Chapter 250: Bandit Stronghold
“Remember what you said.” The scrutiny in Shang Wan’s eyes faded, and she turned to Shi Tou. “You and Xiao Huan take Yuan Yuan and ride the eagle. I’ll take Zhou Gua.”
The eagle was big, but it was still just one eagle and couldn’t carry so many people.
Yuan Yuan had to be on the eagle’s back to control it.
If Shang Wan took two people, her running speed would inevitably be affected.
All things considered, this allocation was the best.
·
Tree shadows loomed like ghosts, the howls of wild beasts seemed right by their ears, and Chencang Mountain under the night sky was even more eerie and terrifying than during the day.
A figure jumped down from a branch, her crimson skirt hem fluttering like feathers.
Shang Wan threw the Zhou Gua she was carrying onto the ground and looked up toward the mountaintop with her exceptional eyesight.
The dark outline of the mountain peak under the moonlight resembled a beast’s claw, showing a somewhat ferocious appearance.
Zhou Gua had no time to look around; he was extremely dizzy and was hugging a tree trunk, vomiting violently.
That midnight snack had been eaten in vain.
Shang Wan raised her hand to cover her nose and stepped aside with some disgust. “Didn’t you say your martial arts were good? Is it necessary to vomit like this?”
Zhou Gua: “…”
The good martial arts he mentioned were within the scope of normal people! Who runs as insanely fast as you, like flying!
But he only dared to shout these words in his heart, not daring to utter a single one out loud.
Only after vomiting everything up did he wipe his mouth and say hoarsely, “The Head Owner truly has excellent martial arts.”
Shang Wan glanced at him. He had already vomited like this, so there was no need to rush to flatter her.
A sudden wind blew her hair into disarray, and the great eagle swooped down flapping its wings.
Xiao Huan, holding Yuan Yuan, leaped down from the eagle’s back, with Shi Tou following closely behind.
Shang Wan caught the little baby girl rushing into her arms and asked the two, “How is it on the mountain?”
Just now, Shang Wan had told these three people not to come down yet, but to stay on the eagle and observe the entire mountain range to see where the bandit stronghold was most likely hidden.
“Couldn’t see clearly.” Xiao Huan’s face was pale.
Before getting on the eagle’s back, she hadn’t felt anything wrong and was even a bit excited about flying. But once the great eagle really flew into the sky, the sensation of having nothing around her, as if she would fall the next second, suddenly made her afraid.
It had already taken great courage to force herself to look down a few times.
Shi Tou also shook his head. He wasn’t as afraid of heights as Xiao Huan; although he was scared at first, he gradually dared to look down.
But he didn’t have Shang Wan’s exceptional eyesight. To avoid startling the enemy, the great eagle didn’t dare fly too low, so even when he looked down, he only saw some trees, two pools, and a waterfall, nothing else.
Shang Wan actually hadn’t really expected the two to see anything; she had mainly asked them to look down to build their courage.
“Good girl, let’s go up and fly another lap.” Shang Wan patted the baby in her arms.
Yuan Yuan nodded her little head, a flash of unusual light in her eyes.
The great eagle let out a cry.
Zhou Gua was still squatting on the ground, while Xiao Huan and Shi Tou used their bodies to completely block his line of sight.
Zhou Gua: “…”
He also wanted to fly once to try it!
Shang Wan held Yuan Yuan and jumped onto the eagle’s back.
The great eagle spread its wings and flew upward, the whirlwind it created making the three people on the ground squint their eyes.
A quarter of an hour later, the two people and the eagle landed.
Yuan Yuan reached out her small hand to touch the feathers on the great eagle’s wings, and the sharp tip cut her tender skin, drawing two drops of blood.
The great eagle lowered its head and neatly pecked up the blood beads with its sharp beak, then let out two low cries, seeming very satisfied.
Shang Wan pulled over her child’s little meat hand and discreetly dripped a drop of spiritual spring water onto the wound.
The small hand immediately returned to being white and tender, the little wound on her finger disappearing.
The unusual light flashed through her eyes, and Yuan Yuan waved her small hand at the great eagle. “Goodbye.”
The great eagle lowered its head and rubbed its head against the little baby girl beside it before spreading its wings and flying away.
Only then did Xiao Huan and Shi Tou come over and ask, “Sis, did you see the bandit stronghold?”
Zhou Gua also came over to listen.
Shang Wan nodded. “The bandit stronghold should be in the mountains. I saw quite a few people playing in the pool under the waterfall, and some patrolling.”
Shi Tou guessed, “Could the bandit stronghold be near the pool?”
Shang Wan shook her head. “It’s hot weather; those people are probably just out playing in the water to cool off. I reckon the bandit stronghold is near the mountaintop.”
“Why?” The question came from Zhou Gua.
Shang Wan glanced at him and pointed to her ears. “Because I heard music.”
It was clearly human-played instruments, though she couldn’t quite make out what was being played.
Xiao Huan and Shi Tou looked at their sister with admiration.
They had heard nothing on the eagle’s back except the whooshing wind, but their sister could hear music—what kind of ears were those?
Zhou Gua raised his hand to slap a mosquito dead and asked, “So do we go up the mountain now?”
“No rush, the guide hasn’t arrived yet.” Shang Wan waved her hand, took out the herbal pack, and had everyone hang it on themselves.
This was the mosquito-repelling herbal pack prepared by Divine Doctor Duanmu, which had a remarkable effect against mosquitoes and was the hit product at the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion last month.
The reason it wasn’t a hit this month was because it had been copied, and the copies were sold cheaper than at the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion.
But most people still preferred buying from the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion, saying the herbal packs there felt more effective.
This was probably reputation and brand effect.
Zhou Gua thought this was something Shang Wan had taken from the bundle on Yuan Yuan’s back and hung it on himself without much thought.
In no time, the mosquitoes circling him ready to bite all disappeared.
With the annoying buzzing gone, Zhou Gua remembered to ask, “Is someone else acting with us?”
Actually, the Head Owner wasn’t that reckless and had gathered other manpower, right?
Xiao Huan and Shi Tou didn’t speak, and Shang Wan only glanced at him.
Zhou Gua: ???
Soon he realized he had overthought it—the Head Owner was just that reckless!
He pointed at the sparrow flying ahead. “This is the guide?”
Because of his extreme surprise and excitement, even his voice was trembling.
Who the hell was so genius as to have a sparrow lead the way?
Yuan Yuan puffed up her cheeks and glared at him, clearly unhappy.
What was wrong with the sparrow?
Zhou Gua didn’t understand why the little baby girl was glaring at him, but that wasn’t important. He stared at Shang Wan, wanting an explanation.
They really weren’t just playing house, were they?
Shang Wan completely ignored him.
Shi Tou patted Zhou Gua’s shoulder. “Just follow. My sister won’t joke with the merchant caravan.”
Zhou Gua sighed inwardly and could only follow.
This lead sparrow was quite dutiful, leading Shang Wan and the others on a winding path until their heads were dizzy before arriving at the bandit stronghold.
“Thanks.” Yuan Yuan took an apple from the little bundle and fed it to the sparrow.
Watching the sparrow earnestly pecking at the apple, Zhou Gua was completely speechless.
Could an apple make the sparrow help handle affairs?
“The stronghold is heavily guarded all around. Yuan Yuan and I can get in, but you guys probably can’t.” Shang Wan ran a circle and came back to inform the few waiting in place of what she had seen.
Everyone exchanged glances. They were already at the stockade gate; no matter how difficult, they had to go in.
If not for not wanting to alert the enemy and there being too many hostages, Xiao Huan would have suggested charging in.
Shang Wan looked at the three. “These mountain bandits didn’t just kidnap the merchant caravan people; they also kidnapped quite a few passersby. Tomorrow, the bandit leader is getting married, and they plan to kill all these people for fun.”
