Chapter 247: Mountain Bandits Appear
“Missing?!” Shang Wan hadn’t reacted yet, but Shi Tou jumped up in shock first.
Shang Wan glanced at him: “I’m here, so if you have nothing to do, go to the study room to study. There’s a minor examination at the academy tomorrow. If you don’t do well, be careful or Master will punish you.”
Shi Tou immediately covered his mouth, indicating he wouldn’t shout or call out, begging to listen in.
Shang Wan: “Study one more hour in the evening.”
Shi Tou: “…”
Wu!
After settling her little brother, Shang Wan poured a cup of herbal tea for Niangzi Shu. “Don’t worry, speak slowly.”
“How can I not worry?” Her hand touched the tea cup, but Niangzi Shu had no mind to drink the herbal tea right now.
“Half a month ago, Tan Zhang sent a letter saying the merchant caravan had already entered the territory of Fengxiang Prefecture. They bought some good goods in the south and planned to stay in Fengxiang Prefecture for a few days, sell some goods, then continue north.
Calculating the days, the merchant caravan should have moved by now. I hadn’t received any news from the merchant caravan, so I sent a letter to ask. Who would have thought, it was like a stone sinking into the sea, no news at all.
Several more days have passed, and still no news from the merchant caravan. I couldn’t sit still anymore, so I came to discuss with you.”
As she spoke, Niangzi Shu’s slightly eased expression turned difficult again, worry clouding her brow once more.
This time, they had invested a lot in the merchant caravan. If it all went down the drain and they even lost the merchant caravan, Shang Wan didn’t know about her, but their Lancang Association would probably disband.
After hearing Niangzi Shu’s words, Shang Wan’s brows also furrowed slightly. But she knew well that worrying wouldn’t solve anything.
She asked: “Have you sent people to Fengxiang Prefecture to inquire?”
“Of course.” Niangzi Shu nodded, frowning as she said, “But not much news came back. Someone saw the merchant caravan leave Yi Gate Town, heading to Baoji County, but no one saw the merchant caravan enter Baoji County.”
“Then they went missing on the way to Baoji County.” Shang Wan tapped the table with her finger, wondering if the merchant caravan had run off on its own or been robbed.
Suddenly, a hand waved in front of Shang Wan. She looked up, and Shi Tou was vigorously winking at her.
So eye-searing!
The corner of Shang Wan’s eye twitched: “If you have something to say, say it. I didn’t ask you to be mute.”
Shi Tou immediately put down the hand covering his mouth. “Sis, Baoji County is currently plagued by mountain bandits. Our merchant caravan might have been robbed by mountain bandits.”
“How do you know?” Shang Wan and Niangzi Shu asked almost in unison, both looking at Shi Tou.
Shi Tou blinked. “It’s all over the academy. I have a fellow student from Fengxiang Prefecture. His family is in Baoji County. His family sent him a letter telling him not to go home recently, to avoid being robbed by mountain bandits.”
Niangzi Shu frowned: “The government doesn’t care about the mountain bandits?”
Shi Tou shrugged: “They do, but the soldiers haven’t found the bandit stronghold. The government can only post notices reminding passersby to be careful of mountain bandits, best to travel in groups, not carry too many valuables, to avoid being targeted by mountain bandits.”
That fellow student of his was already scared and didn’t dare go home, and said that until the government caught the bandits, he’d treat the academy as home.
The merchant caravan had both people and goods, which in the eyes of mountain bandits was a flock of fat sheep.
“The merchant caravan has plenty of guards.” Niangzi Shu clung to a sliver of hope. “It shouldn’t be that easy to rob, right?”
Mountain bandits were all ruthless villains. If the merchant caravan was really robbed by this group of mountain bandits, there would probably be heavy casualties, and it would be hard to say if they could continue doing business afterward.
If that were really the case, all the investment would go down the drain.
“I heard that group of mountain bandits is large and powerful! Can the guards outnumber the mountain bandits?” Shi Tou mercilessly shattered Niangzi Shu’s hopes. “Besides, the guards also have to protect the people in the merchant caravan who don’t know martial arts, so they’re restricted. The mountain bandits don’t have that concern.”
Niangzi Shu: “…”
Did they really have to make her accept right now that the merchant caravan had been robbed by mountain bandits?
Believe it or not, she’d cry for you to see!
“If alive, we must see the person; if dead, we must see the corpse. Whether it was robbed by mountain bandits or not, we have to find the merchant caravan.” Shang Wan said, “I’ll go to the county magistrate in a bit to get a travel permit and go to Baoji County.”
They dared to rob her merchant caravan; that group of mountain bandits must be tired of living.
Of course, if the merchant caravan wasn’t robbed but took the chance to run off on its own… Shang Wan sneered. She would make the entire merchant caravan regret that choice for life.
“I’ll go too!” Shi Tou and Niangzi Shu said at the same time.
Shang Wan looked at Niangzi Shu: “Do you know martial arts?”
Niangzi Shu shook her head.
Shang Wan: “If you don’t know martial arts, stay put obediently and wait for news.”
Niangzi Shu: “…”
“Sis, I know martial arts!” Shi Tou eagerly raised his hand.
After the festival, his sis had invited two martial arts masters from the prefectural city to come back and teach him and Xiao Huan martial arts practice. Even Lu Chengjing had learned a couple of moves along with them.
Shi Tou felt he now had the capital to fight mountain bandits.
Shang Wan posed a soul-searching question: “No minor examination tomorrow?”
Shi Tou: “…”
Shang Wan patted his head. “Focus on studying. Your sis can handle it.”
Shi Tou pouted. Could he say he just had itchy hands and wanted to fight?
·
One hour later, Shang Wan led a chestnut horse out of the manor.
Less than three zhang behind her, one person and one dog followed, two sneaky figures.
Shang Wan: “…”
She really wasn’t deaf.
She turned back to look at the little baby girl hiding her chubby little body behind the big black dog. “Your legs are showing.”
Yuan Yuan, carrying a small floral bundle, puffed out her plump cheeks and looked down at her little short legs.
Oh no, she forgot to lift her legs up.
Her small hand patted the big black dog in front of her. “Xiao Hei, you didn’t remind me.”
Xiao Hei: “…”
It forgot too.
The big black dog ingratiatingly rubbed its head against the little baby girl, meaning: We’ve been discovered, let’s go back?
She had even packed her little bundle, so of course Yuan Yuan wouldn’t go back just like that.
She was going to help Mother!
“Mother, Yuan Yuan wants to go!” The little baby girl decisively gave up sneaking and pounced over, hugging her dear mother’s leg and acting cute.
The big black dog also ran over, sticking out its tongue and wagging its tail at Shang Wan.
Shang Wan looked down at the two and asked: “Do you really want to go?”
The person and dog nodded together.
“Help Mother!” Yuan Yuan waved her short arms.
“It’s to help.” Shang Wan bent down to pick her up, pinching her cheeks. “You and Xiao Hei can only go one at a time.”
Yuan Yuan immediately waved at the big black dog. “Go back.”
Xiao Hei: “…”
Wait, wasn’t it agreed that little buddies go fight together?
“Hurry.” Yuan Yuan urged, her little baby voice full of anxiety.
Xiao Hei gave a wronged woof, walking away with three steps back for every one.
Shang Wan thought, if Xiao Hei were human, for choosing friends poorly, it would surely bury its head and cry its heart out.
“Go!” Sitting on the chestnut horse in her mother’s arms, Yuan Yuan waved her little arm with great momentum, as if commanding thousands of troops to set off.
Shang Wan amusedly patted her little head and, following the marks on the map, rode toward Baoji County.
A quarter of an hour later, two sneaky figures led a horse out of the woods.
Xiao Huan stretched her neck to look into the distance, confidently saying: “Sis didn’t discover us. She took Yuan Yuan and went far away.”
“Hurry and catch up, don’t lose them later.” Shi Tou mounted the horse, grabbed the reins, and urged.
“We won’t lose them. We’ll follow the horse hoof prints.” Saying that, Xiao Huan still immediately mounted and cracked the whip to gallop off.
“Hey, wait for me!” Shi Tou shouted softly and rode after her.
