Chapter 88: Let’s Set Out Together

Over there, Yan Lao’er was searched and left slumped on the ground.

Half of it was from fear, the other half purely from dizziness.

Dazed!

Confused!

Fortunately, he still remembered his act. He bit his tongue, then, with a pained expression, carefully picked up the herbs.

The Third Chief gestured toward Yan Lao’er and asked Uncle An, “Where’s he from?”

“He’s the nephew of my late wife. His family’s old man fell ill, they sold their land, but the illness wasn’t cured, and they all passed away. Last year, he came up the mountain to find me. I let him take some herbs to sell… but he hasn’t made many trips,” Uncle An said vaguely.

The Third Chief, seeing how he spoke behind the man’s back, thought he understood the hidden story and chuckled. “Old An, you’ve really gotten wiser with age. These things are worthless in our mountains, but outside, they can fetch a few coins. Your nephew must have given you a fair share, huh?”

Uncle An’s face turned bright red, and he stammered, unable to reply.

“Haha! Forget it, soon you might find even making small money like this too much trouble.”

He waved to his men. “Let’s go!”

They came in a hurry and left just as quickly.

Everyone watched the fading torchlight disappearing into the forest. Their hearts were heavy, their eyes filled with unshed tears.

“Uncle An!” A villager murmured sorrowfully, “I don’t want to be a bandit. I don’t want to be a bandit…”

“Uncle An, what should we do?”

“Do we really have to join them? Sigh…”

The women hung their heads, silently crying, clutching their children tightly in despair.

—

“Third Chief, why are we waiting here?”

“For that peddler.”

“You don’t trust him?”

“No shit! A random outsider shows up, and you actually believe Old An’s excuse? His nephew? Ha! If they were really close, why didn’t he visit before? And all that chicken and rabbit he ate—since when do starving refugees eat so well?”

“But we searched him—he didn’t have a single coin on him.”

“Think about all those goods. Could one person carry that much?”

Hiss!

Everyone suddenly realized—true!

One person couldn’t possibly bring that many things alone.

“Third Chief, you’re sharp! We didn’t even notice.”

“Also, did you look at his hands? He’s clearly not someone who works the land. His skin is smooth and delicate.” The Third Chief sneered. “He acts well, knows how to humble himself, but in our line of work, we train our eyes. Fooling me? He’d need a few more years of practice.”

“If he comes down, should we…” One of them made a cutting motion across his throat.

“The stronghold needs people right now. If he’s smart, we take him back.” The Third Chief’s voice was cold.

He didn’t say what would happen if the man wasn’t smart. But everyone understood.

If he wasn’t obedient, this forest would be his grave.

—

“Father!” Yan Yu tugged at her father’s sleeve, whispering, “We brought the bamboo crossbows.”

Yan Lao’er patted her small hand. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

“I’m sorry for the fright. I’ll arrange for someone to escort you down the mountain,” Uncle An said apologetically.

“Sigh.” Yan Lao’er sighed. “No one wants to run into something like this. Still, I appreciate your help covering for me. But… if that Third Chief asks about me later, what will you say?”

Uncle An frowned. “I’ll just… say you fled elsewhere due to the famine.”

Yan Lao’er: “And about joining them—what do you think?”

At this, the villagers around them grew restless again.

“Uncle An, let’s run away.”

“I don’t want to be a bandit. My father was killed by bandits.”

“My aunt’s younger sister was taken by bandits and never heard from again… we don’t even know if she’s alive or dead.”

“Let’s run, Uncle!”

“Yes! Let’s leave the mountain.”

“No matter what, we can’t join them.”

—

Uncle An scratched his head, then shouted, “Enough! Stop arguing!”

“To the south is Qishan Prefecture—it’s suffering from a drought. That’s why so many refugees have fled here. And to the north…” He hesitated. “To go north, we’d have to cross several mountain ranges. With our families, we can’t hide well.”

“Then let’s fight them!” one young villager gritted his teeth and declared.

Several other young men echoed the sentiment, but the older folks remained silent, their faces filled with worry.

“They have swords! Our wooden sticks won’t stop their blades!” Uncle An said bitterly.

“Brother Yan, is Qishan Prefecture’s drought really that bad?” someone asked, eyes full of hope.

But Yan Lao’er’s answer crushed that hope.

“If it weren’t so bad, why would our entire village flee? We simply couldn’t survive. You all still have the mountains, but we’ve traveled all this way and haven’t seen a single drop of water.”

The group fell silent.

“Uncle An, if you truly don’t want to join them, why not come with us?” Yan Lao’er said solemnly.

Originally, he just wanted to convince a few people to act as guides, helping them navigate the mountains and avoid the bandits. He had prepared iron pots and salt as incentives.

But before he could even make his offer, the bandits had come looking for recruits.

Plans never keep up with changes.

And sometimes, change moves too damn fast!

“We have quite a few people and crossbows. If we travel together and look out for each other, even if we run into bandits, they’ll have to think twice before attacking us.”

The younger villagers’ eyes lit up.

Yan Lao’er’s group looked tough. If they traveled together, they might just make it out safely.

Uncle An hesitated.

The bandits of Cloud-Piercing Stronghold had given them two choices—both were dead ends.

But Yan Lao’er was offering a third option—the only chance of survival.

“What do you all think? Do you all want to leave?” Uncle An asked, his tone heavy. “We’ve lived on this mountain for years. We built our houses, worked this land inch by inch. Can you really bear to leave it behind?”

“Uncle An, those bandits are too ruthless! I don’t even dare imagine what they’ll do to us!”

“Yeah, Uncle An, let’s go with Brother Yan. Brother Yan is a good man!”

“I trust Brother Yan.”

“If that’s how everyone feels, then…” Uncle An made up his mind. “Pack up! Quickly! Water and food are the priority. Take only what’s necessary. Leave behind what you must…”

The villagers rushed to their homes.

Uncle An watched them and let out a long, weary sigh.

“Uncle An, things are set in motion now. Don’t dwell on it—just hurry and prepare. We’ll go back and inform my brother so he can get ready.”

“I think if we squeeze together, we might manage to put together two carts—whether they’re donkey carts or handcarts, don’t mind. I’ll go arrange it.”

Uncle An was deeply moved. “Thank you so much. Because of us, you got dragged into this mess…”

Yan Lao’er cut him off. “What are you saying? Even without this incident, we wouldn’t have avoided trouble forever. There are many bandit gangs in these mountains. If not Cloud-Piercing Stronghold, it would have been another.

“To be honest, I feel more at ease with you all coming along. After all, you’ve lived in these mountains for generations. You know the terrain better—it’ll be an advantage for all of us.”