12dz Chapter 74 The bandit is dead, remember to collect the body.
Chapter 74 The bandit is dead, remember to collect the body.
The arrow missed everyone it hit, but struck a tree and fell to the ground right under the bandits' noses.
The bandits' tense nerves relaxed abruptly, and their already little worry vanished completely because of this comical scene.
One of the bandits following Wu Laoda laughed loudly, "Hahaha, why don't you guys come out and show yourselves? We are not indiscriminate killers. As long as you obediently hand over your carriages, horses, and silver and join our group, everything will be fine!"
As soon as he finished speaking, all that could be heard was the sound of the wind and the rustling of the branches.
Boss Wu's wolf-like eyes swept around, and he also loudly persuaded, "If you surrender without a fight, you'll have a good life in the future. Otherwise—don't blame us for having no eyes on our swords!"
Still no one answered.
With a grim face, Boss Wu said in a deep voice, "Find the person!"
The bandits with weapons didn't move, but those without weapons scattered around in despair, searching for the missing person.
After the two groups separated, Meng Fuqing, who was hiding in the tree, shot another arrow at Boss Wu.
This time, the crossbow bolt whistled through the air, its unstoppable sharpness shooting straight towards Boss Wu's face.
Boss Wu, who was still on guard, was terrified when he saw this. He quickly raised his broadsword to block the arrow. The broadsword and the arrow tip collided with a crisp sound, and he was also shaken back two steps.
The sound of the impact seemed to be a signal, and before the bandits could react, more than a dozen arrows shot out from all directions.
The bandits were caught off guard. The forest was dimly lit, but the arrows seemed to have eyes, hitting the bandits nine out of ten times, with the remaining one striking a bandit who had already been hit.
Boss Wu was experienced and knowledgeable. Although he was flustered at this moment, he did not show it on his face. He grabbed a person at random and stood in front of him, shouting "Retreat!" as he retreated.
The vines from Meng Fuqing's fingertips trailed down the tree trunk, wrapped around Wu Laoda's back, and then remained still after encircling Wu Laoda's ankles.
Unaware of what was happening, Boss Wu continued to retreat, his body suddenly staggering. The grip on his hand loosened, and the man he had been holding, fearing for his life, seized the opportunity to run away quickly.
In the instant before he was exposed, two arrows were fired simultaneously, one striking his heart and the other his temple.
The gang leader stared wide-eyed in disbelief, then collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
With their leader dead, the remaining bandits were terrified. They tried to escape in the chaos but were blocked by a dozen men in black. Every move they made was a killing blow, and soon the stench of blood filled the forest.
Some of those who were ordered by the bandits to find people ran back to their families in the chaos, while others were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground.
Meng Fuqing retracted the vines, and as soon as she slid down from the tree, someone knelt down in front of her.
He was a boy of about fifteen or sixteen. When he saw Meng Fuqing holding a crossbow, he knew that she was the one who shot the bandits. He immediately started kowtowing without paying any attention to anything else.
"Please, sir, save my family! We are not with the bandits. They are threatening my family's lives. We have no other choice! You are so powerful, please save them!"
Meng Fuqing paused, looking down at him: "You have plenty of able-bodied people, why do you have to kneel down and beg others?"
Those around who wanted to kneel down and beg like the boy were stunned when they heard this.
They had grown accustomed to being bullied and subjugated by these bandits these past few days, and upon seeing a strong person, they felt the urge to attach themselves to them. As a result, they almost forgot that most of the bandits had already been killed, and only a handful remained. They could protect their own families.
After figuring things out, someone kowtowed to Meng Fuqing and left without looking back. The kneeling boy hurriedly thanked him and also got up and left.
Niu Er walked up to Meng Fuqing and gave her a thumbs up. "Sister, you understand. We've already saved them by not killing them. The rest is up to them."
"Let's go back and rest." Xie Jin waved to Meng Fuqing.
Meng Fuqing glanced at the corpses scattered behind him, thought for a moment, and then instructed Mu Feng, "Remember to collect the bodies."
Mu Feng, who was finishing off the enemy, said, "...Yes, Miss Meng."
Meng Fuqing then turned and left.
When they returned to their lodgings, almost no one was sleeping; everyone was eagerly waiting.
Meng Bochang greeted the three of them, "How did it go?"
“The bandits have all been killed, so Village Chief Meng can rest assured!” Niu Er replied enthusiastically.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. After Mu Feng and the others returned, the villagers were dumbfounded by the large knives scattered all over the ground.
"This, this is..."
“It can be used for villagers to protect themselves,” Mu Feng said. “They can hide it in the car during the day and take it out if they encounter thieves.”
Meng Bochang accepted it without saying much.
There are always people taking the lead in dangerous situations; they can't be the ones holding others back.
Mu Feng brought the valuables he had obtained from picking up the corpse to Xie Jin. Xie Jin glanced at them and pointed to Meng Fuqing, saying, "Give them to her."
Mu Feng thought to himself, "I knew it."
In truth, he couldn't understand what his young master was thinking. Knowing that Meng Fuqing was strange, he only watched as an observer and occasionally lent a helping hand.
As for Meng Fuqing, although he had some connection with his young master, he wouldn't deliberately approach him, much less seek their help; to be precise, he would only borrow their strength. The other party knew they wouldn't stand idly by when danger struck.
I have a feeling that things might not go well for the young master in the future.
He pondered for a moment, then walked up to Meng Fuqing and handed her a bundle containing valuables.
“Miss Meng, these are valuables that I took from the bandits. My master asked me to give them to you.”
After saying that, he left.
Meng Fuqing opened the document and looked at it. Including the silver notes, there were roughly three hundred taels. She glanced at Xie Jin, then went to find Niu Er, tossed him a silver note, and went to rest.
Niu Ershou was caught in a dilemma: whether to accept the silver note or not, since he seemed to have done little work.
At first, he didn't know who shot that arrow, which almost made him cry out and reveal his location. But it was that arrow that made the bandits lower their guard.
He found it amazing. He had been following Meng Fuqing around the whole time and had never heard her say how to kill the bandits, yet Xie Jin and his men were able to hold back when she made her move.
After thinking it over, Niu Er secretly stuffed the silver note into his pocket.
Now he felt that following his elder brother might not lead to any future, so he might as well lead his brothers to follow Meng Fuqing, who was generous and clever.
After making up his mind, Niu Er decided to talk to Meng Fuqing about it the next day.
The night seemed exceptionally long. The Shen family members covered themselves with blankets borrowed from the villagers and spoke quietly.
"I never expected that in my desperation, I would stumble upon such a formidable team. Those men in black are truly extraordinary," said Madam Qu, Shen's mother.
Shen Yuan pondered, "It's a certainty that Young Master Xie has a powerful background. The girl named Meng Fuqing from Mengjia Village is also quite capable. It's strange that she is a peasant girl, yet she is so shrewd and skillful in her actions and very intelligent. Perhaps she is precocious."
Shen Lianxing lay beside his father, listening to his parents talk, his eyes lowered in thought, without making a sound.
“My husband is right. Miss Meng is also very courageous and is someone worth befriending. I admire her greatly. I will find an opportunity to speak with her mother tomorrow.”
Shen Yuan instructed, "Be careful not to offend anyone."
Qu responded, feeling that it had gotten colder these past two days, and even though she was wearing clothes and covered with a quilt, she still didn't feel warm.
She touched her daughter's forehead in her arms before closing her eyes in peace.
The voices gradually faded, leaving only the sound of the wind.
Meanwhile, Meng Linlang tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She thought that she and Shen Lianxing would develop feelings for each other after meeting, but that was not the case.
In her dream, she was the most popular person on the road to escape famine, so Shen Lianxing would naturally pay more attention to her; now, however, Meng Fuqing is the most popular, while she has faded into obscurity. Even when she talks to Shen Lianxing, he is very indifferent. How can she be willing to accept this?