Chapter 215

Li Xia called Qiu Ling and Qiu Chan to bring ten girls to the back courtyard. There were many women and children in this bandit lair. Some people looked at them with hatred in their eyes. These hateful gazes came from the wives and children of the bandits.

There were also some who had been kidnapped, and these people were grateful for Li Xia and her group's arrival.

After the bandits were tied up, they were awakened by having water splashed on them. They were then led away with ropes. All the confiscated items were taken away. These bandits would first be sent to the local county office to have their crimes investigated.

Those with minor offenses would be punished by the county office, while those with serious crimes would be taken away by the army. They would be marched towards the border while continuing to suppress bandits along the way. At first, these bandits were still verbally defiant and cursing, but they soon became too afraid to make a sound.

It was impossible to rescue all the girls and women who had been abused by the bandits. After witnessing the scene of Da Mei and nine other girls dealing with them, they realized that these girls had also once been victims of abuse. Now that they had followed Li Xia, their lives had improved and they had gained abilities. They were no longer afraid of these despicable men.

Some girls volunteered to join them, learning skills to deal with these bandits. Under Zhou Heng's guidance, they grew quickly and became ruthless in their actions.

Soon, these bandits were completely subdued by this army of women, with none of their former bravado remaining.

The bandit-suppression team's smooth progress came to a halt when they reached Lion Camel Mountain. Yesterday, when Zhou Heng went to scout Lion Camel Mountain, he was discovered by the wolves and dogs raised by the bandits. Early this morning, Li Xia also went once, and although she used her wind ability to wrap herself, the wolves and dogs on the mountain had unexpectedly keen senses of smell. Li Xia was also discovered.

Lion Camel Mountain had a treacherous terrain, and the bandits' position could be described as impregnable. It was impossible to launch a direct attack. After carefully studying the map, Li Zhao suggested infiltrating the mountain.

Li Xia agreed with this proposal and decided to lead the infiltration.

"No, I'll go," Jiang Chong was the first to object. This kind of infiltration into a bandit lair was not something Li Xia should do.

"You can't," Jiang Chong's build and appearance were clearly not that of an ordinary person.

After discussion, it was decided that Zhou Heng and Li Xia would pose as a pair of siblings searching for their relatives. They planned for the group to travel towards Lion Camel Mountain. As expected, they were soon watched.

Zhou Heng's pale face would not arouse any suspicion that he was a member of the recent bandit-suppression team. Li Xia's appearance was altered by the skillful hands of a woman from the female army who was adept at makeup, making her look ordinary and less eye-catching.

The siblings, along with two maids and a coachman, five people in total, were captured and taken into the mountain. Zhou Heng occasionally coughed to indicate his poor health.

He kept pleading that they were ordinary civilians, begging the mountain lord to spare their lives. Zhou Heng's shabby appearance made the bandits laugh out loud.

"When Mrs. Wu crawled out of the county town carrying Mao Mao's body, she encountered the new county magistrate of Bailang County, Li Ming, and his wife. The magistrate's wife took pity on Mrs. Wu's plight and paid for a coffin to bury Mao Mao. She also let Mrs. Wu stay in their mansion. Later, Mrs. Wu followed the Li family's daughter to the Mansion of Marquis of Pacifying the South to become the kitchen manager." Li Xia's words made Qiu Chan, who understood, look at Wu Dazhuang.

With his unkempt beard and a sour smell of not having bathed for a long time, he looked nothing like what she expected.

"Aunt Wu described her second brother as fair-skinned and clean, with a scholarly air about him even though he hadn't studied. This... this is so different," Qiu Chan said, finding it harder to believe the more she looked.

Wu Dazhuang, who had been somewhat doubtful, now believed them because of Qiu Chan's words.

Back then, Qiao'er had been attracted to his fair, scholarly appearance. After they married, she still lamented that Wu Dazhuang hadn't been able to study. When they had Mao Mao, they had said they would definitely make sure he studied and became a high-ranking official. Who would have thought their son would die of smallpox, and his wife would have her leg broken and face burned by his family members.

Seeing that her words had made Wu Dazhuang's expression even worse, Qiu Chan quickly changed the subject, asking, "Uncle Wu, how did you end up here?"

Wu Dazhuang explained that years ago, he had fallen into the river while working and was rescued by a passing boat. The boat was then robbed by river bandits, and to save his life, he had to join them.

After the river bandits were wiped out, he drifted with the crowd to this place and became a mountain bandit.

Wu Dazhuang had become a bandit out of necessity back then and didn't dare to return home, fearing it would bring trouble to his wife and son. He never imagined it would turn out like this.

"Thank you for burying my son and saving my wife," Wu Dazhuang bowed to Li Xia in gratitude. "I'll let you go now."

"I won't leave," Li Xia's words made Wu Dazhuang frown.

"The big boss is going to kill you tomorrow. It will be very dangerous if you don't leave," Wu Dazhuang urged anxiously. He couldn't let his benefactor face danger.

"That's why I need your help," Li Xia's change in tone made Wu Dazhuang pause. He looked again at Zhou Heng, who showed no sign of weakness. These people were pretending; they had entered Lion Camel Mountain on purpose.

"What do I need to do?" Wu Dazhuang quickly decided.

Zhou Heng took out a small paper package from his bosom and handed it to Wu Dazhuang. "Put it down the well."

Wu Dazhuang took the package without hesitation and tucked it into his clothes. "Wait for my news," he said.