Chapter 408 Arrest
Just when Granny Fang was worried about not finding a reason to go to the capital with Lin Yuesha, she had a perfect opportunity. Jiang Baozhu spent a lot of money to hire someone, and after discussing it with Granny Kang, she immediately agreed, so that she could legitimately follow Lin Yuesha.
Now, the master can rest assured, neither of them has revealed their identities.
After the deed was done, Granny Fang immediately sent a message to the master. At that moment, Xiao Qi happened to walk to a no-man's-land at a fork in the road and unfortunately encountered bandits.
The bandits were fierce; none of the dozens of people in the escort team escaped, and they were all captured and taken to the mountain.
"Young master, we don't know how long we'll be locked up."
Fang Dazhuang glanced at the iron bars on the window inside the room, figuring that he could bend them with his strength and escape with the young master and Liu Quan. If they missed the trip to the capital for the imperial examination, they would have to wait another three years.
"Dazhuang, you probably don't know what a mountain bandit is, do you?"
Fang Dazhuang wasn't afraid at all and was still thinking about going to the capital to take the imperial examination, which made Liu Quan smile bitterly. Years ago, his family suffered a famine, and he led his whole family on a journey to the north, where he witnessed the brutality of mountain bandits.
Between the southern cities are many no-man's-land areas where mountain bandits roam, specializing in robbing caravans and travelers. It's one thing to rob money, but these people commit all sorts of atrocities, including burning, killing, and looting, and are no better than the barbarians.
“We once passed through a three-way intersection when a group of bandits attacked us, killing dozens of our bodyguards.”
Liu Quan sighed. So, escorting goods is a dangerous business. Because the goods were needed urgently, taking the official road would delay the journey, so everyone had to choose the back roads. If they were unlucky, they might run into bandits.
These bandits were quite skilled; after several rounds, the bodyguards were bleeding and injured, and none of them were captured.
Liu Quan still felt a chill run down his spine when he thought about how everyone had been captured alive and taken to the mountain.
"But the bandits didn't kill anyone, did they?"
Fang Dazhuang scratched his head and said blankly.
"Does not killing people mean you're not a bandit?"
Liu Quan immediately retorted, his heart aching with anger. Fang Dazhuang was an honest man, but because he was too honest, he was also somewhat naive.
They were just thrown into a wicker basket and hoisted up the mountain like dead pigs. Liu Quan was terrified; he was afraid the wicker would break and he would fall off the cliff and be smashed to pieces.
They weren't even told the way up the mountain, and the bandits used rattan baskets to transport goods, which shows that the mountain stronghold had already grown to a considerable size.
Most of those who become bandits are vicious criminals wanted by the government, who are unwilling to do hard labor to earn money. They rob and plunder, live a life of luxury, and hide on the treacherous mountaintops, leaving the officials helpless against them.
Although we've abducted them now and haven't used them against them, once they're in the hands of the bandits, we'll be lambs to the slaughter, and the bandits will decide how to kill us.
“What you say makes sense, brother.”
The镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) locked up together were filled with bitterness. Escorting goods was all about luck. This time, the goods they were carrying were not valuable, but who knew that they would suit the bandits' tastes so well.
If we abduct everyone instead of killing them, there might be a chance of survival.
"What's the use of not killing us? We can't afford to compensate for the lost goods."
The rest of the people locked up together sighed and groaned, and the atmosphere was somber.
Xiao Qi closed his eyes and rested for a while, completely unperturbed and not worried about his situation at all.
"Young master, aren't you afraid?"
Liu Quan trembled for a long time. Seeing that his young master's face was calm, he wondered if he himself was too timid and cowardly, not as brave as a scholar.
Is being afraid helpful?
Xiao Qi instinctively asked a question, but after a moment's thought, he realized it didn't fit his persona, so he changed his words, saying, "If they weren't forced to, who would choose to occupy a mountain stronghold and rob and plunder? They must be desperate to make a living. We can give some of our money away. If we see any bandits, I will definitely persuade them to abandon their evil ways and join the light."
There's a saying that goes, "The sea of suffering is boundless, but turning back is the shore..."
Xiao Qi spoke with conviction and a confident expression.
Everyone stared wide-eyed at Xiao Qi, looking at him as if he were an idiot. Had this scholar lost his mind from studying? Was he sick?
"Hehe, you're right, young master!"
Fang Dazhuang clapped along, showing great respect, saying that whatever the young master said was right.
Everyone: ...Like master, like servant; what a pair of idiots!
Liu Quan's head swelled up three times, and he tried to save face for Xiao Qi, saying, "Our young master is right. Perhaps the bandits have their reasons."
If it were a robbery, killing everyone would have made stealing the goods much simpler. But since the other party didn't kill anyone and brought people up the mountain, there might be some issues to consider.
Faced with this master-servant trio who twisted the truth so blatantly, Bai Ying huddled in the corner, silently covering his face with his hands. He wasn't one of them; at least he wasn't mentally ill.
"That's incredibly stupid."
The bodyguards were furious. They hadn't planned to bring a scholar who would be a burden on them on this trip. They had agreed to come with Xiao Qi and his group because they were willing to pay a lot of money. Ten taels of silver would be enough for them to have a few drinks in the capital.
The scholars were always causing trouble, and the guards had long been fed up with them. They were looking for a place to shake off the group, but they had managed to trick the foolish scholars several times, and the group always managed to return to the caravan without fail. After struggling for a few times without success, the guards simply went with them.
"Brothers, I don't know if you've noticed, but we've been traveling all over the country for quite some time now, but since we set off with the scholar, it's been quite a journey."
In a single day, the carriage experienced a broken axle, lost cargo, and the death of a horse. Then, as it was traveling, it suddenly encountered a large pit ahead, and the entire carriage fell into the trap. It was truly unbelievable.
They were so unlucky that even drinking cold water would stick to their teeth, which made them feel something was wrong. But then something even more bizarre happened: they were kidnapped by bandits and taken to the mountains.
"It must be because Xiao Shusheng's birth chart clashes with ours."
The bodyguards were bitter. They had agreed to shake off the man together, but Xiao Qi always miraculously managed to find him. They suspected that the scholar was an inside man in the escort team.
People who are not on the same wavelength should never force themselves to get together, or the consequences will be severe.
What are you talking about?
Fang Dazhuang was the first to object. These bodyguards seemed generous, but they were actually petty and narrow-minded. They had cheated the young master out of ten taels of silver and wanted to get rid of him. If the young master hadn't been smart enough to prevent them from succeeding, their money would have been wasted.
Our young lady said that the reason she went with the escort team was for safety, but who would have thought that they would be implicated by these people and before they could even say anything, the other party would look down on the young master. How shameless!
Fang Dazhuang bluntly exposed everyone's thoughts, leaving the bodyguards somewhat embarrassed.
The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) threw a ten-tael silver ingot at Fang Dazhuang and angrily said, "You bunch of jinxes! Here's your silver back, and we're going our separate ways!"
It hurts to spit out money that's already in your mouth, but things are different now. The group is trapped in the mountain stronghold, and the bandits won't let them go. In the end, they won't be able to keep the money anyway, so they might as well return it.
If given the chance, he would definitely get rid of those burdensome scholars and their servants!
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