There's really nothing to hide. Now that she's arrived at the stronghold, she's part of it. Bai Jiao doesn't care about the past or the future; he only cares about the present.
Now he can tell Qi Nuan some things, because in his opinion, sometimes ignorance is the worst thing.
Since the famine began, people in Hedong County have been hoarding grain and then selling it at high prices.
As a result, countless people in Hedong County also died.
The governor of Hedong Commandery did nothing, allowing various forces to run rampant, which led to chaos in the counties.
“We were originally residents of Wutu County, which was the most chaotic county in Hedong Prefecture. Wutu County was built along the water and relied on the water for its livelihood. In the past, its economy mainly depended on water transport.”
This has led to the proliferation of river bandits.
Furthermore, there were frequent instances of collusion between officials and bandits, and Xu Erniang's village was looted and emptied by river bandits.
Not only were all the food and property taken away by the bandits, but countless villagers were also killed or injured as a result.
Xu Erniang and her companions went to the government office to report the case, but the county magistrate dealt with them perfunctorily. After they returned to the village, they were met with a frenzied revenge from the river bandits.
The villagers, young and old, were all harmed by officials and bandits, and the village was burned to the ground.
The remaining people managed to escape and went to file a complaint, but were imprisoned by the county magistrate.
Bai Jiao led his men to break into the prison and rescue the person.
Later, Bai Jiao led the remaining men to storm the mountain stronghold, where they killed most of the bandits.
Only a few escaped the mountain stronghold and reported to the authorities. Ironically, it was useless for the people to report to the authorities, but the authorities quickly dispatched troops to suppress the bandits. The county magistrate then sent troops to suppress the bandits.
However, the terrain of the mountain stronghold was complex, and most of the soldiers under his command were useless.
After the people who escaped from the mountain stronghold were killed, the government sent troops several times, but the matter was eventually dropped.
But this also created a grudge between them and the government.
The government didn't send troops to harass them for a year. They thought that would be the end of it, but little did they know that they had pulled off a major surprise.
They were lying in ambush at the foot of the mountain on their only way down. If Bai Jiao hadn't noticed them in advance, they might have been wiped out.
But even this result was enough to make Bai Jiao angry.
Now, having no other choice, they have to hide in the mountains, become outlaws, and make a living by robbing and plundering.
Today, as they descended the mountain, they encountered soldiers from Wutu County who had come to suppress bandits. Unable to defeat them, they had no choice but to flee in disarray.
The county magistrate of Wutu County already had a grudge against them, and was unwilling to let them off easily.
However, they didn't fare well against Bai Jiao and his group either.
Thinking of those who died today, a ruthless glint flashed in Bai Jiao's eyes.
As Qi Nuan listened, she wondered if the world had really descended into such chaos.
Perhaps only a few places are like Shangjun, where people live and work in peace and contentment. More places are like Hedong, where people have no food to eat, no land to cultivate, and nowhere to settle down.
"What are you going to do now?"
"The county magistrate of Wutu County is nothing but a coward who bullies the weak and fears the strong. When he realizes that we are a tough nut to crack, he will naturally back down."
Qi Nuan nodded.
"I'll trouble you to look after the wounded in the stronghold these days."
Qi Nuan was naturally happy to help them.
As night falls, the crescent moon in the sky is transformed by the clouds, casting a layer of white sand over the earth, creating a hazy and dreamlike scene.
Bai Jiao glanced at the mountain stronghold and headed down the mountain. If he didn't die, the stronghold would likely never find peace, so he had to die.
In the darkness, Qi Nuan saw a figure heading down the mountain.
Qi Nuan looked closely and recognized the figure as Bai Jiao.
What... is he going to do?
As she was about to return to her room, she saw Xu Erniang hiding to the side.
Qi Nuan's heart skipped a beat.
Xu Erniang emerged from the darkness and returned to the room with Qi Nuan. "The eldest brother told you some things today, but there are still some things he didn't tell you."
Xu Erniang looked at Qi Nuan and spoke calmly. Of course, she didn't want to tell Qi Nuan anything, but she had too many things on her mind and wanted to confide in someone.
She didn't care who the recipient was, but it wasn't entirely indifferent either; at least she couldn't tell the people in the mountain stronghold about these things.
Only Qi Nuan could tell her this.
“We’ve been on the mountain for three years now, and everything has been arranged and handled by the boss. He was originally no stranger to us, but now he’s taken on the responsibility for the lives of everyone in the mountain stronghold…”
"Although he may be sharp-tongued, he is a very good person. If he has offended you in any way, I hope you will take a closer look. He won't have any bad intentions."
Qi Nuan was puzzled as to why Xu Erniang would say such a thing, and she suddenly had a bad feeling.
She reviewed her experience in the mountain village and found that nothing bad had happened.
She was finally relieved.
As night deepened, Bai Jiao quietly sneaked into the county government building and found the main house. It was late at night, and everyone in the county government building was already asleep.
Bai Jiao tore open the window screen, placed a sleeping pill inside, and then carefully pried open the door.
Bai Jiao walked to the bedside, and as the moonlight shone on the face of the person lying on the bed, Bai Jiao plunged the cold dagger into his heart.
The man groaned softly, then fell silent.
Not a single drop of blood was spilled during the process.
Finally, Bai Jiao glanced expressionlessly at the two people on the bed, without a ripple in his heart, and then walked towards the door.
Just as he was about to fly onto the wall, he suddenly stopped, for some unknown reason, and then turned around and went back into the county government building.
He found his way to the county government's storeroom, opened the door, lit a tinderbox, and began searching by the light.
Unable to find what he wanted, he groped around on the wall and finally his gaze fell on a landscape painting. After staring at it for a moment, he placed his hand on the hook that hung the landscape painting.
He twisted it forcefully with his hand.
With a creak, a door opened in the wall to his left, and Bai Jiao walked in with a tinderbox.
Found it.
Bai Jiao took the items out of the hidden compartment and prepared to leave.
When he reached the warehouse door, he noticed the people outside.
Someone has spotted him.
He frowned, watching the yamen runners heading towards the storeroom. He couldn't stay here any longer.
Then he broke through the window and escaped.
"Over here, is the thief here?"
Bai Jiao heard someone shouting and yelling, so he sped up and flew towards the outside of the wall.
"Shoot the arrows quickly, they're trying to escape!" He had just heard the voice behind him when he felt a sharp pain in his back—he had been hit by an arrow. He cursed under his breath and left without looking back.
At midnight, Qi Nuan heard a knock on the door, got up and opened it. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Bai Jiao rush in.
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