The two guards outside had initially paid no heed to Ji Qingshu's howls, but as they listened further, their expressions grew solemn.
These were all hostages. If they died, it would be a huge loss!
"Go and check it out," one of them said.
The two exchanged a look, then opened the door and walked in.
Shen Si was lying on the ground with his eyes closed and his face deathly pale. Ji Qingshu was beside him, shaking his shoulder.
Shen Si thought to himself: I suspect she's taking revenge.
"What's going on?" the two guards were about to step forward to check when suddenly they felt a sharp pain in their necks. Their eyes rolled back and they lost consciousness.
Ling Feng emerged from behind the door and quickly stripped one of the guards of his clothes and put them on. Shen Si and Ji Qingshu tied up the two guards with ropes. Afraid that they would wake up and shout, Ji Qingshu even tore off their socks and stuffed them into their mouths.
Shen Si: "..."
As night fell, Ji Qingshu and Shen Si waited and waited for Ling Feng to return, but he didn't show up. They grew increasingly anxious. The two guards had woken up once already, only to be knocked out again by Ji Qingshu.
"Ling Feng might have failed. We have to figure out a way to get out on our own," Shen Si mused.
Ji Qingshu pouted. "If even Ling Feng failed, how can the two of us get out?"
She now regretted letting Zhu Ying lead the Jinwu Guards away. If her elder brother's Jinwu Guards were here, she would have them raze this mountain stronghold to the ground. Why would she be stuck in this miserable place?
Ji Qingshu and Shen Si groped their way out. Ling Feng had left marks along the way, but in the dark, they were not so easy to see.
The two came to a row of bamboo huts. Ji Qingshu's attention was on the marks, while Shen Si, with his sharp ears, heard voices. He grabbed Ji Qingshu and randomly pushed open a door. They quickly closed it behind them.
"The chief is really lucky. I saw that girl. She's really pretty. When the chief gets tired of her, maybe we can... "
"Don't even think about it. Be careful the chief hears you."
Even if they had such thoughts, they would have to wait until the chief was tired of her.
The voices outside faded away. Ji Qingshu cursed the brutes in her heart. When she turned around, she met a pair of eyes.
They were a pair of bloodshot eyes, clearly from someone who had just been crying. The eyelids were swollen. The owner of the eyes was a young girl who was looking at them timidly. "Who... are you?"
Shen Si lowered his voice. "Don't be afraid. We're not bad people. We were also captured by the bandits and accidentally ended up here. Who are you?"
Looking at the furnishings in the room and the girl's clothes, they understood. This was probably the "wife of the bandit chief" that the chief had kidnapped.
Did they just break into someone's wedding chamber?
The girl burst into tears. "Please, please save me. If I'm defiled by the bandits, I won't be able to live!"
Ji Qingshu quickly said, "Don't be afraid. Our companion has gone to get help. We'll definitely be saved."
"Now, tell us what you know."
The girl said, "My name is Chunniang. I'm from Tongcheng County. This stronghold is called the Black Tiger Stronghold. Their chief is called Black Tiger. The Black Tiger Stronghold has been running amok in Tongcheng County, doing all kinds of evil. The government has tried to suppress them several times, but they all failed. Seeing that the government couldn't do anything to them, the bandits of the Black Tiger Stronghold became even more rampant."
Ji Qingshu frowned. "Didn't the county magistrate report this? If the county can't handle them, they can apply to the prefectural government or even report it to the court. The court won't just sit back and do nothing."
This was beyond Chunniang's knowledge. "I don't know about that."
"Anyway, you have to be careful. This Black Tiger is said to be highly skilled in martial arts and has killed many county soldiers."
Ji Qingshu looked at Shen Si. "Can you fight?"
Shen Si shrugged. "I'm a merchant."
So he couldn't.
"Then we'll have to outwit them. Chunniang, we might need your help later."
Ji Qingshu whispered a few words to Chunniang. Hearing noises outside again, she quickly hid behind the bed with Shen Si.
The door was pushed open. Black Tiger staggered in, drunk. True to his name, he looked like a huge tiger. There were iron rings on his strong arms that clanged as he moved.
"Pretty girl, it's getting late. Time is short on this wedding night. Let's get married!"
Chunniang was trembling with fear, but remembering what Ji Qingshu had said, she summoned up her courage.
Seeing that Black Tiger was about to pounce on her, Chunniang quickly said, "Wait!"
Black Tiger stopped. With his dark face, he looked even scarier. "What?"
Chunniang said timidly, "Shouldn't we... drink the nuptial cups of wine first?"
Black Tiger was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Good, good, good. Drink. Pour the wine for me!"
Chunniang stepped forward, trembling with fear, and poured two cups of wine. Black Tiger's eyes roamed over Chunniang without any restraint. Chunniang's legs were about to give way.
Black Tiger picked up the bowl and was about to drink it all in one gulp. Just as he tilted his head back, Ji Qingshu stabbed at him with the copper hairpin that Shen Si used to tie his hair.
Don't ask. It was the only sharp weapon they had.
Black Tiger reacted quickly and dodged. The hairpin only scratched his arm.
Black Tiger glared angrily at the two people who had suddenly appeared in his wedding chamber. He really looked like a fierce tiger. He took out his dagger and rushed towards Ji Qingshu.
Ji Qingshu wasn't very good at martial arts in the first place, and with only a copper hairpin, her abilities were greatly restricted. Shen Si picked up a stool and stepped forward to help.
Black Tiger recognized the two as the hostages that the second-in-command had just kidnapped. He was furious. "You two dare to escape. When I catch you, I'll break your hands and feet. I'll get the ransom and then kill you!"
Shen Si was no match for Black Tiger. Black Tiger targeted him and in a few moves, he snatched the stool from Shen Si's hands and threw it aside. The sharp dagger was headed straight for Shen Si's face.
"Watch out!"
Ji Qingshu's pupils shrank. She instinctively pulled Shen Si aside. The next second, the dagger suddenly changed direction and stabbed into her right shoulder.
Ji Qingshu was knocked to the ground by a palm.
Shen Si was also kicked to the ground and could barely get up.
He had never been so embarrassed before. He had encountered many difficulties in his business travels. There were people who would kill for money, so he always had bodyguards with him. But this time, there was a problem with the goods and he met her, which led to his bodyguards not being around. He didn't know if they could find them soon.
If they couldn't, their hands and feet would probably be lost.
Black Tiger grinned hideously and walked towards Ji Qingshu. There was still Ji Qingshu's blood on the tip of his dagger. "You stupid kid dared to hurt me. I'll cut your tendons first!"
Ji Qingshu knew she couldn't escape. She closed her eyes in despair.
Elder brother, I was wrong. I'll never run around again. You must avenge me...
But the expected pain didn't come. Instead, there was the sound of clashing weapons.
"It's Ling Feng!"