“Keep the fox?”
Not only was Yan Zhao slightly stunned, but even A-Ling was quite surprised.
“Boss, you…” A-Ling was confused. How could the leader so easily let this thief, who sneaked into the bandit camp to steal, go?
What was so special about this fox, apart from its good looks?
The woman waved her hand to stop A-Ling from asking further questions. She nodded towards Yan Zhao and asked, “What will you do?”
The fox raised its head and looked up at the woman. Its deep green eyes gave off a chilling aura.
The woman smiled, realizing this was no ordinary fox.
Yan Zhao hugged the little fox tightly, remaining silent.
A-Ling, unconditionally obedient to the leader’s commands, saw that Yan Zhao wasn’t responding and raised her voice, “Our boss is asking you a question! Are you mute?!”
After a long period of silence from Yan Zhao, A-Ling grew impatient. “Boss, this thief is clearly defiant! If you like the fox, just take it! Why waste time talking to her? She came into our camp to steal, and we’re debating this?”
Before she could finish, A-Ling suddenly met Yan Zhao’s fierce gaze and was taken aback by the hostility in her eyes.
The leader pondered for a moment and then said, “From the looks of it, you’re not doing well in the Fuyun Sect. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here stealing from us. How about this: I’ll add one hundred taels of silver and ten pieces of meat.”
A-Ling was shocked. “Boss!”
It’s just a fox. There are plenty of them in the mountains, and even good-looking ones aren’t that rare. There’s no need for one hundred taels!
The leader ignored A-Ling’s objections, picked up a wine cup from the table, took a sip, and gave Yan Zhao a final warning, “You have the time of an incense stick to think it over. Don’t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a punishment drink.”
Yan Zhao remained silent, but the little fox in her arms started to fidget.
Ren Qingyue, who had been with Yan Zhao for two days, had a general sense of Yan Zhao’s nature. This child was not bad-hearted, and though she had little concept of other things, she was particularly insistent about food.
The reason was not hard to guess.
The outer disciples of the Fuyun Sect had a dining hall specifically for those in the Qi Condensation stage who could not practice fasting. They provided spirit porridge and spirit food, and diligent disciples could also buy fasting pills with sect contributions.
However, Tianzhu Peak, being an inner sect area, had no dining hall since the disciples had all practiced fasting.
Yan Zhao, unable to cultivate and unable to leave Tianzhu Peak, with no one to take care of her, must have often gone hungry.
Ren Qingyue wasn’t entirely unaware of Yan Zhao’s life on Tianzhu Peak over the past three hundred years, but since it didn’t concern him directly, he didn’t pay much attention.
No one had taught her rules or showed her any care.
Ren Qingyue felt helpless. Considering this, even if Yan Zhao chose to leave him behind and take the money, it would be understandable.
Yan Zhao patted the fox on the head and then put it on the ground.
Ren Qingyue sighed inwardly: As expected.
Unexpectedly, before Yan Zhao could stand up, her lips brushed against Ren Qingyue’s ear.
“Go outside and wait for me at the foot of the mountain.”
The little fox’s pupils contracted.
Yan Zhao grabbed its tail and swung it forcefully, throwing it outside.
The fox did a flip in the air, landing on its belly, but it was so focused on the main tent that it didn’t feel any pain.
The woman on the seat suddenly stood up, and several burly bandits rushed to subdue Yan Zhao, pinning her to the ground.
Yan Zhao’s face pressed against the floor. With great difficulty, she lifted her head and saw the little fox outside the tent, with eyes filled with shock, confusion, and mixed emotions. She shouted, “Run!”
Several bandits ran out of the tent. Ren Qingyue, coming to his senses, slipped into the shadows of the building.
The Fuyun Sect’s Void Refining assassins had chased her for days and nights without catching her, and these mountain bandits were all ordinary people. As long as she didn’t deliberately reveal herself, no one would be able to find her.
But what about Yan Zhao?
Half an hour later, the bandits who had gone out to catch the fox returned one by one, all empty-handed.
The atmosphere in the room was tense. The men dared not even breathe; it had been a long time since they had seen the leader so angry.
A-Ling glanced at Yan Zhao, who remained silent, and felt frustrated. “Boss, what should we do with this thief?”
The leader, lost in thought, set down her wine cup and said淡淡地,”For now, lock her up.”
—
Yan Zhao was bound and pushed into the firewood room.
Her captors intentionally shoved her roughly, causing her to trip over the ropes and fall with a thud. The door closed behind her.
It took her a while to get up and look around, only to find two other people tied to the pillars in the room.
She recognized them both.
Luo Qi and Lin Chao.
When Yan Zhao was thrown in, Luo Qi had just spat out the cloth he had been gagged with. Seeing Yan Zhao, he sneered, “Thought you were so capable, but you’re just a useless piece of trash! I advised you to leave the mountain earlier, but you wouldn’t listen. Now look, we don’t even have someone to send back to the sect.”
Lin Chao tried to dissuade Luo Qi, saying, “We’re in this situation now, so just keep quiet.”
He then turned to Yan Zhao and asked, “What’s going on outside? How did you get caught too?”
Yan Zhao ignored him. Lin Chao, feeling embarrassed, fell silent. Luo Qi, still taunting, said, “Don’t you know what kind of person she is? Even if the sky were to fall, she wouldn’t change. It’s useless to talk to her. Are you trying to play the good guy now? You were part of what happened before!”
Lin Chao understood what he meant and, feeling embarrassed, said nothing more.
The room fell silent. After a while, Luo Qi heard rustling sounds and found it strange. He turned around and his eyes widened in shock.
Yan Zhao had somehow untied the ropes on her wrists and was now sitting on the ground, using a beast’s tooth to cut the ropes around her ankles.
Watching as Yan Zhao swiftly untied herself, stood up, and shook her hands and feet, while peeking through the door crack to observe the situation outside, Luo Qi finally realized, “Yan Zhao!”
Yan Zhao glanced at him.
Luo Qi twisted his arm and awkwardly extended his neck, “Hurry up and untie us too!”
Lin Chao elbowed Luo Qi sharply and whispered, “Have you forgotten how we usually treat her? With that attitude, she’ll be less likely to help! You need to say something nice!”
Luo Qi had never looked Yan Zhao in the eye before and had never considered her as a fellow sect member. It was humiliating for him to lower his stance and beg her for help.
But Lin Chao was right. There was a chance to escape now, and if he didn’t soften his attitude, waiting for their master to come rescue them would be too late.
Grinding his teeth, he forced out the apology, almost biting his tongue, “About the past, we were too harsh. I…I apologize! I promise it won’t happen again!”
“Yes!” Lin Chao echoed, “Junior Sister Yan, we are your senior brothers after all. We have wronged you in the past. If you have any grievances, once we leave the bandit camp, you can deal with us as you wish!”
Yan Zhao stood by the door, coldly watching their performance, unmoved.
Luo Qi and Lin Chao pleaded for a long time, but Yan Zhao ignored them, determined to watch from the sidelines.
Realizing Yan Zhao would not help, Luo Qi, anxious, thought quickly, “If you don’t untie us, we’ll start shouting. No one will be able to leave then!”
Lin Chao’s heart sank: This is bad!
However, as soon as Luo Qi said this, Yan Zhao actually walked over to them.
Luo Qi exchanged a look with Lin Chao: What now?
He felt a sense of satisfaction. For someone like her, she shouldn’t be given any courtesy.
Yan Zhao walked silently up to Luo Qi. He turned his head away, urging, “Don’t dawdle. Hurry up!”
In the next moment, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and his eyes widened in surprise: “You…”
Before he could finish, his vision went dark, and his head fell forward onto his chest. He went silent.
“Yan… Junior Sister Yan,” Lin Chao trembled and showed some self-awareness, “Be gentle…”
Yan Zhao was indifferent to him as well.
Lin Chao passed out without a sound.
Before leaving, Yan Zhao noticed a glowing object at Luo Qi’s waist in the darkness.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a dark purple jade pendant.
“This jade is quite nice,” Yan Zhao muttered to herself and casually took it.
—
The firewood room door was not locked, and there was no guard.
It seemed the bandits were very confident in their binding skills.
As night deepened, Yan Zhao quietly opened the door slightly and slipped outside.
The camp was mostly dark, with only a few torches burning through the night.
The bandit camp gate was guarded all night, so walking out without being seen was highly unlikely.
Yan Zhao decided to retrace her steps, carefully avoiding the night watchmen and moving slowly in the direction she had come from.
Just as she was about to reach the hole she had entered through, a white figure suddenly jumped down from a tree and landed precisely in her arms.
It was her little fox!
Yan Zhao embraced it with surprise and joy, “You didn’t leave?”
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