“What now?” The man, who was the bandits’ leader, was getting impatient. He snapped coldly, “Didn’t you hear him loud and clear? Why are you still hesitating?”
“I want to see him. “
The man sneered disdainfully and replied, “Stop testing our patience. All we want is the money. We’ll leave once we have it. If you keep being pesky to provoke us, things won’t look good for you!”
Seeing Miao Chu He frown, he sneered again, “You’re just a weak scholar. Pfft! Even if we’re lying, what do you think you can do? Give us the money now and stop beating about the bush!”
Miao Chu He sighed to himself. He was just about to forfeit the money, but another bandit came out from nowhere and approached the guy at the cave entrance. He greeted, “Brother.” Then, he proceeded to whisper something into the man’s ear.
The man’s gaze was suddenly fixed on Miao Chu He as he icily asked, “Did you really come alone?”
“Of course I’m alone!” Miao Chu He gave him a confused look. However, in his mind, he was slightly alarmed. Don’t tell me that my father-in-law ordered someone to follow me!
“Tsk! Liar!” The leader chuckled sarcastically, “There’s obviously another person! Haha! It seems like you bunch are really insincere! Lao San!”
As his voice died down, Miao Chu He heard a series of beating together with Tong Yi’s cries from the cave.
“What are you doing? Stop it! Stop it now!” Miao Chu He was alarmed. He explained urgently, “I really came here alone! There’s no one else! No matter how many times you ask me, my answer will remain the same! If there’s someone else, why did they not show up now? Here’s the money. Take it and leave! Why must you torture a child?”
The leader shouted again, and the noise from the cave abruptly stopped. He glanced at Miao Chu He and snickered, “It seems that you didn’t know. Little girl, you can stop hiding now and come out now!”
Lu Xiao Shu, who was as stealthy as a cat, secretly grumbled. She did not realize that they would still see her even when she was being so cautious. Expectedly, evil people in this world always had something up their sleeves.
“That’s boring! You exposed me!” Lu Xiao Shu stood up from the bush with a grin. She patted the dirt off her clothes and skipped over to Miao Chu He’s side.
“Xiao Shu?!” Miao Chu He’s eyes suddenly widened in shock. He secretly groaned and asked urgently, “Why are you here? How did you end up here?”
Lu Xiao Shu giggled and blinked her pretty eyes innocently, “I followed you, uncle! I saw you rushing alone into the mountains. I was curious, so I secretly followed you! Hehe! You never realized I was there the whole time! It was so funny! But you were walking so fast. The journey was so tiring, but it’s a good thing I never lost sight of you! Uncle, what are these people doing covering their faces in broad daylight? Are their faces ugly and that they don’t want anyone to see? I think they look kind of scary. Are they trying to frighten anyone?”
Lu Xiao Shu’s ramble made everyone speechless with shock.
“Xiao Shu!” Miao Chu He was angry but very nervous at the same time. He and the bandits thought that it was funny and embarrassing at the same time. It was serious and strict at first, but this little girl came along and made light of the atmosphere. Now, everything had turned awkward!
It looked like a drama play. How would they not get angry?
“Shut it!” The informant glared at her fiercely, “Stop giving us all this nonsense! Believe it or not, we’ll cut your tongue off!”
Of course, Lu Xiao Shu was not afraid of him. She gripped Miao Chu He’s arm and hid behind him. Baring her teeth and making a face at the man, she said, “My uncle is a Master Juren! Even the county magistrate has to bow to him when they meet. Ha! Who are you to shout and yell at me?”
She purposely stuck her tongue out and challenged, “Come at me if you dare!”
She looked like she had no idea what was happening. She made Miao Chu He look like the best shield that no one could rival in the world. The group of bandits was a little unsure of what to do because of that.
They did not know about Miao Chu He’s identity. Now that they found out, they could not help feeling a little afraid. If the man in front of them really is a Master Juren, they really could not take him lightly. If it was just a mere peasant, the authorities might look for them for a little while before giving up. If this man were a Juren, they would not simply let this go.
It was funny how the bandits’ leader had to deal with a little girl who did not fear death. He momentarily did not know what to do. He gritted his teeth and decided to ignore the kid’s words. Turning to Miao Chu He, he said coldly, “I didn’t know you’re a Master Juren. Nice to meet you! Now, leave the money with us, and you can get the boy from the cave!”
Seeing how Lu Xiao Shu jumped out surprisingly, Miao Chu He’s mind was in a mess. He was afraid of anything happening out of turn. So, he brought the money out and was about to hand it to the men.
However, Lu Xiao Shu glanced around and picked up a stone from the ground. She threw it with force at the man who gave her away.
When had she ever missed? Besides, they never expected this little girl to be so daring. Suddenly, the stone hit the man’s forehead, and he yelped loudly, blood dripping from the wound.
He touched his forehead, and blood stained his hand. His forehead had a huge wound.
They were all shocked.
Miao Chu He groaned internally as cold sweat formed on his forehead. He thought: Xiao Shu! Why are you always up to all this nonsense? Do you think this is a time for games? Do you want to risk our lives with your little tricks?
Miao Chu He did not manage to say anything like an apology yet, but Lu Xiao Shu was clapping happily. She cheered, “Bull’s eye! Haha! I got you!”
She even made a face at them proudly to provoke them. “Bad guys! Bad guys!”
“Rotten girl! I will skin you alive!” The man’s gaze was murderous. He gritted his teeth as he said that word by word. Obviously, he was enraged beyond words.
Without a second thought, he ran towards Lu Xiao Shu. The only thing in his mind was a raging fury that wanted to teach that disrespectful trash a lesson so that she knows who was in charge there!
Lu Xiao Shu gave a panicked yelp. She turned on her heels and ran.
How would that guy let her escape just like that? He yelled, “You little sh*t! You’re not getting away from me!” And he ran after her.
The leader could not stop them on time, so he just watched as the two ran off. However, he did not care about that since Lu Xiao Shu was just a silly little girl to them. No matter what his comrade did to her, he wouldn’t be on the losing side.
“Give us the money!” The leader continued dealing with Miao Chu He, threatening him at the same time.
Miao Chu He cupped his hands as a salutation as he said grimly, “My niece is still young and she doesn’t know what’s right and wrong. She’s a naughty one and I hope that all of you can let it slide—”
“Stop talking and give us the money!” The leader snapped. Seeing how Miao Chu He was still a little hesitant, he signaled his men and two of them immediately stepped forward to grab hold of Miao Chu He.
Miao Chu He was shocked as he struggled and grunted. One of them hit him on the back of his head with force, and he immediately blacked out.
The leader searched him and found the money. He happily counted the amount while signaling for his men to tie and drag Miao Chu He into the cave. He cheerfully said, “At least they are trustworthy! Haha! We can live in luxury for a long while after this! Perhaps we can even help build their family business in the future!”
Three of them laughed and chortled giddily.
“Tie him up loosely so that they can untie themselves in half a day!” Their leader commanded. As he watched them work with the rope, he stuffed a bundled cloth into Miao Chu He’s mouth and threw him aside. He chuckled coldly after looking at Tong Yi, who was watching them with wide terrified eyes. With a wave of his hand, three of them stepped out of the cave.
“We can’t stay here for long. Let’s get out of here faster!” One of them reminded with a grunt.
There was no such thing as being too careful. Since they got the money, it was time to leave.
Their leader nodded and frowned, “What happened to Lao Si? How come he’s not back yet after so long time?”
The other guy scoffed, “He couldn’t have gotten lost, could he?”
“Him? Lost?” The other guy rolled his eyes. He chuckled devilishly, “Perhaps he caught that little girl and— Erm, hehe! That girl is quite pretty. It’s just that she’s a little too young. It would be better if she was a few years older. At this age, she’s not really that alluring.”
He was getting more inappropriate. The leader and the other bandit doubled over in laughter.
After a moment, they still did not see him coming back. One of them started to get impatient as he complained, “What the hell is going on with Lao Si? How is he so insensible? He’s gone off to have fun while leaving us behind.”
“Go look for him and get him back here immediately!” The leader felt something was off, so he turned and gave him an order.
The complaining guy did not want to go. He grinned, “Boss, I think we can forget him! It’s not good to disturb what others are doing! Hehe… Let’s leave a trail for him and I’m sure he’ll catch up to us later! Let’s leave first! Besides, this place is such a desolate area. Who’d know which bush he’s hiding under? It’s not going to be easy looking for him!”
The leader thought about it and it kind of made sense. Since they already got the money, it would be best to leave first. Glancing back at the cave, he said indifferently, “Is everything done in there? You never left any traces, did you?”
“Stop worrying, boss! There’s nothing left!” The two replied simultaneously in high spirits.
“Then, let’s go!” The leader nodded, leading them out of the area.
It took Lu Xiao Shu by surprise when she overheard their exchange after dealing with the man easily. Their words sent her into a raging fit and she was cursing those jerks silently. Watching them walk away, she huffed coldly and slipped into the cave to save Miao Chu He and Tong Yi.
Miao Chu He took a long time to regain consciousness. After opening his eyes, he saw Lu Xiao Shu and a tear-streaked Tong Yi hovering over him.
“Xiao Shu!” He sat up in surprise and massaged his head. “Where are we? Are you okay? And you’re— Yi Er? What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
“Br, brother,” Tong Yi shook his head and his lips trembled as though he was about to cry. He rubbed his eyes and hiccuped, “I want to go…”
