It had only been a short while since the bearded captain left when two men entered the cell and took away Boss Wang and Li Erhua.
Mu Wulin was sitting on a chair with one leg crossed over the other. She sized up Boss Wang and Li Erhua as they were escorted in, then asked the bearded captain following behind, "Are these the two?"
"Yes, Third Master, these are the two!"
Hearing this, Mu Wulin stood up from the chair and strolled over to Boss Wang and Li Erhua. Ignoring the timid looks in their eyes, she walked around them twice as if taking a leisurely walk.
Shen Li, who had been pretending to clutch Xuan Yuanjue's hand, involuntarily tightened her grip. Still keeping her head down, she pretended to be scared and didn't dare to look at Mu Wulin.
After sizing them up, Mu Wulin stood behind Xuan Yuanjue and said while looking at their backs, "Judging from your build, you must have done a lot of farm work!"
As she spoke, she placed her hands on both sides of Xuan Yuanjue's shoulders and then ran them forcefully down his arms.
Suddenly, Xuan Yuanjue behind her said in a trembling voice, "It hurts! Big... big brother, please spare us!"
"Does it hurt? Already?" Mu Wulin had grabbed Xuan Yuanjue's wrist and was feeling his pulse as if taking his vital signs.
Seeing this, Shen Li's voice took on a sobbing tone as she pretended to plead fearfully, "Gentlemen! We're just two ordinary folks. You've already taken all our money. Please let us go!"
Shen Li wiped the tears on her face hard with her sleeve. "Woohoo! If you really want money, you should go after that scumbag Wang Laoliu. He's a rich master in the capital. He lives in a big mansion and has plenty of money."
Mu Wulin looked at Li Erhua, who was crying with snot and tears, as if satisfied. Suddenly, she let go of Boss Wang's wrist, clapped her hands, and said, "You want me to let you go? I can have them send you out!"
"Really? Thank you so much, sir!" Hearing this, Li Erhua immediately stopped crying. She stared blankly at Mu Wulin, then, as if she had just realized something, she knelt on the ground with a thud. "Sir, I'm kowtowing to you! We'll never forget your great kindness for the rest of our lives!"
"Alas! I can't accept such a grand gesture! Get up quickly!" Mu Wulin said with a smiling face. She "kindly" helped Li Erhua up from the ground, but her hand seemed to casually grasp Li Erhua's wrist.
Li Erhua didn't seem to notice and just stood there without moving. "Sir, you're really a good person!"
Mu Wulin just smiled and let go of her wrist. "Hehe! Although I've promised to send you away, you can't leave for a few days. You can stay here in our stronghold in peace for a few days. When they go out for supplies in a few days, I'll have them send you out!"
"Hehe! Okay, thank you, sir!" Li Erhua quickly pulled Boss Wang and they both bowed to express their gratitude.
Mu Wulin said to the bearded captain beside her, "Alright! Take them down first and give them to Sister Yang. Let them stay in the stronghold for a few days."
The bearded captain took the order and led Boss Wang and Li Erhua away. Mu Wulin stood where she was, watching Li Erhua pulling Boss Wang looking happy. A chill flashed in her eyes as she twirled the machete in her hand non - stop. Then she flung it towards their heads.
Just as they were about to reach the threshold, Boss Wang accidentally stepped on a raised tile on the ground. He sprained his foot and his body pitched forward. Li Erhua, who was holding his arm, was also dragged and staggered.
"Ouch! Can't you watch where you're going? You scared me to death!"
Li Erhua straightened up and punched Boss Wang first.
"Ouch! Stop hitting me, wife! I sprained my foot!" Boss Wang pointed to his right foot and said to Li Erhua beside him.
"Bah! Serves you right!" Although Li Erhua said so, she still supported him and walked out.
Mu Wulin, whose machete had missed, watched as the machete circled back to her hand. A sneer curled her lips, and a flash of suspicion quickly crossed her eyes. "Someone! Keep a close eye on those two! If they show the slightest sign of suspicion, execute them immediately. No need to report to me!"
Although Mu Wulin had felt the pulses of Boss Wang and Li Erhua just now and didn't detect any martial arts skills in them, she couldn't shake off a strange feeling when she remembered how Boss Wang's accidental sprained foot had just dodged her machete.
She always felt that those two were not as simple as they seemed on the surface. And now was a crucial moment for the stronghold's business. She hoped it was just her overthinking.
Mu Wulin always adhered to the principle of "better kill a thousand by mistake than let one go". In the past, she would have killed them without hesitation. But the woman's words saying she was a good person had touched her heart. So, she didn't act as she usually did and left some leeway.
Li Erhua and Boss Wang, who were led away by the bearded captain, seemed to have truly let their guards down. Before long, they began to chatter non - stop as they followed the bearded captain.
"Hey! Brother, where are you taking us?" Li Erhua supported Boss Wang, who was walking a bit unsteadily due to his sprained foot.
"You'll know when we get there!" The bearded captain walked in front with a cold face and had no intention of saying another word to her.
"Brother, why are you walking so fast? Look, his foot is sprained. Can you walk slower?"
The bearded captain turned around, gave them a quick glance, then turned his head back. "No!"
Li Erhua stared at his back, angrily gesturing with her fists and cursing him in a low voice. But when the bearded captain turned around to look at them, she immediately resumed her appearance of walking with her head down submissively.
The bearded captain took them to a large courtyard behind the stronghold. "Sister Yang! The Third Master told me to leave these two with you for a few days! Keep an eye on them. You can assign them any work you want!"
Hearing this, the woman who was chopping meat in a wooden shed put down her work and walked over with a kitchen knife in her hand. "Yo! Bearded, where did these two strangers come from?"
Shen Li didn't expect that the bearded captain's name was really Bearded. She had once thought that the names "Boss Wang" and "Li Erhua" Xuan Yuanjue had come up with were too casual, but now she found that these names were much better than Bearded!
The bearded captain seemed to be very familiar with Sister Yang. He explained to her with a smile, "Well, I went down the mountain on patrol today and captured these two outsiders. They're so ignorant that they dared to trespass on our Panhu Stronghold's territory. So I brought them here. You can train them for now."