In the blink of an eye, everyone in the mountain stronghold lay down.
Not a single person was standing.
Amidst the silence—
"Creak—"
The central house of the stronghold opened.
A young man in plain cloth walked out.
He didn't even look at the two bandits by the door, walking straight ahead.
He came to the villagers of Xiangshui Village and gave each of them a small pill.
Before long, the villagers of Xiangshui Village all woke up.
Upon seeing the person in front of them, their expressions instantly changed from confusion to surprise.
"Mr. Qi!?"
"Mr. Qi, are you alright? Did they do anything to you?"
The villagers chattered.
They also wanted to see if Mr. Qi was injured.
Mr. Qi shook his head, a smile on his lips, "I'm fine."
Villagers: "Then Mr. Qi, let's go back quickly."
"Yes. Let's hurry, lest these bandits wake up."
Mr. Qi: "No rush, everyone, please work hard and tie up the bandits."
"Right, tie up the bandits, then we don't have to worry about them waking up."
"Quick, quick, find ropes!"
When the villagers heard this, not one of them objected.
They moved swiftly, some looking for ropes, others for bandits.
In less than half an hour, all the bandits were tied up.
And gathered together.
During this time, Mr. Qi also did one thing.
He took out the pot of medicine simmering in the small kitchen and buried it in the woods.
Only then did the viewers fully understand.
"So Mr. Qi is the biggest mastermind."
"Good heavens, using the medicinal aroma to incapacitate the bandits, 9999!"
"It seems that even if the villagers of Xiangshui Village didn't come, Mr. Qi could have fought his way out by himself."
"As expected of Qilin! (Respectful jpg.)"
...
Without the medicine pot, the medicinal aroma in the air was blown away by the wind.
Before long, it dissipated.
Mr. Qi had the villagers hold a grass that emitted a bitter fragrance and sniff it under the noses of the bandits.
Soon, the bandits all woke up.
Each of them was still a bit dazed.
Not understanding why they were suddenly tied up.
"It was you who did this?!"
Scarface looked at the villagers of Xiangshui Village, his expression quite defiant.
"What do you want?"
Although the villagers of Xiangshui Village wanted to vent their anger, they ultimately did not speak.
Instead, they looked at Mr. Qi.
— Mr. Qi was smart, they would listen to Mr. Qi.
Mr. Qi stood in place, his eyes calm.
"Come and be the Xiangshui Village guard team. Each person can have a house, and later you can have your own land."
Upon hearing this,
Scarface was stunned and looked at him strangely.
"What are you thinking? We are bandits!"
"We've killed people, spilled blood, and might even slaughter your village one night."
Mr. Qi: "Yes. So, before you woke up, I gave you a poison."
"You will need an antidote every month, otherwise, you will wish you were dead, like being devoured by ten thousand ants."
"If you don't believe me, you can try."
Scarface was speechless: "..."
Well, since you've already poisoned us, why are you asking us?
Are we just going through the motions?
...
Xiangshui Village—
A few children were looking out at the village entrance.
Their faces were full of worry.
Almost a day had passed, and they didn't know how things were going with Mr. Qi.
As they were thinking, Little Tiger suddenly rubbed his eyes and looked again.
"They're back, they're back! They're..."
"Really?"
The children all looked over, their faces just beginning to show anticipation.
Then they saw horses appearing at the end of the road.
Their faces immediately changed, "It's... it's bandits!"
"Quick, go back and tell your sisters!"
"Bandits are coming! Bandits are coming!"
The children turned and ran back into the village.
Their faces were pale, their heads buzzing.
They only knew how to repeat the same sentence: "Bandits, bandits are coming!"
Swish!
Inside the houses, the young girls all stood up.
Their needlework fell to the ground.
Jiang Xiaoyue froze for two seconds, then grabbed a pair of scissors next to her.
"How many bandits are there? How long until they reach the village?"
Little Tiger: "Many, many bandits! So many people, densely packed!"
"!!!"
Jiang Xiaoyue's heart tightened, and only two words remained in her mind:
— It's over.
Those who went out earlier were probably all gone.
Mr. Qi was also gone.
What to do?
What to do?
Jiang Xiaoyue's gaze fell upon the children in front of her.
Her heart suddenly settled, she couldn't just stand here!
She pulled the girls next to her, who were about the same age.
"Let's go!"
"Everyone quickly hide in the empty courtyard behind!"
The next moment, the girls and children all ran in a panic.
They went to the backyards and found empty spots to hide.
Their hearts pounded.
They felt fear and helplessness about the fate that was about to befall them.
...
The village entrance of Xiangshui Village.
Horses were being led in.
The villagers of Xiangshui Village walked in the front, heads held high as if they had won a victory.
They thought they would receive a warm welcome from the children.
Unexpectedly, even after they entered the village, the surroundings were still silent.
"Where are the children?"
"We're back—"
"Come out quickly, Mr. Qi is back!"
The villagers shouted as they entered the houses to look for people.
"Little Tiger, Little Deng! Where are you hiding?"
Hearing familiar voices, the hiding girls and children tentatively peeked out from the backyards.
Upon seeing Mr. Qi, their eyes lit up.
"It really is Mr. Qi, Mr. Qi is back!"
They quickly ran out, and when they got outside, they saw it.
Wow! So many bandits!
Scared to death!
"What, what is this situation?"
"Hahahaha... this is quite a story to tell."
Seeing their frightened expressions,
The villagers who had been to the bandit stronghold couldn't help but burst into laughter.
This time, they had achieved a great victory!
After simply comforting the remaining girls and children,
The men went to arrange living quarters for the bandits.
The women began preparing dinner.
Although they were all tired from a day's work, their faces were all beaming:
"Today we must make something delicious to celebrate!"
The remaining four elders called the girls and children over.
And began to recount their experience of going to the bandit stronghold.
When they talked about sneaking into the bandit stronghold and guessing which one was the main kitchen,
A child curiously asked, "Grandma, how did you know which one was the main kitchen?"
"This, well..."
Mentioning this, Granny Xu La's face was full of pride.
She grinned, revealing her remaining few large yellow teeth.
She chuckled and said, "Back in the day, when my old man went to work for others, all ten villages and eight townships praised him, and everyone scrambled to hire him..."
"He knew better than anyone how these houses should be built..."
"Oh—! Grandma, you're so amazing!"
The children were amazed.
So learning a trade had this use!
The adults were busy in the houses.
Some washing vegetables, some tending to the stoves.
From time to time, exclamations and laughter could be heard from outside.
They exchanged glances and couldn't help but smile.
"Speaking of which, my legs went soft after I climbed the mountain..."
"Mine too! This is my first time fighting bandits."
"When Grandma Xu said we'd die together, I was also startled, hahaha... I even thought the poison she was holding was real."
...
"If only it could stay like this forever."
"This looks quite heartwarming."
After eating their fill, the viewers lay on the sofa, patting their round bellies.
Looking at the scene in the live broadcast, they were filled with emotion.
"Although there are no ten thousand lights, it's already very good in this chaotic world."
"No wonder there's an ancient saying: Qilin, a auspicious beast, those who are aided by Qilin are wise rulers."
...