Yun Jinhe said helplessly, "Handsome, handsome man, I've already told you, this girl is quite ugly, plain and unremarkable. You are handsome and dashing, like Pan An. What kind of woman can't you find? So... so let her go, alright?"
Alas, if he had known this would happen, he should have asked Miss Murong to disguise herself as a man and change into male attire when they set off.
Now that they were targeted by mountain bandits, how would he explain it to her cousin (Shangguan Fang'er) when he returned...
The leader snorted, his expression unchanged, and beckoned to Murong Qing, "Come here, let me get a good look at you!~"
Whether she was a beauty could be told from her features. Even if Murong Qing's entire face were smeared with charcoal, it would be difficult to hide her outstanding appearance.
Murong Qing didn't move. Instead, she quietly slipped her hand into her sleeve, as if feeling for something...
Yao Jinsheng felt a surge of anger, glaring at the leader. "Hey, what do you want? Don't you just need money? Wait until I return to the capital, and I'll send you a sack of silver ingots. Why do you have to make things difficult for a young lady?"
Yun Jinhe: "..."
Murong Qing: "..."
Good heavens, do you want to make the situation even more chaotic?
In this situation, is this the time to show off your wealth and flaunt it?
The leader's interest was suddenly piqued. He felt that Yao Jinsheng's attire and demeanor were different from others, and he exuded an air of ostentatious wealth...
"Is your household very wealthy?" the leader asked coldly.
Yao Jinsheng puffed out his chest and thumped it. "Of course! My father is the richest man in the capital. Silver notes and gold bars are piled everywhere, too many to count!~"
Yun Jinhe: "..."
He tugged hard at Yao Jinsheng and winked at him, "Stop talking, shut up!"
Upon hearing this, the leader's eyes flashed with a sharp glint. "Who is your father?"
If he kidnapped the son of this richest man, wouldn't he be able to ask his father for any amount of money?
Haha, heaven truly smiled upon him. He happened to encounter the son of the richest man in this desolate wilderness...
"My father is called Yao Wanguan. Everyone in the capital calls him Master Yao or Steward Yao!~" When it came to his father, Yao Jinsheng's confidence soared.
The homophone of Yao Wanguan was 'Yao Chan Wan Guan' (meaning 'a fortune to be had'), and his name was indeed quite ostentatious.
Meanwhile, Master Yao, who was far away in the capital, suddenly sneezed, and a large snot bubble flew out.
Why did he feel a chill down his spine...
Murong Qing sighed, resting her forehead in her hand. She couldn't manage him.
No wonder your father usually doesn't give you money. With such a pig's head, you'd be robbed eight times a day.
A wave of ecstasy surged through the leader. He quickly ordered his subordinates, "Go, tie up that richest man's son and the girl for me!~"
As soon as the words fell, four or five bandits took out ropes and moved towards Murong Qing and the others...
Yun Jinhe gritted his teeth tightly, his mind racing, trying to figure out how to escape without letting his companions get hurt.
Just as a bandit reached out his hand, intending to tie up Yao Jinsheng, a loud bang suddenly echoed across the vast snowy plain.
The forest behind them also reverberated with the sound.
"Boom! Bang!~"
The deafening noise made the bandits take a step back, unsure of what had happened.
It was Yun Jinhe, with his sharp eyes, who saw Murong Qing holding a bead the size of a meatball in her hand...
And where the loud noise had just come from, a shallow pit had been blasted into the ground.
Yun Jinhe blinked and asked softly, "Miss Murong, what... what is this thing?"
The explosion was more violent than ordinary firecrackers; it was simply a divine weapon.
"It's to scare people!~" Murong Qing lowered her voice and rubbed the bead in her hand. "This is called a 'tanhuo zhu' (fire-exploding bead). I originally planned to use it to make fireworks, so we wouldn't have to buy firecrackers during the New Year. I didn't expect it to be useful here..."
This thing couldn't kill anyone, but it had a strong deterrent effect.
After all, who would want to rush forward to rob with the sound of a huge explosion?
Yao Jinsheng and Sun Tianxiu both breathed a sigh of relief. They knew that Miss Murong always had the most solutions and could turn danger into safety every time at critical moments...
The leader was stunned for a few seconds before recovering from the immense shock.
He ordered his subordinates, "What are you afraid of? That thing is just for show. Look at you all acting like cowards, you're truly embarrassing me!~"
A subordinate weakly looked at the leader. "L-leader, if you're not afraid of being blown to death, why don't you try it yourself? We brothers will cheer you on from behind!"
The leader: "..."
These useless good-for-nothings would eventually drive him to death.
Seeing the "golden buns" and the "little beauty" standing before him, the leader's heart felt like it was sprouting grass. He just wanted to capture them and take them to the stronghold to have his way with them.
Moreover, with so many subordinates watching, he couldn't back down.
With that thought, the leader dismounted, hefted his nine-ring broadsword, and charged rapidly towards Murong Qing...
"Heh heh, little beauty, here I come!~"
The leader was filled with joy at the thought of her washed clean and pure.
"Miss Murong, be careful!"
Yun Jinhe stepped forward, about to pull Murong Qing behind him, when he saw a flash of white light before his eyes, followed by a huge roar that once again echoed through the air...
Murong Qing threw two 'tanhuo zhu' in quick succession. The 'boom' made the leader pause, but he didn't retreat.
After a moment of stunned silence, the leader threw his head back and laughed heartily. "Hahahaha, I knew this thing was just for scaring people, it has no power at all! What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and attack!~"
Hmph, such a petty trick, daring to show off in front of him, it's simply laughable...
This time, the bandits didn't hesitate. They picked up their weapons, emboldened, and surged forward with a whoosh.
Murong Qing threw out all the 'tanhuo zhu' she had, but it still couldn't stop the bandits' assault.
"Oh no, the tanhuo zhu are all gone!~" A drop of cold sweat trickled down Murong Qing's forehead. She felt nervous for the first time in a long time.
Yao Jinsheng and Sun Tianxiu were already scared out of their wits, covering their heads and running backward...
Yun Jinhe mustered his courage and tightly grasped Murong Qing's hand. "Don't be afraid, I'm with you!~"
At this moment, besides staying by Murong Qing's side, Jinhe couldn't think of any better words to comfort her.
Murong Qing closed her eyes, preparing to be captured by the bandits.
At the critical moment, a dark shadow rushed forward like a gust of wind and lightning...
He stepped on the white snow but left no trace. His upright posture and handsome features were like the most beautiful existence in the world. The moment he appeared, he brought with him a momentum like a thunderbolt.
However, the sheepskin jacket he wore didn't quite match him.
The strong wind swept past, stirring up snowflakes and blinding the bandits.
Before Yun Jinhe could even call out "Fourth Uncle," Yun Siman had already clenched his iron fist and engaged the bandits in combat...