Chapter 12

The carriage stopped twice along the way, as the bandits needed to drink water and eat dry rations. Moreover, most of them were riding two to a horse, and they were all burly men, so even if the people didn't need to rest, the horses did.

The horse policy of the Great Qin Empire was very strict. Apart from official horses, private horses had to be registered with the local government. Any sale or transfer required official procedures, and the local horse administration would regularly send people to check the movements of private horses. The control over horses in the entire Great Qin Empire was extremely strict.

For this group to have so many horses, it was truly no small feat.

During the fight on the boat, several bandits were injured. Although their wounds were treated and bandaged, they were not severe, but they still needed to rest from time to time to prevent the wounds from worsening.

The captives did not have anything to eat along the way, but the bandits gave each of them a few sips of water. Only Wei Tianqing, whose mouth was gagged, was not allowed to drink water by the masked person.

After stopping twice on the road, when the carriage stopped for the third time, a voice came from outside: "We're here!" The masked person was the first to lift the curtain and jump down. Soon, the bandits came to untie the ropes on Chu Huan and the others' feet and drove them off the carriage.

Chu Huan got off the carriage and found it was already dusk. They had traveled for a long time. The setting sun cast a golden glow over the land. The first thing Chu Huan saw was a dilapidated ancient temple not far ahead.

The temple was small, standing alone in the wilderness. The moss growing between the broken walls and stones indicated its age. The main door had long rotted away, leaving only a frame. The name carved on the doorhead, after many years of wind and rain, was barely legible. Chu Huan finally made out the three characters "Lanting Temple."

The name sounded elegant, but the place was filled with a sinister and ghostly atmosphere. Even at dusk, looking through the broken door, the inside was pitch black, making one's heart race with fear.

This temple, built in an unknown dynasty, was surrounded by dense, silent forests on both sides. Many trees were several people thick, indicating that the forests had been there for a long time.

The female bandit leader got off the carriage and ordered, "Take them to the stone room, post guards at the door, and take turns. Two people per shift..." She glanced coldly at everyone, pausing briefly on Chu Huan's face before quickly moving on. "Anyone who doesn't behave will find out how hard their necks are!"

The bandits shouted roughly, driving Chu Huan and the others into the dilapidated temple. Many of the captives were terrified, but Chu Huan noticed that Su Linlang remained calm throughout, her body not trembling at all. Compared to the pale and trembling Mrs. Qiao, Su Linlang's courage was much greater.

Inside the temple, it was deathly quiet. The setting sun's light filtered through the broken cracks, revealing the even more dilapidated interior. The stone Buddha statues in the main hall were already toppled and shapeless, with rats running around on them, seemingly unafraid of people. When Mrs. Qiao saw the rats, she screamed again. A bandit nearby pointed a knife at her waist and cursed, "Are you trying to summon ghosts? Hurry up and move, or I'll catch a couple of rats for your midnight snack!"

Mrs. Qiao forced herself to close her mouth and dared not make a sound.

The temple was small, and they soon reached a room. A bandit pushed open the door, which creaked as it slowly opened. Inside was dark, and a bandit waved his knife, ordering, "All of you, get in."

Although they were all terrified, the captives still entered one by one. Chu Huan had not yet gone in when the female bandit leader came over, glanced coldly at him, and then at Wei Tianqing behind him, and ordered, "Bind their feet!" Although Chu Huan and Wei Tianqing were already prisoners, she clearly still did not trust them.

Someone immediately came forward and forcibly bound their feet with ox sinew ropes, then carried them into the room and threw them down, turning to leave. The door creaked as it was tightly closed and locked from the outside.

...

...

Inside the stone room, it was deathly quiet. After the door was closed, it was pitch black, and no one could see anything. Everyone's eyes were in the dark, like they had become blind, and they could only hear the breathing of those around them.

After being thrown to the ground, Chu Huan struggled and rolled to the side, soon bumping into a wall. He sat up, leaned against the wall, and took a deep breath. He suddenly smelled a faint, delicate fragrance, and heard breathing nearby, indicating that someone was also leaning against the wall next to him. By the scent, he knew it was a woman.

Among the captives, there were three women, and Chu Huan was not sure who was next to him.

Despite the great danger, Chu Huan remained calm, but there were naturally those who were afraid. In the sinister and terrifying dark room, soon came the sound of sobbing, clearly from a man.

His sobbing immediately triggered others, and soon several people were crying, filling the room with sobs. Then, Mrs. Qiao, sobbing, asked, "Wei Tianqing... Who are these people? What do they want to do? Will we... Will we die here?" She forgot that Wei Tianqing's mouth was gagged and could not answer.

Hearing Mrs. Qiao's voice from the other side, Chu Huan immediately knew that the woman next to him was not Mrs. Qiao. With many people crying, the woman next to him was silent, and Chu Huan felt that it was most likely Su Linlang.

He paused for a moment and then said softly, "Thank you for the cake... It was very good!" Before boarding the boat, the elder called "Old Su" had given him a cake. By saying this, he was also trying to confirm if the person next to him was Su Linlang.

The person next to him did not speak at first, but after a while, Chu Huan heard a soft "Mm," confirming that it was indeed Su Linlang.

"Don't worry, these people have probably kidnapped you for money!" Chu Huan's voice was gentle. If there were light, others would have cursed him for being crazy, as he was smiling faintly in such a dangerous situation. "They will soon ask about your identity and contact your family. Once your family pays the ransom, you will be able to leave."

Su Linlang responded with another "Mm," her calmness giving a sense of distance.

Someone nearby asked, "Will they really let us go if we pay the money?"

Chu Huan said lightly, "If you keep crying and making noise, these bandits might get annoyed and kill a couple of people to make you quiet. Dying here, where no one knows, is a real possibility."

Hearing this, the people who were sobbing immediately stopped.

...

As night fell, the dilapidated temple was shrouded in darkness, appearing cold and sinister.

Although the temple was small, it still had a few broken rooms, covered in dust and thick spider webs. In a small room on the left side, the female bandit leader and several bandits were discussing.

The female bandit leader and the bandits had removed their black masks, but the masked person still wore a grim bronze mask. On a worn but clean table, a lamp flickered, casting distorted and eerie shadows on the walls.

The female bandit leader's face looked serious under the lamp, with a hint of fatigue, but also a touch of feminine charm. She lifted a strand of black hair and placed it behind her ear, revealing a captivating demeanor. The black eyes behind the bronze mask stared fixedly at her beautiful face, unable to look away.

"This woman comes from a good family. Her grandfather, Mo Qingrao, was the chief of the Imperial Academy before he retired. He has many students and connections in the court, and still has a lot of influence even after retirement," the female bandit leader said slowly. "Qiao Mingtang's marriage to this woman was personally arranged by the chief of the Imperial Academy. Qiao Mingtang studied at the Imperial Academy and was once a head of the academy, making him a student of Mo Qingrao."

The man sitting to the left of the female bandit leader was a very strong man with a red birthmark above his left eyebrow, which was very noticeable. Most of the bandits were standing, but he, like the female bandit leader and the masked person, was sitting at the table, indicating his status among the bandits.

The man with the birthmark immediately said, "So, whether Qiao Mingtang likes it or not, he won't ignore this woman, both for public and private reasons?"

"Exactly," the female bandit leader said with a cold smile. "Qiao Mingtang's success today is partly due to his marriage to this woman. He was deeply appreciated by Mo Qingrao, who arranged the marriage. After that, Qiao Mingtang received a lot of support and rose to prominence. Moreover, I know that Qiao Mingtang really likes this woman. He has to give Mo Qingrao an account, and he probably can't bear to part with her. So, with this woman in our hands, he will definitely agree to our conditions."

The other bandits became excited, and one of them said, "Sister Dai, does this mean that Second Master and Brother Tianyou have a chance to be saved?" The speaker seemed older than the female bandit leader, with a scruffy beard, but still called her "Sister Dai," indicating that the title was based on status and respect, not age.

The other bandits also showed signs of joy, and one of them clenched his fist and said, "In the past few months, we lost over a dozen brothers without success. Sister Dai, your plan is brilliant."

The female bandit leader showed no joy, her face still serious. "We must not be complacent. Anything can happen before the people return. We must be cautious at every step. One mistake could have disastrous consequences."

Hearing this, everyone became serious again.

The masked person suddenly asked, "Dai, do you think something will go wrong?"

The female bandit leader looked at her, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, and then said slowly, "We need to send someone to deliver a message and negotiate with Qiao Mingtang... But I'm worried that Qiao Mingtang might call in the Divine Garment Guard."

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ps: Give me more red tickets, it's the new book period!

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