Chapter 31: Who Are the Real Bandits

“What is your name?”

“Just call me Red Lotus. This mountain is under heavy guard. What are you doing here alone?”

The two of them chatted half-heartedly, while Xu Feng remained extremely vigilant throughout.

He had not come up the mountain to kill people or suppress bandits. His most important objective was to find a way to borrow grain.

There was no point trying to reason with this band of bandits, so Xu Feng had decided from the beginning to seize their leader and use her as leverage to obtain food.

Now he had to determine their location as quickly as possible.

“Don’t ask so many questions. I’ll take you with me when I leave.”

Xu Feng paid no attention to the fact that Red Lotus, following behind him, showed not the slightest trace of panic.

Most of his attention was focused elsewhere.

“Wait here. I’ll capture someone and question him about where their leader is.”

Red Lotus found Xu Feng increasingly amusing. She nodded and indicated that she would obediently stay where she was.

Before long, Xu Feng had captured one of the bandits and forced him to reveal the location of their leader’s residence.

“These bandits truly have no conscience. Their home is even more luxurious than the mansions of the wealthy in the city.”

Red Lotus’s residence was indeed rather extravagant. Though it stood on a mountain, she was a refined person, and every kind of sculpture, potted plant, and beautiful adornment could be found there.

“You can’t put it that way. The bandits on this mountain are actually quite kind. At the very least, they don’t kill indiscriminately. The innocent are never robbed; only wicked people are punished. They have never harmed the common folk living below the mountain.”

Xu Feng curled his lip without replying. He thought the girl was somewhat naive.

Once someone had become a bandit, how could they still retain their kindness? Still, he had heard on his way up that these bandits did indeed enjoy a much better reputation among the people than the beasts of Qixia Mountain.

The two of them slipped silently in through a side entrance, evading every guard.

When they reached the garden, Xu Feng found himself somewhat lost.

The place was a maze of winding paths and buildings. Finding the bandit leader’s room was not easy at all.

Just as he was about to pick a direction at random and take a look, Red Lotus gave him the correct guidance.

“How about we check the row of houses on the left? I heard someone mention earlier that their leader lives there.”

“Fine. It seems you’re not entirely useless.”

Red Lotus nearly burst out laughing. She found this man in the ghost-faced mask extremely amusing.

She simply had no idea what his true purpose was.

Under Red Lotus’s guidance, Xu Feng successfully found the correct room.

Just as he thought success was within reach, he pushed open the door and found himself surrounded by a large group of people.

“How dare you, you petty thief! You actually broke into our stronghold in the dead of night. Seize him!”

The bandits had apparently laid an ambush long ago. Xu Feng could not understand how he had been exposed.

He had clearly been cautious enough.

“Stay back. I’ll break us out.”

His objective was no longer attainable, so all he could do now was retreat with his life intact.

As he withdrew, Xu Feng continued to shield Red Lotus. To the other bandits, however, the scene looked as though Xu Feng had kidnapped their leader.

This was the first time Xu Feng had ever found himself in such a dangerous predicament.

While he was pondering how to escape, a bandit who appeared to be a minor leader stepped forward.

“Release her at once. If you let her go now, we may still spare your life. Otherwise, you will never escape, even if you grow wings.”

Xu Feng cast a startled glance at Red Lotus.

“I didn’t realize you had been kidnapped by these bandits and forced to become their chieftain’s wife. Don’t be afraid. I’ll get you safely down the mountain.”

“When we start fighting, slip away while you have the chance. Wait for me near the kitchen. If I haven’t arrived within half an hour, you can leave on your own. I’ll do my best to draw their attention.”

Red Lotus forcibly turned her head aside, afraid she would laugh out loud on the spot.

Life on the mountain had been rather boring. Now that she had finally encountered something so entertaining, she naturally intended to enjoy herself.

“Then I thank you, benefactor.”

Seeing that Xu Feng had no intention of releasing her, the other bandits did not dare make a move.

Red Lotus’s mischievous streak took hold, and she signaled to the minor leader beside her with her eyes.

The minor leader was equally bewildered. He could not understand what game their leader was playing. Given her strength, she should not have been capable of being taken hostage.

But he did not dare say anything more. He could only follow his leader’s wishes.

“Boy, we have no grudge against you. Why have you come up the mountain to cause trouble for us?”

“Everyone, I have no intention of harming anyone. I came up this mountain only to borrow some grain. My method was simply a little unpopular, so I hope you won’t take it to heart.”

Xu Feng did not want to clash with them. All he wanted now was to escape unharmed and find another way to obtain the grain.

He had assumed they would never believe him. Yet the very next words spoken by the minor leader left him utterly stunned.

“How much grain do you need? I’ll have people gather it for you immediately. Grain in exchange for the hostage.”

The decisive response surprised Xu Feng once again. It seemed the bargaining chip in his hands was even more valuable than he had imagined. Had he known this earlier, there would have been no need for all that trouble.

What concerned him was whether Red Lotus might suffer after falling into the hands of these bandits.

Apparently guessing what he was thinking, Red Lotus quietly spoke.

“There’s no need to worry. They did not forcibly bring me up here. I came willingly, and my freedom has never been restricted. Even if you leave alone, they can do nothing to me.”

“Is that really true?”

Xu Feng was somewhat suspicious that Red Lotus was deceiving him.

“Of course it’s true. Earlier, I was only sneaking food in the kitchen. You misunderstood and thought I was some innocent girl who had been kidnapped and brought up the mountain.”

Xu Feng was speechless. After all that, he had been worrying for nothing. Red Lotus was clearly one of the people from the mountain. It had never occurred to him that she might be the bandit leader; he had merely assumed she was the leader’s daughter or something of the sort.

“How much grain do you need?”

“Thirty thousand dan. Once I get through this crisis, I’ll repay every ounce of it.”

At Red Lotus’s signal, the bandits nodded and agreed on the spot.

The whole affair had been nowhere near as difficult as he had expected.

By a stroke of luck, he had borrowed the grain without injuring a single person. Even the few soldiers he had captured and interrogated earlier were in no danger of losing their lives. Xu Feng had merely tied them up and left them in a secluded place.

“Can you truly keep your word? Don’t you need to report this to your leader?”

“…”

The nervous bandits were somewhat confused. Yet by now, they had begun to understand a little of what was happening. Xu Feng had most likely failed to recognize Red Lotus, which explained why the situation had become so strange.

“There’s no need to worry. We always keep our word. A promise is a promise, and you will receive every bit of the grain you borrowed.”

“Then I’ll trust you this once.”

Xu Feng was a straightforward man. He felt they had no reason to deceive him over something like this.

He promptly lowered the weapon in his hand.

“Hmph, boy. You’re the first person in a long time bold enough to come to our mountain and take advantage of us.”

It was clear that the bandits were still somewhat dissatisfied, but out of consideration for Red Lotus, they did not make trouble.

“I’ll trouble you all to gather the grain and deliver it to the Feng Residence. Once we get through this crisis, we will repay every grain of it, with interest.”

Xu Feng cupped his hands in thanks and then did not linger any longer.