PFC Chapter 068 There are wolves in the mountains
Chapter 068 There are wolves in the mountains
The little girl's father was the Minister of Rites, and she was tricked into coming by her wet nurse. The wet nurse took money from Scarface and his gang and handed her over to the kidnappers.
When she was first thrown onto the carriage, she cried and made a scene, and was slapped by the man guarding her. Later, she met the young master of the Minister of War's family, and the elder sister and younger brother of the Wu garrison commander's family, and vaguely realized something.
From that moment on, she stopped crying and fussing, gritted her teeth, and sat quietly.
The two carriages met at Shili Pavilion. They followed Scarface to Lu Zhiyuan's carriage and found her sleeping soundly.
At first, they thought Lu Zhiyuan was in cahoots with the kidnappers, but they overheard the conversation between the man driving the car and the others and realized that Lu Zhiyuan had been tricked and kidnapped just like them.
The little girl's voice was soft and sweet: "My name is Wanyin. Wan means gentle and graceful, and Yin means music. Are you really General Xie's granddaughter? You're so amazing, can you save us? My mother will cry if she can't see me."
Lu Zhiyuan put her arm around her shoulder and patted her: "Don't worry, we'll be fine."
His gaze swept over the children: the young master of the Minister of Revenue, the young lady of the Minister of Rites, and the son and daughter of the Wu garrison commander. Interesting, very interesting. Other bandits are afraid of getting into trouble, but this Luoxia Mountain bandit is deliberately plotting against the government.
Are they declaring war on the imperial court?
He patted the mud off his hands, walked up to Scarface, squatted down, and asked with a grin, "Who was the person you originally wanted to kidnap? In the capital, are there any other young ladies around my age?"
The scarred man, his eyelids drooping, said, "This is none of your business. You can leave now."
Lu Zhiyuan gestured with her finger as if to walk: "Because I saved your companion?"
Scarface didn't answer, turned around, and leaned against the tree trunk.
Lu Zhiyuan plopped down on the ground: "You want to kick me out? No way! I'm going to Luoxia Mountain with you. I want to see what this legendary bandit stronghold is like."
Scarface closed his eyes and said gruffly, "Just go when I tell you to. Why all this nonsense? Head north from here, and if you're lucky, you'll run into the people looking for you."
Lu Zhiyuan yawned, rubbing her arms: "I'm weak, I can't walk that far."
Scarface said irritably, "This is your only chance! Once the people from the mountain arrive, you won't be able to leave even if you want to."
Faintly, one could hear the chaotic sound of horses' hooves galloping in this direction.
“If she won’t leave, I will!” Wu Shoubei’s daughter ran over, dragging her younger brother along. “Give me the credit for saving people and let me go. I promise I won’t tell anyone about you.”
Scarface frowned, looking at her with disgust.
“Miss Lu, please give me your credit. You’re going back with them anyway, so why not be kind?” Wu’s daughter pulled her brother down to kneel on the ground. “Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Just consider it as accumulating good karma for yourself.”
Lu Zhiyuan frowned as she listened: "You really want to leave?"
Wu Shoubei's daughter nodded: "It's not just me who wants to leave, they want to leave too, but they're not as brave as I am. I don't want to go to Luoxia Mountain, and I don't want to go to the bandits' den. I'm so beautiful, they'll definitely bully me. I'm a young lady from the Shoubei family, I deserve a better life, I don't want to go to that kind of hellish place, and I don't want to live that kind of hellish life."
“I only saved one person.” Lu Zhiyuan helped the siblings up and pointed at the scarred man, saying, “I can only ask him for a favor. You can leave, or your brother can leave. You choose one.”
“I, I choose myself.” Wu Shoubei’s daughter released her grip on her brother’s hand: “My brother is still young, he can’t go back alone.”
“I can ask Uncle Scarface to take him to the city gate.” Lu Zhiyuan tilted her head, her gaze deep. “Those people are almost here. You still have time. Three, two, one…”
"I choose myself!" Wu Shoubei's daughter shouted with her eyes closed. "Xuan'er is a boy, they won't do anything to him. Even if they sell Xuan'er, I can buy him back. If I am sold, Xuan'er won't be able to save me. I choose myself, I choose myself."
"Sister, don't leave Xuan'er behind!" The little boy realized something and hugged his sister's leg. "Xuan'er is scared. Xuan'er doesn't want to be separated from sister!"
"Xuan'er, be good, your sister will come to find you." With a hardened heart, she pushed her younger brother to the ground: "Miss Lu, you gave me the opportunity yourself, don't blame me, and don't hate me."
After saying that, he returned to the fire, took the sesame cakes that were on the ground, and ran north without looking back.
Lu Zhiyuan helped the wailing Xuan'er up and called out to the retreating figure, "Miss Wu, are you really going to abandon your younger brother? He may be your only family in this world."
He paused for a moment, but didn't turn around: "Miss Lu, please take care of him for me. If we meet again in this life, I will definitely repay you."
Lu Zhiyuan sighed and covered Xuan'er's ears: "Kind words can't save a dying person. I hope Miss Wu will take care."
Mount Luoxia is steep and its terrain is extremely complex. Even the hunters living at the foot of the mountain cannot describe the specific situation inside. The imperial court sent troops to besiege the bandits several times, but they were defeated and routed before they could even find the bandits' stronghold.
The children were all carried up the mountain blindfolded.
Pulling back the black cloth, they saw the village looking like it was about to celebrate a wedding. They asked Scarface and learned that tonight was their chieftain's wedding night.
Wanyin pursed her lips, looking outside with a worried expression: "Sister Lu, will General Xie and my father come to rescue us? Where will they sell us? Will Wanyin never see her mother again in this life? Will that chieftain's wife be like us, kidnapped by them?"
Xuan'er sniffled and clung to Lu Zhiyuan, whispering, "Xuan'er misses her sister, Xuan'er doesn't want to be sold, Xuan'er wants to go home."
"Shh!" Lu Zhiyuan gestured for them to be quiet, then put her arm around them and pushed them back a few steps.
The door was pushed open, and a woman who looked somewhat powerful led in three other women dressed as village women. Each of them carried a tray with clothes on it.
"You three, hurry up and change your clothes." The woman raised her chin, looking impatient. "If you delay the auspicious time, you'll be in big trouble."
"Are you sure you want the three of us to attend the wedding banquet?" Lu Zhiyuan pointed at herself: "We were the ones you kidnapped from the foot of the mountain. Aren't you afraid we'll cause trouble at the wedding banquet and take the opportunity to escape?"
"Just the three of you, and you've already been carried off by wolves before you even got down the mountain." The woman pinched Xuan'er's ear: "Hurry up, stop dawdling here, I have other things to do."
Lu Zhiyuan remained calm, pried the woman's hands apart, and asked with a curious look, "Pretty sister, do you think there are really wolves on Luoxia Mountain?"
"Why would I lie to you three little devils?" The words "pretty sister" touched the woman's heart. She turned her body and pointed outside: "See that thing? That's the old wolf king's pelt. Our chieftain peeled it off in front of the wolf pack. With that thing in place, those wolf cubs won't dare to come into our mountain village no matter how much they howl."
Lu Zhiyuan squinted as she looked, and the more she looked, the more familiar it seemed, especially the charred parts of the wolf skin.