After speaking, Jia Da added another line, "I have one condition—we don't rob innocent women and children."
That was his bottom line.
"Deal."
Though Ruan Yu had been dripping with sarcasm just moments ago, she was quite satisfied with Jia Da, a man with a sense of justice and principles.
People like him could be trusted more when put to use.
Ruan Yu had never intended to rob ordinary people anyway. In this chaotic world, it was already hard enough for common folk to survive—even if they had grain in their hands, it wouldn't amount to much.
What she had her sights set on from the very beginning were the "wealthy households" who grew rich off the suffering of others.
Although Ruan Yu's Space held a considerable amount of grain, it wasn't inexhaustible.
Moreover, the grain in her Space was far too conspicuous. If she were to take it out rashly, she wouldn't know how to explain it.
In this chaotic world, relying on her own strength alone, it would be difficult to lead Ye Shi and the two little ones to survival.
One person's strength was limited.
Ruan Yu had also made inquiries—though the south had been less affected by the drought, these were troubled times. Not only were bandits running rampant, but the Barbarians and the Di Rong would eventually march south. They plundered and looted—how could they spare the prosperous land of fish and rice?
So the south wasn't safe either.
To survive in this chaotic world, she had to build up an armed force.
Stockpile grain widely, build fortresses, and keep her mother and the two little ones alive. Even if enemies came, she would have the strength to resist.
"This is today's payment."
As she spoke, Ruan Yu tossed over twenty steamed buns and also gave them five bottles of water.
Seeing the strange, transparent glass bottles filled with clean, pure water, Jia Da's pupils contracted.
"Tonight at the third quarter of the Hai hour, wait for me in the woods to the west."
After saying this, Ruan Yu added, "I don't want anyone collapsing from exhaustion during tonight's operation."
Ruan Yu's meaning was clear—her things weren't given for free.
Watching her leave, Jia Er and the others immediately crowded around, curiously examining the five bottles of mineral water from all angles.
"What is this? It's actually transparent? Could it be something from overseas?"
"This thing is really convenient—much lighter than a water skin."
The skinny man studied it for a long time before finally twisting off the cap. He carefully took a small sip, then his eyes lit up.
"Delicious! Not a trace of odd taste, and even a little sweet."
"Let me try!"
The men scrambled to take drinks, while Jia Er walked over to Jia Da's side. "Brother, who exactly is she?"
"Not sure. At least for now, she doesn't seem to bear us any ill will. Distribute the buns to everyone—eat your fill. There might be big action tonight."
"You got it! Tonight we finally get to eat our fill! Brothers, time to split the buns!"
Two buns per person. The men sat on the ground, wolfing them down, and each treasured a small sip of water.
"This life is better than being an immortal! If I could eat steamed buns every day, I'd do anything!"
"Exactly! This Miss Ruan is truly a good person! Buns this white—who knows how much precious grain it took. Those women and children clearly haven't been eating well on this journey, yet she's willing to give us such precious things."
The men spoke with a touch of reluctance.
Jia Er, quick-witted, said, "Just eat. That Miss Ruan is clever—since she can bring out fine grain like this, she must have other good things in hand."
"But who exactly does she want us to rob?"
Soon enough, Jia Da and his men got their answer.
After gathering at the Hai hour, Ruan Yu led them on a swift march through the wild forest.
They walked for about half a shichen before stopping.
"See that group ahead? They're our target tonight."
"Horse bandits?"
Jia Er's eyes went wide. After uttering the words "horse bandits," he instinctively covered his mouth.
In the valley ahead of them, more than twenty people were resting. Judging by their attire, they were clearly horse bandits from the area.
They were going to rob—horse bandits!
"Miss Ruan, this won't do! Horse bandits are fierce, and there are so many of them. With just us few, how can we possibly be their match?"
Tonight, Jia Da's group had brought eight men. Since Er Gouzi was injured, he hadn't come, and one man had been left behind to care for him.
So here, counting Ruan Yu, there were only nine people.
But the horse bandits numbered over twenty. Wasn't this like throwing an egg at a rock?
"Lure them over, pick them off one by one." Ruan Yu's expression was calm.
"How does Miss Ruan know there are horse bandits here?" Jia Da asked.
"Since the night before last, these horse bandits have been sending people to watch us. It probably won't be long before they make their move on us."
"What!"
"Really?"
Everyone was startled, but no one doubted Ruan Yu's words—otherwise, how else would she have discovered this group of horse bandits?
For Ruan Yu, her five senses had always been exceptionally sharp. Though her Special Ability hadn't recovered, spotting a few spies was well within her capabilities.
These horse bandits had set their sights on their refugee group long ago. The reason they hadn't acted yet, she guessed, was that they were waiting for the right opportunity.
"Shh, someone's coming."
Just then, two bandits rode toward where they were hiding. The group immediately fell silent, pressing themselves deeper into the shadows.
As they watched the men swagger closer and begin unbuckling their belts, Jia Da and the others felt a wave of awkwardness, knowing there was a young woman among them.
But they dared not move.
Ruan Yu listened to the bandits' conversation.
"Damn, it's getting colder by the day. How much longer do we have to stay in this godforsaken place? When is the Second-in-Command going to get here?"
"He'll be here tomorrow. Once he arrives, we can make our move! There are some big fish among those refugees—once we rob them, we'll be living easy for a while!"
"Ah-choo! Hope these days pass quickly!"
Jia Da and the others exchanged uneasy glances. Just as Miss Ruan had said, they were already the bandits' target, and the reason they hadn't struck yet was that they were waiting for reinforcements to arrive!
Tomorrow!
Once the bandits' Second-in-Command showed up with that many vicious outlaws, their group of starving refugees wouldn't just lose the little food they had—after a raid like that, barely any of them would survive.
Jia Da locked eyes with Ruan Yu. She made a gesture, signaling they should take care of these two right now.
Jia Da nodded, crouched low, and silently circled around behind the two men. Ruan Yu slowly drew her dagger.
The next second, they moved at the same time!
One snapped a man's neck with a clean, decisive twist.
The other slit a throat with a single stroke!
Neither bandit had time to make a sound before they were finished.
Jia Da and Ruan Yu each caught a body as it fell, meeting each other's startled gaze.
One was surprised that Jia Da—scrawny as he looked, with only one good eye—could move with such ruthless efficiency.
The other was surprised that Miss Ruan, young as she was, could unleash a killing intent in that instant that sent a chill down the spine of even a seasoned soldier like himself.