Seeing the group’s menacing appearance, the villager answered honestly, “I haven’t seen anyone.”
“Strange!” One of the men circled the inside of the temple, finding no hiding places. “Brother, the target has escaped.”
Smack!
The leader slapped the back of the man’s head and glared at him fiercely.
Scholars held a high status at the time. Although this scholar was staying alone in a dilapidated temple, his robes were new and clean, made of high-quality fabric. He came from a scholarly family. As for why he was staying in a ruined temple, that was hard to say.
In any case, the bandit leader was unwilling to provoke such a person.
Seeing the rain getting heavier outside, someone volunteered to scout the surrounding area.
After a while, the man returned leading a horse. “Brother, the horse is still here!”
How far could a young woman go on foot? She couldn’t have gone far without her horse.
A woman of her beauty could fetch several thousand taels of silver if sold in Bianjing! They had always dealt in small “businesses,” and couldn’t make that much in a lifetime.
Men die for wealth, birds die for food.
The bandit leader pondered for a moment, ultimately unable to resist the temptation of enormous wealth. “Pursue her!”
With the order given, all the bandits rushed out.
More than two hours later, as dusk fell and the rain showed no signs of letting up, the villager paced anxiously at the entrance for a while before gritting his teeth and leaving in the rain.
Inside the temple, the scholar untied a bundle of dry firewood and piled it together. He went to collect fallen leaves under the eaves at the front of the temple to start a fire. As he reached the corner of the building, he suddenly felt something warm under his fingers.
He froze, and his wrist was firmly grasped. He struggled hard, and a beautiful face emerged from the pile of dead leaves.
“Hey,” the beauty calmly asked him, “How far is the nearest village or town from here?”
The scholar stammered, “Ten li.”
An Jiu frowned. Ten li wasn’t far, but if she encountered those men…
An Jiu could sense that those bandits were at most second or third-grade martial artists, but there were too many of them. Her condition wasn’t much better, so she didn’t dare to be overconfident.
People were coming!
An Jiu could detect several people approaching from afar. The group must have failed to catch her and were returning!
“If these people ask about a woman’s whereabouts, point them towards Li Family Village!” An Jiu unsheathed her dagger and held it to his neck. “If you don’t comply, you’ll face the consequences.”
With that, she picked up her bundle and conical hat, used a pillar for support, and flipped onto a beam.
The scholar still stood dumbfounded, a handful of leaves in his hand, not yet recovered from the shock of her beauty.
The group of bandits rushed through the rainy night, reaching the temple door. Seeing the scholar’s dazed state, the leader had a thought. “Sir, have you seen a young woman?”
The scholar was startled. Turning to see them and remembering An Jiu’s instructions, he quickly pointed in the direction of Li Family Village.
“Ha!” The bandit leader laughed ambiguously, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
The scholar had seemed normal when they first arrived, but now he appeared somewhat flustered, which was very suspicious. They had thoroughly searched the surrounding two li and found no traces. The woman must still be in the temple!
“Our young mistress ran away from home. If you know her whereabouts, please tell us truthfully,” the bandit leader said, cupping his hands. He then added, “But if you insist on not saying, don’t blame us brothers for being impolite.”
As he spoke, several men had already walked under the eaves.