Chapter 243: Chapter 243: Must You Marry Your Savior After Being Rescued from the Water? (Part 14)

Unlike the anxiety of others, Ah Chen was not worried at all.

This was originally Shi Wen’s plan, so what could go wrong with her?

Shen Xuan suddenly asked, “Miss Lin, are you okay?”

He wasn’t tired at all. Although he usually lazed around, having to walk his dog daily kept his stamina decent.

Ah Chen smiled and said, “I’m fine.”

Shen Xuan was momentarily dazzled by that smile, hurriedly averted his gaze, and said, “That’s good then.”

“Young sir, have you considered it?”

Hearing the question from the visitor, Ying Bairong snapped back to reality.

His eyes were covered, making it hard to see his surroundings. He could only tell that the visitor was a woman. She had been here once before and said she was feeling lonely in the mountains and wanted him to agree to become her husband.

Given her actions, it wasn’t hard to deduce she was likely a female mountain bandit.

Lanru County once suffered from rampant banditry with the government doing nothing, and people like him were heavily oppressed. His village, Baolin Village, had almost been destroyed by bandits, but luckily nothing happened that time.

After the former County Magistrate of Lanru County was executed, Lord Shen Dai arrived and soon eradicated the bandits, so things gradually improved.

Have the mountain bandits returned?

Ying Bairong felt heavy-hearted, did not expect to be taken into the mountains by bandits, he was knocked out and had no idea where he’d been taken.

Today was the day to worship Buddha, and Qin Cheng had earlier invited him to go together.

As the weather had been nice recently, he thought there might be a sunrise to see, so they went out before dawn, never expecting to encounter bandits.

The peaceful times in Lanru County had made him let his guard down over the past two years.

Fortunately, the mountain bandits seemed taken by his appearance, so for now, his life didn’t seem to be in danger. Ying Bairong was contemplating a way to escape, the first step was to understand his surroundings. If he kept resisting stubbornly, he might anger this female bandit.

So, Ying Bairong said, “If I don’t agree, will you let me go back?”

“Ha ha, young sir, stop dreaming, few in Lanru County have your looks, even if you don’t agree, I won’t let you go,” the female bandit laughed.

Ying Bairong sighed, “I’m a scholar focused on passing the imperial exams. If I agree to you, can I still pursue my dreams?”

“Since the young sir is a scholar, you must be smart and know the answer,” said the female bandit.

Ying Bairong didn’t expect her to release him, he was merely trying to get to know her better so that if he suddenly went along, she wouldn’t grow suspicious. Even if he was to go along, it had to be step by step, behaving normally, without worrying that she’d discover his escape plans. The key was succeeding when the time came.

To escape, he had to seize the opportunity and make a break for it; there would only be one chance.

“Since I can’t escape, can I at least take off the blindfold? Staying blindfolded will harm my eyes, making reading painful afterward.”

“You’re truly a bookworm,” the female bandit chuckled, and removed the black cloth covering his eyes.

After adjusting his eyes, Ying Bairong looked at the person in front of him, but the mask concealed her face, preventing him from seeing her features.

He pondered, since she was sure he wouldn’t escape, why was she hiding her face? It was peculiar and didn’t seem like the behavior of typical bandits.

Most bandits were brazen. Besides concealing their faces when robbing, they wouldn’t be so cautious on their turf.

He sensed something was off.

The person didn’t have the imagined burly figure but was instead quite well-proportioned.

“Can I go out for a walk?” Ying Bairong asked, “Since you won’t release me, perhaps I should familiarize myself with the surroundings to see if escape is really impossible.”

He wore a helpless expression.

The masked woman was taken aback; she wasn’t truly a bandit, yet Ying Bairong’s response was unusual.

If she were a real bandit, she wouldn’t mind letting him out for a breather.

However, she wasn’t.

Just then, there was a knock at the door, accompanied by an urgent voice: “Second sister, something’s happened.”

“Young sir, we’ll talk later.” The masked woman hurriedly left, leaving Ying Bairong in the room.

He vaguely heard voices outside but couldn’t make them out. Many footsteps sounded—what was happening?

Could it be that the County Magistrate discovered this plot and came for them?

No, he and Qin Cheng were captured early in the morning; no one should have seen it, making it unlikely.

Meanwhile, Ying Bairong was thinking over what was happening; elsewhere, Shi Wen, after talking with Qin Cheng, saw Qin Cheng locked in the woodshed while she was tied up in a room.

Next was her time to perform.

Her original plan was to stay there for a couple more days, hoping to develop feelings with Ying Bairong. Now that Lin Chen hadn’t been caught, she likely reported to the authorities. The County Magistrate was known for his skill in bandit eradication, he might locate the place quickly. She couldn’t afford any delays and had to first “rescue” Ying Bairong.

At least saving his life might touch Ying Bairong.

Someone would leave behind a clueless guard to watch over the situation. This small-time bandit wouldn’t be skilled; they’d come for her and Ying Bairong. According to her designed route, they’d roll down the slope together afterward.

The little lackey, due to physical limitations, couldn’t descend the slope.

The slope wasn’t steep, and at the bottom was soft grass, so rolling down shouldn’t be an issue.

To strengthen the bond between Ying Bairong and her cousin, the cousin would join her. Even if her attempt failed, she had to ensure Ying Bairong’s friendship with her cousin grew. If Ying Bairong succeeded in the future, having shared today’s life-and-death experience, the cousin would surely benefit.

She and her cousin held secrets over each other, making it certain he wouldn’t forget her.

Shi Wen worked at the ropes; each detail had to be realistic.

By the time she untied the ropes, her hands were already red. She sneaked out and quickly heard Qin Cheng’s muffled voice, went in and rescued him, and found out where Ying Bairong was. Sharing a knowing glance, the two searched for Ying Bairong.

They knew where Ying Bairong should be but checked several rooms before getting there.

As they reached the doorway, they softly discussed.

“Where could Brother Ying be?”

“Cousin, why did the bandits leave so suddenly?”

“I don’t know,” Qin Cheng’s expression changed. “They didn’t take Brother Ying with them, did they?”

They then pushed open the door.

Expecting to find Ying Bairong waiting for rescue, they were stunned to see the empty room—Ying Bairong was nowhere to be seen.

Shi Wen was astonished, what happened?

The prior person’s directions were for this room; they surely wouldn’t deceive her.

“We need to search,” Qin Cheng’s face darkened, whispering, “Are your people really reliable?”

Shi Wen hurried to find him, too afraid to shout, fearing exposure and losing everything.

They checked room after room but still didn’t find Ying Bairong. Feeling out of control, the person who planned this was already gone; only a clueless guard and themselves remained.

“What now?” Qin Cheng asked in a low voice.

“Could he have escaped?” Shi Wen muttered incredulously, “Let’s go.”

Without Ying Bairong, the act couldn’t continue.

As they were about to leave, a voice suddenly sounded behind them.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep