Chapter 15: Bravely Invading the Bandit Den

Although they had separated, he was still his older brother, and Tian Dabiao wouldn’t stand by and do nothing; after all, he was still Master Xu’s son.

Uncle Xu said to everyone, “You all wait here, and we’ll go take a look!”

Upon hearing that the townsfolk had encountered bandits, Grandmother and Uncle were both worried. Second cousin’s in-laws had also fled with the townspeople, and it was uncertain how they were faring.

Second cousin said, “Grandma, Mom, don’t worry yet. I’ll look around here for a bit.”

Tian Mi, listening in, said, “Grandmother, Auntie, when Dad comes back, I’ll go look too.”

They nodded in agreement.

Soon after, Tian Dabiao returned with Xu Shichang on his back, followed by Aunt Ye, Uncle Xu, and steward Xu Da, with servant Xu Xiaoshi trailing behind.

Tian Dabiao said, “Aunt Feng, bring some water and a few steamed buns!”

“Brother-in-law, can you check on his leg?”

Aunt Feng hurried to get them some buns and water, while Uncle went over to examine Xu Shichang’s leg.

Tian Mi, who didn’t like Xu Shichang, said to Tian Dabiao, “Dad, I don’t know where second cousin’s in-laws are. I’ll go look for them!”

Uncle Xu suggested they all search the surrounding area. They left half of the young and strong to guard the convoy while the other half went to search for people.

Tian Mi rode slowly down the road, calling out, “Chen Beibei, Chen Beibei!”

However, she walked over three miles without anyone responding. Instead, she encountered some townspeople returning, and they all said they hadn’t seen anything.

The townsfolk were gathering; over three hundred had come out, but now there were fewer than a hundred left here, with a portion probably having run back.

Uncle Xu was still upset that the escort team hadn’t waited for them and didn’t want to travel with them, so he said, “Our convoy is too conspicuous here and likely to attract bandits. We’ll leave first; you can keep looking!”

With that, he signaled for Tian Dabiao to lead everyone away from the bandit territory.

Xu Shichang was squeezed in with the injured children, while Aunt Ye, Zhou Rongrong, and the women huddled together. Xu Yunzhu, Xu Da, and Xu Xiaoshi had to sit on the cart frame.

As the group continued, they noticed Grandmother and Aunt looking worried, which left Tian Mi feeling uneasy. The safety of so many people was the most important thing, and they all understood that, so no one said anything.

Today was the fastest they had traveled; they finally found a spacious area by the roadside to rest and make a fire in the middle of the night when everyone was truly exhausted.

The atmosphere tonight was awkward. Everyone worked quietly according to their roles: laying down straw, lighting fires, cooking, and speaking very little, completely lacking the joy of the previous night.

Even eating roasted horse meat didn’t have much flavor!

After dinner, Uncle Xu said, “It’s getting late; let’s all rest! I’ll keep watch tonight.”

Xu Yunzhu quickly replied, “Uncle, you should rest. I’ll keep watch.”

Since Xu Shichang returned, no one had inquired about any of his family members. Aunt Ye also felt embarrassed to say, “I’ll keep watch with Yunzhu! I won’t get tired in the cart.”

Everyone remained silent, and Uncle Xu said, “Then it’s hard on you, big sister and Yunzhu.”

They repeatedly insisted, “It’s nothing, it’s what we should do.”

In reality, they wouldn’t be able to hold out for long; Xu Xiaoshi and Xu Da would come to relieve them soon.

After a day of exhaustion and tension, everyone quickly fell asleep. However, Tian Mi was still awake. In her original memories, second cousin was the gentlest, probably because the eldest cousin was the firstborn and received the most love and attention from the family. The second daughter would naturally be a bit more subdued, and she was more sensitive and cautious, which made her particularly understanding and patient with others, especially with the troublemaker from her original life.

The two sisters received the same thing, but the eldest cousin would feel that her family did not love her, while the second cousin felt grateful.

Gradually, this understanding and heartwarming child gained more affection from the elders and fondness from everyone.

Tian Mi still wanted to look for her! She quietly got up, and Xu Yunzhu didn’t know where she had gone; Aunt Ye was on night watch.

Tian Mi said she was too hot and wanted to rest nearby. Aunt Ye never worried about Tian Mi; she rarely won arguments and had even lost a few fights, and all three of her daughters who married out had been beaten by the original host.

As soon as she stepped out of the space, she heard someone speaking softly. Tian Mi’s space allowed her to hear and see the sights and things outside.

Zhou Rongrong asked Xu Yunzhu, “Why didn’t you tell them that Chen Beibei was captured by the bandits?”

Xu Yunzhu replied, “What good would telling them do? Would it make them sad or make them rush into the bandit den only to find nothing left behind?”

Hearing this, Zhou Rongrong began to cry softly, saying, “But not saying anything makes me feel terrible inside!”

Xu Yunzhu said, “If you feel bad, knowing would make them feel even worse.”

It seemed that they had to venture into the bandits’ den!

Tian Mi immediately stealthily made her way toward the location where the bandits had ambushed them. Once she arrived, she took out her flashlight to examine the tire tracks and the direction where the withered grass was flattened, searching for the location of the bandit hideout.

Tian Mi released a horse she had collected from her space earlier, fed it some spring water, and some cabbage that she had prepared in her space. The horse eagerly ate.

Tian Mi then rode her horse swiftly into the deep mountains. The drought was so severe that the bandits had not left; they must be in a place with water, and the deep mountains were the right choice.

After riding for a while, she dismounted to look for tire tracks. After about half an hour, Tian Mi spotted a torch flickering on the hillside of a mountain in the distance. She dismounted and stored it in her space, silently approaching the bandit hideout.

The leader of the bandits had not yet gone to sleep. Although they claimed to have stolen a lot of goods today, the third-in-command had taken a horse team out and ended up getting killed, losing all the horses in the process. With the drought, horses were incredibly valuable, and he had suffered heavy losses. He was so upset that he didn’t even feel like holding a victory feast, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

This bandit hideout resembled a small village, with over a dozen mud huts surrounding a few caves where the leaders lived.

Both the leader and the third-in-command were in bad moods today, so the bandits were very quiet and didn’t mistreat the women they had captured; they had gone to sleep instead.

Two guards were dozing off against the wall outside the outermost hut on the hillside. With the drought causing widespread famine, no one was coming to hunt down the bandits, so they weren’t worried at all.

Tian Mi, using her space, approached them without being detected. With her surgical knife, she quietly dealt with both of them and walked inside, hearing the sound of crying coming from the central hut.

Tian Mi knew that the people inside were likely those who had been captured. If she released them, the commotion would definitely attract the bandits, making it difficult for them to escape.

Tian Mi took out the sleeping powder she had prepared earlier. She had two types: one was outdoor sleeping smoke, and the other was indoor sleeping powder. She tossed a dose of the sleeping powder into every room except the one where the crying was coming from. This powder would take effect in about ten minutes, and just in case, she put on a gas mask first.

Inside the cave, Tian Mi was unsure of the situation and didn’t dare to rush in, so she first threw a few doses of sleeping powder inside.

After a few minutes, she put on a hood and released the captives. The door was locked, but it posed no challenge for her. Out of reflex from the original host, she kicked the door down.

Oh wow! I’m becoming more like the original host—simple and brutal!

The people inside were terrified and screamed!

Tian Mi said, “Stop screaming! I’m here to rescue you, hurry and run! Go south!”

Wearing the gas mask, her voice was muffled, and no one could tell who she was.

All the captives were women. At first, they were stunned, but then they quickly reacted, thanking her repeatedly as they hurried to leave.

“Thank you, hero! Thank you, hero!” They rushed down the mountain without hesitation, and she saw her second cousin among them.