Not long after, several people quickly arrived at the foot of the mountain.
Aunt Wu ran to the village chief's house crying, asking for help.
Lin Xiao and the others were keenly aware that not even the oil lamp was lit in their house.
Could it be that both Lan Lian and Han Ruoshui have gone out?
It shouldn’t be!
Weren't they told to stop running around?
Lin Xiao felt an unknown fire rushing straight to her forehead. She was very angry at these two disobedient women.
She suppressed her anger, pushed open the door and entered, the torch in her hand instantly lit up the entire courtyard.
The courtyard was empty, not a single person was around.
"Lan Lian, Han Ruoshui!"
Lin Xiao called out, but no one answered.
"Are they really out? I have to go look for them. If I encounter bandits, wouldn't it be the end?"
Lin Xiaoqi returned to Qi, but she also knew the importance.
She turned around and walked outside, preparing to leave the village to look for Lan Lian and Han Ruoshui.
"Wait, listen, there is movement in the house!"
Li Yuyan grabbed Lin Xiao, motioned her to stop, and listened carefully to the sounds in the room.
Upon hearing this, Lin Xiao and Yu Xilin gathered around and listened carefully.
"No, it's Lan Lian's voice!"
Lin Xiao's heart skipped a beat when she heard the sound of sobbing in the main room. She quickly opened the door of the main room, and through the light of the torch, she saw Lan Lian and Han Ruoshui being tied up on the thick dining table, their mouths
It was blocked with linen strips.
Seeing this scene, she felt sour in her heart.
"Uh~~uhh~~"
Lan Lian struggled desperately, and she kept flapping at the rope that bound her.
Although Han Ruoshui did not resist, she was still in tears. She looked at Lin Xiao with pleading eyes, as if to say: Help me.
The three of them hurriedly untied the two of them.
After being untied, the two women screamed, threw themselves into Lin Xiao's arms and cried loudly, as if they had been wronged.
"What's going on? What exactly is going on?"
Lin Xiao asked while supporting the two crying girls.
Lan Lian recounted what happened just now.
It turned out that not long after Lin Xiao and others left, a man with sinister features and a wretched look rushed into the house with a few younger men, and tied up Lan Lian and Han Ruoshui without saying a word.
They asked these two women to bring a message to Lin Xiao, asking Lin Xiao to prepare a hundred taels of silver and go to the top of Xishan Mountain to trade early tomorrow morning. If not, Lin Xiaowu would be killed!
After listening to Lan Lian's narration, the anger in Lin Xiao's heart arose again.
Yu Xilin's guess was indeed correct, they were really here for him!
Who on earth tipped off those bandits?
Lin Xiao was confused, but she couldn't think too much at the moment.
Time is running out, she must quickly take the money to the Western Mountains!
If he can't reach the top of Xishan Mountain tomorrow morning, then Lin Xiaowu may be in danger.
One hundred taels of silver is not much to Lin Xiao at this moment, but it is by no means a small amount.
She rummaged through boxes and cabinets and finally collected a full one hundred taels of silver.
She carefully put the silver into a slightly larger purse and put it in her arms.
"I will go with you!"
Seeing that Lin Xiao was leaving, Li Yuyan and Yu Xilin immediately said in unison
road.
Lin Xiao thought for a while, nodded and said:
"Master Yu, just stay here and I'll go with Yu Yan!"
Yu Xilin still wanted to persist, but Lin Xiao shook her head:
"Young master Yu, don't worry. They are just asking for money. As long as you give them the money, none of us will be in danger."
"And you have important things to do when you stay. You have to lobby the village chief and others for me not to act rashly, otherwise I'm afraid it will be counterproductive."
Lin Xiao's words made Yu Xilin unable to refute and could only nod.
Lin Xiao and Li Yuyan left holding torches.
Looking at the two disappearing figures, Yu Xilin fell into silence.
How could he not know why Lin Xiao didn't take him with him?
It was just that he didn't have the skills to fight with him. In front of the bandits, he was as weak as an ant and had no power to fight back.
"Why!"
Yu Xilin sighed deeply. He was not a fool. How could he not see Lin Xiao's good intentions?
He knew that he was worried that he would hinder his actions.
But little did he know that he was not the kind of person who was greedy for life and afraid of death.
If he really encounters any danger, I will definitely protect him!
Xishan is at the far west of Linjia Village, about fifty or sixty miles away, which is about thirty kilometers of mountain road.
It would take at least five or six hours of walking without stopping to get there.
Lin Xiao and Li Yuyan climbed up the winding mountain road, thinking about what to do next.
If the bandits only seek wealth and not life, then they have nothing to worry about.
If they were trying to do both, I'm afraid none of them would be able to escape.
The more Lin Xiao thought about it, the more worried she became.
She was anxious in her heart, but she didn't dare to show the slightest panic.
Li Yuyan looked at Lin Xiao, his eyes twinkling slightly.
"Don't worry, I'm here and I will protect you!"
He suddenly spoke.
Lin Xiao was slightly startled, then showed a smile:
"Thanks!"
The two looked at each other and continued climbing.
The sky was slightly white, and the sun's rays shot out from behind the clouds.
The two finally reached the top of the Western Mountain.
This is a flat hillside. The two of them stood on the edge of the cliff and looked around.
It was pitch black in the distance, with only sparse trees and a few weeds, and occasionally a few early birds flying over.
The bandits haven't come yet.
After waiting for a while, the two decided to find a hidden place to hide.
Lin Xiao first found a tall tree nearby, covered it with branches, and then hid himself inside.
When Li Yuyan saw this, he quickly concealed himself and hid behind the lush bushes.
After waiting here for almost half an hour, the two finally saw several people rushing here not far away.
Lin Xiao and Li Yuyan immediately pricked up their ears and listened carefully.
Soon, there was a sound of footsteps and voices.
"Brother, the place we decided to stay with Lin Xiao is right here!"
A cold voice sounded, with a bit of excitement in his tone.
"Well, let's wait here!"
Gao Jin's voice sounded, his tone seemed very indifferent, and no emotion could be heard at all.
"Brother, when we receive the money later, should we silence them or let them go?"
Another cold voice sounded.
"Why kill them? What we want is wealth, not life!"
Gao Jin's voice sounded again.
As a good citizen with correct views, he would never do such ridiculous things as murder and silence!
Kidnapping people for blackmail already made him feel ashamed!
"But brother..."
"Okay, no one's here yet, go find a place to rest!"
Gao Jin interrupted his younger brother, then found a flat stone by himself, sat down and closed his eyes to rest.
Hearing this, Lin Xiao couldn't help but stretch his eyebrows.
Although Gao Jin doesn't look like much, he is still a reasonable person.
It seems that if I just need to communicate with him more, I might be able to get the best of both worlds.