Chapter 249: Flying There
“No, that’s not it. I won’t just run off.” Zhou Gua hurriedly waved his hands. “These past few days, I’ve been inquiring about those mountain bandits’ whereabouts and was just about to send a letter back.”
As he spoke, he pulled a letter from his bosom and placed it on the table. “Head Owner, take a look. I’ve already written the letter.”
He had been caught by Shang Wan on his way to the post station to mail the letter.
Shang Wan picked up the letter and asked while opening it, “Then why did you run when you saw me?”
Zhou Gua: “…”
He felt guilty. Could he not run upon seeing someone he feared?
The letter indeed clearly described the merchant caravan’s encounter. Zhou Gua didn’t hide his own escape either; he told everything as it was.
It could be considered making up for it after the fact.
Punish him—Shang Wan would definitely punish Zhou Gua, but not now.
The top priority was to first rescue the merchant caravan’s people.
She looked up at the nervous man and waved the letter in her hand. “You’re sure the bandit stronghold is on Chencang Mountain?”
Zhou Gua nodded. “Government intel—absolutely reliable.”
Shang Wan didn’t ask how Zhou Gua had government connections. If her subordinates were capable, she as the owner could relax.
“Sis, that gang of bandits robs travelers around Chencang Mountain.” Xiao Huan spilled all the intel she’d gathered. “Just the past couple days, they snatched a scholar. His companions reported it to the yamen, but there’s still no news.”
“I heard about that too,” Shi Tou guessed. “Even if the bandit stronghold isn’t on Chencang Mountain, it shouldn’t be far from it.”
“Chencang Mountain has treacherous terrain, dense thorns inside, and man-eating beasts roaming about. Even hunters don’t dare go deep.”
Seeing that Shang Wan wasn’t yelling for him to be beaten or killed, some of the tension in Zhou Gua’s heart eased, and he shared the intel he’d gathered.
Wild beasts and such—Shang Wan had the king of beasts sitting in her arms. No need to fear at all.
She decided: “Tonight, we’ll go night scout Chencang Mountain.”
“Ah?” Zhou Gua’s mouth fell open in shock. Everyone said there were man-eating beasts in the mountains. Shouldn’t they make a plan first or something?
What if the bandit stronghold really was on Chencang Mountain? They didn’t even know how many mountain bandits were there. If just their four charged in, wouldn’t that be delivering themselves on a platter?
The Head Owner was too reckless!
“Got a problem with that?” Shang Wan glanced lightly at Zhou Gua.
Zhou Gua shivered and immediately shut his mouth, shaking his head repeatedly.
He didn’t dare have an opinion.
“Sis, we’re just gonna head straight there?” Xiao Huan felt they should still discuss a plan or something.
Shang Wan thought: Destroying a bandit stronghold was no big deal—not like facing thousands of troops. What plan?
Just charge!
“Sis, we’re going to rescue people.” Feeling the murderous aura surging from Shang Wan, Shi Tou quickly reminded her.
Killing mountain bandits wasn’t hard, but what if the bandits used the merchant caravan people as hostages?
Shang Wan slightly reined in her murderous aura and, after a moment’s thought, began assigning tasks. “Capture the leader first. If the bandit stronghold is really on Chencang Mountain, I’ll grab the bandit leader. You all go rescue the people.”
Though the plan was awfully crude, at least they had one now, right?
Xiao Huan and Shi Tou had no objections.
As for Zhou Gua… same as before—he didn’t dare have an opinion.
He only hoped he could make amends through merit later. For the sake of his efforts, maybe the Head Owner would go easy on him and not sell him to the tooth agency.
Shi Tou suddenly thought of a question. He stared straight at Zhou Gua: “Tan Zhang knows that bandit leader, so how come you don’t?”
“I’m someone the owner bought from the tooth agency,” Zhou Gua said. “I have the best martial arts. The previous guard leader was sold off by the owner, so Qin Laoda made me the guard leader.”
Naturally, the newbie wouldn’t know who Tan Zhang and the other merchant caravan veterans had dealt with before.
Shi Tou looked at his sis. Really?
Shang Wan nodded. Precisely because she knew Zhou Gua was a newbie in the merchant caravan, she hadn’t asked him about Tan Zhang and that bandit leader.
Xiao Huan called the inn shop assistant up to clear the bowls and chopsticks. Shi Tou took Zhou Gua back to the room and gave him a set of night clothes to change into.
Zhou Gua held the night clothes, looked down at his burly build, then at Shi Tou’s slight frame, and after a moment’s silence asked: “These night clothes are yours?”
With that question, Shi Tou also noticed their builds were completely mismatched.
He scratched his head and tossed out, “Wait here,” before opening the door and going to find his sis.
When he returned, he had a set of night clothes suitable for Zhou Gua to wear.
Zhou Gua had seen Lu Chengjing. Seeing these clothes that didn’t match Lu Chengjing’s build at all, he didn’t dare ask.
Even if the Head Owner had other men outside, he wouldn’t be the one turning green-headed. His own mess wasn’t over yet—what business was it of his?
Xiao Huan also went back to her room to change into a set of night clothes.
When the group gathered again, Zhou Gua noticed Shang Wan hadn’t changed clothes.
His gaze lingered on Shang Wan’s crimson skirt hem for a while before he silently swallowed his questioning words.
But when he saw Shang Wan preparing to take the chubby baby along for the night scout of the bandit stronghold, he finally couldn’t hold back.
They were going to night scout the bandit stronghold, not spring outing. How could they bring a baby on something so dangerous?
He glanced at Shi Tou and Xiao Huan, seeing no unusual expression on their faces, as if they weren’t worried at all.
Zhou Gua was baffled. Weren’t these two the child’s elders? Why weren’t they worried about the child’s safety?
“Head Owner, maybe let Miss sleep at the inn.” Zhou Gua suggested. This dangerous activity really wasn’t suitable for bringing a child.
“Gonna go!” Hearing she might be left behind, Yuan Yuan immediately hugged her mother’s neck tightly and unhappily frowned at Zhou Gua.
Shang Wan comfortingly patted her and didn’t explain in detail to Zhou Gua, only saying: “No problem.”
Zhou Gua was baffled again.
Xiao Huan asked a more practical question: “Curfew’s already on outside, and the city gates are closed. Sis, how are we getting out of the city?”
Shang Wan thought: Isn’t it just scaling a city wall? How hard could it be?
“Sis, Xiao Huan means, are we legging it to Chencang Mountain?” Shi Tou supplemented her question. People could scale the wall, but what about the horses?
None of their three could match his sis’s lightness skill that let her run like flying.
Shang Wan: “…”
She went silent for a moment, looking at the three: “Then you all stay behind. Go wash up and sleep.”
The three who were dissed: “…”
Just as the four were about to leg it there, a small hand shot up high.
“I, have way!”
“You have a way.” Shang Wan corrected proficiently.
Shi Tou and Xiao Huan looked over. Zhou Gua, though not understanding what way a baby could have, looked over too.
Yuan Yuan shook her little head and grinned: “Fly fly!”
Flying there would be faster than riding horses, right?
“Works.”
“Fine.”
Xiao Huan and Shi Tou both agreed. Zhou Gua… was baffled yet again.
How to fly there? They didn’t have wings.
Soon Zhou Gua learned how they were flying there.
Who could tell him where this eagle taller than a person had come from?
Shang Wan glanced at Zhou Gua, her gaze carrying a bit of icy scrutiny.
Zhou Gua broke out in goosebumps from the look. Driven by survival instinct, he blurted out as if inspired: “I’d never breathe a word, even on pain of death.”
