"Help! Help me! Someone's trying to kill me! Help!"
The woman was disheveled. It was clear that she had originally been wearing fine clothes and came from a well-off family, but now her hair was messy, her clothes were tattered, and she looked very sorry for herself.
Lu Baichuan, Qin Jian, and the others were about to leave when they saw this and had no choice but to stop, watching as the woman ran up to them and fell down next to the horse.
She gasped for breath, crying out, "Please, kind people, save me and my family! I'm begging you, I beg you!"
No normal person would stand idly by in such a situation, especially since Lu Baichuan and others were officials appointed by the imperial court, and it was their duty to seek justice for the people.
Upon hearing this, Qin Jian asked, "Explain yourself clearly, what exactly happened?"
"There are bandits in the mountains ahead. My family and servants are still up there. I've come down to ask for help!"
The woman cried bitterly. Her family desperately tried to stop the bandits and urged her to run away. She was terrified and ran for a long time without seeing anyone. She was almost in despair when she saw Lu Baichuan and his group.
"Please, please save my family! I'm willing to be your slave, please!"
This girl is a kind and compassionate person; she didn't abandon her family but genuinely sought help along the way.
Upon hearing this, Lu Baichuan and Qin Jian exchanged a glance. Was there really a bandit problem in this area?
That's strange. Why didn't the local officials report it?
They chose this place because it was relatively remote and not many people would notice it normally. If you mentioned it, no one would remember it. They never expected to actually find it.
"You lead the way, let's go take a look."
The mountain path was difficult to traverse, so the group tied their horses to the woods and followed the girl up the mountain.
The girl knelt down and kowtowed to them in gratitude, then hurriedly walked ahead to lead the way.
She was a little nervous, worried that she might forget the way and get lost in the mountains.
Fortunately, the mountain road wasn't too difficult to walk, and she didn't take any detours on the way there, so she remembered it all clearly.
She was exhausted, her legs were trembling, but she dared not slow down even a fraction of an inch, because her speed was a matter of life and death for her family.
Everyone could see that she was anxious, so they increased their pace even more.
"It's right ahead!"
The woman pointed to a spot not far away, her tone excited, as if she were full of energy. She ran towards the spot with all her might. As she got closer, she didn't see anyone, but she could smell a strong stench of blood.
"Father, Mother! Eldest Brother!"
She saw a group of people lying not far away, her family's servants and relatives. Her sister-in-law and other maids were nowhere to be seen, and she knew they must have been captured by the thieves.
Overwhelmed with grief, the woman fainted instantly from crying.
This time, Lu Baichuan and his group didn't bring many people, and there were no female guards. It was all men, so it was really inconvenient for them to check the situation.
Lu Baichuan could only direct two unmarried guards to go and take a look, while he and Qin Jian and the others searched the surrounding area.
There was no one around, so it was clear that the bandits had gone back after looting.
But why did they let this woman go? Could it be that they wanted to use her to attract more people?
Even so, those people weren't guarding the vicinity. He checked, and there really wasn't anyone around.
Soon, the woman woke up and scrambled to Lu Baichuan's side, crying, "My lord, please help me save my sister-in-law and the maid in my house! They are all pitiful women..."
As she spoke, the woman was overcome with grief and looked on the verge of fainting again.
Among the corpses on the ground were not only adults, but also her three- or four-year-old nephews and nieces!
Those ruthless thieves didn't even spare children.
"Don't worry, young lady, we will handle this matter."
Lu Baichuan, acting in a businesslike manner, turned around and went to check another area.
They came here to suppress bandits, so if they can also benefit the people along the way, that would be great.
Looking at the corpses scattered all over the ground, Lu Baichuan felt very sad. When his clansmen fled back then, their situation was even worse than it was now.
Do you know where those bandits' hideout is?
Qin Jian turned back, wanting to find out the specifics.
"I have no idea……"
The woman shook her head, crying, "Our family was planning to find a secluded paradise to live in, so we moved here, but we never expected to suffer this calamity on the way, sob sob sob..."
Nowadays, wealthy and well-off families like to find a place where they can live the life they want without being disturbed, and there's nothing wrong with that. Qin Jian sighed and said, "It's come to this now, young lady, please accept my condolences."
"You guys take this girl down the mountain and settle her in the city. Bai Chuan and I will go find the bandits' hideout and see if we can wipe them out in one fell swoop."
Qin Jian felt that the fewer people there were, the better, since he hadn't figured out the other party's situation. He and Lu Baichuan had been partners for many years and were quite familiar with each other's meanings. They could communicate effectively with just a glance, which would improve efficiency.
Lu Baichuan thought so too, but the woman hesitated. She had just been frightened by the bandits and was hesitant to trust others.
"Can I...can I go with the adults? I've already been used as bait!"
She tried hard to make herself appear valuable, but clearly Lu Baichuan and Qin Jian didn't think so.
"unnecessary."
They refused decisively; they were just there to investigate and hadn't reached the point where they needed the weak as bait.
The woman was very disappointed and said, "I...I want to collect my parents' bodies..."
Lu Baichuan nodded, having no objection. As a son and daughter, this was what he should do.
Lu Baichuan and Qin Jian left, while the others stayed behind to help the woman dig a pit and bury her body. Although she died a violent death, at least they could be laid to rest.
As Lu Baichuan and Qin Jian walked up the mountain, coincidentally, it was lunchtime, and they saw smoke rising from a distant hilltop, indicating that someone was cooking.
Qin Jian licked his slightly dry lips and said, "That's great, if we go now we can still catch a meal."
Lu Baichuan glanced at him and suddenly regretted bringing him along.
Why does this guy seem to have become even more unreliable since he got married?
Qin Jian didn't think anything of it. He learned this from his younger siblings: you need to be well-fed to have the energy to work!
Lu Baichuan said no more and continued walking forward. The forest in this deep mountain forest was already dense, and it was impossible to walk on horseback. Fortunately, the two of them were good at light footwork, so it did not take much effort.
Upon reaching the next hilltop, Lu Baichuan climbed a large tree and took out the telescope his wife had given him to look towards the direction from which smoke was rising.
It was indeed a den of thieves, and it looked relatively new, so it must have only been there recently.
That shouldn't be the case. Newly established bandits are usually not very strong and wouldn't dare to be so arrogant. This group dared to kill people openly and even leave survivors to go out and look for others. Obviously, it's not as simple as it seems.
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