Chapter 277 Found the Right One
Magistrate Xu quickly bent down to look: "How could I not know?"
"My lord, let alone you, even the two previous magistrates didn't know about it until they passed away! I only heard it from my elders, I don't know if it's true or not, I've never seen it."
“The mountain people who don’t come down the mountain… it’s unlikely they would suddenly come down and kidnap people, right?” Magistrate Xu shook his head.
"Whether it's possible or not, we have to go and take a look. We need to find out everything about what's on your turf," Lu Qingqing said.
Then she asked in confusion, "Sir, if more than a hundred bandits came to Ming'an County from other places, wouldn't they be obvious targets? Why doesn't anyone know where they came from? They're not like they can fly or burrow underground!"
Upon hearing her words, Magistrate Xu also realized the same thing.
Recently, quite a few migrants have indeed come to Ming'an County, but the largest group has not exceeded twenty people. Moreover, he has strict control over them. After checking their household registration, some have been driven away, while others have been arranged to settle in some villages. There is absolutely no possibility of them gathering to cause trouble.
"Could they be a local?"
Magistrate Xu's expression changed.
There are over a hundred bandits who rob and plunder in this area... no, maybe more!
I can't sleep just thinking about it!
Lu Qingqing's mind was no longer in a mess; it was good to have a goal.
"If they are really locals, there must be so many of them mixed in with the villages, or it must be a collective crime committed by the villages. The most suspicious are these thirty-odd villages in remote locations."
"Focus our investigation on these villages."
"And...the mountain people here!"
...
"Sir! Someone has come to report that they have discovered traces of bandits!" A yamen runner rushed in to report.
"Where are they? How many are they? Have you found out? Don't try to fool us with a few refugees again! Don't think we're here to scam money and food!"
The constables had been arresting people several times and were quite experienced; this time it seemed genuine.
Therefore, he looked very excited.
Finding the person is a great achievement, and there should be some reward, right?
"Sir, the person who came to report the case said he is from Hulu Village at the foot of the mountain fifty miles southeast. He said that a group of mountain people are hiding in those mountains!"
He witnessed firsthand that the group of mountain people came down the mountain with knives and looted a lot of things!
Everyone's expressions brightened!
They really were those mountain people!
He immediately ordered Mo Lang to recall three hundred men and set off for Hulu Village.
When we arrived at Hulu Village, it was already late afternoon.
Having not slept all night, Lu Qingqing began to feel physically exhausted.
Lu Yun, however, seemed tireless, remaining silent with bloodshot eyes, glancing at everyone who passed by.
Lu Qingqing gave Lu Yun a jolt pill, then gave him a pill, gave him hot water, and stuffed two eggs into his mouth.
If we don't let him eat, he'll have forgotten the meaning of eating altogether.
The villager who brought them here was named Wang Wu.
He was dressed in tattered clothes, hunched over, thin and dark-skinned.
"Sir, this is the place. Those mountain people occasionally come down the mountain to trade with us. They still wear clothes from decades ago, which is very strange. They always smell of blood, so the people in our village are not very willing to talk to them."
"Approximately how far is the location from the foot of the mountain?" Magistrate Xu asked.
Wang Wu said, "We don't know the specifics. The hunters in the village said it's in the northwest, but they don't know exactly where. They don't deal with outsiders and they're very well hidden."
Magistrate Xu then summoned the hunter and the village head of Hulu Village to inquire, and their accounts were almost identical.
Because so many soldiers had suddenly arrived, their eyes were filled with fear, and other villagers who were out ran back home to hide when they saw them.
Lu Qingqing looked at the sky. "Let's get up the mountain without delay!"
"Let's go up the mountain!"
Lu Qingqing and Lu Yun walked ahead, with Mo Lang following closely on either side.
Magistrate Xu followed behind them.
Behind them were two or three hundred officers and soldiers.
Wang Wu and the village head exchanged a glance.
"Who is that woman? Why does Magistrate Xu seem to listen to her?"
"Who cares! Maybe it's his favorite concubine."
"Wow, so many people have come! It's scary."
...
The mountains and forests are vast and desolate, and the setting sun is like blood.
As dusk fell, bonfires were lit all around.
People wrapped in animal skins worshipped the sky.
In the center of the ring of fire, the girl was bound and looked at everything with fear and confusion.
It felt like entering a bizarre and fantastical world.
Everything here is so strange.
They lived in a stone house, which had wooden tables and chairs, bedding and food; it was not poor, and everything was complete.
It is indeed a place where people live, but it is different in every way.
Where exactly was she kidnapped and taken? Is she still in Ming'an County?
From the moment she woke up, she was forced to take a bath. Firewood was so expensive in winter, yet they burned it without any hesitation.
The house was warm from the fire.
After she finished her bath, we dressed her in an animal skin coat.
Now we've been dragged here again.
Hundreds of people, young and old, kowtowed before a towering tree with lush foliage that resembled a giant umbrella.
The tree trunk is thick and covered with red ribbons, many of which have faded.
He proclaimed loudly, "May Heaven protect us, may the Tree God bless us, may the weather be favorable and the harvest plentiful next year, and may our descendants be healthy and strong."
They speak human language, which is understandable, but their accent is quite different from that of people from Ming'an County.
Then they stood up and all looked at Lin Ye.
His eyes were bright, as if he were looking at a treasure.
"What are you trying to do? Let me go right now, or my family will report me to the authorities!"
Lin Ye retreated in fear.
A young man walked over. Unlike the others, he wasn't dressed in thick clothes. He only had a leopard skin slung across his body, and his dark shoulders were strong and broad.
His eyes shone brightly as he crouched down to look at Lin Ye. "Don't be afraid. Marry me, and I'll treat you well."
Lin Ye roared, "Get out of my way!"
An old woman stepped forward, her eyes and brows kind, but she walked with a limp.
“Girl, this is my son, the chief of this village, the healthiest and tallest man.”
Stay here, we'll be good to you, all of us will be good to you.
I hope you will give birth to a healthy baby for us next year.
Having a child?
"Let me go! Let me go! I won't stay, I have a man!"
The old woman looked at the sky. "The sun has disappeared; it's time to go to the bridal chamber."
The group of people cheered.
Lin Ye discovered that many of them were lame.
The man suddenly picked up Lin Ye.
"Let me go, let me go—"
Amid cheers, a group of people opened the bottles of wine.
The two men brandished their knives, the iron rings clanging and jingling.
"This knife is just for show; it's not sturdy at all, all show and no substance!"
The two men collided, and one of their knives broke.
"Hey, as expected, you get what you pay for."
...
The mountain terrain is bizarre, with peaks and rivers.
The mountain people's village is located in a flat mountain valley, and there is not a single glimmer of light in the distance.
They also need to be wary of hunting traps set up around them.
Therefore, by the time Lu Qingqing and the others arrived, it was completely dark.
There are more than fifty stone houses in the mountain valley.
Good news, Lin Ye was indeed captured by them.
You've found the right place!
Bad news: they were too late. Lin Ye had injured their chieftain and run away. All the men in the village had gone out to look for him, leaving only the elderly, women, and children.
"Take them back! Take all these bandits back!" Magistrate Xu ordered angrily.
The mountains are not above the law. How dare they build a stockade in the mountains and act recklessly? Do they think Ming'an County has no laws?
----------------------------------------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com