Chapter 177
Chapter 177
The journey from Mobei to Dali was even longer. To avoid trouble, Ji Yan’an’s party disguised themselves as an armed escort agency and headed south.
“Ji Yan’an!”
A childish scream shattered the peace of the early morning.
“Ji Yan’an, bandits are chasing me!”
Unlucky Jiang Yunsui had only gone into the woods to relieve herself when she came face-to-face with a mountain bandit hiding among the trees with a saber over his shoulder.
Her mind went blank, but her legs had already carried her into a frantic sprint.
“Bandits! Bandits! There are bandits!”
The little girl shouted nonstop as she ran.
Her legs might have been short, but her tiny body was remarkably nimble. Every time the bandit’s saber fell, she dodged with uncanny precision, as though she could sense the danger in advance.
Whoosh!
An arrow flew over Jiang Yunsui’s head and buried itself in the bandit’s throat.
Scrambling on all fours, Jiang Yunsui climbed onto Ji Yan’an.
He was sitting in his wheelchair. She plopped down on his lap and patted her little chest.
She was still grumbling furiously. “That’s too much! He actually ambushed a child while she was going to the bathroom!”
Ji Yan’an pinched her lips shut. “You’re a young lady. Show some decorum.”
Jiang Yunsui’s huge eyes darted back and forth. Clearly, she had not listened at all.
“Ji Yan’an, let’s go rob them.”
Little Mushroom was eager for action.
“Those who cuckold others will be cuckolded, and those who rob others will be robbed…”
Ji Yan’an’s brows knotted at her nonsensical mangling of proverbs.
“Stop spouting nonsense.”
“Just tell me whether we’re going.”
“We are,” Ji Yan’an replied.
Jiang Yunsui immediately launched into another stream of chatter.
“Right? Right? We’re already here. Since we ran into them, that means fate brought us together. And since fate brought us together, how could they not invite us over for a visit?”
“Isn’t that right, friend?”
Little Mushroom stared with shining eyes at the captured bandit scout.
The bandit who had been forcibly made her friend fell silent.
Holding two Truth Pills, Song Jin smiled in an exceptionally irritating way.
“Friend, why don’t you tell us where your stronghold is and how many people you have…”
Jiang Yunsui leaned back and settled comfortably as she listened to Song Jin’s interrogation.
Ji Yan’an’s chilly voice drifted from behind her.
“Are you comfortable?”
Jiang Yunsui wiggled her little bottom.
“Not really. It’s a little bony.”
Ji Yan’an’s expression darkened.
“Get off.”
“All right!”
Jiang Yunsui flipped around and climbed down from Ji Yan’an.
“I forgot I still haven’t gone to the bathroom. Bye!”
With that, Little Mushroom dashed away again.
Ji Yan’an pinched the bridge of his nose.
At the same time, he felt a trace of envy. He wished he possessed that boundless energy too.
After taking care of her needs, Jiang Yunsui wandered through the woods with two great roosters and two large dogs flanking her like guardians.
She wanted to see whether she could find anything to eat.
“Hmm? Lotus flowers?”
Most of the flowers in the small pond were still buds. There were no lotus seedpods yet, but lotus roots must be growing beneath them.
She could take lotus leaves back and ask Fat Grandpa to make beggar’s chicken.
No sooner had she thought of it than she acted.
Jiang Yunsui grabbed one large dog’s paw.
“Hold on to me. You have to hold on tight! When Fat Grandpa makes beggar’s chicken, you can each have a whole one.”
Then she leaned her tiny body forward and caught hold of a lotus leaf.
“Hehe, I got it!”
Using every last bit of her strength, she finally pulled the first leaf close enough to pluck it.
“More, more!”
Jiang Yunsui repeated the process. After gathering three lotus leaves in a row, she grew even more enthusiastic.
Of the two large dogs, one lent her a paw and braced itself to keep her steady. Fortunately, Jiang Yunsui was small while the dog was large and heavy enough to anchor her.
The other stood ready to seize Jiang Yunsui’s clothes in its teeth at any moment.
“Hey, hey, hey?”
The next leaf was a little farther away. Absorbed in the task, Jiang Yunsui finally caught its edge. In her excitement, she released the dog’s paw so she could pull with both hands.
Zuozuo and Youyou stared in alarm.
Jiang Yunsui’s eyes went round.
The girl and both dogs stared wide-eyed at one another.
Zuozuo and Youyou lunged at the same time to catch her clothes, but their heads collided and their teeth clacked painfully together. Both dogs clutched their muzzles with their paws and whimpered.
Splash!
Jiang Yunsui fell into the pond after all.
She flailed twice before finding her footing.
The pond was shallow, but its bottom was thick with mud.
“Croak…”
Covered from head to toe in black muck, Jiang Yunsui did not dare open her mouth for fear that mud would fall inside.
Her round eyes drooped in irritation as she caught the bold bullfrog that had tried to jump onto her head.
“I think this can be eaten too?”
After wiping the mud from around her mouth, the little girl stared with clear black-and-white eyes at the bullfrog dangling from her grip by its hind legs.
“I’ll catch it first.”
She tied it with a grass vine until only its head remained exposed.
Looking down at her filthy state, Jiang Yunsui drew a deep breath.
“Since I’m already like this, it would be a terrible loss if I didn’t pick more lotus leaves and dig up some lotus roots. Right, Zuozuo and Youyou?”
The two dogs regarded her with exceptionally wise expressions.
Huffing and grumbling, Jiang Yunsui jumped back into the pond.
Her short legs struggled through the lotus bed.
She picked lotus leaves and added a few flowers as well.
Then she stuck her bottom in the air and felt around for lotus roots.
They were difficult to find. Jiang Yunsui searched for ages before unearthing one section.
When she pulled with all her might, it snapped with a crack and sent her tumbling back into the mud.
“Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey…”
Fresh water flowed through the pond, and there was no rubbish in the mud. It did not smell, but it certainly looked filthy.
The little mud figure tossed the lotus root onto the bank, then felt around beneath her bottom.
When she fell, she had sensed herself land on something.
“What is this?!”
She strained with her entire body but could not pry it free.
“Z-Zuozuo, Youyou, don’t just stand there! Hurry and help me.”
Zuozuo and Youyou leaped in without hesitation, their tails wagging furiously.
Hehe, they had been waiting for her to say that.
The two dogs immediately began romping through the lotus pond.
Youyou even rolled around vigorously, turning his beautiful red fur filthy in an instant.
Together, the dogs helped pry out the thing Jiang Yunsui had been tugging at.
“Wow! What a huge turtle!”
“Wait, I don’t think it’s a turtle.”
It was a softshell turtle larger than a washbasin.
It was so heavy that Jiang Yunsui could not lift it at all.
“Come on, let’s go back!”
She tied the lotus leaves and flowers to the two great roosters. Four bullfrogs hung from her waist, while the softshell turtle was bound with vines for Youyou to carry in his mouth.
Ji Yan’an and Song Jin were playing chess and drinking tea as they discussed their plan to eliminate the bandits.
“Pfft!”
Ji Yan’an suddenly sprayed out the mouthful of tea he had just drunk.
The unexpected attack left Song Jin, who was holding a piece over the board, completely bewildered.
His face darkened. “Young Master, you…”
Ji Yan’an paid him no attention. Pointing at Jiang Yunsui, he ground out each syllable through clenched teeth.
“Jiang! Yun! Sui!”
Song Jin turned to look and nearly choked on his own saliva.
Everyone else was speechless.