Chapter 95: This Girl Has Some Guts
“Heh heh, calm down, good sirs, calm down! We’re just passing through, just passing through!”
Faced with these arrogant bandits, even Zhang Yuan, who was highly skilled, had to force a smile, hoping to resolve things peacefully.
Beside him was his son, Zhang Xiaoqi. Watching his father act so meekly and seeing the stance of the bandits, even he, who knew martial arts, couldn’t help but grip his broadsword nervously.
At the back of the group, Yu Zhengqing looked at the archers with their arrows nocked and dared not make a move.
All he could do was pray that Zhang Yuan could talk them out of this mess. The difference in strength was too great. If it weren’t for the elderly, women, and children, the few men who knew martial arts could at least try to escape.
But these people were all their loved ones—how could they ever leave them behind?
“Heh, just passing through? Do you even know where you are? Since you dared to pass by our front door, do you really think you can just walk away?”
The leader of the bandits sneered at Zhang Yuan and the people behind him.
These men dressed as guards were covered in dust, and the prisoners wearing convict uniforms, despite their appearance, seemed unusually energetic.
They’d seen many groups of exiles pass through, but never one carrying ten horses loaded with supplies.
Not to mention the women among them—each one looked stunning. Such beauties were rare to find in these Mountains!
“Good sirs, we are imperial officers, tasked with escorting these prisoners. We have no quarrel with you. Please pretend you didn’t see us, and we’ll leave at once!”
Even though Zhang Yuan could hear the blatant threat in the bandit leader’s voice, he had no choice but to force a smile and plead.
“Where’s Liang Chao, that bastard? He usually leads this route. Why is it you lot today?”
Ignoring Zhang Yuan’s pleas, the bandit leader scanned the group but didn’t spot a familiar face, causing suspicion to rise in his heart.
If it were the usual, Liang Chao would have already sent word to meet them.
“Good sir, Commander Liang has been reassigned. The task of escorting prisoners from Pingyang City has now fallen to me. I am Fu Qiang, and I suspect I’ll be passing through the Jiucheng Mountains quite often. I hope we won’t cause you too much trouble.”
Seizing the opportunity, Yu Zhengqing, who had been cautious not to act rashly, quickly sheathed his longsword and squeezed to the front of the group.
He had no choice but to put away the sword. He couldn’t even use his lightness skills; one wrong move might provoke these bandits into a massacre.
“So that bastard got reassigned? That’s sudden. He’s been running this route for over ten years. Why’d he get reassigned out of nowhere?”
Watching Yu Zhengqing move closer, the bandit leader’s suspicion deepened.
“Oh, Commander Liang got lucky. A couple of months ago, he met a noble in Pingyang City. For small-time officials like us, it just takes a word from a noble to get reassigned. When Commander Liang left, he took all his trusted aides and followers. After all, he was used to commanding them, and having familiar faces around makes things easier.”
By now, Yu Zhengqing had moved to Zhang Yuan’s side. He clasped his hands politely towards the bandit leader.
“So, if we’ve been rude, I sincerely apologize. We’ve strayed here by mistake, not knowing the rules of the land. Here’s a small token of our appreciation. I hope you’ll be generous and let us pass smoothly this first time.”
As he spoke, Yu Zhengqing took out a 100-tael silver note and handed it to the bandit leader.
Seeing this, everyone held their breath, silently praying that the bandits would let them go for the sake of the money.
The bandit leader glanced at the silver note, a wicked smile playing on his lips. Then he looked up at Yu Zhengqing and sneered coldly.
“With so many people, you think 100 taels is enough to get you through? How about this—hand over 1,000 taels of silver, leave behind five women and five strong men, and you can go.”
Yu Zhengqing’s hidden fist clenched tightly. He had seen greed before but never at this level!
Meanwhile, Yu Luo had already finished negotiating with the system and had even received an unexpected item.
When she heard the bandit’s words, she hurriedly moved closer to Ye Jiamei and whispered her plan.
Hearing her, Ye Jiamei’s face turned pale with fright!
But with the bandits only a few meters away, she could do nothing but grip Yu Luo’s hand tightly, trying to make her shut up and not rush to her death!
Yu Luo, however, had no intention of backing down. If she went, at least there was a chance of survival. But if they chose her mother instead, things would be far worse!
Besides, if she pulled this off, not only would she earn 2,000 system points but also get those hundreds of thousands of taels of gold!
“Good sir, would this work? If we pool together 2,000 taels, can we buy our way out? Please, it’s my first time leading an escort mission, and I don’t want to fail…”
“Cut the crap! If you’ve got 2,000 taels, hand it all over! Otherwise, none of you are getting out of here alive! What, do you think 100 taels is enough to pay off beggars?”
The bandit leader’s patience ran out as his voice rose. He even lifted his arm, signaling the archers behind him to prepare to fire!
“I’ll go!”
Yu Luo stepped forward without hesitation!
Her sudden outburst stunned everyone. All eyes turned to her, filled with disbelief!
“Are you crazy?”
Ye Jiamei, no longer caring about appearances, smacked Yu Luo hard on the shoulder, her eyes turning red with panic!
Not far behind them, Yu Haojie’s face went pale with fright! He quickly squatted down, pulled off his guard uniform, and prayed that in this crowd of over a hundred, the bandits wouldn’t notice him.
He knew if Yu Luo was stepping forward voluntarily, she must have a plan. Despite being angry and scared, he had no choice but to trust his daughter.
“Hahaha! This girl’s got guts! Not bad, not bad! And with that face, she’s a real gem. Even if it’s just to offer to the boss as a concubine, she’d make a fine bride!”
