The bustling noise gradually faded into the distance at some unknown moment, leaving Wang Yuzheng inside the carriage with her eyes closed to rest her mind.
Going from Fancheng to Yanjun Mountain would take a mere three or four days if one rode horses day and night without stopping, but a carriage was much slower.
Raised in the inner court, her body was delicate and frail; she had never endured the fatigue of long-distance travel like this before, so how could she bear the constant jolting?
Having been seated for only two or three days, Wang Yuzheng was already finding it difficult to hold up.
For a brief moment, she missed modern transportation immensely.
It was merely traveling between two counties. If she were driving, she could arrive in just over an hour; why would she have to suffer like this?
“Uncle Zhang, please drive a bit slower. I can hardly bear it.”
Zhang Baixiang hurried forward, saying anxiously, “Madam, please endure it a little longer. If we delay and arrive late, the master’s life might be in grave danger.”
Wang Yuzheng disliked hearing this and said with displeasure, “I have never traveled far from home before. If I collapse halfway, who will go save your master then?”
The servant Xiao Guan quickly intervened to smooth things over: “Madam’s health is what matters most; it does no harm to go a bit slower.” He added, “Those bandits are still waiting for the ransom money, so they certainly won’t take the master’s life easily.”
Compared to Zhang Baixiang’s simple loyalty, Xiao Guan was sharper and more sensible.
He was young, with a pleasing round face. Though only in his teens, he was a clever person who knew how to read expressions and judge situations.
The carriage indeed traveled somewhat slower after that.
All those accompanying her to pay the ransom were male servants, as no female family members or maidservants were willing to tag along. Thus, Wang Yuzheng had to do everything herself on the road, and her temper was not particularly pleasant.
Traveling and stopping like this, the journey to the border of Yanjun Mountain went relatively smoothly.
When the group spotted a stone stele not far ahead, Zhang Baixiang reminded everyone to perk up their spirits.
“Madam, ahead is Yanjun Mountain. Back then, those bandits told us to deliver the money to Hulukou to redeem him.”
Wang Yuzheng lifted the carriage curtain and said calmly, “Plant the Liu family banner, and head to Hulukou.”
Xiao Guan and the others immediately planted the Liu family’s identifying flag onto the carriage.
The group continued forward.
At first, there was an official road at the foot of the mountain, but the further in they went, the narrower the path became, barely wide enough for a carriage to pass.
The Liu family servants looked around nervously. If their land contracts and deeds of indentured servitude were not held by the master family, they would have fled long ago.
Hulukou was not particularly far; after the carriage traveled for nearly three quarters of an hour, they saw a thatched pavilion at Hulukou.
Xiao Guan said, “This is the place.”
Wang Yuzheng stepped down from the carriage, looking up into the surroundings.
Peaks towered on all sides. Although the weather was clear, sunlight could not shine down, making the air chilly and draughty.
The servants dared not be careless; every single one had their nerves pulled taut.
Zhang Baixiang steeled his nerve and shouted loudly at the top of his voice, calling out to the brave heroes and stating that the Liu family had come to pay the ransom.
What answered him were birds flying out from the mountain valleys in fright.
The men were timid, and even the slightest commotion sent panic through their hearts.
Even though Wang Yuzheng had seen much of the world and was composed enough, at this moment she could not be certain what turn of events she might encounter—after all, she was about to face a pack of fiercely wicked bandits.
Zhang Baixiang mustered his courage to shout several times, yet there was still no response.
Afterward, the group waited in the thatched pavilion for half a quarter of an hour before hearing the sound of horse hooves approaching.
Wang Yuzheng looked in the direction of the sound. Soon, three horses stopped at Hulukou.
The men on horseback were burly and built strongly. Half of one man’s face was burned, giving him a gruesome and terrifying appearance.
Wang Yuzheng’s heart thudded violently; it would be a lie to say she wasn’t afraid.
Sure enough, Zhang Baixiang seemed to have seen them before, his voice trembling as he spoke: “Ma-Madam, it’s them.”
Men in the south were generally shorter than those in the north, but these three were coarsely built and looked like northerners.
One man pointed his horsewhip at Zhang Baixiang and asked gruffly, “Did you bring the ransom?”
Zhang Baixiang’s legs went soft as he replied, “B-Brought it.”
The man made a gesture demanding them to hand it over.
Wang Yuzheng steeled her courage and put forward her condition: “Where is my husband? We hand over the money with one hand, and you hand over the person with the other.”
The three men’s gazes fell upon her. Seeing how delicate and soft she appeared, they felt a playful urge to tease her.
The disfigured man laughed menacingly, speaking in Mandarin: “Woman of the Liu family, you still delusionally expect to negotiate conditions with me?”
Wang Yuzheng was clearly terrified inside, yet she forced herself to negotiate with them: “I want to see your chief. If I cannot return alive today, the Liu family will certainly report this to the authorities. Since you brave heroes have obtained the wealth, why create extra trouble?”
As soon as these words were uttered, the three men looked as though they had heard a joke. The bearded man at the very front teased: “Listen to that, you all! This woman has quite the nerve, wanting to enter a bandit den to find her man!”
“Haha, what our den lacks least is men! Wife of the Liu family, you can take your pick one by one!”
“Right, right, right! The bandit den is full of men; you can pick whoever you like…”
The frivolous and unbridled mocking laughter caused the faces of Zhang Baixiang and the others to turn pale.
Xiao Guan said uneasily, “Madam, what if they are unwilling to release him?”
Wang Yuzheng cursed secretly in her heart. Had Nanny Xu not been detained by the Liu family, she would have fled long ago.
Just as she was caught in a dilemma, another sound of horse hooves came, attracting everyone’s attention.
It turned out to be an accomplice of the bandits, shouting at them to hurry back, saying that the Chief had returned and was in a foul mood.
The bearded man said, “This woman wants to see the Chief.”
“Where did this little woman come from?”
“The Liu family’s wife; she came to redeem the Liu family’s young master.”
“Don’t dawdle; take her back along with the rest.”
The whinnying of horses echoed in the valley, immediately followed by the terrified screams of the group.
The several servants were knocked unconscious like little chicks by the bandits, bound up, and carried into the bandit den.
When Wang Yuzheng woke up, it was already the afternoon. She was locked inside a cave.
Stones sealed the surrounding area tightly, leaving only a few small holes to serve as windows.
She leaned close to a crevice in the rocks to peer outside, when suddenly hearing a noise, she hurriedly retreated.
Before long, the wooden door of the cave was opened. A tall, heavily built man stood at the doorway, looking down at her from above.
Wang Yuzheng could not bear that wild beast-like gaze and instinctively shrank backward.
The man grinned and said, “The woman looks quite decent. Quickly change out of these clothes.”
Wang Yuzheng hesitated, wanting to speak.
The man seemed to see through her thoughts and said, “If you want to see your man, change out of this set. Hurry up, don’t dawdle.”
Glancing at his palm, which was as big as a palm-leaf fan, Wang Yuzheng’s survival instinct kicked in strongly, and she obediently accepted the clothes.
Unexpectedly, the bright red gauze garment was thin and sheer, containing only a *hezi* bustier paired with a pomegranate skirt inside.
Wang Yuzheng’s eyelids twitched wildly. Wearing such revealing clothing in a bandit den was no different from seeking death.
Seeing her hesitate and move slowly, the big man said impatiently, “Hurry up and strip. If you dawdle any longer, I’ll strip you myself.”
Wang Yuzheng hastily said, “Brave hero, spare my life! Spare my life! I am a modest woman, thin-skinned…”
The man did not make things difficult for her, simply shutting the door and stepping outside.
Wang Yuzheng forced herself to change her clothes. The original host had a voluptuous figure, so the peony-patterned *hezi* bustier was somewhat small, failing to cover the plump flesh on her chest, leaving a dazzling expanse of snow-white skin.
She tried hard to tuck herself in, cursing internally as she did so.
The man outside urged her impatiently, so Wang Yuzheng hurriedly put on the pomegranate skirt and draped the gauze garment over herself.
When she opened the door to step out, her face was tense as she used her hands to cover her chest.
The man’s eyes rolled as his gaze swept across her figure, thoroughly satisfied.
In the past, he had seen many such girls in the Spring Wind Brothel. Their Chief was in the prime of his youth and full of vigor, with a fiery temper; using her to vent his fire was just right.
A burlap sack was thrown over her head, and the man pushed her along as if herding a piglet.
Wang Yuzheng dared not anger him, having no choice but to walk forward meekly.
With her vision blocked, she could not see her surroundings and could only keep her eyes on her feet.
Without knowing how long she walked, she was brought into a room. The burlap sack was removed from her head, and the man threatened, “If you dare run around, I’ll break your legs.”
Wang Yuzheng hurriedly replied, “I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare. I am very timid.”
The man gave a snort, shut the door, and left.
Wang Yuzheng pricked up her ears to listen for sounds outside. After confirming no one was there, she quietly took stock of the furnishings in the room.
There were only a bed, a table, and a stone stool.
She looked at the straw mat with disgust. The bandit den was filled entirely with men, and the things used by foul men were all foul-smelling.
Her gaze fell back onto herself. Being brought here dressed like this, she didn’t need to guess to know she was meant to serve someone.
At present, she possessed neither matchless martial arts nor an intimidating status; keeping her small life safe would be no easy feat.
Wang Yuzheng sat on the stone stool, her mind spinning rapidly as she thought of her next move.
About a quarter of an hour passed before the Chief, Li Zhi, was coaxed over by his brothers, who claimed they had a fine prize to present to him.
At first, Li Zhi paid it no mind, assuming it was precious treasure like money or weapons.
Who could have guessed that upon reaching the door, Hu Chong let the truth slip—he was the bearded man who had captured Wang Yuzheng.
He said the woman inside was exceedingly handsome and guaranteed to satisfy the Chief.
Li Zhi picked up on the implication, and his hot temper flared as he swung a palm to slap him.
Hu Chong let out an “Ouch!” and had no time to dodge, clutching his face as he backed up several steps.
The young man taller than him spat and cursed, “Fk your ancestors, where did you get a woman from?!”
Hu Chong said aggrievedly, “Picked her up! Picked her up on the road…”
Li Zhi was about to strike again when he was persuaded to stop by the other brothers. Another person hurriedly explained, “It’s the Liu family’s woman who came to redeem her husband. She said she wanted to see the Chief.”
“Which Liu family woman?”
“The wife of Liu Erlang from Fancheng. She brought the ransom money to redeem him.”
Veins throbbed violently on Li Zhi’s forehead upon hearing this. “If she’s redeeming someone, then redeem him! Why send her into my room?!”
Everyone fell into a collective silence.
Li Zhi was about to hit them again when Hu Chong, unafraid of death, gestured with his hands: “That woman is truly handsome, Chief…”
Li Zhi interrupted him, “Fk your ancestors! Sending a married woman into my room—do you think I, Li Zhi, have never seen a woman before?!”
With that, he kicked open the door roughly. The young woman sitting on the stone stool was startled, looking like pear blossoms bathed in rain as she turned her eyes toward the bandits at the doorway.
Li Zhi’s furious temper was instantly cut short by the scene before him.
The young woman on the stone stool wore a sheer, vivid red gauze garment. Beneath her slender neck lay an expanse as white as snow, and her voluptuous figure was dazzling to the eyes.
Perhaps out of fear, tears trickled down her face like pear blossoms in the rain. Her almond eyes were brimming with water, her brows lightly furrowed, her lips slightly parted, brimming with tears as if holding back a thousand unspoken grievances.
Li Zhi was a rough man of the wilderness; when had he ever witnessed such a captivating display of pitiful helplessness? As his gaze fell upon that aggrieved, moon-like face, he actually forgot to look away for a moment.
An eighteen-year-old girl falling into a bandit den—how could she not be terrified?
Wang Yuzheng lowered her head timidly and turned her body slightly, adopting the delicate weakness of an innocent little lamb.
Her figure was truly so white, her slender and porcelain neck and the half-exposed shoulders beneath the vivid red gauze garment faintly visible, all stirring the imagination.
This was a woman who appeared soft and fragrant all over.
Li Zhi’s Adam’s apple rolled. His eyes were filled with her delicate, charming appearance that commanded pity, and he was undeniably stunned for a moment.
Just as he was about to say something, the brothers behind him immediately slammed the door shut, as they all felt his temper was far too foul and required a woman to vent his fire.
With such a voluptuous and fragrant woman, they didn’t believe he could hold himself back.
Locked inside the room, Li Zhi cursed violently under his breath.
Wang Yuzheng realized he was the boss of this bandit den. Making a prompt decision, she stepped forward, fell to her knees by his feet, hugged his thigh, and begged for mercy—even deliberately rubbing her chest against his leg.
Like a cat with its fur raised, Li Zhi bent down to pry her hands off.
Taking advantage of the moment, Wang Yuzheng grabbed hold of him, her teary eyes blurred as she cried, “I beg the brave hero to spare my life! I beg the brave hero to spare my life…”
She wept delicately and timidly, clinging to his hand without letting go, attempting to seduce him with her charms.
Li Zhi: “…”
Don’t touch me!
Don’t touch me!