have you reported the case? What did the government say?" Li Huaiyan asked.
"The government..." He shook his head slightly, "The government does want to intervene, but what can they do with those officials who have been spoiled by the good life? They have killed more than half of the bandits in the two suppression campaigns, and now they dare not move easily."
No one spoke for a while, and the shopkeeper suddenly asked, "I see that you are all dressed elegantly and don't look like merchants, but why did you come to Tianshui City at this time?"
"Visiting relatives." Li Huaiyan said.
The shopkeeper nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
But Shen Anan suddenly asked, "The dishes in the shopkeeper's shop are good. Did you buy them at the market early in the morning?"
The shopkeeper laughed and said, "These are our specialty dishes. The ingredients are not available in the market. These chickens and ducks are game. You can't make them taste this good if you raise them at home."
Shen Anan picked up a piece of chicken and looked at it repeatedly, nodded, and slowly put it into his mouth.
The meat was tender and tasted really good.
"It's really amazing that the shopkeeper can still find game at this time."
She seemed to be complimenting casually, the shopkeeper's expression paused, then slowly smiled, "Miss, thank you for the compliment. This is my job. If you even destroy the signboard, I will not be able to continue my business."
Qingfeng and Li Huaiyan looked at the food on the table, glanced at each other, said nothing, then lowered their heads and started eating.
The shopkeeper brought another large bowl of porridge and asked with a smile, "Where are you from, my dear guests?"
"Jiangnan." Shen Anan said, and asked casually, "Is the shopkeeper a local?"
"Yes, I have been here for many years. My roots are here. If not for this, I would have given up and left long ago."
The shopkeeper sighed, "You should have seen it when you were staying at the inn. Several inns and restaurants nearby have closed down long ago. I am the only one who can barely make ends meet. I have parents and children to support, so I have to work."
Shen Anan nodded and chatted with the shopkeeper for a few words. After finishing the meal, they went upstairs to the private room to rest.
After Mo Xiang had made the bed, she wanted to help Shen Anan wash and change clothes, but Shen Anan refused.
"There's no need to go through so much trouble tonight. Just make do with half the night."
Mo Xiang was stunned for a moment, but didn't ask any more questions.
Late at night, the howling cold wind outside the window became more and more violent. The whole inn was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Only the faint light from sporadic candles proved that this was not a deserted house.
Shen Anan was half lying on the bed with her eyes half closed, until she heard sporadic footsteps outside the door, and then she slowly opened her eyes.
Her eyes were clear, without any trace of sleepiness.
Mo Xiang also climbed up at the same time.
Maybe the other party was too confident, and even the incense didn't work, he just broke down the door.
With the help of the faint candlelight, Shen Anan looked up.
Chuckling, no wonder he was so bold, it turned out that help had arrived.
Three or four burly men walked slowly towards her with sharp knives in their hands. When they got close, they saw Shen Anan's calm face and were slightly startled.
This is not the attitude a woman should have when facing a robber.
"You arrived in the middle of the night. Is it because the hilltop where you live is a bit far from this inn?"
One of them frowned, his eyes were fierce, and he chopped down without saying a word. Experience told them that when encountering such a thing, they should not say too much, but just take action.
At the same time, several dark shadows fell from the beams, quickly blocked the man's knife, and surrounded the three people.
The sounds of fighting broke out in the inn.
Shen Anan was not worried at all. All the people under Xiao Yuan had fought their way through the battlefield, so it was easy for them to deal with these bandits.
Sure enough, Qingfeng took less than two quarters of an hour to deal with the man.
The shopkeeper tried to escape during the chaos, but Chen Tian grabbed him by the collar and brought him back. He immediately knelt down and begged for mercy in panic.
"Miss, you are so kind. I have no other choice. In order to have food for my family, I can only cooperate with the bandits and barely get by. Please forgive me and let me go this time."
Shen Anan looked at him calmly without saying a word, and said to Li Huaiyan, "Are those bandits tight-lipped?"
Li Huaiyan smiled and said, "Don't worry, with Qingfeng here, even copper teeth and steel teeth can be broken open."
"Yeah." Shen Anan nodded slightly. She was really tired after tossing and turning for half the night. She yawned and felt a little sleepy.
Said to Chen Tian, "Lock him up first, and we can deal with the rest after he wakes up tomorrow."
We are not clear about the situation now, so handing him over to the authorities is definitely not an option.
When the man heard this, his eyes flashed. As long as he didn't lose his life, he didn't worry about anything else.
But he couldn’t understand. If they had already had suspicions, why didn’t they leave earlier and choose to stay? Was it just to catch them and become enemies with those people?
If that were the case, he would not worry about his own life. Compared to those extremely vicious people, they were really not enough.
Shen Anan slept until almost noon the next day, and finally felt more energetic.
Qingfeng had already interrogated all those people and reported to Shen Anan after dinner.
"They are indeed a bandit problem in the mountains, but they are only mid-level bandits. They often cooperate with these inns and restaurants to rob and kill outsiders and earn some money for drinking."
Shen Anan frowned, "Middle level? Does that mean he doesn't know the people above him?"
Qingfeng nodded, "They know nothing about the leader except that he is called Lao Ba. They don't even know what he looks like, and they only heard his name from other people."
Li Huaiyan frowned. He had no doubt about Qingfeng's methods and said, "In that case, those people can't provide any useful clues."
Qingfeng nodded, "But I found out their approximate location. It's above the canyon leading into Tianshui City. It's the only way to go. If they want to attack someone, they'll do it there."
Knowing the approximate location, they can prepare in advance.
Shen Anan frowned and said, "No matter whether the bandits are Gu Tan or not, they cannot be tolerated for burning, killing and looting like this."
Although those people were only middle-level bandits, judging from what they did, one could tell how vicious their master was.
"Pack up, let's set off." Shen Anan stood up and ordered.
Qingfeng asked, "What about those people imprisoned in the backyard?"
It was impossible to take it with him, and it was impossible to hand it over to the government. Shen Anan's eyes turned cold, "Do they have any lives on their hands?"
Qingfeng nodded, "Yes." Not only that, but there are quite a few of them. It is no exaggeration to say that they have done all kinds of evil.
"Then kill him." Shen Anan said this calmly and went upstairs, leaving Qingfeng and Li Huaiyan stunned for a while.
Shen Anan has a cold personality, but this is the first time she has said the word "murder" so calmly.
Li Huaiyan coughed lightly and said, "Go ahead. This is what you and your master are best at."
Without saying a word, Qingfeng went to the backyard with a knife in hand.
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