Jiang Zhi watched Nie Fantian's departing figure, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart.
My previous impression of Nie Fantian was based on his original emotions and the stereotypical image of him killing people in the story.
After spending a few days together, although they could count the number of conversations they had on one hand, she discovered that Nie Fantian was just an ordinary person.
Nie Fantian's life has never been a choice he made willingly. From birth to escaping Xujia Village, he had no way out if he didn't fight desperately.
If the Nie family were still alive, Nie Fantian would also be a well-behaved child who was loved by his mother and was gentle and polite.
Before dawn the next day, everyone got up, ate breakfast, and set off with some dry food from the inn.
Nie Fantian, with a sullen face, rode his horse ahead, while Jiang Zhi's carriage rode in the middle.
Jiang Zhi's carriage was rented from the inn; she didn't use the old carriage provided by the post station.
The inn charges two taels of silver to take people across the mountain by carriage, but safety is guaranteed.
Originally, Nie Fantian did not want to be ripped off by the inn and wanted to cross the mountain directly. With him and his six followers, he was not afraid of ordinary bandits at all.
But this was Jiang Zhi's request, so he had no choice but to agree, and his expression grew even more unpleasant.
Crossing the Longquan Mountains is a long process. First, you have to go from Zhangjiaji to the mountain pass, which is Huangshanling.
The road is winding and circuitous, with most of the time spent climbing mountains, so the pace is slow. We set off before dawn and by the time we crossed the mountains and rivers it was already dark. We didn't see the light of day at either end of the journey.
Sitting in the carriage at the inn, Jiang Zhi, Qin Shi, and Li Laoshi kept talking to the driver: "There really are bandits on this mountain, why are the officials of Jincheng Prefecture doing nothing?"
The driver pointed to Nie Fantian and the others ahead and smiled meaningfully: "How can we manage them? They all have two eyes and one mouth, and they're all in a hurry to get somewhere."
Do you know why, out of so many people at the night market last night, those few guys at the front of the line started fighting?
Jiang Zhi feigned ignorance: "Could you please enlighten me, brother? Didn't we make up last night?"
According to Li Laoshi, at the night market last night, Xiaoman took a fancy to a small dagger and was discussing buying it with Nie Fantian when suddenly someone snatched it from her, claiming that he had his eye on it first.
These night markets don't have market regulators, but they do have their own rules: if a buyer in front keeps their hands on the counter, the buyer behind has to wait.
The matter for Xiaoman hasn't been settled yet, and someone is already trying to take it away; it's clearly an attempt to cause trouble.
The two sides naturally started fighting at the slightest disagreement, and the other side suffered in silence, forced to fight and flee.
Then a person claiming to be a prominent figure in Zhangjiaji stepped in to mediate and resolve the dispute, and the conflict ended.
Xiaoman was impulsive, and Nie Fantian was a jinx, both of them were good at fighting, so it would be easy for them to fight. But judging from the coachman's words, he was still chosen by someone, and there was no reconciliation.
The driver chuckled: "We're not losing out by charging you two taels of silver. Last night we were testing the skills of the previous drivers, and that spot had already been scouted."
Those guys attracted attention by showing off their wealth and even got injured; their underworld connections will definitely want to get revenge.
Jiang Zhi couldn't help but click her tongue: Xiao Man's mere five taels of silver was considered flaunting her wealth? These robbers were incredibly stingy, yet they dared to provoke this killing god.
It seems the male lead's dark aura has already affected others.
Clearly, it's not just about money. In the male-oriented world, fighting might just be about "getting a second glance in a crowd!" or "having one's face is more important than anything else!"
Nie Fantian also realized that he was being watched, which is why he set off a day early to avoid causing trouble and wasting time.
After all, he had important things to do.
Jiang Zhi hoped that the robbers would be a little smarter and not come to rob her, or at least choose another place to rob.
However, things did not go as planned.
It was just past noon, and the continuous climb had already exhausted all the animals, so Nie Fantian and the others stopped riding horses and started walking with them.
Even Jiang Zhi and the other two got out of the car and walked and rested, gradually widening the distance between them.
Suddenly, a sharp whistle rang out from the nearby mountains and forests, followed by a dozen people rushing out and carrying a thin-skinned coffin, blocking the narrow official road completely.
Those people kept saying they wanted to find Xiaoman, that the person who attacked him last night was dead, and that he should pay with his life.
The driver was quick-witted. He had just been confident that he could get the driver down the mountain safely, but as soon as he saw someone blocking the way, he quickly turned his horse around and tried to run away.
Li Laoshi pulled him back: "Hey, you said two taels of silver would guarantee your safety, don't try to go back on your word."
The coachman shook off Li Laoshi: "I'll only charge you one tael of silver, that's enough to get you here."
I'm giving you a piece of advice: they've even brought out a coffin; this is a fight to the death. You'd better run!
After saying that, he flicked his whip, spurred the carriage back the way it came, and drove off.
Li Laoshi stomped his feet in anger: "Luckily, they only gave me one tael of silver. They'll give me the other tael when I go down the mountain, otherwise I would have lost a lot of money."
Jiang Zhi suddenly remembered that her food rations were still in the car, and immediately chased after them: "Stop the car quickly, we haven't unloaded our food rations yet."
Upon hearing that there was dry rations, Qin Shi and Li Laoshi also ran after the carriage.
The bandits were clearly old acquaintances who were used to the inn's carriages escaping.
And so, both sides watched as Jiang Zhi and the other two chased after the dry rations and ran out of sight.
There were other people on the official road at this time, and the inn's carriage could not go fast at all. It was blocked by other travelers after only a few dozen meters.
Upon hearing Jiang Zhi and his two companions say that there was a robbery ahead, the people behind immediately gathered together and continued their retreat.
Jiang Zhi and the other two walked with the others. Qin leaned over and whispered, "Sister-in-law, if we just leave them like this, won't they get into trouble?"
Jiang Zhi replied in a low voice, "Do you know how to wield a knife or a stick? The three of us can't fight or run fast. As long as we don't hold them back or cause trouble, that's enough of helping them."
Qin, a peasant woman, was usually quite shrewish, resorting to tearing hair, ripping clothes, and slapping people. But now that they were facing real blades, those fancy tricks weren't enough.
Li Laoshi is a hapless fighter who doesn't put in any effort in this kind of thing.
Jiang Zhi was self-aware; she didn't have a magical space to hide in, nor did she have any martial arts skills, so naturally, she would run away if she could.
Last night, after deciding to leave ahead of schedule, Nie Fantian told Jiang Zhi that if they encountered danger on the way, the three of them should prioritize their own safety and escape, and not worry about the others. He would come looking for them afterward.
Jiang Zhi felt that Nie Fantian still had some conscience after making this arrangement.
Although the male protagonist sometimes uses his relatives as stepping stones, it's not intentional on his part.
If I run away before things get tough like today, and don't become a hostage to those robbers, then this dark aura won't reach me.
As for Xiaoman, Jiang Zhi still has to worry about her.
Thinking back to this morning when I dressed Xiaoman in the undergarment I had mended myself and even hung up the flint and steel I had just bought for him, I figured he wouldn't have another stroke of bad luck.
Meanwhile, on Nie Fantian's side, Xiaoman glared angrily: "You're talking nonsense! That person was perfectly fine when he left last night. Who knows what he did when he got back?"
"Hmph, you killed my brother, this is a huge grudge. Tell me how you're going to compensate me?" one of them roared menacingly.
Xiaoman, unable to bear it any longer, drew her sword and the two instantly engaged in fierce combat. Sword shadows flashed and fist winds howled, and for a time it was difficult to determine the winner.
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