Chapter 96: You Get Back Here!
Before anyone could recover from the shock, the bandit leader was already eyeing Yu Luo up and down!
“Brave sir, I stepped forward not for anything else but to sacrifice myself to save my family. Seeing how beautiful I am and with these silver notes I have, could you perhaps let everyone else go?”
As she spoke, Yu Luo pulled out a hefty stack of silver notes from her coat and walked directly toward the leader.
Ye Jiamei was so frightened that she reached out to grab her, but Yu Luo shook her hand off and strode forward without hesitation!
If she didn’t risk herself, how else could she get her hands on those hundreds of thousands of taels of gold?
Since these bandits were so arrogant, they couldn’t blame her for infiltrating their lair and wiping them out completely! These scum deserved to disappear from the Nine Mountains!
“Yu Luo, you get back here right now!”
Ye Jiamei, having been shrugged off, was so anxious that tears streamed down her face. She was about to rush forward to pull Yu Luo back, but Liu Lan, who was beside her, hugged her tightly and even covered her mouth.
Not for anything else but to prevent Ye Jiamei from being taken away by the bandits as well.
Since everyone was helpless, if one person’s sacrifice could save them all, why drag Ye Jiamei down too?!
Watching Yu Luo’s sacrifice, Liu Lan couldn’t help but feel admiration and gratitude from the bottom of her heart. Looking at Yu Luo’s determined back, her eyes reddened with emotion.
She admitted that she had been selfish and only cared about herself in the past. But after experiencing so much, she realized how wonderful it was for the whole family to be together—even if it meant eating coarse grains and wild vegetables and not dreaming of attaching themselves to the Hou household’s prestige.
Yu Luo had already sacrificed herself. There was no way Ye Jiamei could fall into danger too!
[Ding-dong! I am Yu Luo’s system. Ye Jiamei, please stay calm. Yu Luo will not be in danger. I have already given her something to save her life. After she is taken away by the bandits, just continue moving forward. Once you pass this valley, wait for her ahead.]
The voice of Yu Luo’s system suddenly echoed in Ye Jiamei’s mind, causing her to stop struggling in Liu Lan’s arms. But even so, her eyes remained fixed on Yu Luo with endless worry and fear, tears streaming down her face!
[Ding-dong! I am Yu Luo’s system. Yu Haojie, do not move. I have given Yu Luo something to save her life. This is a mission for her system. She will escape safely. Once Yu Luo is taken away, continue moving forward, act as if you are heartbroken, and wait for her ahead. She will catch up to you.]
Hearing the system’s voice, Yu Haojie, who had just taken off his guard uniform, froze in place amidst the crowd.
So that was it—his daughter wasn’t being reckless or overly righteous. She had a plan all along!
But could he really trust this system?
[Ding-dong! Yu Haojie, you must trust me. I am capable of anything, and with me around, Yu Luo will never face any danger.]
While everyone else was still in shock at Yu Luo’s heroic sacrifice, they were even more stunned to see her pull out such a thick stack of silver notes!
How could she possibly have so much money when most people had been stripped of their silver and the rest was divided among them?
“That damned girl! She’s been hiding all those silver notes, and we didn’t even notice! Just by the thickness of that stack—if they’re all thousand-tael notes, that must be tens of thousands of taels! My poor son Zhengqing was so stupid, sharing silver notes with them, not knowing they were rich beyond belief!”
Old Madam Chen’s eyes were filled with jealousy and greed!
At that moment, she wished she could snatch all those silver notes back—after all, in her mind, everything Yu Luo had should belong to her!
“Mother! Yu Luo is sacrificing herself for all of us. Even if she was hiding money, she’s now giving it all up without hesitation to save everyone. How can you still say such things?”
Chang Huilan couldn’t stand it anymore. Watching Yu Luo’s resolute back—her small figure standing alone before a group of rough bandits—Chang Huilan couldn’t stop the lump in her throat. She shouted at Old Madam Chen, her voice choked with emotion.
Old Madam Chen’s face turned livid at the outburst!
“How dare you talk to me like that!”
“Grandmother, shut up already!”
Beside her, Yu Xiaoran, who had tears streaming down his face, roared angrily. His chest felt tight, almost suffocating with grief and frustration!
No matter what, Yu Luo was one of the Yu family. Her self-sacrifice left him both shocked and ashamed—ashamed that, as a man, he was powerless to save her!
Scolded by her grandson, Old Madam Chen finally fell silent.
But even then, as she watched the bandit leader take that thick stack of silver notes, her eyes remained filled with greed.
Such a waste!
“Heh, I didn’t expect such a brave and clever beauty! And with so much silver hidden away! How could I refuse and break a beauty’s heart?”
The bandit leader casually flipped through the silver notes, noticing that most of them were in thousand-tael denominations. Just that stack alone was at least forty or fifty thousand taels!
With that kind of money, he could live comfortably for the rest of his life. Who would want to stay a bandit in these mountains with that much silver in hand?
“These are just worldly possessions. Even if we reach the frontier, they won’t be much use. I only ask that, in exchange, you let everyone else go,” Yu Luo said, her eyes bright and sincere.
The bandit leader hesitated for a moment but quickly smiled wickedly. With such a beautiful girl and so much silver, how could he refuse?
“Fine! You lot can go!”
He waved dismissively, his eyes still fixed on Yu Luo like a wolf eying its prey.
“Next time you pass through with prisoners, don’t forget the rules—either leave behind a few strong men or enough silver for us to buy some drinks!”
“Yes, yes, of course…”
Holding back the burning in his eyes, Yu Zhengqing knew he couldn’t show any emotion. He was an officer, and Yu Luo was just a convict.
The bandit leader grabbed Yu Luo and, with a light step, whisked her away into the distance!
The archers behind him kept their bows drawn, aiming at everyone else.
“Move along quickly! If you loiter around, don’t blame us for letting our arrows fly!”
“Yes, yes, we’re leaving right now! Right now!”
