Chapter 122 The bandits are coming, and they flee overnight.
The two of them, after confirming the specific treatment method, location, and time with Hua Murong on the mountain, descended the mountain overnight.
Zhuiying and Zhufeng, along with Hua Murong disguised as a merchant, followed behind the caravan to facilitate Xiao Xuance's medical treatment later.
Xiao Xuance walked ahead, carrying a lantern.
"Bang bang bang..."
Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves pounding the ground came from the other side of the mountain.
As a military general, Xiao Xuance was extremely sensitive to the sound of horses' hooves hitting the ground. Upon hearing any noise, he immediately lay down on the ground and listened intently.
Yun Zhaoxue also heard it. All of them were vehicles that could be touched, high-tech cars, airplanes, and yachts. Horseback riding was rare. Ordinary people who had not received training in this area would find it difficult to distinguish the sounds in a short time and could only hear the banging sounds.
However, she guessed that such a dense sound of horses' hooves could only come from the army, a gang of outlaws, or bandits.
"Can you guess who they are?"
It's not impossible that the Qin family sent people to arrest her since she targeted Qin Yurong in Weishi County.
"The sound of horses' hooves is chaotic and disorderly, varying in depth and without any pattern. It is very likely the bandit caravan from Qingfeng Village. Judging from the sound of the hooves, there are probably about twenty or thirty people. We should quickly go down the mountain to inform Lao Liao and the others to let the team hide first."
“The mountain road is rugged, and it’s inconvenient for you to travel while you’re pregnant. I’ll call Zhui Feng and Zhui Ying back to protect you. Wait for me in the cave, and I’ll come back to pick you up later.”
It's dangerous down the mountain now; it's safest to stay up on the mountain.
"No need, it's too much trouble to run around. You can just lead the way."
"Okay, then stick close to me." Xiao Xuance reached out and grasped her wrist, interlocking his fingers and leading her away.
Yun Zhaoxue wasn't used to holding hands with others, and just as she was about to pull her hand away, the large hand that was gripping her small hand tightened its grip.
"Let go of me, I can walk by myself."
Xiao Xuance said, "As a subordinate, I have a duty to protect my master's safety."
Have you ever seen a subordinate hold their master's hand?
"Subordinate and husband are acceptable."
Yun Zhaoxue, "..."
What does he mean?
Is it to become a real couple with her?
The two quickly descended the mountain, and when they returned to the dilapidated temple, they went straight in through the main gate and woke up the guards who were standing at the entrance.
The two escorts walked all day and then slept in the evening.
Xiao Xuance nudged the man awake, "The bandits are here, wake up!"
The escort spoke unclearly, "Bandits? What bandits are you talking about?"
She raised her hand to wipe the drool from the corner of her lips, then went back to sleep.
Yun Zhaoxue kicked it, "Bang!"
Tonight is so dangerous. If Lao Liao sends people like this to keep watch, and no one notices that the bandits are killing them unexpectedly, the exile team will suffer heavy casualties.
The guard was kicked in the lower back, and the pain made him wide awake. He opened his eyes, glared at the person in front of him, and cursed, "Damn it, who kicked me?"
Xiao Xuance stood in front of Yun Zhaoxue and said, "It's me. You're not taking the bandits seriously and you're still sleeping. When the bandits come, Master Liao won't let you off the hook."
The escorts also heard the approaching sound of horses' hooves, "Bang bang bang!!!"
Ignoring their grudges, he rushed into the courtyard after being kicked twice, waking up the group of people lying on the ground. "Get up, all of you! Wake up! Bandits are coming! Run!"
Everyone inside the house was awakened.
Old Liao rushed outside and heard the sound of horses' hooves getting closer and closer. He cursed angrily, "Damn it, they've come all this way and they're still chasing us. What's so great about a bunch of convicts?"
"Why are you still carrying this damn grain? Put away your valuables and buy them elsewhere. If the bandits catch up with you, you'll be dead."
The escorts took the valuables from the carriage and prepared to run away.
Everyone rushed out, and half of the escorts ran to the front.
Seeing this, Xiao Xuance found Old Liao and said, "Master Liao, are we all going to run away?"
"What can you do if you don't run? They have horses, can you stop them?"
"I definitely can't do it alone. Judging from the sound of the horses' hooves, there are probably twenty or thirty people. The enemy doesn't have many people. We can only spare most of the escorts and have each household send an adult male to gather our strength and ambush them in advance, catching them off guard."
"Young Master Xiao, I heard that your martial arts are ruined and you can't use your internal energy. Most of those criminals are civil officials, who are weak and helpless. At most, they can only draw a bow and shoot arrows. Now that you don't have a bow and arrows, how are you going to fight those bandits?"
Xiao Xuance asked, "Besides taking the initiative, does Master Liao have any other ideas?"
A few hundred people would be too conspicuous. If they were only focused on escaping and wasting their energy, most of them would become victims of the bandits' swords once the enemy's horses caught up.
Old Liao glanced at the Third Prince and his entourage, who were leisurely surrounded by guards, and leaned closer to Xiao Xuance, whispering, "Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Your families, with their deep foundations, must still have some manpower, right? They won't just watch you die. Young Master, don't lie to me and say the Xiao family doesn't have any."
He knew that the Third Prince had hidden men nearby, so he didn't want to risk his brothers' lives fighting the bandits.
When Xiao Xuance heard that he had this idea, his phoenix eyes suddenly turned cold: "If Master Liao wants to know, he can ask them. There should be no problem for four or five members of my Xiao family to protect themselves."
His men will not be exposed unless absolutely necessary.
The guards were responsible for protecting their safety, but if they couldn't be relied upon in critical moments, the guards could only protect themselves.
Xiao Xuance saw his family members come out after they finished packing and was about to leave with them.
Old Liao grabbed him, "Qingfeng, those bandits are probably here to seek revenge on your Xiao family. Are you really not going to take action?"
As far as he knew, back then, in order to seize back the disaster relief grain, the Prince of Zhenbei led his men to attack Qingfeng Village and killed their leader.
Some of the underlings who weren't originally in the village ran away. In recent years, Qingfeng Village has been rebuilt, and this time they will definitely seek revenge on the Xiao family.
"Master Liao himself said it's possible. Why bother with things that are uncertain? Farewell!"
Old Liao rushed over and pulled the person back, "Come back! What's the plan? Tell me."
Before Xiao Xuance could answer, Lao Liao saw Yun Zhaoxue passing by and quickly grabbed her, saying, "Don't run away!"
He shouted, "Don't run away yet! Leave one adult male from each household."
Upon hearing this, everyone's tired eyes instantly cleared up, and they ran faster than rabbits as if they had been greased. In no time, there were hardly any people left in the yard.
Old Liao, "..."
Xiao Xuance pried open Lao Liao's hand that was holding Yun Zhaoxue's hand, "You go first."
"Don't leave. You two stay here and help me fight off those bandits."
As far as he knew, the two were the most skilled in the exile group.
Yun Zhaoxue didn't want to leave either, and said to Old Liao, "Master Liao, how about we make a deal? If we can help you defeat these bandits, the two horses will be ours, and we'll be allowed to use them as a carriage."
"Tell me quickly, what's your plan?"
"We'll only talk after Mr. Liao agrees."
"Alright, we agree. But let's make it clear beforehand: if one of our guards dies, we'll get at least one horse; if two die, we won't get a horse."
"Master Liao, don't you think your request is too much? I have no obligation to protect the guards; you should let them protect themselves."
"Do as he says, deal."
The group quickly discussed their strategy, as the sound of horses' hooves grew closer and closer, "clatter clatter clatter..."
"Giddy up, giddy up..."
"Brothers, they must be resting in the dilapidated temple ahead. Let's hurry over there and catch them off guard."
"Yes, Second Master. I've heard that Princess Zhaoxue in the convict group is the most notorious woman in the capital, and she's quite beautiful. I like feisty and wild women. Could you bestow her upon me? Hehe."
“That won’t do. The Xiao family should be left for the eldest to deal with. I heard that several families in this exile group are noble ladies from the capital. You can pick another one.”
"I've heard that the second young lady of the Yun family and the third prince's wife are the most beautiful women in the capital. I'd like to see what the most beautiful woman looks like."
"They all get excited when they talk about women. They've been bandits for so many years, what kind of women haven't they seen? They're so pathetic."
“Those country women can’t compare to the pampered young ladies of the capital.”
"No comparison. To die beneath a peony is to be romantic even as a ghost, hahaha."
"Giddy up, giddy up..."
A group of people were discussing how to divide up the women in the convict group.
Suddenly, a taut iron chain appeared on the flat ground.
Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that the iron chain is actually made of shackles and handcuffs.
The two men at the front of the line fell from their horses. The next two, riding up from behind, trampled them in the stomach, killing them instantly, causing them to vomit blood. *Pfft!*
The bandits behind suddenly tightened the reins, the horse reared up and neighed, "Huff, huff, huff!!!"
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