The man was also a bachelor, and with the mentality of "better to die than lose myself," fearing he might miss Xiaoyue's answer, he quickly said, "Yes, yes."
Xiaoyue stomped on his neck again, and the man cried out in pain. Actually, Xiaoyue had sensed something was wrong when she saw Fatty Ren get onto the oxcart.
But Fatty Ren seemed to know Li Shuanshu very well; the two chatted and laughed all the way, without even glancing in their direction.
Xiaoyue was careless, which led her into a predicament. But Xiaoyue was not afraid because she knew that Liang Qi would come back after dropping the person off at home, and she could hold on for another quarter of an hour or two.
What puzzled her most was that fat man, Ren. He had been injured while robbing others, yet he still had the nerve to seek revenge. He was truly lawless.
Xiaoyue released the man, and when he saw that Xiaoyue had let go of his foot, he tried to get up. Xiaoyue kicked him in the buttocks again, sending him sprawling face-first into the dirt.
The man stood up again, and then Xiaoyue stepped on his back. After several unsuccessful attempts, the man simply lay down on the ground and refused to get up. Xiaoyue asked the man from behind, "How much silver did you get?"
"Three ounces."
Xiaoyue stepped forward and kicked him again, saying, "I gave you three taels of silver, and you've harmed an unmarried young woman."
The man was terrified of Xiaoyue, but he was cowardly yet had a sharp tongue. "You're still an unmarried young lady, and you're a complete shrew. If I had known this, I wouldn't have done it even if you gave me ten taels of silver."
Xiaoyue was so angry at his cowardly appearance that she laughed. What kind of people did Fatty Ren find? She asked again, "Who else is there? It's not just you, is it?"
"I heard it was Ge Erlin's idea." The man tilted his head and glanced at Xiaoyue.
Xiaoyue said sternly, "Take off your belt."
The man untied his belt, revealing a double-stranded hemp rope. Xiaoyue used it to tie his hands and legs together.
He kicked the man in the stomach again and asked, "What's your relationship with Fatty Ren?"
"It seems that Fatty Ren's family is quite wealthy. He often treats us gamblers to meals. It is said that the gambling den owner's third wife's brother-in-law is a good friend of Fatty Ren."
Xiaoyue asked again, "You only saw Fatty Ren, and no one else?"
The man shook his head, his face contorted with misery, and said, "It was Fatty Ren who told me about Ge Erlin."
Xiaoyue couldn't get anything out of the man, so she took off his smelly socks and stuffed them into his mouth.
Xiaoyue was calculating in her mind; someone else was bound to come. Last time, when the two of them tried to intercept her, she escaped. Fatty Ren wouldn't just let that person come.
Xiaoyue felt that the person was just scouting to see if she was in the woods. In any case, she couldn't be careless. With that in mind, Xiaoyue lost interest in picking mushrooms and had to get out of the woods as soon as possible. There were many people on the road today.
Although Liang Qi said he would be back in the village, Xiaoyue didn't dare wait. She anxiously ran out with her basket on her back, glancing around every now and then.
Just as Xiaoyue was about to reach the road, four adult men rushed in from the road. Xiaoyue didn't recognize any of them; they were all very thin. Those men went straight for Xiaoyue.
Upon realizing that someone was heading straight for her, Xiaoyue took off running. Unable to tell which way to go, she could only run into the woods.
Thanks to Liang Qi making Xiaoyue run in the mountains every day, this forest didn't have such a steep slope, making it easier to run. In addition, Xiaoyue was nervous and scared, so she ran even faster.
The four people behind her used a flanking maneuver to quickly surround Xiaoyue. Xiaoyue leaned against a big tree, protecting her basket in front of her chest, and the four of them walked towards Xiaoyue, panting heavily.
Xiaoyue noticed the man on her left was unsteady on his feet and kept wiping the sweat from his face with his sleeve. She immediately recognized him as the one wiping his sweat, and the instant he lowered his head to do so, Xiaoyue threw her basket at him.
She kicked the man in the stomach, sending him sprawling back dozens of steps. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xiaoyue rushed through the gap and ran out again.
"Damn, that brat's really in a hurry," the leader said.
Xiaoyue thought to herself that she should run towards the road. So much time had passed, maybe Liang Qi had already returned. With him by her side, she wouldn't be afraid of the people behind her.
He ran for his life, but his left foot slipped on a tree branch as thick as his arm and twisted.
In that instant, the people behind them ran closer.
Xiaoyue ran for her life. A slight discomfort came over her left foot, but she ignored it. The will to survive filled her mind. If these people caught her…
Who knows what the consequences might be? Xiaoyue didn't dare to think about it, so she just ran for her life.
The people behind her were still trying to outflank Xiaoyue, but Xiaoyue kept running out and couldn't be outflanked. Soon, the people behind her had widened the distance between them.
The leader, enraged, threw a knife straight at Xiaoyue's back. Xiaoyue dodged as she ran, but without turning around, the knife instantly pierced her left arm.
The man's shot missed, and Xiaoyue was hit by the knife. Her movements slowed down, and she chose a tree with many branches in front of her. In no time, the people chasing her caught up with her, and Xiaoyue had already quickly climbed the tree.
Xiaoyue just wanted to wait for Liang Qi to arrive; the blood flowing from her arm immediately soaked her sleeve.
The two men who followed also wanted to climb the tree. Xiaoyue pulled out her knife, tore off a piece of her clothes and tied it around her arm. With the knife in her hand, Xiaoyue stared at the two men under the tree with bloodthirsty eyes.
The leader directed another man to climb the tree. "Sihu, you go!" The man was also excited. There were many branches, and Sihu quickly reached Xiaoyue's feet. Xiaoyue grabbed a branch that was sticking out of the tree with her right hand, and kicked down with her right foot, landing on the man's head.
Si Hu was truly ruthless. He grabbed the tree branch with one hand and Xiao Yue's foot with the other, then pulled her down. Xiao Yue couldn't hold onto the branch, and Si Hu managed to throw her headfirst to the ground.
Xiaoyue lay on the ground, clutching the knife in her hand, curled up on the ground. Her left ankle was in so much pain that she was sweating profusely, and her left arm was also injured. As she curled up on the ground, she heard the two people behind her arrive.
The man Xiaoyue kicked, seeing her like that, angrily stepped forward and kicked her back. Xiaoyue, who had been waiting for this opportunity, ignored the pain and grabbed the man's thigh.
Pointing the knife at the man's groin, he said in a chilling tone, "Don't move, or I'll just drop this on you, and I can't guarantee I won't get hurt."
The three men standing to one side were taken aback, not expecting the girl to be so tenacious.
The man threatened with the knife was indeed too scared to move. He stared at the three men, sweat dripping from his forehead onto Xiaoyue's face. He was trembling like a leaf. Xiaoyue watched as the three men approached the two of them step by step.
Xiaoyue stabbed him in the heel with a knife. The man yelled and screamed, "Don't move! Don't move! Big brother, save me!"
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