Chapter 87: Just Kill Them
Ye Jiamei was delighted to find their basket among the looted supplies. Yu Haojie hurriedly slung it onto his back, fearing that someone might snatch it. After all, the blankets inside, especially the one Yu Luo had specially made with a grass mat and oiled paper sewn on the back, would be useful even in the wilderness. This blanket wouldn’t easily get wet in the snow and would keep them warmer.
“There’s someone here!”
The kitchen was full of large pots, stoves, clay basins, and earthen bowls—things Ye Jiamei had no interest in. Since Yu Luo’s space already contained such items, she turned to leave.
But as soon as she turned around, she spotted a figure curled up in a dark crack in the stone, staring at her with a face full of terror.
Hearing Ye Jiamei’s startled shout, Yu Haojie, who had just turned around with the basket on his back, quickly spun back and pulled Ye Jiamei behind him. Meanwhile, Yu Luo swiftly moved in front of them, raised her crossbow, and aimed directly at the figure in the stone crevice, ready to pull the trigger!
“Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!”
A terrified voice suddenly rang out from the crevice. Judging by the voice, it was a woman. Yu Luo’s grip on the crossbow relaxed slightly.
Though the woman didn’t know what the object in Yu Luo’s hand was, the killing intent in Yu Luo’s eyes was unmistakable. Her instincts screamed that whatever Yu Luo was holding, it was definitely not something good. Frightened, she quickly began to plead for her life!
“Come out!”
Even if it was just a woman, Yu Luo didn’t lower her guard. She stepped back a few paces, keeping the crossbow trained on the woman, her voice cold and commanding.
Hearing this, everyone who had been busy moving supplies stopped what they were doing and looked over. The air, which had been relaxed just moments ago, was now thick with tension and caution.
The woman slowly crawled out from the crevice, revealing another woman following close behind.
Seeing the two women before them—plain in appearance but well-built—everyone frowned.
“What were you doing hiding there?”
Yu Zhengqing stepped forward, placing himself protectively in front of Yu Luo. His tone was cold and stern as he questioned them.
Since Yu Zhengqing had taken charge, Yu Luo didn’t bother intervening. However, she couldn’t help but glance at the crossbow hooked on Yu Zhengqing’s belt, realizing she had forgotten to take it back!
[Let him keep it. I can control it so that it won’t fire any more bolts.]
To her surprise, the system’s voice rang in her mind just as she had that thought.
“What if he asks why it doesn’t shoot anymore? What should I say?”
[Just tell him it’s out of bolts. If he wants to inspect it, let him. I believe that even if you don’t ask for it back, he might return it to you on his own.]
Yu Luo trusted the system’s words.
After all, Yu Zhengqing’s behavior had been growing increasingly strange lately. Whether intentionally or not, openly or covertly, he had been treating them far better than before, a stark contrast to the aloofness of the former Anrong heir. His actions now seemed almost like he was trying to make amends.
“W-We were captured by those bandits.”
“Captured? Then why are you here? If you were really captives, I find it hard to believe that among the eight hundred bandits inside, not a single one would have taken advantage of you. And don’t tell me it’s because you look plain—those men would go for anything when they’re desperate.”
Yu Zhengqing’s suspicion was clear in his eyes; he didn’t buy their flimsy lie at all.
“It’s true! Sir, we really were captured. Since we were already married women and didn’t look that attractive, they decided we wouldn’t sell for much in the city. So, they kept us around to cook for them.”
Cooking was probably true, but being occasionally dragged off by the bandits for other purposes was almost certainly also true. The women were too embarrassed to admit that part, though everyone knew it in their hearts.
“I don’t believe for a second that none of those bandits touched you. Even if you looked like pigs, they’d still take you when desperate enough.”
In the crowd, Zhang Yuan’s voice was filled with disdain. His tone was icy, showing no regard for the two women, despite their pitiful expressions.
Indeed, not only did the two women turn red with shame and anger at Zhang Yuan’s blunt words, but even the other women and young girls around blushed.
“Tonight—tonight they were preparing for something big and left early, telling us to make dinner for them. After we finished cooking and brought it to them, they must have been too tired after a long day, so they fell asleep right after eating. That’s when we took the chance to hide.”
The woman hurriedly explained, fearing they wouldn’t believe her. As if to prove her point, she rolled up her sleeves, revealing her bruised arms.
“Look! These bruises—they beat us! There used to be a dozen women here, but some were taken and… well, they didn’t survive. We are truly innocent. Please, you are good people—take us down the mountain with you!”
Tears streamed down her face as she spoke. With a loud “thud,” she knelt down, kowtowing to Zhang Yuan and Yu Zhengqing in desperation.
The bruises on her arms were indeed dark and nasty, clearly the result of beatings.
But Yu Zhengqing was no ordinary man. Having led armies and seen countless lives lost on the battlefield, he wasn’t one to be swayed easily by sympathy. Unless someone was useful, like Zhang Yuan and the others, he wouldn’t hesitate to cut them down.
“Since that’s the case, I won’t ask where you came from. You can go down the mountain on your own. I won’t kill you.”
With that, Yu Zhengqing’s eyes remained fixed on the two women, watching for any suspicious reactions.
[These two are just ordinary women. My system scan confirmed that they have no martial skills, and their fear is genuine.]
The system’s voice chimed in again, and Yu Luo couldn’t help but glance at the two women more carefully.
“Telling me this doesn’t help. I can’t pass on your words to them.”
At this, the system fell silent.
“Thank you, sirs, but… but this mountain is full of bandits. If we go down alone, we might just get captured by another group. Please, take us with you! We swear we won’t cause any trouble!”
As they spoke, the two women knelt down again, kowtowing to Yu Zhengqing with loud thuds. Their desperate pleas made Chang Huilan and Lady Lan frown in displeasure.
