Chapter 34: A Petty Thief, Yet So Audacious

Chapter 34: A Petty Thief, Yet So Audacious

The sky had darkened, and the two decided to stay overnight before departing the next day.

The innkeeper, seeing they were outsiders dressed in fine clothes, collected their payment and then lowered his voice to give them a kind warning.

"Be cautious, you two. These days are not very peaceful. Remember to keep your windows and doors locked at night."

Before Gao Wenyan could ask more, the innkeeper had already put on a smile.

"Please go upstairs, you two."

This town was indeed peculiar.

She and Chu Xu had walked around earlier, looking for an apothecary to brew some medicine, but found that all the shops in the town had closed before dusk.

Chu Xu said they were probably afraid of being robbed.

Gao Wenyan didn't believe it at first, but seeing the innkeeper acting so mysteriously, she began to think there might be some truth to it.

She was indignant.

"With bandits and thieves everywhere, Zhang Xinhong has nearly turned Huiyuan County into a den of thieves!"

Even if he were killed ten times, it wouldn't be enough.

But Chu Xu spoke calmly, "What we see now is actually much better than before."

His words piqued Gao Wenyan's curiosity once again.

She asked, "How did you manage back then?"

However, Chu Xu didn't bite, smiling slightly, "Do you want to know, lady?"

"Unfortunately, there's no moon and no wine; it's not a good time for a long chat."

"Then, goodnight."

Gao Wenyan wasn't buying it either.

Chu Xu chuckled.

"Mm, you've been through a lot these past few days, lady. Have a good night's rest tonight."

Gao Wenyan couldn't sleep well as he suggested.

A loud noise in the middle of the night woke her up. She opened the door and saw Chu Xu standing right outside, apparently having been there for quite a while.

Their rooms weren't even adjacent. Why was Chu Xu out of bed in the middle of the night?

Seeing Gao Wenyan open the door, Chu Xu turned to explain, "Just a petty thief, did I disturb you, lady?"

Looking over his shoulder, Gao Wenyan frowned.

The inn's front door had been kicked open, which explained the commotion.

"Young Master Yan calls this a petty thief?"

To hide their identities, they had assumed aliases. Chu Xu took his mother's surname and became Yan Chu.

Gao Wenyan struggled with her alias. Her mother's surname was Che, which sounded odd when combined with her own name.

Feeling stuck, she touched the Chengshuang at her waist and had a sudden idea.

Gao Yushuang.

Chu Xu found her chosen name unappealing. "It's worse than 'Che Gao'."

Gao Wenyan ignored him.

Now, Chu Xu was teasing her about the name again.

"Miss Yushuang, what would you consider a big thief?"

One of the bandits, annoyed by their conversation, spat, feeling disrespected.

Gao Wenyan looked down and saw only three men, yet they dared to act so brazenly.

The innkeeper hid under the counter, too scared to come out. Two rows of silver ingots were laid out on the table, presumably meant for the thieves.

Seeing their aggressive entrance and the broken door, Gao Wenyan suddenly understood.

"Are they after us?" she asked.

"Most likely."

They must have been recognized as wealthy outsiders because of their attire.

Gao Wenyan couldn't help but say, "That's mostly your fault."

After all, she had spent several days in the mountains, and her clothes were filthy.

"Yes, whatever you say, lady."

With a loud thud, one of the bandits smashed a table to draw attention.

The sound startled someone from the neighboring room, who came out drowsily, saw the three menacing figures, and immediately retreated, shutting the door.

"Hand over the money!"

The man shouted loudly.

Gao Wenyan was startled; this was actually the accent of Qi.

She picked one of the thinner men and said to Chu Xu, "You deal with him, I'll take care of the other two."

Chu Xu knew she had always been arrogant in martial arts, but this was his first time experiencing it firsthand.

"Then I thank the lady for your consideration."

The shopkeeper had occasionally dared to peek out to see what was happening, but when he saw that they had started fighting at the slightest disagreement, he quickly hid deeper to avoid being accidentally injured.

He heard the clash of weapons for a while, then suddenly all was quiet.

The shopkeeper got up to look and saw that the bandits were all bound tightly, while the lady stood there majestically, not even having drawn her sword.

Seeing this, he couldn't help but be overjoyed, returning the silver on the table to the cashbox one by one.

"A bunch of small thieves, making such a racket."

Gao Wenyan said disdainfully.

One of them, unwilling to accept defeat, shouted, "You wait, our leader will never let you go!"

"I'll wait, I'll wait. But I don't have the time to waste on you."

After saying this, Gao Wenyan asked, "Are you from Qi?"

The man straightened his chest.

"So what if we are?"

"How dare you be so arrogant in my Great Ning?"

"Huh, Great Ning? Do you think Great Ning is still the Great Ning where all nations came to pay homage?"

Later, according to the shopkeeper, these people were originally refugees from Qi Country.

Zhang Xinhong, having received benefits, turned a blind eye and allowed these refugees to sneak across.

Huiyuan County had already become poorer due to Zhang Xinhong's inaction, and this town was no exception.

The original residents could barely feed themselves, let alone the refugees who had snuck in.

Thus, the civilians gradually turned into bandits, forming a gang and establishing themselves in this town through theft and violence.

"Why don't they escape?"

All the towns near Lishan had emptied out, why did they stay here to face their fate?

The shopkeeper gave a bitter smile, "Where can we escape to?"

As long as they stayed in Huiyuan County, unless they were officials or nobles, where would they find any better place?

If they went to another county, could they cross Lishan?

To take another route, would they have enough money?

He sighed repeatedly, "Should we also sneak into Qi and become bandits?"

Glancing over, he noticed Chu Xu's heavy expression, and Gao Wenyan guessed she looked the same.

The shopkeeper opened up, unable to stop talking.

He spoke about how these bandits had harassed him and how he had lost his wife.

"If I close this inn, where will Zhi Zhi go when she comes back?"

Speaking emotionally, tears streamed down his face.

Chu Xu said, "It will get better."

Gao Wenyan couldn't help but look at him.

The shopkeeper continued to cry.

"I've been telling myself this for years, but how will it get better?"

"Shopkeeper, please take heart and hold on. Young Master Yan says it will get better, so it will."

"Really?"

"Really."

Gao Wenyan nodded.

The shopkeeper wiped away his tears, sniffling.

"The three Qi people are still in the kitchen. What should we do with them?"

"If we keep them here, what if their gang finds them?"

Saying this, he was about to cry again.

"Send them back the way they came."

Chu Xu got up and continued, "Since the authorities won't handle it, we will."

"What should we do, sir?"

"Sink in the river."

Gao Wenyan was slightly surprised. Indeed, she would leave as she had come.

But this was not a bad method.