Chapter 395 - 389_1
After a night’s stay in Longmen Town, the myriad legends of Longhu Mountain seemed even more rampant. The threat from bandits was pervasive. Everyone tensed their nerves during the journey, fearful of sudden ambushes by road-robbing bandits. However, since their group was traveling with a considerable amount of goods, it was difficult to avoid the mountain bandits’ gaze. It wasn’t long after they had entered the territory of Longhu Mountain that they were stopped by a group of about twenty bandits.
Yet at this moment, Lin Yue did not feel nervous, but rather a sense of unreality. She had actually encountered bandits. Could it be that they would also spout typical lines like "I opened this mountain, I planted these trees"? Lin Yue couldn’t help but let her thoughts wander as she contemplated this, while Zhao Erhu immediately came to her side, ready to protect her.
"Everyone knows the rules. To pass through Longhu Mountain, you can keep your lives, but all your goods, silver, and treasures must be left behind," the bandits declared.
Of course, neither Zhao Erhu nor Li Xun would agree to such a demand, and they stood off against the bandits of Longhu Mountain, looking as if they were about to come to blows, when a crisp voice rang out.
"Stop, you can’t touch them! These are my friends. This beautiful lady saved my life yesterday. Brother, this is the beautiful lady I told you about yesterday. It was she who used silver to buy my life back from the bully. Otherwise, could you still see me now? Please don’t trouble them, alright?"
Chang Xiaohu had actually sneaked out to play, and part of him hoped to encounter Lin Yue. He wished to see the beautiful lady once more, never expecting that he would really meet her and that she would be the target of his brother’s attack. As the two parties were about to clash, Chang Xiaohu couldn’t care less about the consequences and leapt out to stop his brother.
The situation turned out to be quite dramatic. The previous hostility was diffused by Chang Xiaohu’s words. Lin Yue had not expected that a moment of kindness would help her avert a disaster. She had listened to Chang Xiaohu bragging about the heroes of Longhu Mountain, calling everyone "brother," and merely thought that Chang Xiaohu was a child boasting and fibbing. She didn’t expect that Chang Xiaohu was actually a little bandit. No wonder he behaved so boldly yesterday. Most children would have cried if they had encountered such a situation, but Chang Xiaohu was unfazed. He even dared to provoke the ruffians and rogues of Longmen Town. Now that she knew his identity, it all made sense.
Chang Xiaoshan had only had his younger brother to rely on since they were children, and he cared about him more than anything. Yesterday, his brother’s sneaking out to play had given him quite a scare. When he came back and heard about the incident in Longmen Town, he felt both angry and relieved. Fortunately, that kind-hearted person had spent five taels of silver to save his brother, otherwise, the outcome was uncertain. The local rogues and scoundrels were no good people; he vowed to find an opportunity to deal with those rogues and avenge his brother. Of course, he needed to repay the debt of gratitude to the one who had saved his brother.
Chang Xiaoshan was a man of clear debts and gratitude. Chang Xiaohu’s character was largely influenced by his brother, which demonstrated that Chang Xiaoshan was a man of spirit.
"Xiaohu, is what you’re saying true? This lady is really your savior?" Chang Xiaoshan looked at Chang Xiaohu with skepticism in his eyes, finding it hard to believe that such a delicate lady had the courage to save his brother from the local thugs. He was genuinely impressed by her bravery.
"Of course it’s true! The beautiful lady is so pretty, how could I possibly recognize the wrong person? I even said yesterday that I would repay the debt. So, brother, you can’t take their things, otherwise, I would be ungrateful," Chang Xiaohu insisted.