When Li Wanming was captured and taken up the mountain, she was initially locked up with the other servants. But for some unknown reason, she was suddenly called out.
A man who looked like a scholar asked her, "Miss Li, do you want to wipe out the Black Wind Bandit Gang?"
Li Wanming didn't know who he was. But when she was just brought in, she heard the other bandits call him the Second Chief.
He could recognize her identity.
And he was the Second Chief...
Then, the plot was quite clear!
— It was the typical scenario where a disloyal subordinate wanted to usurp power. He was planning to team up with the official's daughter to take down his own leader!
Li Wanming immediately nodded. "Yes!"
"Good," said the scholar. "Next, you follow my instructions."
Two days later, Li Wanming received the news — she was going to be the bandit chief's wife.
"The Chief is getting married. Naturally, the chiefs of the nearby mountain strongholds will come to congratulate him. I'll put drugs in the wine. After they're knocked out, miss, you should immediately go down the mountain and ask your father to come and suppress the bandits!"
"Okay!" Li Wanming replied very crisply.
However, she ran into trouble during the "going down the mountain and asking her father to come" part — she got lost...
It wasn't her fault.
Really not her fault.
At that time, bandits were rampant in Dayi Mountain. Elders usually didn't allow children to play there. Moreover, the mountain was shrouded in thick fog, making everything hazy. You couldn't see anything clearly beyond five steps... How could she not get lost?
Just like that, Li Wanming accidentally climbed into another bandit stronghold.
...
"The Tiger Head Bandit Gang?" Xiao Jingnan raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Yes, it's the Tiger Head Bandit Gang..." Li Wanming said dejectedly.
"I ran around in the mountain all night. I was cold and hungry. Finally, when it was dawn, I saw people and thought I was saved at last. But I didn't expect that I'd just jumped out of the frying pan into the fire and ended up in the much larger Tiger Head Bandit Gang..."
...
Li Wanming was utterly confused.
So was the chief of the Tiger Head Bandit Gang.
Li Wanming was confused because she couldn't figure out how, after running all night, she'd fallen into a worse situation.
The chief of the Tiger Head Bandit Gang was confused because he couldn't understand how, after sleeping soundly at home for one night, a fat lamb had just walked right into his den...
Thankfully, Li Wanming reacted quickly — at least faster than the chief of the Tiger Head Bandit Gang.
"I'm the Chief of the Black Wind Bandit Gang," she wiped the mud and water off her face and straightened her back. "I'm here to discuss a big deal with you, Chief."
The one - eyed chief of the Tiger Head Bandit Gang stared at her with his round eye — he'd met the Chief of the Black Wind Bandit Gang before. It was clearly a strong man who wielded two axes. When had he turned into this thin and small girl?
"I just took over yesterday," Li Wanming said calmly without batting an eyelid.
Then, she talked smoothly and confidently, telling the story of how the former chief of the Black Wind Bandit Gang had colluded with outsiders and was lazy, resulting in shortages of food and hungry bandits in the stronghold. And how she, with both wisdom and courage, had led the hungry bandits to rob the Liu family's caravan and was then promoted to the new chief. But then she'd been betrayed, so she'd had no choice but to drug them all.
The chief of the Tiger Head Bandit Gang's big broadsword clanked as he planted it on the ground. His only eye rolled around as he sized up the mud - covered girl in front of him, half - believing and half - doubting.
— It was true that the Black Wind Bandit Gang had robbed the Liu family's caravan a couple of days ago. All the nearby mountain strongholds knew about it.
In fact, not only did they know, but they were also jealous. And not just jealous, but angry!
The Liu family was one of the wealthiest families in Tangli Town. It was said that their business had even reached the capital.
Therefore, their caravan was always a juicy target, making the nearby bandit strongholds drool with envy.
However, the Liu family was very cautious and always hired a security escort. This meant that the bandits in the mountains could only watch enviously but didn't dare to make a move.
But unexpectedly, this hard nut that no one could crack had been taken by the weakest Black Wind Bandit Gang!
Surprising?
Infuriating?
Furious!
The nearby bandit strongholds were so jealous that their eyes turned red. They dreamed of skinning the Black Wind Bandit Gang alive!
"Are you saying that you were the one who robbed the Liu family's caravan?" The one - eyed chief sized Li Wanming up and down with his single eye, his face full of suspicion.
"Of course, you can't do this kind of thing by force. You have to outwit them."
The smile on Li Wanming's face suddenly turned cold. She stepped hard on a wooden stake in the courtyard.
"Chief, think about it. The movements of the Liu family's caravan are always kept secret. How did the Black Wind Bandit Gang know when they were leaving and which route they were taking this time?"
"Of course, it was..." She deliberately paused, a hint of viciousness flashing in her eyes. "Someone in the security escort tipped me off!"
"You... You can bribe people from the security escort?" The one - eyed chief exclaimed in surprise.
"Of course!" There was an air of mystery in Li Wanming's smile. "Everything in the world boils down to business. As long as you offer enough benefits, anyone can work for me!"
The one - eyed chief didn't really understand what she was saying, but he somehow felt that she was really amazing.
He asked Li Wanming cautiously, "You said you came to discuss a deal with me. What kind of deal?"
Li Wanming gave a proud and mysterious smile. "Chief, don't you think there are too many bandit strongholds in this area?"
...
Xiao Jingnan couldn't help but laugh and almost choked on his tea.
"Then, you convinced him to attack the Black Wind Bandit Gang and take the chiefs of the other strongholds who came for the wedding by surprise?"
"It wasn't that easy!"
Li Wanming shook her head. There was annoyance in her tone, as if she was frustrated with someone who just couldn't live up to her expectations.
"That one - eyed chief was both greedy and cowardly! He wanted to swallow the Liu family's caravan and take over the nearby mountain strongholds, but he was also reluctant to lose any of his own men..." She spread her hands helplessly. "In the end, he just locked me up and said he wanted to verify the situation... Well, that's where I met Xiaohuan and the others."
The moonlight was like water, making the vast mountain seem even darker and more serene.
Li Wanming sat by the window, sighed, and continued, "It would have been the safest to attack when the people of the Black Wind Bandit Gang were drugged. But that one - eyed chief dawdled and hesitated. He didn't reach the stronghold's gate until they'd all woken up."
"Then, there was probably just a big fight..." She said lazily. "Anyway, I didn't go, so I don't know exactly what happened."
"But later, for some reason, when they came back, they suddenly insisted that I was Liu Yiyi, the daughter of the Liu family!"
"They also said that the two male heirs of the Liu family were useless. If they could marry me, the Liu family's property would surely belong to me, the third daughter of the Liu family in the future!"
...
Li Wanming remembered that at that time, the chief of the Tiger Head Bandit Gang looked at her with green eyes — as if she was a golden hen that could lay golden eggs.
Well, of course! If you could get the Liu family's property, who would still be a bandit here, struggling hard?
Li Wanming thought to herself, okay, Liu Yiyi it is! As long as she could get through this, she'd even play the emperor if they asked!
Just like that, within a single day, Li Wanming transformed from an official's daughter into the Chief of the Black Wind Bandit Gang, and then from the Chief of the Black Wind Bandit Gang into the third daughter of the Liu family...