The younger brother, obeying the boss's command, wriggled towards the window like a maggot.
He struggled to reach the window, then turned around, leaning against the wall, and slowly stood up with the wall's support.
Since his hands and feet were bound, he could only use his mouth.
"Puff puff!"
The woodshed had mud walls, and the younger brother accidentally got a mouth full of dirt.
"Keep it down!"
The boss angrily whispered a reprimand to the younger brother, glancing cautiously outside the door. Fortunately, Da Tou was sleeping soundly and hadn't been woken.
"Come here, help us untie the ropes!"
The boss said to the younger brother.
The younger brother cautiously hopped step by step to their side, using his mouth to hold the woodcutter's axe and cut the ropes on their hands.
Once the boss's hands were untied, he directly took the woodcutter's axe from the younger brother's mouth and proceeded to untie all the ropes on the younger brother's body.
One of the younger brothers, once freed from his restraints, grabbed the woodcutter's axe and menacingly walked towards Da Tou outside the door.
"What are you doing!"
The boss quickly pulled him back.
He sought wealth, but had never taken a life. Otherwise, they wouldn't be doing this kind of thing without carrying any sharp weapons.
"If we don't kill him, we'll be discovered soon. If they report it to the authorities, we still won't be able to escape."
The younger brother explained to the boss.
"Are you crazy! There are two powerful martial artists upstairs. If we wake them up, none of us will escape!"
The boss said to the younger brother with disappointment, snatching the woodcutter's axe from his hand to prevent him from acting rashly and killing someone.
The younger brother dejectedly lowered his head.
"Be careful. Isn't there a carriage in the stable outside? If we ride their carriage, we can reach the next county town in less than a day. What are you afraid of them chasing us for?"
The boss had already made his plan. There was Su Fan's carriage in the stable outside. By taking the carriage, they could leave this place quickly. With the vastness of the world, who would know where they went.
The younger brothers' eyes lit up.
Despite their petty thievery, they were actually very poor and traveled on foot. If they could get a carriage, it wouldn't be a fruitless endeavor!
"Let's go!"
The boss led the younger brothers, tiptoeing out of the inn's backyard and into the stable in front.
"Shh!"
The boss, holding the reins, carefully fitted the harness and slowly drove the carriage out.
"Go! Get in the carriage!"
The boss excitedly beckoned to the younger brothers.
The younger brothers excitedly climbed into the carriage.
"Giddy up!"
With a whip from the boss, the horse pulled the carriage and galloped north.
The next day.
Su Fan and Chen Fang woke up and freshened up.
Last night, Su Fan had returned to reality to cultivate, so he hadn't noticed any commotion in the inn.
"Damn Da Tou! Where is he!"
A roar came from the backyard.
Su Fan and Chen Fang, somewhat puzzled, hurried over.
Da Tou was currently lowering his head, not daring to speak, with a wronged expression.
"What's wrong?"
Su Fan asked curiously.
"It's all Da Tou's fault for being lazy. Last night, while Da Tou was sleeping, those thieves took the opportunity to escape."
The proprietress said apologetically to Su Fan.
After all, Su Fan and his companion had captured the culprits. Although they hadn't intended to claim the bounty, the fact that the prisoners had escaped from their custody felt like a disservice to Su Fan and Chen Fang.
Su Fan thought it was no big deal.
"It's fine, if they ran, they ran. There's no loss."
Su Fan said indifferently.
"Proprietress! It's bad! The carriage is gone!"
At this moment, a waiter ran in with a panicked expression.
"What?!"
Just as Su Fan said there was no loss, the waiter brought him explosive news.
Seeing Su Fan and Chen Fang, the waiter felt a little guilty, as they were the owners of the carriage.
"When I woke up this morning, I was going to the stable to feed the horses, and I found your carriage was gone."
The waiter said guiltily.
Su Fan: ...
Putting aside the stolen carriage, why do I feel like you're scolding me?
"This... it must have been those thieves!"
The proprietress also felt apologetic to Su Fan and Chen Fang. Not only had she failed to keep an eye on the prisoners, but she had also lost their carriage.
"Please rest assured, honored guests, we will compensate you for your carriage."
The proprietress said with a pained expression.
A carriage was equivalent to several months of their revenue.
"Forget it, we still have to travel."
Chen Fang did not intend to make them pay.
Having also risen from humble beginnings, he understood how difficult things were for these people. Making them pay for a carriage would be equivalent to taking half a year's income. Chen Fang saw no need to make things difficult for them.
"How can that be? I'll have Da Tou go to the city to buy you a carriage! It will be quick, back by afternoon at the latest!"
The proprietress insisted on compensating them for the carriage.
"I already said it's not necessary. Just have him make us breakfast."
Chen Fang refused again, only asking Da Tou to make them breakfast.
"This..."
The proprietress didn't know what to say.
"Da Tou, go cook. Make it a lavish meal."
Since Chen Fang insisted on not accepting her compensation, she could only compensate the two in other ways.
Soon, a sumptuous breakfast was served, and Su Fan and Chen Fang ate their fill.
Chen Fang did not intend to pay the bill. He figured the proprietress wouldn't accept their money either. They simply bid farewell and left.
"Are we just going to walk there? How long will that take?"
Su Fan said helplessly.
Without the carriage, he could only travel on foot. He couldn't even slack off.
"We'll buy a carriage in the next county town. It's only about half a day's journey. Can't you walk this far?"
Chen Fang looked at Su Fan with a doubtful expression.
"That's not it. Let's go."
How could Su Fan not be able to walk? To be honest, if he wasn't afraid of startling Chen Fang, he would have shown him what infinite stamina looked like.
In the afternoon, they finally reached a town and their first order of business was to buy a carriage.
They then found an inn to rest.
They didn't need to worry about bandits or shady inns in this town. The government office was only a few hundred meters away. A shady inn operating here would be suicidal.
Su Fan returned to reality to cultivate. A day quickly passed, and he returned to the game to continue their journey.
As they got closer and closer to Bei Ling, the road became increasingly desolate.
Due to the war, those near the conflict zone had either moved away or been plundered by bandits.
Not many people were willing to come to Bei Ling. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a barren place.
With bandits rampant and constant warfare, it was the common people who suffered.
"We'll find a place to rest nearby. Tomorrow, we should be able to reach Bei Ling."
Chen Fang said to Su Fan.
Su Fan nodded slightly.
After walking for a while longer, they saw a yellow earth house with a flag planted in front of it, bearing the words "You Jian Inn."
Su Fan felt that this inn had a certain "Dragon Gate Inn" vibe. He wondered if it was a shady establishment like the Dragon Gate Inn.