Chapter 899 - 900 Bandits_1
"Innkeeper, trouble you to explain to us what exactly is going on here? Why are all three of our horses missing?"
The owner of the inn was also in a difficult position, how could he know what had happened?
"This, this I also have no idea." The chubby innkeeper wiped the sweat off his head and thought to himself, how could this person be so frightening?
"You don’t know? We were staying at your inn, and our horses disappeared from your inn, and you actually tell us you don’t know?" One of the guards, who was also quite ill-tempered, immediately grabbed the innkeeper’s clothes and lifted him up.
The innkeeper’s face instantly turned pale with fear, especially when he caught a glimpse of the large knives on the two men and saw the extraordinary clothes worn by Ye Zi’an, he knew that this man was no ordinary figure.
"I, I really don’t know." The innkeeper stuttered, trembling, "I’ve heard that some bandits have recently come to Quanya County, and often things go missing. It’s said that if ten people walk on the street, eight could lose their purses, and now few dare to go out." Upon hearing this, the guard let go of the innkeeper, who then continued to explain, "Our inn is not like other inns that lose things every day. I really didn’t expect that the first time something would go missing it would be three horses."
The innkeeper was truly resentful. Those three horses clearly were good stock, surely worth a great deal. Now that they were lost under his roof, he, a mere innkeeper, couldn’t compensate for them even if he sold himself.
"Doesn’t County Magistrate Shen care about this?" Ye Zi’an asked after listening.
"He does care, how could he not? But those thieves are extremely cunning, appearing and disappearing like ghosts, so they simply can’t be caught. It’s probably not even known how many of them there are," the innkeeper added.
Ye Zi’an then instructed one of the guards, "You go to the market and buy two more horses, and be quick about it."
"As for you," he pointed to another guard, "once the government office opens, go report to the authorities. As for the loss of the horses, let’s set that aside for now. If the horses are found, that’s well and good. If not, we’ll settle accounts with this innkeeper later. Knowing that there are skilled thieves in the county, he did not warn us when our three fine horses were staying at the inn. Had he warned us, we would not have lost the horses."
"Yes, young master, I will go at once!"
"Yes, young master, I will go at once!"
Both men responded in unison and then went out. Their team of six guards was handpicked by Old Mu to ensure his safety, as he was told that Mianyang was a place of poverty and rife with banditry, so it would be safer with them accompanying him.
An hour later, the guard who went to purchase horses returned first.
"Let’s go, we’ll return to Wangquan Town first," Ye Zi’an said as he took the reins and mounted his horse.
"Young master, shouldn’t we wait for Ye Er?" Ye Er was the other guard, now considered one of Ye Zi’an’s own men. These people were originally referred to by numbers one, two, three, and four, and Ye Zi’an prefixed their names with his surname.
"No need to wait. He will be delayed reporting to the officials, and he will find his way to Wangquan Town on his own. Let’s go ahead."
"Understood!" The guard, Ye Yi, who had bought the horses, also mounted and followed behind Ye Zi’an.
By the time they reached the city gate, there were very few people and they were quickly checked through.
However, upon leaving the city they encountered a group of disheveled individuals in ragged clothes with messy hair, looking like beggars. Ye Zi’an would not have paid any attention to these people, but as he turned his head, he seemed to recognize one of them as Ye Ziping.
Immediately, he instructed Ye Yi to follow him, while he himself returned to Yangshu Village.