Chapter Thirty: Longing in the Lotus-Petal Chamber

  After the thieves were surrounded, Guan Yu sent Li Tiezhu, a messenger, to shout for Zhou Cang to come to the village.

  "Zhou Zhuangshi has come in person, is he here to take my life?" Guo Changzi asked with a fearless expression and a stiff neck.

  "Haha, you guessed wrong! Old Zhou rushed over to persuade you to join us! You caught me once and persuaded me once, we also caught you once and persuaded you once, now it's even, haha..."

  "Our master heard that the leader of your gang used to serve in the army under Yamen Pass with his father, and they have some connections. He has never committed any evil deeds like killing people, so he wants to let you off this time. From now on, follow our master's orders, and you will be able to live a good life, eating meat and drinking fine wine. If not, we can't let the matter of having so many people in our village be known, so we'll have to kill all of you to keep it secret!" Zhou Cang said fiercely, following Jia Xu's words, staring at the group of bandits.

  "If we surrender to Sleeping Tiger Village, will the village master treat us brothers well?" Guo Changzi asked with a bitter smile.

  "Our village master can tolerate even the Qiang people, how could he mistreat you?" Guan Yu replied in a deep voice.

  "This is really true!"

  "Today the village is decorated with lanterns and streamers, it's just that the owner of the village is welcoming the sister of the Qiang Hu tribe chief to get married. If you put down your weapons now, you can still make it back in time to drink at the wedding!"

  "It's all well and good, but I still have some family members and brothers in the mountains. Why don't I go fetch them first and bring them back together?" said Guo Changzi, who had already made up his mind to surrender to Wotou Village.

  "But no need to trouble the master, my brother Pei Yuanshao is leading his men to Qingfeng Ridge to welcome your family and brothers down the mountain!" Zhou Cang shouted loudly.

  Upon hearing this, the bandits' hearts were filled with a chill. It was too sinister; if they hadn't agreed to surrender earlier, wouldn't they have been wiped out by the Sleeping Tiger Manor, leaving not a single soul for their own mountain stronghold?

  Guan Yu, relying on his own bravery, captured Guo Changzi and the mountain bandits. After entering the village, they naturally got drunk and dispersed. The mountain bandits all voluntarily handed over their weapons and horses, and according to Zhou Cang's arrangement, they were scattered and lived separately, waiting for the brothers who would come to guard in the future.

  On the other hand, Pei Yuanshao led the Qiang people's army to climb up Qingfeng Ridge overnight, surrounded the mountain stronghold, but did not attack, only waiting for Guo Changzi to return during the day to persuade the people in the stronghold to surrender.

  He didn't mention the mountain bandit, but instead said that Zhao Xing woke up on the second day after drinking, still a bit dizzy and lying in bed, staring blankly at the phoenix pattern on the top of the bed curtain. Suddenly, he heard a "heh heh" laughter coming from beside him. Turning his head, he saw a scene that made his blood boil!

  Only a stunningly beautiful girl, about fifteen years old, with brown curly hair, big eyes, deep brown pupils shining brightly, high nose bridge, cherry lips, melon-shaped face, skin as white as jade, with a look that could ruin the country and its people. The girl was wearing only a tight-fitting undergarment, using one hand to pull down her chin, lowering her head to gaze at Zhao Xing, completely unaware that her open collar couldn't cover up the turbulent waves on her chest.

  Zhao Xingqiang suppressed the urge to jump up, grab his gun and get on his horse. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva and stared straight at the beauty, but didn't say a word. It wasn't that he didn't want to speak, it was just that he didn't know what to say. He couldn't very well say: "Hey beautiful, your fly is down!"

  "The gentleman says nothing, yet makes people feel extremely embarrassed!" The beauty said with a pout.

  "Eh, did I get drunk last night?" Zhao Xing asked, forcing himself to ask.

  Dead drunk and being carried into the bridal chamber by me, hehe... The beauty revealed a triumphant expression, pretending not to see someone's slightly flushed face.

  "Xing'er is so beautiful, but it's the blessing I, Zhao Xing, have cultivated for three generations!" To save face, Zhao Xing quickly changed the subject.

  "Beauty fades with age and heroes grow old, yet appearance is the most unreliable thing in this world." Hu Xiang'er sighed somewhat sorrowfully.

  "But I feel that marrying me would be a bit of a letdown for you, just because you're relying on others and reluctantly compromising?" Zhao Xing asked.

  "However, you are talking nonsense. Nowadays, the whole country is in chaos and war, a beautiful face like my daughter's is not a blessing but a disaster. If it weren't for Father not wanting to go against my wishes, we would have refused the bandit leader's proposal and our family wouldn't have suffered the disaster half a year ago." As she spoke, Hu Xiang'er's beautiful eyes became moist, with tears welling up in her eyes.

  "If it weren't for your willingness to take me in, my clansmen would still be wandering who-knows-where, and might have long since become nothing but dried-up horse bones on the Western Road. You're a dignified and handsome young man, I don't know how many girls' families you'll lead astray in the future... that Xiaoyu can marry you is truly a joyous thing..." Hu Xiang'er's voice grew softer as she spoke, but to Zhao Xing's ears, it was an irresistible temptation, making his heart itch with longing.

  One hand wrapped around Hu Xiang'er, Zhao Xing's An Lushan's paws climbed up to the peak of the beauty. "The touch is really good!" A certain unscrupulous young man exclaimed in his heart with relish.

  Gently pushing away Zhao Xing's furry paw, Hu Xiang'er said "Husband, please be patient for now, we should go and pay our respects to Mother, I also need to serve tea to Sister Wan Ting, tonight you can do as you like", after saying this, Hu Xiang'er's face turned red.

  "Alright, alright, we'll talk about it tonight." Zhao Xing got up and dressed with a somewhat embarrassed expression.

  "Hubby, you don't know that yesterday night you got a new batch of people and horses!" Hu Xiang'er said happily while helping Zhao Xing put on his clothes.

  "Oh, a gust of wind has come?! Zhao Xing was overjoyed when he heard the words, but suddenly thought that according to plan, he should be leading his troops up Qingfeng Ridge, yet he had been impatient. "I wonder who got a gust of wind?"

  "Xing'er slept late last night, and heard the villagers outside the window talking about Guan Big Brother's bravery, how he single-handedly subdued the mountain bandits, but as for what happened afterwards, she didn't know..."

  After hearing this, Zhao Xing felt a bit embarrassed and rubbed his nose. The night was short and he had fallen into a drunken sleep, leaving the beauty to gaze at the lamp in distress. What a crime! What a crime!