Chapter 121: Bandit’s Nest
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
‘A blood disaster?’
Yu Yunxi was slightly stunned by these words, but she quickly regained her composure. After all, she did not believe in such things. She and Qian Qing raised their whips and hurried down the mountain.
Halfway down, Yu Yunxi suddenly called out, “Wait a minute.”
“County Princess, what’s wrong?” Qian Qing asked, tightening the reins on the horse before she turned to look at Yu Yunxi in confusion.
Yu Yunxi got off the horse and looked at the traces on the ground. She said with a grave expression, “Look at the traces of carriage wheels here. They disappeared here…’
The weather was a little bad at this moment. The sky was gray, and the wind was picking up speed. It seemed like a storm was coming.
Yu Yunxi picked up a piece of fabric on the ground before she said, “This seems like the fabric from Xiyu…
Yu Yunxi clenched the piece of cloth tightly, remembering how she discovered Jian Xin’s identity when they first met. The fabric was the same as the one that Jian Xin had worn back then.
Not long after, Qian Qing discovered a huge pit and a carriage lying in the pit.
“County Princess, there’s a carriage over here!”
Yu Yunxi hurried over. When she saw the emblem on the carriage, her frown deepened. “It’s the carriage from Marquis Jian Zhong’s Residence.”
No one was in the carriage, and the carriage was badly damaged with knife marks on it. It was obvious that there had been a struggle before this.
Yu Yunxi turned around and hurriedly asked Qian Qing, “Something must have happened to them. Qian Qing, apart from the temple, what else is nearby?”
After pondering for a moment, Qian Qing replied solemnly, “There should be a bandit’s nest nearby. Bandits are often seen around here.”
‘Bandits? Did the bandits target the Jian family?’
“Qian Qing, inform Prince Rui’s Residence immediately,” Yu Yunxi said. If the Jian family really encountered bandits, it would be best if the imperial guards dealt with them.
“B-but, County Princess…” Qian Qing hesitated.
“Hurry up. I’ll search the vicinity first,” Yu Yunxi said solemnly. If the bandits captured the Jian family, who knew if it would be too late when reinforcements from Prince Rui’s Residence arrived? Therefore, the best solution was for her and Qian Qing to split up.
Qian Qing frowned, worried about Yu Yunxi’s safety. However, since this was an order, she could not say too much. Finally, before riding away, she said with a nod, “County Princess, please be careful.”
Yu Yunxi tied her horse in an inconspicuous spot before she walked into the forest.
The forest was lush with trees, but there was a spot where the trees looked damaged.
She knew that this had to be the place where the bandits left. She walked past the damaged trees and walked for a long time before she reached the top of the mountain. She crouched behind a tree, looking at the houses and people patrolling with swords in front of her.
‘To think there’s such a huge bandit nest near the capital! Are the bandits just really bold and capable, or are the bandits just blindly arrogant because the imperial court didn’t deal with them?’
Yu Yunxi suppressed her emotions and stealthily moved to the back of the houses. When no one noticed, she stole two sets of the bandits’ clothes, one of which she put on. Then, she smeared her face with the mud on the ground to hide her appearance. When she was done, she came out of hiding.
Due to the fact that she was relatively tall among women, when she was disguised as a man, she looked at most a little thin and weak so she did not stand out. She lowered her head and walked past the bandits.
No one noticed anything wrong.
In just a while, she heard the conversation in her surroundings.
Someone sighed. “I heard that the people that Big Brother captured today are nobles. Didn’t we agree not to touch those nobles from the imperial court?”
“Who knows? Big Brother did agree, but after the Vice Leader joined us, Big Brother changed a lot…”
“There’s no point in complaining about Big Brother and the Vice Leader. We better pray that those people aren’t important nobles. Otherwise, we’re doomed.”
Yu Yunxi frowned when she heard these words. It seemed like these people were unaware that they had captured people from Marquis Jian Zhong’s Residence.
‘What was their Vice Leader thinking?’
At this moment, a man with a full beard called out to Yu Yunxi, “Kid, how come
I’ve never seen you before?”
Soon, everyone’s eyes were on Yu Yunxi.
Yu Yunxi’s eyelids twitched violently. Although the bandit nest was big, it was not so big that they could not recognize everyone. It would be difficult for her to fool them. Her eyes flashed briefly before she quickly raised her head and said in a rough voice, “I was brought here by the Vice Leader so you don’t know me.”
‘The Vice Leader brought him here?’
‘Did he hear us bad-mouthing the Vice Leader earlier?’
Everyone exchanged a look, looking awkward. They were worried so they were not in the mood to question Yu Yunxi too much.
One of the bandits said, “Those people we captured haven’t drunk any water for a long time. I better give them some water before they die.”
With that, a few bandits turned to leave.
Unexpectedly, Yu Yunxi stopped them. She patted her chest and said righteously, “Brothers, I’m new here so I’ll still need to trouble you in the future. The least I can do is to help you with such a small matter.”
The bandits looked at her curiously. Perhaps her expression was very sincere, they did not suspect anything. They looked at each other before one of them cleared his throat and said, “In that case, then I’ll let you do it.”
Seeing how fawning Yu Yunxi was, they thought she probably would not complain to the Vice Leader. It was good to make her run some errands.
“Then may I ask where the prisoners are held?” Yu Yunxi asked in a rough voice.
The bandits assumed she was unfamiliar with the place because she was new so they did not think it was suspicious. They quickly pointed out the kitchen and the place where the others were imprisoned to her.
Yu Yunxi nodded at them with a foolish smile on her face before she walked toward the kitchen. When she arrived at the kitchen, she explained herself to the people there again. Similar to before, no one suspected anything and handed her a jar of water. Before she left, she secretly dropped something into a jar of water.
When Yu Yunx arrived at the place where the Jian family was imprisoned, she deliberately made a huge commotion and kicked the door open, causing the people inside to cry out in fear.
The commotion caused a few bandits nearby to look over, but in just a few moments, they looked away and left.
Yu Yunxi lowered her gaze, relieved. With this, if there was any commotion later, the bandits probably would not think too much of it. This would be advantageous for her..
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