Chapter 168 Mountain Bandits

Half an hour later, Qi Tong left happily with the money Qi Eryou had given him.

Shortly after, Ye Mei walked into the room and lit some incense to clear away the lingering odor.

"Madam, if this goes on like this, what will happen if the Young Master finds out?" Ye Mei asked with a heavy heart.

"What is there to fear?" Qi Eryou said coldly. "He won't find out."

Even if he did, she had ways to placate Yu Jingxiao. For instance, she could simply claim that she had been coerced by Gao Tong.

Yu Jingxiao loved her so deeply that he would certainly never hold it against her.

Ye Mei wanted to say something more, but ultimately fell silent.

When Kang Ya returned to the estate, she happened to run into Qi Tong walking out of the Yu residence.

Qi Tong even cast a lewd and sleazy glance in her direction. Kang Ya frowned and rebuked sharply, "Impudent!"

Hearing this, Qi Tong paid it no mind and strolled away humming a little tune.

"Who was that man?" Kang Ya asked.

Her personal maid replied, "He should be Madam Eryou's brother, whose name is Gao Tong."

"Her brother? They don't look a bit alike," Kang Ya remarked.

"Well... perhaps even full siblings can look entirely different."

As Kang Ya walked further into the estate, she asked, "Does he come to the Yu residence often?"

"Yes. He seems to have no proper livelihood, so he frequently comes to ask Madam Eryou for money."

"Money is of no great consequence, but..."

Kang Ya pondered for a moment and instructed, "Find someone reliable to keep an eye on him."

"Yes, mistress."

...

"Have you heard? The bandits in the mountains have grown completely lawless lately!"

"I heard about it! The day before yesterday, they actually kidnapped Shopkeeper Zhang's daughter! It's such a pity, the poor girl is only fifteen years old, as pretty as a flower. Once she falls into a bandit den, won't her whole life be ruined?"

"Our town has always been peaceful and tranquil, untouched even by the wars, so why on earth have the bandits targeted us of all places? Alas!"

Several people chatting inside the fried chicken shop happened to catch sight of Lin Sangqian, and one of them called out, "Shopkeeper Lin, you should be careful lately too! I heard that gang of bandits specifically preys on the wealthy and pretty young maidens!"

Lin Sangqian: "..."

Wealthy people, and pretty young maidens.

Isn't she exactly who they are talking about, without even needing to boast?

"Are those bandits really that vicious?" Lin Sangqian walked over and asked. "Didn't they say that the Prefect of Pingci Prefecture has already dispatched numerous officials and bailiffs to capture them?"

Lin Wenyan and Zhao Lan'er had just recently betrothed themselves to each other, and it should have been a time as sweet as oil blending with honey. But with this bandit crisis breaking out, Lin Wenyan had not been home for days.

Zhao Lan'er worried anxiously at home every day, terrified that Lin Wenyan might be harmed by the bandits.

"You have no idea! Word is that the leader of this gang of bandits is exceptionally formidable."

"How does he compare to my eldest brother?"

"Well... that we wouldn't know, since none of us have actually laid eyes on the man."

Lin Sangqian nodded with a hint of worry. "I understand, thank you."

If worse came to worst, she would just temporarily shut down some of her shops for the next few days.

Once all the bandits were captured, she could reopen for business.

On her way home, Lin Sangqian noticed that many shops along both sides of the street remained shuttered; it seemed everyone was still living in fear of the bandits.

Quickening her pace, Lin Sangqian hurried home.

To her surprise, Lin Wenyan was actually at home.

Having not seen him for days, he appeared much more weathered, and his complexion was somewhat haggard, though fortunately uninjured.

With a heart full of aching pity, Zhao Lan'er cooked him a bowl of noodles. He wolfed them down, and then prepared to leave once again.

"Eldest brother, you're leaving already?" Lin Sangqian asked with a frown. "Are you still not coming home to sleep tonight?"

"No," Lin Wenyan said with a bitter smile. "Orders have come down from above requiring us to clear out the bandits within a month. This is for the safety of the townspeople, too."

If those bandits were allowed to continue their rampage, there was no telling when they might start wreaking havoc in Pingci Prefecture itself.

"Are those bandits really that formidable?" Zhao Lan'er asked anxiously, wrapping a scarf she had woven herself around his neck.

"They're manageable," Lin Wenyan said, squeezing her hand to reassure her. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. As for you all... make sure you lock the doors tightly at night, and as for the shops, close them down if you must."

"Right, I was just planning to close some of the shops tomorrow," Lin Sangqian said.

Lin Beitao had already gone out to spread the word.

"I still have a few brothers remaining in town to protect everyone. If anything happens, go find them."

"Understood, Eldest Brother. You must take care of your safety."

"Don't worry, I will."

Lin Wenyan hurried away like a gust of wind. Zhao Lan'er watched his retreating figure until tears nearly spilled from her eyes.

Still, she managed to hold them back. He was out doing serious work to protect them and the townsfolk; what would it look like if she stayed home sobbing?

That night, Lin Yanbei returned home as well, bringing Master Ge along with him.

With the bandits running rampant, the parents of the children at the academy were extremely worried, so the tutors had simply given them a temporary break.

Master Ge had never married and lived permanently at the academy. Fearing it might be unsafe for him to stay there alone, Lin Yanbei had brought him home.

Besides, the Lin estate was now spacious enough with plenty of spare rooms.

What they hadn't expected, however, was for Wang Qiongshi to show up as well—and she hadn't even brought a single maid with her.

"Miss Wang, does... does Master Wang know you came here?" Lin Sangqian asked, torn between laughter and tears.

"Of course he doesn't," Wang Qiongshi said, rubbing her face. "If my father knew, he'd definitely lock me in my room and forbid me from stepping outside."

"Are you out of your mind? Do you have any idea what the situation is like in town right now?" Lin Yanbei demanded with a frown. "What on earth are you running over here for?"

"Why are you yelling at me?" Wang Qiongshi asked, looking somewhat aggrieved. "I only came because I was worried about you..."

"And what can you possibly do? Can you protect me? If trouble really strikes, you'll only end up being a burden," Lin Yanbei said mercilessly.

"Yanbei!" Liao Shuxia gave him a gentle kick. "Don't speak to her so harshly, she's just a young girl."

She was probably filled with the romantic notion of living and dying together with Lin Yanbei.

Master Ge stood to the side, pressing a hand to his forehead in helpless resignation.

It seemed he had focused too heavily on teaching Lin Yanbei academics and neglected to instruct him in matters of romance and affection—though to be fair, he didn't understand such things very well himself...

"All right, since you're already here and it's so late, sending you back now is neither convenient nor safe," Lin Sangqian intervened. "Miss Wang, you can stay here for the night, and I'll arrange for someone to escort you back tomorrow."

Wang Qiongshi had no choice but to nod, casting one more aggrieved look at Lin Yanbei.

It seemed he truly didn't like her in the slightest.

When it was time for sleep, Xiao Yawen crawled right under the covers with Lin Sangqian, holding tightly to her arm as they dozed off.

With her snuggled up beside her, Lin Sangqian felt a great deal more at ease and quickly drifted off to dreamland.

Lin Sangqian had originally intended to send Wang Qiongshi back first thing in the morning, but she suddenly found herself out of time.

Because something had gone wrong at MacKentucky.