Chapter 86: The System’s Intentions
As the former heir of An Rong, Yu Zhengqing was naturally familiar with the art of mechanisms. He led everyone to search every inch of the stone walls, even finding the exit of the cave, but they couldn’t locate the bandits’ hidden stash.
The group looked disappointed and frustrated, their faces showing clear dissatisfaction.
It’s true what they say: humans are greedy by nature. Just yesterday, people were content with a single cotton coat or a few pieces of silver. But today, despite having collected so many clothes, quilts, and food, they were still unsatisfied.
Yu Luo watched the group, who had started harboring ulterior motives for a little profit, and couldn’t help but worry. She wondered if they could remain united as they were at the beginning and successfully reach the wilderness.
“I think we should stop searching. It’s just a waste of time. If more bandits show up, what are we women, children, and elderly supposed to do?”
Yu Qiang’s wife, Shu Suhua, clung tightly to her little granddaughter, Yu Xiaoqing, with her grandson, Yu Xiaofeng, by her side. The sight of the cave full of corpses made her want to leave immediately. She didn’t care if they found the bandits’ silver or not—she just wanted to get out of this place full of the dead.
“Yes, my mother is right! We’ve already gained so much—it’s a miracle we’re even alive! The fact that we’ve found an exit must mean that even the heavens want us to leave quickly. We shouldn’t waste time.”
As soon as Shu Suhua finished, Wang Ying nodded repeatedly in agreement.
She was not a greedy person. Looking at her children’s pale faces and the numerous bandit corpses with wide, lifeless eyes, she couldn’t bear to stay a moment longer.
“Then we’ll split the goods once we reach a safe place. But who’s going to carry all this?”
Not wanting to be suspected of anything, Yu Zhengqing immediately looked at Zhang Yuan, though his question was meant for everyone.
“Pack the silver into the grain sacks. Once the sacks are sealed, even if someone wants to steal some, it’ll be hard to do it quickly. We can divide everything once we’re safe.”
Bai You, who had been quiet until now, spoke up timidly, offering his suggestion. After voicing his idea, his face turned red with embarrassment.
After all, it made him seem petty and small-minded. They owed their survival to the Yu and Zhang families and should be grateful. Yet by making this suggestion, it might seem like he just wanted to claim a share of the loot for free.
But he was truly terrified of staying in this cave full of corpses any longer. If no one else spoke up, he had no choice but to play the role of the “petty man.”
“Hmm, Lord Bai’s suggestion is excellent. Let’s do that.”
Yu Zhengqing remained silent, but this time Zhang Yuan immediately spoke up, expressing his approval. Soon, all the members of the Zhang family followed suit.
After packing everything, the men carried the grain, clothes, and quilts, walking at the back. Yu Zhengqing and Zhang Yuan, both skilled in martial arts, led the way, while the old, weak, women, and children stayed in the middle. Yu Luo let out a sigh of relief and quickly followed.
She knew they wouldn’t find the bandits’ hidden stash. The system had told her where it was, and if there were any other hiding spots, it would have surely informed her.
It was just like when they were about to be raided in the Marquis’s residence. Initially, she had no intention of raiding the Chancellor’s estate, especially since they had no personal grievances with him. The wealth from the Marquis’s residence was already enough for them to live comfortably, and raiding the Chancellor’s estate was too risky.
But who knew the system would directly provide her with two sets of the Prime Minister’s servants’ uniforms and insist she go?
Back then, Ye Jiamei couldn’t help but wonder why Yu Luo even had the Chancellor’s uniforms. For a long time, Yu Luo couldn’t understand why the system had made her take such a risk.
But after months of interacting with the system, she finally understood. Every time the system forced her into something, it was actually laying the groundwork for her future.
Just like how it had encouraged her to befriend the third branch of the Yu family. Initially, she worried that helping them would lead to them becoming freeloaders, relying on her family for everything or even turning against them.
But after these past two months, the simplicity and gratitude shown by the third branch were enough to prove that the system’s judgment was correct.
Similarly, looking back now, the Chancellor had only been in power for less than five years. His foundation couldn’t possibly compare to the Marquis’s estate, yet he was wealthier. This alone proved that the Chancellor was not a good person. In fact, the downfall of the Marquis’s estate probably had the Chancellor’s fingerprints all over it.
The system never wrongfully accused a good person nor let a bad one escape.
The same applied to these bandits. Yu Luo didn’t believe for a second that the system was unaware of the knockout smoke on the mountain.
Thinking carefully, every time there was danger, the system had warned her in advance to make preparations. The fact that it didn’t this time meant it had deliberately given her an opportunity to eliminate the bandits.
Although she hadn’t done it all by herself, her actions played a decisive role.
This was how the system trained her—by forcing her to grow.
Upon leaving the cave, they found the campfires still burning outside and even some bandits keeping watch!
But before the bandits could react, Yu Zhengqing and Zhang Yuan, who were on high alert, had already killed them.
Their horses were also tied at the bottom of a nearby cliff. Even more surprising, the bandits had five extra horses, bringing the total to ten.
Although they had over a hundred people, the extra horses would at least help carry supplies or allow the old, weak, women, and children to rest occasionally. This discovery made everyone excited.
“Look! There’s even a stove under the cliff. It must be where the bandits cooked their meals!”
Bai You exclaimed in surprise, his eyes wide. Having proper cooking utensils would greatly improve their lives!
“Oh my! Our stuff is here too!”
Mu Chunfang’s eyes lit up, and she quickly grabbed a torch from her husband, Yu Liang, rushing into the dark area beneath the cliff.
Hearing this, the entire Yu family became excited.
“The cave is too enclosed; cooking inside wouldn’t be safe. Everyone, let’s see what we can take and bring it all with us!”
When they were captured, they hadn’t had time to unpack their belongings. The bandits, being lazy, had just thrown everything together after bringing them back. Thus, all their things were still neatly packed in their baskets.
