Chapter 25: Mountain Bandits, Negotiating a Price

  The monk was here when Chen Jiu didn't dare to eat meat, but now that the monk is gone, these meat-eating animals are delivered to his doorstep, why wouldn't he eat them?

  A hearty meal, especially that wolf leg, was truly a delight to the taste buds. Perhaps it's because wolves are always on the move, but those four legs were really chewy. Even now, Chen Jiu still savors the flavor endlessly. The only regret is that Chen Jiu's culinary skills aren't quite up to par; otherwise, it would have been even better.

  Slowly gather the package, extinguish the spark, Chen Jiu is absolutely a kind-hearted person. If this spark is not handled properly, when the time comes, a strong wind will blow it away, and yet another fire disaster will occur, countless animals will be displaced and die unjustly.

  He took a glance at the sun, confirmed his direction, and then headed towards his predetermined destination.

  Qingzhou is several tens of thousands of miles away from here. If you don't take good care of your body along the way, by the time you reach Qingzhou, your body will be exhausted.

  This is the county town where Chen Jiu is located. After circling around inside the city, he didn't find anything he liked. He bought some portable flour food and a few water bottles, water bags, and then walked alone towards Qingzhou Prefecture.

  Fireworks in March, this road is not lonely at all, with birds and sparrows as company, the mountains are free to take, leisurely and carefree, just like a donkey friend from later generations.

  Finally leaving the hustle and bustle of the city far behind, Chen Jiu set off towards the desolate mountains and rivers, greatly anticipating those famous mountains and great rivers. In this era filled with immortals and heroes, who knows if he might even stumble upon an ancient hidden tomb.

  But Chen Jiu was destined to be disappointed, he didn't find any remains of his predecessor, but instead got into trouble.

  As I walked to a distant place, between mountains and rivers, I had just taken off my shoes and socks and put them in the water when I heard a loud noise coming from afar. There were sounds of weapons clashing, heroic laughter, and women's cries, all mixed together in chaos.

  "What a disappointment, I finally found a beautiful and peaceful place, but it was disturbed by someone. I'd like to see who the annoying person is that's ruining my elegant mood."

  As he spoke, Chen Jiu quickly put on his shoes and socks.

  Chen Ji's journey was not as comfortable as he had imagined, although he did get to appreciate the famous mountains and rivers, but he also suffered a lot, even getting two blisters on his feet.

  I was looking forward to seeing the clear water and was about to soak my feet, then feel refreshed before leaving, but who knew I would encounter such an unlucky thing.

  With his physical strength, Chen Jiu's speed was not slow, and in a few steps, he reached the highest point of the mountain top. Following the terrain, he saw that in a rather precarious place, there was a group of people fighting each other.

  The largest number of people on the outermost periphery, with about 400 or 500, and their clothing does not seem to be uniform, but rather miscellaneous.

  Surrounded by these bandits in the center were uniforms of guards, acting in unison, but facing the opponent's overwhelming numbers, it was a bitter struggle to hold on. Fortunately, these guards had been trained frequently, so they acted in an orderly manner and could support each other, thus avoiding defeat.

  In the center of the guards were seven or eight horse-drawn carriages, but it was unclear what was inside the carriages.

  The leader of the guards was a burly man with a thick beard, who saw his own guards in danger and couldn't help but shout: "You are bandits from which mountain, daring to rob my Liu family's goods? You're incredibly bold, don't you fear my master's wrath? Are you not afraid of the imperial army that collects taxes?"

  The leader of the mountain bandits was watching from fifty paces outside the center of the battlefield, and upon hearing the words of the guard leader, his expression changed: "Liu Manor? Which Liu Manor?"

  Upon seeing the other party's change in color, the leader of the guards let out a sigh of relief: "In this area of thousands of miles, who else could it be but the Liu Manor?"

  "Isn't it, however, just like this?"

  "You'd better be smart and retreat quietly. Maybe my master won't bother to deal with you mountain bandits. Otherwise, when the imperial army arrives, it will be too late for regrets."

  The leader of the mountain bandits was in a difficult situation at this time, and the man who seemed to be his military advisor whispered a few words in his ear. The bandit's face changed: "Haha, since I've offended you today, how can I have a way out? I might as well go all out and leave you all here."

  After finishing this sentence, the leader of the mountain bandits shouted to his subordinates: "Take out our weapons and let this gentleman take a look."

  As soon as the words fell, it was a crackling sound of control, and the leader's pupils shrank, followed by a change in his face: "How is this possible? You actually have military-grade divine crossbows."

  The leader sneered: "Hmph, I've been hunting geese all day, and today I was actually pecked in the eye by a swallow. I don't know which bastard sent me this batch of military crossbows and told me there's a fat sheep passing through here. Who knew it was your Liu family's carriage? Well, consider me unlucky today. At worst, I'll just kill you all and leave this place. Where can't I develop my business?"

  After finishing speaking, he didn't give the guard time to respond, and directly waved his hand: "Shoot them dead".

  As the sound of "creaking" continued to rise, the leader of the guards broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead. With thousands of arrows firing at once, even if he had good martial arts skills, those ordinary guards and even the nobles inside the carriage couldn't escape.

  "Haha, I never thought that in this desolate mountain wilderness, I would still be able to watch a good show."

  Just as the leader was at a loss, a clear and ringing laugh echoed through the valley, drowning out all the clashing sounds of the surrendered weapons.

  The leader of the mountain bandits and the leader of the guards both changed color, but after looking at each other's faces, they knew it wasn't their person, so they let out a sigh of relief in their hearts.

  "Who are you, sir? I am the guardian of the Liu Manor. Please lend a hand and we will be eternally grateful." The leader of the guards spoke up first.

  The leader of the mountain bandits was not willing to show weakness either: "No matter who you are, this is the territory of our Salt and Thorn Great Thief. As long as you're willing to retreat, my eight hundred brothers won't say a word, and afterwards we'll even send three hundred taels of gold as a gift. If you insist on intervening in this matter, then let's see how good your skills are."

  As soon as their voices dropped, a young nobleman in hemp clothing stepped on the soft branches and floated down from the top of the mountain.

  He stood in the middle of both parties, looking at the crowd from Liu's mansion: "What is this Liu Mansion? I've never heard of it."

  The guard's face changed instantly after hearing Chen Jiu's words, and the leader of the mountain bandits showed a joyful expression, but his smile soon froze on his face.

  "As for what Salt and Thorn Great Thief, this young master has never heard of it, a group of unknown people in the mountains, hiding their heads and tails, also dare to threaten this young master, it's really ridiculous" Chen Jiu's voice was calm, with a hint of murderous intent.

  He didn't look at the bandit's face, but instead turned his gaze to the Liu family's convoy: "Tell me, if this young master helps you, what benefits will you give me?"

  The captain of the guard said without hesitation: "Three hundred gold coins will be sent afterwards".

  Chen Jiuyi's mouth twitched: "Are you playing with me? Is the life of each of you worth only three hundred taels of gold?"

  The leader of the guards was also clever: "My Liu family is big and prosperous, so please, young master, name a price."

  Chen Ji stretched out one finger and shook it in the air.

  Looking at the puzzled eyes of the leader of the guards, Chen Jiu shook his head: "Forget it, with this IQ, even if multiplied by ten".

  "The three thousand taels of gold" The leader of the guards exclaimed in a low voice.

  Chen Jiu glanced at the horse carriages, a gentle breeze blew by, and it was certain that there were women inside: "Three thousand taels is a lot, you know what will happen to the women in your carriage if they fall into the hands of these mountain bandits, so I won't say more. Besides, didn't you say that the Liu family is wealthy and influential?"

  He glanced at the woman behind him, thought about Chen Jiu Fang's incredible skill that had just passed by, gritted his teeth and said: "Alright, three thousand taels it is. I agree to this deal. As long as I can protect Madame and Miss safely, even if it were thirty thousand taels, I would have no choice."

  Chen Jiu haggled with the guard as if no one was around, but he had infuriated the leader of the mountain bandits on the other side. After all, he was a notorious thief in these parts, and it was rare for him to be looked down upon like this. However, he soon realized that being underestimated could also be a blessing.