Just then, the Wan brothers and Magistrate Cao arrived with elite troops to rescue them!
"Catch the criminals! Rescue the children!"
Everyone rushed forward and fought with the bandits. They were well-trained and their martial arts skills were far superior to those of the ragtag bandits. In a short while, all the bandits were captured.
Seeing that things were not going well, the bandits turned around and ran away, but they were caught before they had gone more than ten feet.
The soldiers locked their hands behind their backs, confiscated all the bandits' weapons, tied them up with water-soaked hemp rope, and strung them together, making them look exactly like the way they had kidnapped their friends that day.
"Bad people! Evil will be punished! Who gave you permission to kidnap us!"
Wan Yuekui made faces at the bearded man who had beaten him up before. The man was bruised and swollen, with swollen eyelids that made it impossible for him to open his eyes to look at him. When he heard Wan Yuekui's taunts, he just stood there dumbfounded, as if his soul had been taken away.
"This is boring." Wan Yuekui curled his lip, jumped off the rock, turned around and pulled Wan Yuechi along, and they went through the crowd to find Wanwan.
All three were exhausted after the fierce battle.
The guards and Xiao Qi's clothes were soaked with cold sweat.
The guard's face was covered with wounds of all sizes, and the sweat stung as it dripped down. He didn't bother to check his injuries, but just wiped his face haphazardly with his already soaked sleeve, found a place to sit down, placed his sword on his lap, and began to examine his wounds by the firelight.
His long-time sword was in terrible condition, covered in congealed blood from numerous nicks and nicks. He wiped it clean with a leaf and then sheathed it again.
Xiao Qi was not as physically strong as the guards, but he did not rest immediately. He untied the strips of cloth wrapped around his palm and casually examined the wound.
The situation was tense just now, and the strips of cloth he had wrapped around his skin had cut into his flesh. When they were untied, the strips were intermittently stained with his blood, mixed with sweat, and the wounds were extremely painful.
Apart from the wound on her face, Wanwan had almost no external injuries. When the situation was most critical, Xiao Qi and the guards risked their lives to protect her.
She watched quietly as the guard and Xiao Qi tended to his wounds alone. Her small heart seemed to be filled with countless aches and pains. Her usually carefree face dimmed, and her eyes were filled with a hint of tenderness.
Are you alright?
Magistrate Cao and the Wan brothers appeared before the three of them at the same time. Upon seeing Xiao Qi, who was covered in wounds, and his guards, the three of them suddenly changed their expressions.
"Go quickly and call the doctor," Magistrate Cao ordered Wan Yuekui, who was the fastest on his feet.
Wan Yuekui immediately obeyed the order and pulled Wan Yuechi to run to the back of the crowd.
"Mr. Cao," Xiao Qi said as he approached Magistrate Cao, "thank you for saving me."
Having survived a life-or-death crisis, Xiao Qi's expression was calmer than ever before, his dark eyes appearing even more serene and cold. The flickering firelight illuminated his increasingly resolute face, casting a shadow on the other side of his cheek.
In a daze, Magistrate Cao almost thought that the person standing in front of him was not a child, but a deity who had experienced the vicissitudes of life.
"Ah, a county magistrate is an official who cares for the people, and it is my duty to protect the local populace. I'm glad that Young Master Xiao and your friend were unharmed." Magistrate Cao unconsciously became more humble in his address to Xiao Qi.
"It's alright." Xiao Qi remained indifferent. "However, these bandits might not be so simple."
"What do you mean by that, Young Master Xiao?" Upon hearing this, Magistrate Cao became nervous, his brows furrowed, and his expression turned serious.
"When we were captured by these bandits, judging from the tone of the leader, they must have had a bigger leader. These bandits who came down the mountain to kidnap people were just a few small fry. Now that we have captured them, why not go straight to the heart of the matter and wipe out these bandits in one fell swoop?"
Xiao Qi spoke in a deep voice, offering a reasoned and well-founded analysis.
Magistrate Cao stroked his sparse beard, his brows furrowing and relaxing repeatedly. He seemed to have forgotten that Xiao Qi was only six or seven years old, and directly asked for his opinion, "In your opinion, Young Master Xiao, how can we wipe them all out in one fell swoop?"
"Release the tiger back to the mountain, and wait for the rabbit to run into the tree stump."
Xiao Qi continued.
Magistrate Cao stared at him, pondering carefully for a while. Before him, the only person who could make him think for so long over just a few words was the old gentleman Wan Suizhou.
"Does Young Master Xiao mean that we should release the bandits we captured tonight, then send people to follow them and infiltrate their stronghold?"
"good."
Magistrate Cao, having received an affirmative reply, still seemed somewhat hesitant. His hand stroking his beard slowed down, and finally stopped completely. As if making a decision, he said, "Very well, what Young Master Xiao says is absolutely right. Since we've come this far, then this time I will listen to Young Master Xiao and follow his plan."
After saying that, he looked at Xiao Qi approvingly a few times, clicked his tongue in amazement, and then went to discuss the matter with his right-hand men.
Magistrate Cao brought a large force this time and was very confident in taking down the bandits of Kongji Mountain. After discussing with several important subordinates, they enriched the details of the plan and deliberately left a loophole for several bandits to take the opportunity to escape.
The first step of the plan has been implemented. Magistrate Cao sent his capable subordinates to track the bandits, and then led the released hostages home.
Zhang Xiu, who was counting the ransom in front of the house, heard the children laughing and playing on their way back. Suddenly, he grabbed Wan Kongshan and said, "I think I'm hallucinating. I think I just heard Yue Chi, Yue Kui and Wanwan come back."
Wan Kongshan felt sorry for his wife and was about to say a few words of comfort when he also heard some voices. He was equally surprised and said, "I think I'm hallucinating too..."
"Auntie!"
A clear voice rang out at the doorway.
Zhang Xiu turned around and saw Wanwan appear at the door with her two older brothers. All three of them were smiling, as if they had just left home to play rather than been kidnapped.
Zhang Xiu rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things, and was about to call out "Wanwan" when tears started falling before she could even utter a sound.
"Dad, Wanwan and the others are back!"
Even a grown man like Wan Kongshan had a sob in his voice as he went back into the house to call Wan Suizhou.
Zhang Xiu ran out, and Wanwan and her brothers ran towards her. The three of them rushed into Zhang Xiu's arms. Seeing that their aunt was crying her eyes out, they quickly comforted her and reached out to wipe away her tears.
On the other side, Magistrate Cao, worried, finally received reliable news from his subordinates a few days later, and hurriedly led a large number of soldiers to Kongji Mountain to suppress the bandits.
The bandits of Kongji Mountain have been roaming the area and committing crimes in recent years, killing countless people and committing heinous crimes. They have always been a thorn in the side of several neighboring villages. Upon hearing that Magistrate Cao had bravely gone there alone, other counties also sent soldiers to provide support.
Xiao Qi's plan was very successful, and Magistrate Cao's plan to eliminate bandits also went quite smoothly. When the news reached the prefect's ears, Magistrate Cao and his entourage received the message to go to the county to receive their reward.
Thinking that most of the credit belonged to Xiao Qi, and that Magistrate Cao had also earned some credit for him, he sent someone to notify him to come and collect his reward.
On the day of their departure, Xiao Qi and his guards discovered that Wan Kongshan had also come. Upon further inquiry, they learned that Wan Suizhou, worried about their safety, had specifically instructed his son to come and look after them.
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