However, what was even more surprising than Mu Run's outburst was that Fu Yunchen didn't do anything. He simply turned around and went back to the big ship, saying to Qiao Dongzi, "Let's go."
Qiao Dongzi: "Yes, boss."
Redmi's face showed no sign of worry.
Seeing that only she and Qiao Dongzi were leaving, Mu Run was very confused about what Fu Yunchen was going to do. Did he really want to kill her and then have Qiao Dongzi see her off on her final journey?
Regardless of what she thought, Fu Yunchen didn't say another word, only watching the small boat gradually sail away from the large ship with an indifferent expression.
Qiao Dongzi rowed the boat, carrying Mu Run and her belongings, and they parted ways with the large boat, but their destination was the same: Yunzhai on the edge of Chongyang Mountain.
"Please, sister-in-law, have mercy and don't even think about running away on the way. My wife is heavily pregnant and about to give birth. If all goes well, we can reach Bianyun Village in five days, and I might even be able to hold my baby in my arms."
“The children are all warm.” Mu Run rolled her eyes at him. How could this bandit talk like that?
"Yes, yes, yes, it was my fault for being so tactless. Please, all the gods, don't hold it against me." Qiao Dongzi kowtowed devoutly.
Mu Run looked at him and suddenly thought of the Cao family... When she left the Cao family and them, in the places she passed by, regardless of age or gender, there were almost no intact corpses. They all died tragically, with their bodies and heads separated, clearly indicating that the entire family had been wiped out.
"Why did you kill people after robbing them? Your child is precious. But aren't other people's children the same?"
Qiao Dongzi understood her meaning, but did not answer immediately. Instead, he rowed the boat for a while before saying to Mu Run, "The reason for this may be explained to you by the eldest brother in the future. What I can tell you now is that the Cao family deserves their fate. We came all this way not just for their wealth."
"Even if there is a grievance and a debtor, you can kill people surnamed Cao, but why do you also kill those servants and children?"
"I remember there was only one child, that was Young Master Cao's illegitimate son. As for the servants, they were all servants who had been given the surname Cao by the Cao family. People like Hongmi had already been sent away by Hongmi in advance."
Mu Run was surprised.
Qiao Dongzi continued, "Actually, even if my sister-in-law hadn't instructed Hongmi to leave the Cao family, she would have found an excuse to leave on her own."
"..." Mu Run said self-deprecatingly, "In matters of the heart, I am the most foolish."
"Fools are often blessed. Sister-in-law has won the eldest brother's favor; she can expect a good life from now on."
"A good day? Don't forget, he just poisoned me. I'm just waiting to die from the poison."
"You know perfectly well why the eldest brother poisoned your sister-in-law. I have some medicine here to counteract the poison, but it's only for six days. Sister-in-law, please don't cause any more trouble, or you'll really die."
"What kind of poison did he give me?"
"I don't know either, the boss did it himself. The boss is very skilled with poisons. He has a reputation as the Poison Prince in the martial arts world."
"Poison Prince? And a good name?" Mu Run curled his lips and said sarcastically, "Then how did he manage to fall for the Taoist priest's trick in the Cao family?"
"Sister-in-law, you may not know this."
"Stop, stop, don't call me 'sister-in-law' anymore, I have a name."
"I dare not call my sister-in-law by her given name."
"...Anyway, I'll leave your bandit den sooner or later."
"Looks like the eldest brother is still no good; he couldn't control his sister-in-law."
Mu Run felt she couldn't talk to him about bandit leaders anymore, otherwise she would rather jump into the river and kill herself than wait for the poison to take effect.
What's ahead?
"Jingyu Mountain."
"The mountains along the Jingyu River?"
"Yes. Jingyu River is the stronghold of the Qinghai gang of river bandits."
“They are water bandits, you are local bandits. The Five Elements are incompatible between water and soil.” At this point, Mu Run suddenly stopped, looked up at Qiao Dongzi in astonishment, and asked, “It can’t be what I’m thinking, can it?”
Qiao Dongzi suddenly laughed, a laugh that was rather ferocious and cruel, which startled Mu Run.
Looking at the calm river, Mu Run was puzzled... Even if the two sides were going to war, there was no need to send her away alone. Such a big ship could fit her in any corner, and this would be a waste of a capable subordinate.
Mu Run said that he didn't understand that bandit leader at all.
...
Throughout the journey, Mu Run was very cooperative with Qiao Dongzi. If he told her to go east, she went east; if he told her to go west, she went west. She was willing to walk or take a donkey cart or oxcart, but she never mentioned Fu Yunchen again.
Qiao Dongzi, on the other hand, was quite talkative and told her a lot.
Fu Yunchen is a disciple of the famous Kunlun School, and his ancestors were officials. He is a descendant of a prestigious family and not a native bandit.
But if someone can become a bandit, then they are probably a disgrace to a noble family... Mu Run thought to himself.
After passing Jingyu Mountain and then Fuzhou, we arrived at the foot of Chongyang Mountain five days later.
Mu Run looked up at the rolling mountains and suddenly remembered a line from the Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion: "This place has towering mountains, dense forests, and tall bamboos." Such a vibrant mountain, yet it was inhabited by a den of bandits. It's true what they say: good people don't get good land, while bad people occupy good mountains.
"Is this your mountain stronghold?"
"Yes. The mountains are great. There are roe deer, rabbits, foxes, wild boars... Among them, the wild boar is the one you should never mess with. As the saying goes, 'First the boar, second the bear, third the tiger.' It is extremely strong and fast. Sister-in-law, you should stay away from wild boars in the future."
"oh."
Qiao Dongzi handed the medicine bottle from his waist pocket to Mu Run, "Sister-in-law, this is tomorrow's medicine. If the eldest brother doesn't come back by tomorrow, I might really have to collect your body the day after tomorrow."
"He's trying to kill me, but I'm not going to die." Mu Run snatched the medicine bottle. Although Fu Yunchen had driven her to the brink of emotional collapse and despair over life and death several times, she was determined to live as long as she calmed down and cherished her life.
Qiao Dongzi gestured towards the mountain path at Qing Shi Tai Ji, "Please, sister-in-law."
Mu Run looked up again at the dense forest on the mountain, which was full of vitality and lush greenery. The mountain path was lined with green trees and vines, and finally she took a step.
The two walked one after the other for nearly three miles before Mu Run stopped.
Looking at Qiao Dongzi ahead of him, who was carrying a bundle on his back and walking as if it were flat ground, I felt my legs go weak and I couldn't walk anymore.
"The entrance to the village is just ahead, sister-in-law, please bear with it a little longer," Qiao Dongzi said. Mu Run looked thin and petite; he had initially worried that she wouldn't be able to climb up.
"You've said that five times already." Mu Run was so tired that she was panting as she spoke.
"This time it's really close," Qiao Dongzi said embarrassedly.
Mu Run looked incredulous, but the journey still had to be taken.
After walking about a hundred meters more, the mountain path gradually became flat and wide, and a mud wall came into view. Mu Run's eyes lit up, and he walked closer to the mud wall.
Behind the mud wall, there were a few thatched huts and a fence woven from branches. Outside the fence, a clear spring flowed swiftly, and along its course were several vegetable plots, where various vegetables were growing vigorously.
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