091 Bandit's Den (Part 3)

Shen Tang didn't ascend to the heavens, but she ascended the mountain.

　　Which mountain did she ascend?

　　Even she herself didn't know.

　　Because the guide led them halfway and then couldn't continue. They only knew that there were bandits nearby, roughly in the direction indicated by the former leader when he was drunk. However, they didn't know the exact route. If everyone knew, it would be easy to eliminate the bandits, wouldn't it?

　　Shen Tang understood the twists and turns involved and didn't deliberately make things difficult.

　　The guide was as grateful as if he had been granted amnesty. He thought Shen Tang would suspect him of intentionally leading them astray to kill him. His neck felt cold, but unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better and he managed to save his life.

　　"The night will fall soon, making our movements inconvenient. We must quickly find out where the bandits' nest is."

　　Zhai Le lacked enthusiasm for this. He was more concerned about something else—whether Shen Lang had sobered up.

　　"Xiao Fang, do you have any ideas?"

　　Smiling, Zhai Le, who was mentioned by name, replied, "If it were still daytime, with more manpower, we could search the mountains and find them. But with only you and me now, and the terrain unfamiliar, this approach is not feasible. The current plan can only be to wait..."

　　Lay a trap and lure out the snake.

　　Suddenly, Shen Tang said, "It's a pity..."

　　"Why did Shen Lang suddenly express such sentiment?"

　　"I regret that the second-in-command brother was buried too early. He shouldn't have been buried. Instead, these people should have carried him, swaggering up the mountain with his head held high. The bandits are cautious; they would definitely send spies to monitor every corner, and the news would naturally reach the second-in-command's ears."

　　Without Shen Tang having to search, the big fish came to her door automatically.

　　She saved herself the trouble of going to them.

　　Zhai Le: "..."

　　Shen Lang appeared refined and decisive, despite his scholarly appearance. Upon introspection, this was indeed a quick and decisive method, but it would likely stir up animosity and lead to endless conflict.

　　Shen Tang sighed helplessly. "Let's take a walk up the mountain first."

　　The thugs dared not disobey and could only comply with her instructions.

　　When the group reached halfway up the mountain, the sun had set. Fortunately, the weather was clear, with the starry sky sparkling above and the moon shining brightly. With Shen Tang and Zhai Le leading the way, the thugs were not completely in the dark and managed to find their way with widened eyes.

　　Shen Tang took out a few cakes out of boredom.

　　"Xiao Fang, care for some?"

　　Zhai Le hadn't eaten yet and, being a martial artist with high energy expenditure, was prone to hunger. His internal organs had already begun to rebel. The cakes Shen Tang offered were like a timely help. However, with his youthful nature, he wanted to take advantage: "There's no wine with the cakes, what a pity."

　　Shen Tang spread her hands towards him, beckoning.

　　"Bring the wine pouch."

　　Although there was no wine barrel here, Zhai Le had brought a wine pouch.

　　Today, he seemed to have dressed up specifically. Although he was still dressed in black, the fabric of his clothes was exquisite and soft, with subtle and elegant patterns. Even the coarse cloth waistband had been replaced with a black leather belt adorned with gold and white jade, featuring a tassel.

　　The tassel was adorned with an array of miscellaneous items: a small knife, a flint, a wooden box containing scissors and clips, a sachet, a purse, a jade pendant, a military token in ink black... and two clearly matching wine pouches, just perfect for drinking.

　　After Shen Tang reminded him, Zhai Le's face lit up.

　　Without further ado, he took out the wine pouch.

　　Shen Tang: "You're drinking alone, am I not drinking?"

　　Would they share one wine pouch?

　　Zhai Le was surprised. "You're drinking too?"

　　"I've said I can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk."

　　Zhai Le: "..."

　　Would a lightweight drunkard become more intoxicated or remain unchanged after drinking more? He was curious.

　　In the end, he handed over the second wine pouch.

　　Shen Tang filled it up and handed it back, then tilted her head back and took a big sip of Lanling wine. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Zhai Le hadn't drunk yet and was secretly watching her face, puzzled.

　　"Is there something on my face?"

　　Zhai Le shook his head, feeling extremely surprised. Shen Lang's bold drinking just now, coupled with his claim of being able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, seemed somewhat believable—provided one didn't know that he was actually a drunkard.

　　One of the thugs heard the faint sound of chewing. Already hungry, they were now weak and unable to walk properly, with the internal rebellion of their organs about to erupt. They could only try to swallow saliva to alleviate the hunger. Just then, a shadow fell from the sky.

　　Instinctively, one of the thugs reached out to catch it.

　　It was soft, round, and carried a hint of wheat fragrance.

　　It was actually a cake!

　　Soon, more cakes fell from the sky, accurately landing in the hands of the others. Ahead, the menacing figure chuckled, "Eat up, don't starve. If you starve to death, who will do the work for me?"

　　The thugs didn't have time to wonder where Shen Tang got so many cakes from, nor did they care about their dry mouths. Mixed with saliva, they devoured the cakes completely. Perhaps because they were well-made, normally they would need two or three to feel full, but this time, one was enough to produce a clear sense of satiety.

　　One of the thugs rubbed his belly.

　　It's great, even if we die, we won't starve to death.

　　Having enjoyed his fill of wine, Zhai Le looked up and saw a faint flicker of fire in the distance. His spirits lifted, and he tapped Shen Tang's shoulder, "Shen brother, Shen brother, look, there's fire, there are people!"

　　Could it be the bandits?

　　Shen Tang's expression grew serious. "Chase them, everyone else follow!"

　　Zhai Le made a grasping gesture in the air with his left hand, and a pitch-black longbow appeared. He stood ready for action.

　　Their commotion was not small, and the people over there obviously noticed their presence. From afar, a voice shouted, "Stop!"

　　Shen Tang raised her hand to signal everyone to stop.

　　She demanded, "Who goes there?"

　　With a sword in his hand, Zhai Le stood

 beside her with a cold face, four fingers grasping the string, and four ink-colored feathers on his arrows faintly visible. If their response was unsatisfactory, he intended to shoot and kill.

　　After a while, someone on the other side also shouted, "We are guards from the Lin family in Lingzhou, escorting our family members south to visit relatives."

　　Shen Tang and Zhai Le exchanged glances.

　　Not bandits after all???

　　Disappointed, and with the tension gone, Zhai Le put away his arrows and longbow. Shen Tang hung her sword on the motorcycle's saddlebags. "We are locals from Xiaocheng, out hunting with our servants during the day, and we got lost in the mountains."

　　Zhai Le's eyes were full of mixed emotions.

　　Would they really believe this excuse? Both sides exchanged family names, and the middle-aged man who identified himself as a guard from the Lin family stepped forward to negotiate. Seeing that Shen Tang and Zhai Le were young and neatly dressed, especially Zhai Le's low-key elegance, with the valuable belt at his waist, they didn't seem like bandits no matter how you looked at them, and they felt relieved.

　　"Young sirs, please don't be offended. I heard that bandits are rampant in the vicinity, and not long ago, we had a fierce battle with a group of bandits. Although we managed to escape by chance, many of our brothers died. This has made us cautious."

　　The middle-aged man apologized.

　　Shen Tang observed secretly—there were fresh bloodstains on the man's face, the bandages on his arms were soaked in blood, and the guards behind or beside him were vigilant, most of them injured. They indeed looked like they had been through a fierce battle.

　　She understood the man's wariness.

　　With a polite lie, Shen Tang said, "My brother and I got lost in the mountains and lost our fire-making tools and dry food. We were just wondering how to survive tonight. Would the heroes be willing to lend us some fire-making tools and rations? When we descend the mountain tomorrow, our servants will come to find us, and we will surely reward you generously."

　　Zhai Le nodded in agreement with a silly smile on his face.

　　In his heart, however, he was shocked (ΩДΩ)

　　Brother, is this the logic of a drunkard?