Chapter 5

The two of them checked into a nearby inn and booked two good rooms next to each other.

"Come on, tell me already! I'm ready!"

Zhu Yu set the snacks she had just bought on the table and settled in to listen.

Li Wu took a sip of tea and said unhurriedly, "What do you want to hear?"

"Obviously what was going on with that yamen!" Zhu Yu said.

Li Wu glanced at her. "You've already figured out so much. Can't you guess?"

Zhu Yu had already been harboring a suspicion, and hearing him say that, she widened her eyes. "Could it really be..."

"Officials and bandits in cahoots," Li Wu confirmed in one line.

"Huh?!" Zhu Yu couldn't believe it. "B-but aren't they afraid of getting found out..." That was a major crime!

Li Wu shook his head. "Prince of Qin pacified the Eighteen Prefectures only a few years ago. This place is close to the Western Regions, and it's only a small county town. How much attention do you think it'll get?"

"Oh."

"Then what do we do?"

Zhu Yu asked him, "Can't we report this to the county magistrate and the chief clerk? Those horse bandits are so vile. Are we just supposed to watch them get released and keep robbing people?"

Exactly. Just thinking of that bandit who had toyed with her and forced her to fall from the camel made Zhu Yu's chest ache with anger.

"Li Wu! You have to get revenge for me! That bunch is too hateful!"

Li Wu looked at the little thing, her almond-shaped eyes blazing with anger, her whole face puffed up in indignation. She was adorable, like a cat whose food had been stolen.

He couldn't help teasing her. "Don't you know the common folk don't go picking fights with officials? Where would I get that kind of ability to go trouble them?"

"Why not?"

Zhu Yu reached over with one hand and took away the teacup that had been distracting him. "I saw you use lightness skills, and you even beat those mounted bandits with crossbows all by yourself. You're clearly incredibly capable!"

Li Wu said, "Then how do you want me to get revenge?"

"..."

Li Wu waited a few seconds and still heard nothing from Zhu Yu. He looked up at her.

Seeing her tilting her head in thought, he couldn't help but laugh softly. She was talking about revenge, but she hadn't even figured out how to take it.

She really was still just a little thing.

Hearing that soft laugh, Zhu Yu realized he was mocking her. She lifted her chin and pretended to be unconcerned. "Hmph, I was only thinking about what kind of punishment would be the most cruel!"

"Then have you thought of one?"

"Of course!"

Zhu Yu waved a hand and said with a touch of smugness, "Then make them strip naked and walk through the streets with signs hanging on their chests that say they're robbers! Let the common people know they were all fooled by that bunch! Especially that hateful bandit leader and the one who chased me. They should be locked up for ten years, eight years, whatever it takes!"

"Oh." Li Wu knew he'd overthought it. He'd actually expected the girl to come up with arson or murder.

Zhu Yu felt a little stifled. Why did it feel like she was being mocked again?

"Hmph! I'm going back to my room!"

A Buji sat in a lavish private residence, one leg folded up on a stool as he tore into a lamb shank.

The chief clerk said with obvious dissatisfaction, "What are you still unhappy about? That man is highly skilled; I keep feeling like he's no ordinary person. Your whole group couldn't beat him, and you still want revenge? If you ask me, forget it. Once he's gone, we can keep doing business. What's wrong with that?"

But A Buji was proud and arrogant to the core. The moment he thought of the humiliating sight of himself being trussed up and paraded through the streets, his chest burned with anger. "So that's it? You weren't the one tied up and made to look like an animal and marched around, so now you're telling me to just let it go?!"

He flung away the lamb shank, stood up, and grabbed the chief clerk by the collar. "And don't forget who got you this set of clothes, or how your money pouch got so fat. You and that Xu Laicai sit around doing nothing, eating the best food and drinking the best liquor, while our brothers run around doing the dirty work for you and snatching things. Now that our brothers have been wronged, you want to smooth it over and be done with it?"

The chief clerk tried to pry his hand away and said placatingly, "That's not what I mean. Just let go of me first..."

"Cut the nonsense. Are you helping or not?!" A Buji snapped, his brows shooting up as he pressed him.

"I will... I'll help, all right?"

"I only have one condition. The men I lend you can't be wearing official uniforms." The chief clerk still wanted to build a long-term foothold here, so of course he couldn't expose their identities. Otherwise, who would come to pay tribute and taxes in the future?

That night, nearly everyone at the inn had gone to sleep. Li Wu lit a tiny candle and sat at the table writing something.

Suddenly, there was a rustle outside the window. Li Wu was on the second floor, so he quietly moved to the window ledge and looked down.

A shadowy figure was sneaking around with a sheet of paper in hand, glancing up from time to time at the window on Li Wu's side, as if looking for someone.

At last, he put the paper away, drew a knife, and prepared to go upstairs.

Li Wu sneered and also stepped out through the door.

In the room next door, Zhu Yu was already sound asleep.

A shadow slowly opened the window and slipped inside with nimble movements.

A beauty under the moon only grows more alluring the longer you look.

Seeing Zhu Yu's stunning features, the shadow couldn't help feeling restless with desire. He thought to himself, Today she was only wrapped up in a hat and I got a rough look at her. I never expected this little beauty to be so exquisite. I'll take her away first, and after that I can humiliate that man a bit too.

With that, he lifted Zhu Yu's quilt and tried to use a cloth soaked with knockout powder to cover her nose and mouth.

Zhu Yu fell asleep easily, but her sleep quality was poor and she often had nightmares. She dreamed she was falling down a staircase and jerked awake in fright, only to see a man bringing something up to her face.

She kicked immediately. The shadow hadn't expected her to wake up so suddenly and, caught off guard, took a hit to the stomach and staggered back several steps.

Zhu Yu got out of bed and rushed for the door, shouting, "Thief! There's a thief! Catch him!"

"Shut up!"

Zhu Yu kicked at him with all her strength, refusing to let him touch her. But a woman simply couldn't match a man's strength. In just a few moves, he grabbed her leg.

She couldn't avoid the cloth being shoved against her face. Forced to inhale several breaths of the knockout powder, her head started spinning. She felt strength drain from her entire body, and slowly slid down the door.

At last the shadow ripped off his mask, revealing none other than the horse bandit A Buji.

"What a troublesome little thing!" A Buji wiped the sweat from his forehead and thought, I've never seen a woman who could make this much trouble. She even has some strength.

Li Wu had been lured away by the men A Buji sent. With no need to hide anymore, A Buji hoisted Zhu Yu onto his shoulder and headed straight down the stairs.

Even though Zhu Yu was dazed, she knew that if she went with him, everything would be over. She dug her nails hard into her palm, and the pain brought a little strength back to her.

Zhu Yu started thrashing again, both hands gripping the lintel above the inn's front door.

"Hey!!" A Buji was exasperated too, feeling like he was carrying a duck.

"Li Wu! Li Wu! If you don't come back now, I'm going to be taken away!!" Zhu Yu howled at the top of her lungs.

"Shut up!" A Buji hurriedly clamped a hand over her mouth and threatened, "He was lured away by my men and won't be back to save you any time soon. If you still don't know what's good for you, I'll sell you to a brothel!"

"Heh." A cold laugh came from behind him.

A Buji jumped and turned toward the mouth of the alley. "Who is it?!"

From the shadows at the alley entrance, a figure slowly walked out. When the moonlight fell on him, it was Li Wu!

"Li Wu!" Zhu Yu said in delight.

"You! How could you be here?!" A Buji was stunned. He had borrowed the chief clerk's men and, together with the rest of his underlings, set an ambush in the trap they had chosen beforehand, sending someone to lure Li Wu away. How could this be...

Li Wu seemed to know what he was wondering. He looked at him and said, "That rabble is still sitting in the trap you set for me. You're the only one missing from the little gathering."

Cold sweat broke out on A Buji. Just how skilled was this man? Twenty-odd people, and he'd returned in less than the time it took to burn one stick of incense, not even counting the time it took to travel back.

"Don't come any closer, or I can't promise what I'll do to her." A Buji pulled Zhu Yu in front of him and pressed a dagger against her throat as a threat.

The dagger's icy gleam reflected in Zhu Yu's eyes. She had grown up safe and sound and had never encountered anything like this before. She trembled uncontrollably, tears welling up, and looked toward Li Wu. "Li Wu..."

"What do you want?" Li Wu glanced at Zhu Yu, his voice turning colder.

"You stay right there. Once I get to the alley mouth and mount my horse, I'll naturally return this little beauty to you."

"Fine."

Li Wu stepped aside to give him a path. "But if you think I can't outrun a horse and plan to turn around and drag her off, you'd better think carefully about whether you really have that ability."

His calm tone made it sound as if he were commenting on how nice the weather was tonight.

A Buji's plan was exposed under Li Wu's gaze, and sweat dripped down his back. He had no choice but to do as told. Watching Li Wu warily, he reached the horse and shoved Zhu Yu hard aside before leaping onto it and riding off.

"Ah!" Zhu Yu was shoved so abruptly that, just beside her, there happened to be a pile of shattered bricks. She lost her footing and fell. The rough, sharp gravel tore open her palm, and bright red blood welled up.

Li Wu hurried over and asked, "Do you still have the strength to stand?"

Big tears rolled down Zhu Yu's face. Her legs were weak, and with her hand cut open she couldn't brace herself. After trying a few times, she shook her head.

Li Wu knelt on one knee and lifted her out of the gravel pile, checking her neck. Fortunately, the vital area hadn't been hurt.

Trembling, Zhu Yu held up her hand to show him. "Waaah, Li Wu, my hand hurts so much."

Looking at the girl's hand, Li Wu felt even more guilty. He said softly, "Sorry."

After Zhu Yu calmed down a little, she realized the wound was only superficial and didn't really hurt that much. She had just panicked and started crying. Now she shook her head. "It's fine."

"Let's go back to the inn first. It's late now. I'll bandage it for you, and tomorrow we'll find a doctor to take a look."

Zhu Yu nodded and, quite naturally, reached out toward Li Wu for a hug.

Li Wu paused. He had originally intended to carry Zhu Yu on his back, but seeing her completely unhesitating gesture, he had no choice but to scoop her up in his arms.

Leaning against Li Wu's chest, Zhu Yu felt that familiar thump, thump, thump in her own heart again.

"What's wrong?" Seeing Zhu Yu say nothing, Li Wu thought she might still be hurt somewhere and asked softly.

Help. He's so gentle!

Zhu Yu's cheeks grew even redder. After a long, awkward pause, she lowered her head and said, "Nothing! I just don't want to let that bad guy get away like this!"

"He'll pay for it," Li Wu said, glancing toward the direction A Buji had fled. In the darkness, his expression was impossible to read.