104 Force the good into becoming a 'bandit'

Due to the hangover, Shen Tang's mind was a bit slow to process, so she didn't initially notice a detail mentioned by Lin Feng earlier—why would the two of them be in a bandit stronghold! When Shen Tang saw the scene outside the adobe house, she understood. 

Outside were dozens... no, more than a hundred people! Men, women, old, young, healthy, disabled. There were also fifty or so crates of various sizes. Just by looking at the color and quality of the wood, one could tell they were valuable goods. 

These people were all squatting outside in the sandy, pitted open space, baking under the sun, covered in sweat, afraid to move, fear evident on their faces. Shen Tang recognized the source of their fear. 

Weren't they all the likes of Gong Shuwu, Zhai Le, the "guiding NPC" Qishan, and Chu Yao, who had taken over from Qishan? All villains? Shen Tang opened her mouth, unsure of what to ask. 

She dryly asked, "What are you all doing?" 

"Is Wu Lang awake?" Chu Yao turned his head, his smile kind, his gaze carrying a hint of "affection" for the younger generation. "Is your head still hurting?" 

Shen Tang inexplicably felt a chill. 

"Not anymore." 

Although Chu Yao's smile was the same as usual, today it seemed... especially warm, joyful, and cheerful? She didn't know how to describe it, but being stared at like this, she inexplicably felt as if she had been thrown into an ice cellar, her neck cooling... 

Illusion??? 

"Could you not smile like that? It makes me nervous..." 

Chu Yao's smile stiffened for a moment, and Qishan on the side spoke, "Just now, there was such a big disturbance, just from the sound, we knew that Miss Shen's vitality was vigorous, certainly in excellent health." 

Only then did Shen Tang see Qishan holding a book in his left hand and a pen in his right, buried in writing something. 

"You... all heard that?" 

"Why would Miss Shen think we didn't hear?" 

Shen Tang: "..."

Indeed, except for Chu Yao, who else wasn't either scholarly or martially bold? They all had keen senses, and she hadn't controlled her volume when she woke up with that "earth-shattering" rant. Hearing was normal; not hearing would be a problem. 

The only thing that made Shen Tang less embarrassed was that these people didn't react to her swearing. 

Actually, it was impossible for them to react. 

These people were not those who lounged at home, holding leisurely conversations, hosting elegant gatherings, with excellent social skills. They wouldn't be infuriated to the point of turning red and urgently cursing, only to end up blurting out a powerless "rascal". 

Their vocabulary for cursing was actually quite rich. 

Such as "forget eight ends", or using "The Rat and the Cat" to curse "Why not die", or cursing without dirty words, quoting classics, pointing out others' faults politely. 

If they got angry, they'd resort to street slang. 

Shen Tang's ranting didn't even reach the level of frowning for them. The only thing that made them feel "inappropriate" might be the playful phrase "To light up the toilet and search for sh*t" 

Shen Tang: "What are these people doing?" 

As long as she wasn't awkward, others wouldn't be either. 

She pretended to join their group chat as if nothing had happened. 

Chu Yao smiled and said, "These people are waiting for Wu Lang's decision." 

Shen Tang choked on her words, "Wait... waiting for my decision???" 

What did it have to do with her? 

Qishan gave a slap, patting the book into Shen Tang's bewildered hand, and explained the situation in a leisurely manner, "Naturally, it's waiting for you. Because all these are Wu Lang's spoils of war. Apart from you, no one can decide their fate... Don't worry, the portion that belongs to Zhai Wu Lang has already been accounted for." 

Zhai Le also smiled, "After coming out for a stroll, I didn't expect to 'return with a full load'. But my brother and I couldn't carry too much loot while traveling, so I converted my share into an IOU. If we have the chance in the future, I'll ask Shen Brother for it." 

He and Shen Tang took down those guards, and according to merit, he could also take half of the Lin family's property. But Zhai Le himself didn't lack money, and his hometown was thousands of miles away in the southeast, so he couldn't take these things with him on the road, so he simply said he didn't want them. 

However, Mr. Qishan was insistent. 

Zhai Le couldn't refuse his earnestness and suggested making an IOU. 

In the future, he would come to claim the money. 

Qishan's suggestion was well received, and he drafted an IOU, one copy for each, and used Shen Tang's literary talent to stamp the seal on the IOU. 

Shen Tang: "..."

(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻

She couldn't participate in this topic; it was all something she didn't know about. 

She glanced at the accounts written by Qishan, flipped through a few pages at a glance, and suddenly felt a bit uneasy. Sneaking a peek left and right, she found Lin Feng was not around, so she slapped the book shut. Feeling guilty, she lowered her voice, "Are these all Lin Feng's?" 

Was it okay to take someone else's property like this? 

Although waking up from a dream to find oneself suddenly wealthy was something everyone dreamed of, thinking about the original owner of these properties, she didn't feel comfortable. 

Qishan said, "Why would Miss say that?" 

Shen Tang stammered, "It's... it's just..." 

Chu Yao interjected, "Miss Tang has it wrong. These are half of the Lin family's assets seized from the thieves by Mr. Zhai, and the other half seized from the bandits. How could they belong to Miss Lin? In today's world, how can children carry such wealth with them? This is not wealth, but a poison that endangers lives!" 

Shen Tang opened her mouth, "But..." 

She couldn't say that what Chu Yao and the others said was wrong, but she couldn't say they were right either. In the current worldview, these two were definitely not wrong, but as a virtuous, law-abiding, and simple and kind-hearted new-age homebody, Shen Tang couldn't agree with them. 

Wasn't property taken away by home invaders and then taken by others considered belonging to the victim? 

Shen Tang couldn't get past this hurdle in her heart. 

Chu Yao and Qishan exchanged a glance. 

They probably didn't expect that Shen Tang, who exuded a bandit-like air when drunk and said she'd rob, would wake up brimming with righteousness. 

However, this didn't stump them at all. 

They resolved it in the same way—since Shen Tang thought it would be unfair to Miss Lin to do this, why not wait until she got married in the future, prepare a similar dowry, and marry her off in a grand manner? Before she got married, they would ensure her safety. 

This way, everyone would be happy! 

Shen Tang thought about it and had no objection. 

"Alright, then I'll go write the IOU." 

Lin Feng, who received the IOU, was speechless. 

But he felt even more relieved. 

After writing the IOU, Shen Tang said, "..."

Something wasn't right, very wrong. Looking at these people baking under the sun, why did she feel like she was being drawn in? 

Unfortunately, at this moment, Qishan's haunting voice intruded again, "How does Miss plan to deal with them?" 

Shen Tang felt her ears itching and couldn't help but create some distance. 

But his voice still seemed to penetrate an empty space. 

She couldn't ignore it. 

"Let them go?" 

"Sell them?" 

"Bury them?" 

"Or slaughter them?" 

Shen Tang: "..."