Catching bandits
Qi Guanlan snorted coldly, "The villagers of Huangshi Village, women, children and the elderly, are all traitors, a den of mountain bandits, and have even murdered members of the imperial family. They are guilty of multiple crimes and should be punished along with their entire families."
Lian Yan sighed. In the past, he would make a big fuss over even a minor scratch during training. But Qi Guanlan was so tough this time. He didn't even blink when he bled, and even added fuel to the fire. He must have been furious.
Qi Guanlan was still not satisfied. "The mountain bandits robbed and looted, and the two groups colluded. You can find a traveling doctor to draw their portraits. If they dare to leave even one alive, I'll take your head."
He spat and cursed, "Even if my grain goes to waste, I won't give it to these dogs."
Everyone present changed their expressions. Rough laughter echoed through the forest. The cold wind whipped the bare branches like a thousand swords being drawn from their sheaths. The piercing sword cries completely tore through the gloom in the sky, and the world was renewed.
After laughing, Lian Yan raised the token and shouted loudly, "The Crown Prince has ordered that as long as the person is released, he will not hold them accountable for their past actions."
He flicked his cloak, cupped his hands and said, “Young Master Qi, your brother told me to take you back unharmed. He also said that considering they were forced to make a living, as long as they admit their mistakes and correct them, they can be let off. The Crown Prince’s words are law, and I dare not disobey the decree.”
His honest face made people overlook the cowardice in his tone, which reassured the trembling villagers. They looked at each other, their eyes darting around, their doubts gradually replaced by regret. They all came to Qi Guanlan's side, whispering that he should put away his daggers first and talk things over.
"He's a spoiled brat, do you really believe he won't settle scores later?"
They actually used a petty and narrow-minded person as a lifeline, but the situation was hopeless. Chicken Coop couldn't stop feeling uneasy, and glared around resentfully, his throat feeling like it was being choked.
It actually became their protective charm. Qi Guanlan felt as if he had swallowed a lead weight, and he felt nauseous. He looked around and his gaze settled on the messy-haired face. A cold light flashed in his eyes.
Qi Guanlan gritted his teeth, suddenly shoved the messy-haired man aside with his shoulder, and ran to the side, a dagger following closely behind.
Lian Yan's pupils contracted, his expression hardening. The sharpshooter who could hit a target from a hundred miles away on the battlefield had finally shed his feigned civility. He reflexively activated the mechanism, and a delicate crossbow bolt struck the knife behind Qi Guanlan.
He breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, he wasn't hurt. Another shot, and the rope behind him split in two.
Qi Guanlan, now free, immediately sought revenge: "Kill these bandits!"
Lian Yan: "It was a false alarm. Young Master, you should come back with me quickly."
Without the hostage, the villagers' expressions changed drastically. They grabbed their weapons and held them in front of them. Hearing his words, their legs trembled uncontrollably, but they dared not move. The man with the messy hair gripped the dagger tightly in his hand and looked around, but unfortunately, he was surrounded so tightly that not even an ant could crawl through.
Qi Guanlan turned his head, and the pain in his neck made his lips tremble. Small beads of blood flowed down his collarbone, and his shoulder blades felt slightly warm. He covered his neck, walked up to Lian Yan, and looked up with a cold laugh: "I'm considered unharmed? They are robbers, and I hate robbers more than anything in my life."
"The Crown Prince has ordered that no one should be harmed. The Thousand Feather Battalion is merely following orders. Please do not make things difficult for me, Young Master Qi."
Upon hearing the news of the Thousand Feather Camp, the villagers immediately dropped their iron shovels, restrained the man with the messy hair, and knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly to express their gratitude to the Crown Prince for his great favor.
Qi Guanlan turned around, his chest heaving. He simply couldn't swallow his anger at letting these troublemakers go like this.
With a neigh, Little White came galloping over, with Qi Mingshuo on top of it.
Qi Mingshuo glanced at the wound on his neck, jumped off his horse, and punched him hard. "Why are you never so worried about the supplies before? Why don't you just get off the carriage? You made me worry all that way."
Qi Guanlan remained silent, but her cheeks puffed out, and her pale face was hard for Qi Mingshuo to ignore. "What, do you really want to kill them? I didn't realize you had such a strong murderous aura."
"Have you found my supplies? Send them all back to the city."
"We can't let them really starve to death, can we? Tell me, what's the best way to vent our anger? I'll do whatever you say."
Qi Guanlan crossed his arms and glanced at the nearby woods, which were deserted and lifeless. He took matters into his own hands, and half an hour later, three or four thicker tree trunks were leaning against each other, while two thinner ones were leaning against each other back to back.
A small patch of woods was dressed in human clothes, with flocks of crows flying overhead, and below, people with flushed faces whimpering in anger, especially the one with the messy hair, whose whimpering was even more piercing than the crows.
Qi Guanlan clapped his hands and said with a smile, "I originally planned to send it to Huangshi Village first, but seeing how enthusiastic you all are, I'll send it to Zhuxi Village instead, so that no one will starve to death at home and no one will know."
The surroundings fell silent instantly, everyone turning to look at him, first in disbelief, then their faces turning as black as if they'd been smeared with soot. Qi Guanlan picked at his ear and said with a smile, "The cawing of crows is still more pleasant to hear."
Before it got completely dark, the two finally arrived at Yan'an Temple.
Qi Mingshuo and Gu Yu were discussing something when Qi Guanlan went to take a nap.
The next morning, Qi Mingshuo threw off the covers, and Qi Guanlan had no choice but to get up. Reluctantly, she stepped onto the familiar muddy road and passed by the familiar spot. The traces of their disheveled state had been washed away by the rain.
When encountering robbers, in the end, those left behind in the village are mostly elderly people with white hair and weak bodies, and children who have been hidden away. They are wearing similar half-length shirts and jackets, which are extremely thin. Because it rained the day before, they couldn't bear to part with their cloth shoes and wore straw sandals with their toes frozen red. Several people huddled together to keep warm.
Qi Guanlan stood on a stool and looked down. A pregnant woman, heavily pregnant and about to give birth, had eyes that were swollen like walnuts. She was wearing several layers of clothing, making her look even more bulky. She held her belly with both hands, and when she saw the things that the people returning were carrying, a glimmer of hope appeared on her face.
Qi Guanlan shook his arms, his face regaining some color, his cold and hard aura softening slightly, and the tightness in his chest eased. People are all different, at least the people in Zhuxi Village know some rules. Holding rice and steamed buns, they are open and honest, answering any questions asked, and they can generally understand human language.
He squinted, his fingertips rubbing the itchy marks on his face. He had never spent time with his mother before, and now he understood what it felt like. Compared to insincere flattery, this unspoken gratitude was much more meaningful.
Why didn't Mother say so sooner? If she had, Yang Cong wouldn't have caused this mess. Not only would he have left without permission and owed Wen Ruo a favor, but he probably wouldn't have even gone to the military camp.
Thinking of Wen Ruo, whose face had been bright and sunny just moments before, suddenly became shrouded in dark clouds. Even the Golden Wheel seemed to avoid her sharp edge. A light drizzle, as fine as cow's hair, kept pattering against her body. The icy rainwater ran down her sharp jawline, condensing on her chin, teetering on the verge of falling.
As my thoughts raced, I heard a cloud-piercing arrow pierce the sky, like a muffled thunderclap exploding in the air, deafeningly loud enough to be heard even in the bandits' stronghold.
Upon arriving at the entrance of Yan'an Temple, Zhu Fei, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, with a stern face, realized he had been tricked as soon as he arrived. However, since rank was higher, he had no choice but to stay.
"Young Master Qi, the Boss specifically requests to see you!"
How did Scarface know who I was? Did he have a mole on his side tipping him off?
Qi Guanlan looked at the high steps, lifted his feet and turned the corner. If he wants to see me, I'll go. Do you think I'm the kind of person who listens to others?
After walking for a while, he turned to look at Zhu Fei, who had followed him like a shadow the whole way, his eyes fixed on him, seemingly lost in thought.
Qi Guanlan crossed his arms, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "What else is there to say?"
The investigation into the bandit case unexpectedly led to the discovery of the scholar and Yu Niang, which would close the case. Zhu Fei's eyes flickered for a moment, and he licked his lower lip, saying weakly, "He said he would exchange Yu Niang's life for yours."
Qi Guanlan laughed in exasperation and asked, "Do I have words on my face?"
Zhu Fei shook his head honestly, though he didn't understand. Qi Guanlan's face was a little pale, but clean and smooth. He looked a bit more mature with his stern face. He had met him a few times in the capital, and they were always fighting. At that time, Qi Guanlan was arrogant and domineering, and there were always people on both sides of him.
Qi Guanlan breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, he almost became a Buddha. He let out a cold laugh.
He thought that simply giving away porridge and a few pieces of clothing had actually earned him the title of "selfless benefactor," which made him genuinely worried. Could this be what the abbot meant by "laying down the butcher's knife and becoming a Buddha on the spot"?
Zhu Fei regretted his words as soon as he finished speaking. Qi Guanlan was a man of such high status; how could he possibly sacrifice himself for the common people, especially since Qi Guanlan was his enemy?
"Looks like you do have some brains, otherwise I would have doubted how you got into the Dali Temple at such a young age." Qi Guanlan slammed the door shut, turned around and lay down on the bed, too lazy to pay attention to him.
The copper ring dangled precariously from the door. Zhu Fei's face flushed crimson, his mind a complete blank. The more he thought about it, the more worried he became, and cold sweat broke out on his back. He had offended someone. Before he came, Lord Zhou had repeatedly told him to keep quiet. How could he have forgotten?
Zhu Fei left in a daze.
Around dusk, the door to Qi Mingshuo's residence was half-open. Qi Guanlan didn't even bother to knock and pushed the door open. Upon seeing Gu Yu, his eyes darted around, and he said, "General, Huangshi Village is in cahoots with the bandits. They don't need any relief."
Gu Yu remained silent, but Qi Guanlan's eyes were filled with a menacing glint. "Does the general intend to cover for him?"
Qi Mingshuo knew he was angry, so he pulled him to sit beside him, pointed to the map on the table, and smoothed things over, "Don't worry, we'll find the scholar soon, wipe out the mountain stronghold, and avenge you."
Qi Guanlan took a closer look and saw that the location and route were clearly marked. In less than two days, he had even figured out the village.
"Thanks to Lord Shaoqing for bringing the telescope, it was a great help."
He was tired of playing with it, but he never expected to be able to use it here. Qi Guanlan looked at the other side, his eyes widened, and he was like a ghost, not even making a sound. "Lord Shaoqing, hand over the telescope, and I will forget your rudeness just now."
Zhu Fei sighed helplessly, "I'll send it to you later."
Qi Guanlan had no interest in the battle plan. With nothing else to do, he got a telescope, found the highest spot to lie down, and idly watched the birds flying away in the sky. Judging from Gu Yu's dead state, it seemed there was no hope of him leaving the military camp. If only he could grow wings and fly away.
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