"Yes, I'm sure! I wouldn't dare to deceive you two masters!"
The shopkeeper nodded hurriedly, sweating profusely but pretending to be calm, fearing that the bandits would notice something.
The two bandits looked at the portrait in their hands, then looked at each other.
"I heard that some Miao men look like women. I don't think he would dare to deceive us!"
"Let's go, take these two portraits and go find the boss!"
The two bandits hit it off immediately and left the shop with the portrait.
After the two figures disappeared from sight, the shopkeeper who was pretending to be calm suddenly felt his legs go weak and he fell to the ground.
He didn't want to get involved in the feud between them, but he didn't dare to lie and refuse directly, so he had to play both sides.
When describing the appearance of Tan Tai Si and Jiang Jingyu, he secretly changed their faces in an attempt to get away with it.
Fortunately, the two bandits finally believed it.
In order to save his own life and not offend both sides, he could only come up with this method.
"Boss, boss, are you okay?"
Zhuzi hurried over to help the shopkeeper who had fallen to the ground.
The shopkeeper pointed at him, his fingers trembling with anger: "You, you almost hurt me badly, don't you know!"
"I'm sorry, shopkeeper. I was wrong. I really know I was wrong. Don't worry, shopkeeper. I'm responsible for my own actions. If they come to me again, I will not let them bother you again even if it costs me my life!"
Zhuzi, knowing that he had almost killed someone because of his greed for money, had red eyes and kept apologizing to the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper rolled his eyes at him and said, "Help me up!"
Finally, the shopkeeper stood up with the help of a pillar and sighed, "Now I can only do my best and leave the rest to fate..."
…
The people from Qingyun Village searched all the inns in the town but could not find any trace of Tan Tai Si and Jiang Jingyu, so they had to rush back to report to the boss.
"Boss, the inns we looked for aren't here!"
“We didn’t find it either!”
Just when everyone was feeling discouraged, a bandit ran towards them.
"Report! Boss, the innkeeper and waiter said that those two stayed at their inn last night and left on horseback early this morning!"
The big boss gritted his teeth and turned his horse's head with great force: "Damn it! Chase them!"
Seeing this, the others also jumped on their horses and followed the boss in front!
Before the two bandits who came out of the shop could present the portrait in their hands to the boss, several horses passed by them and sped away.
The two then folded the portrait and put it in their arms.
"Let's go, let's catch up!"
——
Jiang Jingyu and Tan Tai Si rode their horses slowly towards Fengdu. When they reached the foot of a mountain, they found that the route on the map had disappeared.
Instead, there are mountains and two forks in the road.
Jiang Jingyu's mouth twitched: "Forget it, the map my father gave me can't be read anymore."
What a father who always tries to trick his daughter!
After learning that Jiang Jingyu wanted to go to the martial arts competition to see the world, Jiang Yushan immediately took out his most valuable map.
Unexpectedly, with the passage of time, the original route has long since changed, and the route on the map has been blocked.
"Sister, let's go find out what's going on and see if we can find someone to ask for directions."
Jiang Jingyu nodded: "Let's go."
The two men rode their horses and slowly walked towards one of the forks in the road. As they walked, they actually saw a figure under the tree.
Jiang Jingyu and Tan Tai Si smiled at each other, then rode their horses towards the man.
The man was lying under a tree to rest. When they approached, they found that the gray robe he was wearing was embroidered with patches, his hair was messy, and he looked dirty. There were even flies around his head.
Out of courtesy, Jiang Jingyu and Tan Tai Si dismounted and walked up to the man.
"Excuse me, old man, which way is it to Fengdu?"
After hearing their voices, the person who had his eyes closed slowly sat up.
He raised his hand to push away the hair that was blocking his face, and his eyes lit up when he saw Jiang Jingyu and Tan Tai Si.
"Cough cough cough."
He first covered his mouth with his hands and coughed twice, then looked at the two of them with red eyes.
"Good boy, have pity on me, an old man. I haven't eaten for three days."
He said as he squeezed out two tears and put his hands on his stomach to rub it.
The moment his hair was parted to the sides, Jiang Jingyu and Tan Tai Si could see his appearance clearly.
His face was full of wrinkles, his old face was dry and withered, and he looked like a beggar with a dusty look.
Tan Tai Si looked at the surrounding mountains and asked, "Old man, what are you doing here alone? Where are your family?"
Perhaps it was because Tan Tai Si mentioned someone's sad story, the old man immediately started crying softly after hearing it.
"It's all gone, all gone. A fire took my whole family away. Where is my home? Only this old life is still hanging on!"
The old man patted his chest with a sad look on his face and sighed.
"My old bones can't walk far, so I can only travel around the world. When I get tired, I stop to rest for a while. If I meet a kind person, I ask for some money and eat a meal. Then the days go by one by one."
"I originally thought I was going to starve to death in this deep forest today, but I didn't expect that fate would let me meet you two. Good children, please have pity on me, an old man, and give me some money to eat!"
The old man wiped away his tears as he spoke, his shoulders shaking, and he looked so pitiful.
Jiang Jingyu stood beside Tan Tai Si with her arms folded across her chest, looking at the old man's hands wiping his tears with a half-smile.
Perhaps her gaze was too intense, the old man subconsciously looked up. After meeting Jiang Jingyu's gaze, he guiltily lowered his hands and hid them in his sleeves.
Jiang Jingyu pulled the purse from her waist and walked towards the old man with a smile.
"Don't cry, old man. Let's talk it over."
After seeing the bulging purse in her hand, the old man was delighted, thinking that he had finally met a kind-hearted god.
Jiang Jingyu leaned over to the old man with the purse in hand, and the old man subconsciously reached out to take it.
"Hey, don't be anxious, old man."
Jiang Jingyu curled her lips slightly and grabbed the old man's hand: "Before taking the silver, why don't you tell me what's going on with the human skin mask on your face?"
When the human skin mask was mentioned, the old man's eyes instantly dodged.
"Little girl, what are you kidding? Let me go! If you don't feel sorry for me, an old man, I'll just leave. Why are you framing me?"
The old man struggled to get out of Jiang Jingyu's hands. At this time, Tan Tai Si also came to him and pulled off the human skin mask behind his ear!
"ah--"
The man was pulled so hard that it hurt, and he accidentally exposed his childish original voice!
Beneath the old human skin mask was the face of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy!
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