Just trying to make a living
Dilapidated wooden sticks propped up rows of thatched huts. There were three in total. The one in the center probably served as a meeting place, since the other two were pitifully small. With their rickety thatched roofs and pillars swaying in the wind, it was a luxury to even have a place to rest.
A glance around revealed that the only door in the area was the large thatched hut in the center. The loud noise heard as soon as one entered the "door" likely came from a cover made of sticks and grass, which was somehow stacked up – a kind of second door to the mountain stronghold.
The village was very simply furnished. Apart from a large open-air pot and a few buckets of water, the scenery was no longer beautiful. The candles that had just been lit lay scattered on the ground, enclosing the village.
Meng Yan had a feeling that if a gentle breeze were to blow, the candle would tilt to one side, and the hay would accidentally slip off...
This magnificent mountain stronghold will now remain only in history.
Hearing the commotion inside the village, the wooden door of the central thatched hut shook twice, and a head with only a few hairs left poked out with a creak.
"Wow, can people really live here?" Yue Lang exclaimed softly.
The bandits went to light the fire, leaving Meng Yan and Yue Lang behind, with only the not-so-bright bandit leader guarding them.
He wasn't even really guarding; the tall, strong figure in front of him kept his back turned towards the village, not sparing a single glance at the two people huddled together behind him.
Meng Yan felt conflicted. If she and Yue Lang wanted to escape, they could simply turn around and leave now. She was completely confident that, given the way this mountain stronghold operated, no one would notice the two prey leaving openly in front of the gate.
A heartbreaking cry came from Yue Lang's belly. He looked up at Meng Yan with innocent and pitiful eyes. Meng Yan had no choice but to put down the half-cut hemp rope in his hand and comfort him with his eyes, telling him to eat before leaving.
So Miss Yan is also so hungry she's dizzy; the way she looks at me is noticeably different from during the day. Yue Lang thought, his resolve to take her out for a meal strengthened, while he silently calculated the number of talismans he had left.
The hairless head finally emerged from its entire body.
A man in his prime, with his arms and legs intact, was wearing the best-made clothes among all the bandits present. He had several scars running down his face, and combined with his sinister and lifeless eyes, the words "not a good person" seemed tailor-made for him.
This is more in line with the image of bandits in folk tales.
But the sudden appearance of the hairless man made Meng Yan more aware of the danger. Could there be other people hiding in the other houses? If so, it wouldn't be so easy to get out of the village.
Their eyes met, and the moment the hairless man caught a glimpse of Meng Yan, a meaningful smile appeared on his lips. The next moment, his view was blocked as Yue Lang slipped to the side and moved in front of her, lowering his head to whisper to her.
The pretty girl disappeared from sight. The hairless man glared at Yue Lang fiercely before turning his gaze to his underlings running around on the ground.
"Mission accomplished well, brought back two people. Where's the stuff?"
The hairless man's deep voice rang in their ears, and the busy henchmen stopped what they were doing, respectfully clasped their hands and replied, "Reporting to the boss, they don't seem to have any money or anything else. We didn't know whether we should let them go, so we brought them back."
Hairless man: "..."
After hearing the explanation, Meng Yan and Yue Lang were speechless.
"Alright, it's getting late, let's go cook."
The underlings dispersed as ordered, and a group of people rushed into the thatched hut, which was on the verge of collapsing. Faced with such an impact, the walls of the hut only shook symbolically twice, and instead of immediately rotting open a large hole, it actually held the hut.
"Boss? So this is the little boss?" Yue Lang and Meng Yan whispered to each other, their heads close together. He didn't expect anyone to answer his pointless question. He just casually mentioned it to ease the tension of being kidnapped and to prevent the girl next to him from panicking.
Could there be a middle-ranking leader and a second-ranking leader? Meng Yan, influenced by him, also began to ponder the composition of the mountain stronghold. Not only that, she also glanced at the large pot on the ground with a worried expression.
If a few more people crawl out of the house, Yue Lang's dinner tonight might not be very enjoyable.
The hairless man had somehow moved in front of him, and the little boss recounted the whole story to him in a serious manner. He listened attentively, but his eyes kept drifting towards Meng Yan.
I can't remember the last time I've seen a girl, and coincidentally, this girl is quite pretty. A bunch of scoundrels only care about money, and yet this beauty has fallen into their hands.
"Okay, you go ahead and get busy. I'll handle these two."
After dismissing the seemingly invincible leader, his gaze fell unabashedly on the two men. He first glanced at Yue Lang, then sneered and walked straight toward Meng Yan.
Sensing that the newcomer was up to no good, Yue Lang took a step and stood between the two of them, bringing his head right up to the hairless man's face. He greeted the few hairs on the man's head with a smile: "Boss, I've heard so much about you. I have a small problem that I hope you can help me solve."
Just as he was about to reprimand him, he saw that the face was smiling innocently, and the eyes were full of admiration for him. The hairless man turned him back to his original position and looked at Meng Yan, saying, "Speak."
Yue Lang earnestly asked, "What should we have for dinner?"
The hairless man's gaze was drawn back by his words. He squinted his eyes, a half-smile playing on his lips, and stared at him for a while before he was convinced that the man was genuinely curious about the answer.
"Don't worry, if you come with me, I guarantee you'll have a good meal every day." Yue Lang replied, but Meng Yan remained silent.
"Will we be able to eat our fill?" Yue Lang persisted.
"Can."
"Is there any meat?"
"no problem."
"When..." Yue Lang was about to ask his last question when the hairless man whispered, "It's none of your business, don't ask too many questions."
Didn't you say there would be food? Why did you change your mind after the pot was already set up?
Upon hearing his pointed reply, Meng Yan smiled faintly, a cold but forced smile.
The bald man keenly caught her expression, his lips curving towards his ear. "Little lady, don't be so quick to laugh, you'll be crying tonight."
"Of course, if you please me, I might consider going a little easier on you."
Then you'd better be ready. Meng Yan remained smiling without saying a word, pretending to hide a few steps behind Yue Lang while his hands continued to move.
On the short walk leading into the village with the hairless man, Meng Yan untied himself and, holding a knife, was about to help Yue Lang when his hand, which was also free, met the other's.
Both of them raised an eyebrow. Meng Yan took out a pair of fine needles with his right hand, while Yue Lang took out a stack of old yellow talismans with his left hand, and handed them to each other in silence.
"Why are you faking it?" "Aren't you faking it too?"
They exchanged a silent glance, then solemnly tied each other up and took them back to their seats, where they sat obediently on the ground waiting for their meal.
.
Fortunately, although the people and the house were hard to describe, the bubbling soup in the pot was genuinely fragrant, bringing heartfelt comfort to the wanderer who had been away for two days—at least the climb up the mountain wasn't in vain.
More and more people gathered around the pot, and the view of the two people who were tied up was gradually dominated by heads, from the pot to half of the pot rim, and then to the exposed half of a spoon.
"When can we eat?" The question Yue Lang hadn't been able to ask the hairless man was now involuntarily uttered by him.
At the same time, amidst the cheers of the crowd, the sound of bowls and chopsticks clattering came from inside.
A scream shattered the bandits' lively chatter, and the sudden silence made it hard to breathe.
"What's all the noise about? It's not your turn to wait on the side!" the bandit in charge of serving food said casually. But when he saw who was yelling at him, his imposing manner instantly weakened. "Boss, boss, if you're hungry, I'll get you a bowl first?"
He carried the bowl of hot soup over with trembling hands, but the bandits, who were eager to eat, just lowered their heads and watched secretly. No one stopped him or took the soup.
Unexpectedly, the bowl that had just come out of the pot flew back in front of everyone, spilling soup all over the ground, some of which splashed onto the bandit, startling the crowd into scattering away.
"This is unbearable." Yue Lang pulled the rope out of his hand, lit the talisman, and pressed it down on the crowd.
Meng Yan, who was standing to the side, put away his crossbow and turned on the needle. He started stabbing wildly beside Yue Lang, avoiding him but instead stabbing the crowd into the effective range of his talisman.
The hairless man covered his bleeding eyes and peered through his fingers with his only remaining eye. Before he could utter the second sound of "dining is starting," he suddenly felt a chill on his neck and his body fell backward uncontrollably.
Yue Lang's talisman arrived just in time. The group was dodging hidden weapons when they discovered their eldest brother lying on the ground. In the midst of their panic, they looked up and were greeted by the aroma of books. They then broke down in tears.
Amidst the chaotic scene of fallen bandits, some quiet and some noisy, Yue Lang stood alone, an indescribable happiness on his face, carrying a still-bubbling pot as he ran towards Meng Yan.
His first words upon meeting me were a promise: "No talisman was sprinkled in, so you can eat it without worry."
Meng Yan nodded and was about to take it, but he stopped her by stepping aside, "It's hot from being carried off the fire, stay away from it."
Finding a relatively flat spot that wouldn't easily get dirty, Yue Lang put the pot down, then suddenly realized something was missing. He rummaged through the group of bandits who were sleeping on the spot and found two pairs of bowls and chopsticks.
He thoughtfully served Meng Yan the bowl before handing it to her. In the brief moment between taking the bowl, Meng Yan noticed his swollen and red fingers from the heat.
"Don't worry about that. We're used to fire and water all the time. It's just scary to look at."
As if afraid that Meng Yan wouldn't believe him, he even poked each of his fingers one by one, spreading his hands to prove to her that there really was no problem.
Meng Yan made no comment, grabbed his outstretched hand and pulled him out. However, the mountain stronghold was too small and there was nowhere to go. She could only pull him to the sleeping army away from the iron pot, take the water bottle from her waist, and rush towards those shocking fingers.
"It doesn't hurt anymore, I can't feel anything."
Splash—
"It can move, look."
Splash—
Yue Lang tried to guess something from Meng Yan's expression, but unfortunately she was staring at her fingers, and from this angle, all she could see was her tightly furrowed brows.
The sounds of people and wind around seemed to have subsided considerably, and the only faint echo in my ears was the sound of water flowing through my fingers and then pouring onto the ground.
He continued to persuade them, but unfortunately, the two of them had their own convictions.
Suddenly, his hand was empty; the kettle had been snatched away by the person opposite him. Meng Yan looked up in surprise, only to be lightly tapped on the forehead.
"It's time to eat, or it'll get cold," the man said with a smile, with a sky full of stars behind him.
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