Chapter 104: Forcing a Good Woman into "Banditry" [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
Because she had just woken up from a hangover, Shen Tang's mind was still a bit foggy, so she didn't notice a detail that Lin Feng had mentioned earlier—if she was the one who saved Lin Feng, why were the two of them at the bandit stronghold!
When Shen Tang saw the scene outside the earthen-tiled house, she understood.
There are dozens of people outside...
No, there were more than a hundred people!
Men and women, old and young, healthy and disabled.
There are also about fifty boxes of different sizes.
You can tell it's a good product just by looking at the color and texture of the wood.
The group of people squatted together on the sandy, uneven ground outside the house, basking in the sun, their bodies covered in sweat, not daring to move, their faces showing the same fear. Shen Tang knew the source of their fear.
Aren't they Gong Shuwu, Zhai Le, the "guiding NPC" Qi Shan, and Chu Yao who replaced Qi Shan? A whole bunch of villains?
Shen Tang opened her mouth, unsure of what to ask.
He asked dryly, "What...are you doing?"
"Wulang is awake?" Chu Yao turned his head, his smile kind and gentle, his gaze carrying a hint of "affection" for a junior. "Does your head still hurt?"
Shen Tang felt a sudden chill for no apparent reason.
"It doesn't hurt anymore."
Although Chu Yao's smile was the same as usual, today it was unusually... unusually warm, cheerful, and happy? She didn't know how to describe it, but being stared at like that, she inexplicably felt as if she had been thrown into an ice cellar, enveloped in a chill, with a coldness creeping down her neck...
An illusion?
"Could you please stop laughing like that? It's giving me the creeps..."
Chu Yao's smile froze, and Qi Shan spoke up from the side: "With such a commotion just now, you can tell from his voice that Young Master Shen is full of energy, he must be in the best possible condition."
Shen Tang then noticed that Qi Shan was holding a booklet in his left hand and a pen in his right, engrossed in writing something.
"You...you all heard that?"
"Why would Young Master Shen think we can't hear you?"
Shen Tang: "..."
Indeed, aside from Elder Chu Yao, who among them wasn't either a scholar with literary talent or a martial spirit? They were all sharp of hearing and sight; her "earth-shattering" rant upon waking was completely uncontrolled in volume. It's normal to hear it; it would be problematic if you couldn't.
The only thing that made Shen Tang less embarrassed was that these people didn't react much to Shen Tang swearing.
There's really no way there could be any reaction.
These people aren't those high-class socialites who stay at home, occasionally holding philosophical discussions or parties, possessing top-notch social skills. They won't be met with a few insults, and when they retaliate, they'll only respond with a single, insolent "How dare you!" They certainly won't get so angry that their faces turn red, and their urgent, low curses will only result in a harmless "You bastard!"
Their vocabulary of swear words is actually quite extensive.
Such as "forgetting the eight virtues", using the phrase "Why don't you die quickly" from the story of "Xiang Shu", or cursing someone without using vulgar words, quoting classical texts, making veiled criticisms, or politely inquiring about their household registration.
If someone gets angry, it's normal for them to use colloquialisms to curse.
Shen Tang's cursing and swearing weren't even enough to make them frown. The only thing that they felt was "out of line" was probably the witty remark, "If you turn on the bright light in the toilet, you're fucking looking for shit."
Shen Tang: "What are these people doing?"
As long as she's not embarrassed, it's others who are embarrassed.
Pretending to be nonchalant, I joined their group chat.
Chu Yao smiled and said, "These people are waiting for Wu Lang to decide their fate."
Shen Tang choked back tears: "...Wait...wait for me to decide what to do???"
What does this have to do with her?
With a snap, Qi Shan slapped the booklet in her hand onto Shen Tang's bewildered palm, and leisurely revealed the truth: "Of course, we're waiting for you. Because these are all the spoils of war for Young Master Shen, and no one but you can decide their future... Please rest assured, Young Master, the portion belonging to Young Master Zhai has already been counted."
Zhai Le also laughed and said, "I came out for a trip and didn't expect to 'return with a full load'. However, my brother and I traveled abroad and couldn't carry too much gold and silver with us, so I've converted my share into an IOU. If we have the chance in the future, I'll ask Brother Chen for it back."
He and Shen Tang captured those guards, and according to their merits, he was entitled to half of the Lin family's assets. However, Zhai Le himself was not short of money, and his hometown was thousands of miles away in the southeast, so he couldn't possibly take these things with him on the road. He simply said he didn't want them.
Mr. Qishan, however, was a stickler for rules and refused.
Unable to refuse Zhai Le's kind offer, he suggested writing an IOU.
He will come back to collect the money when he has the chance.
Zhai Le's suggestion was exactly what Qi Shan wanted to hear; he hadn't originally intended for Zhai Le to take these valuables away. Thus, the proposal was unanimously agreed upon by both parties. He drafted an IOU, in duplicate, and stamped it with Shen Tang's Wenxinhua seal.
Shen Tang: "..."
(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
She couldn't participate in this topic; it was all stuff she didn't know.
She glanced down at the accounts Qi Shan had written, skimming through several pages before feeling increasingly uneasy. Glancing around furtively and noticing Lin Feng's absence, she slammed the ledger shut. Lowering her voice guiltily, she asked, "These are all Lin Feng's, right?"
Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning for taking away someone else's orphaned daughter's property?
Although waking up to find yourself suddenly rich is something everyone dreams of, the thought of the original owners of this wealth makes one feel uneasy.
Qi Shan asked, "Why do you say that, sir?"
Shen Tang stammered, "It was...it was originally..."
Chu Yao interjected, "That's not quite right. Young master obtained half of the assets from the Lin family thieves and the other half from bandits, not from Lady Lin. Why would it be Lady Lin? Besides, in this world, how can an eight or nine-year-old child with such great wealth stand on his own? This isn't a fortune, but a deadly poison!"
Shen Tang opened her mouth: "But..."
She couldn't say that Chu Yao and the other person were wrong, but she couldn't say they were right either. In the current worldview, these two were definitely not wrong, but Shen Tang, as a model citizen, law-abiding, simple and kind-hearted modern homebody, certainly couldn't say that.
If property is stolen by a home invasion robber and murderer, and then double-crossed, does it no longer belong to the victim?
Shen Tang couldn't get over that hurdle in her heart.
Chu Yao and Qi Shan exchanged a glance.
They probably never imagined that the young man, who was so roguish and daring when drunk, would wake up radiating righteousness.
However, this was no challenge for the two of them at all.
The same "IOU" method was used to resolve the issue—since Young Master Shen felt that doing so would be unfair to Miss Lin, it would be better to wait until she got married and then prepare a similar dowry to give her a grand wedding. Her safety would be guaranteed before her marriage.
This solution is perfect!
Shen Tang thought about it and realized that it made sense, so all her resentment disappeared.
"Okay, then I'll go and write an IOU."
Lin Feng, upon receiving the IOU, was left speechless, both amused and exasperated.
But my heart felt increasingly at ease.
After writing the IOU, Shen Tang was speechless.
Something's not right, something's really not right. Looking at this group of people baking in the sun, she felt like she was being tricked.
Just then, Qi Shan's soul-summoning voice entered her ears again: "Young Master Shen, what do you plan to do with them?"
Shen Tang felt an itch in her ear and couldn't help but pull away.
But his voice still seemed to enter an empty space.
This cannot be ignored.
"Release them?"
"Sold?"
"Buried?"
"Or did they slaughter them?"
Shen Tang: "..."
1. A proverb is a witty remark or saying.
2. "Hu bu chuan si" comes from the story of "Xiang Shu" and means "Why don't you hurry up and die?"
3. (|ω｀) Including Zhai Le, apart from Gong Shuwu who was somewhat composed, the others could be quite uncouth when they got angry and started swearing. After all, Qi Shan had been on the run for many years and had a lot of enemies, and Chu Yao had spent five years in a chaotic place like Yuehua Tower. As for Zhai Le, he probably saw a lot of things during his travels. He would swear when challenging someone in battle, but he was usually very polite and restrained.
4. Qi Shan had previously prevented Zhai Le from going to the bandit's den because he didn't want to morally claim the other half of the property. In other words, Zhai Le would at most receive a quarter, which wasn't a small amount, but not an enormous one either. At least it wouldn't cause Zhai Le any trouble sending the money back to the Southeast, so he naturally stayed.
Second update.
(End of this chapter)
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