allonlinenovel Chapter 438 Mu Liang was tied up on Yanjiapo
Chapter 438 Mu Liang was tied up on Yanjiapo
Qi Qiang had been trained by Manager Yuan for more than a year, and he was also smart and eager to learn. Seeing that Qi Qiang had become familiar with the operation of shops in the capital in just a few days and had his own unique insights, Mu Liang decided to keep him in Liangdu for training, and asked the managers of each shop to help him run the business.
After leaving Liangdu City, the carriage did not return directly to Jiangnan, but took a detour towards Mocheng.
Although it was dusk, the summer day was long and the heat was unbearable, with cicadas chirping all the way. When the carriage reached the foot of a steep mountain, the coachman, Lao Yan, looked around, and was so nervous that he couldn't help swallowing, hoping to arrive in Mo City safely before dark.
"Lao Yan, why are you taking this road?" At this moment, Mu Liang suddenly woke up from his drowsiness, looked up at the steep mountain gate in the distance, frowned, and hurriedly knocked on the carriage door and asked.
"Master Mu Liang, this road is shorter and we can reach Mo City before dark." Upon hearing this, the coachman Lao Yan quickly pulled the reins and turned around to reply.
"No, it's too risky. Let's take a detour and go back." Mu Liang once again rejected the coachman's idea of taking risks in order to hurry up.
This is the border where Liangdu City, Chaoyun City and Mo City meet. There is a famous bandit's nest nearby, Yanjiapo. Although Yanjiapo is praised in the martial arts world as a gathering place for green forest heroes and grassroots heroes, they are ultimately engaged in robbery and extortion, so it is better to avoid it if possible.
The three guards sitting in the carriage with Mu Liang were not familiar with the road conditions and remained silent.
"This...if we go back, I'm afraid we have to..." Seeing Master Mu Liang say this, Lao Yan turned his horse around as he was ordered, but he couldn't help but worry. Although he knew there was a Yanjia Slope nearby, if he took a detour, he would have to travel at night. Wouldn't that be more risky?
Before Lao Yan could finish his words, he saw a thin figure jumping down from the hillside next to him and blocking the way of the carriage.
The incident happened suddenly, and the horse neighed in shock. Although Lao Yan was also frightened, he was experienced and took the lead in steadying the horse. Then he jumped off the carriage, raised his hands, and bowed to the figure in front of him who was carrying a thick black iron rod on his shoulder, and said with a smile:
"I have seen a hero, but I wonder why he stopped me, a commoner?"
"Common people?" The figure turned around and took a look at the exquisitely crafted carriage in front of him. A sneer immediately appeared on his dark face. He raised his chin and shouted past Lao Yanchong's still quiet carriage: "I am Xue Gen, the second in command of Yanjiapo. I came here to rob people for a living. If you don't want me to use force, get off now!"
After Xue Gen finished speaking, he whistled, and then a few whistles came in response from the nearby woods. Soon, seven or eight strong men with bare upper bodies and holding knives and sticks jumped down the hillside and surrounded the carriage.
"So you are the outlaw hero from Yanjiapo. I've heard of your name for a long time!" At this time, Mu Liang got off the carriage with three guards. He walked forward calmly, saluted, and smiled kindly.
"Sir, there is no need to praise Yanjiapo so highly. After all, we are just bandits who rob and kill people. As for being a hero, that is something we only think about after we have filled our stomachs."
However, facing Mu Liang's flattery, Xue Gen remained indifferent and even felt a little angry. After all, his sworn brother Zeng Si was abducted by a sweet-talking woman. Since then, he hated these sweet-talking people the most in his life. If his elder brother had not instructed him to rob people of their money and not to hurt their lives, he would have beaten up the guy in front of him.
Although he always said that he would not hit a smiling person, Mu Liang saw that the second in command of Yanjiapo did not buy it at all and almost annoyed him, so he quickly stopped smiling and said nothing more. He also thought that the other party was outnumbered and difficult to deal with, so he should not act rashly if he was not sure of winning. It would be best if he could use money to avoid disaster, so he asked the guards around him to take out the two bags of silver from the bag.
Glancing at the bag of money handed over by the guard, Xue Gen snorted again: "Your carriage doesn't look shabby, but it's just this? What? Are you treating me, Yanjiapo, like a beggar?"
"When you go out, you should bring enough..." The guard Anyang was still young after all. Seeing that the bandits robbed money and still felt that it was not enough, he blurted out in anger. However, he was interrupted by Mu Liang in the middle of his words:
"To shut up"
Mu Liang glared at Anyang quickly before walking forward and sighing at Xue Gen: "Second Master, please forgive me. This child is young and did not mean to offend. We have traveled all over the country in the sun and wind just to do some small business to support our family. We hired a carriage with great difficulty to serve as a storefront. This year is a bad year with war and plague in the south. It is really difficult for us. We have worked hard for half a year to earn these silver coins. I hope Second Master will understand..."
"Enough, enough. Listening to your nagging makes me annoyed. Get out of here now!" Xue Gen was impatient to continue listening to Mu Liang's complaints. Seeing that it was getting dark, he also wanted to go back to the mountain quickly, so he snatched the two purses from the bodyguard's hands and waved his hand and shouted.
"Thank you, Second Master!"
Seeing that the bandit did not realize the meaning of the sentence "protect Anyang" just now, Mu Liang and others were overjoyed and bowed to Xue Gen to thank him again.
At the same time, the coachman Lao Yan quickly turned the carriage around. Since it had been looted by the bandits from Yanjiaopo anyway, he simply went back the same way and rushed to Mocheng as soon as possible.
"Wait!"
Mu Liang had just sat on the carriage with the help of his guards when he suddenly heard another shout from the hillside, and soon a figure ran down quickly. Xue Gen, who was about to leave, saw a subordinate running towards him with a grin. He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, but before he could speak, he saw the other person laughing:
"Second in command, are you willing to let such a big fish go just like that?"
"Big fish?" Although Xue Gen was puzzled when he heard it, he still waved his hand and asked someone to stop the carriage again.
Mu Liang and others felt a sinking feeling in their hearts when they saw this. This young bandit regarded them as big fish. Could it be that he knew their identities?
"Second in command, we are going to make a fortune this time!" The young bandit's eyes lit up as he looked at the carriage and he laughed to himself again.
"What bullshit are you talking about? If you have something to say, just say it!" Xue Gen glared at him irritably and scolded him.
"Second in command, you don't know, the man on the carriage is the shopkeeper Mu of the famous Li family in Jiangnan, and also the adopted son of the Li family. I have seen the second boss of the famous Li family in Jiangnan in Yujiang City!" The young bandit did not dare to delay any longer, so he leaned close to Xue Gen's ear and continued to laugh.
"The famous Li from Jiangnan!" Xue Gen's eyes lit up immediately when he heard it. It was really like searching for a needle in a haystack, but finally he got it without any effort!
When Mu Liang heard the name of the famous Jiangnan Li from the other side, he felt a chill in his heart. The three guards also frowned. Xiao Jiu looked at Mu Liang anxiously and whispered, "Master Mu Liang, shall we rush over?"
"No, we may not be able to deal with the people in front of us, not to mention that we don't know how many are ambushing on the hillside. We should save our lives first and then act according to the situation." Mu Liang grabbed Xiaojiu and advised him that if he was not absolutely sure of escape, it would be better not to provoke these bandits.
As the sun set and the sky was filled with red clouds, Mu Liang and his companions were tied up and carried to the top of the mountain amidst humiliating laughter and whistles. They then crossed a dense forest with complex terrain and arrived at the mountain village of Yanjiaopo.
Because Xue Gen had sent people up the mountain to notify them in advance, when the bandits in the village saw Mu Liang, the "big fish", they actually started beating drums and gongs, making it very lively. Of course, it was really a happy event for these bandits.
Soon, Mu Liang was brought into the hall alone by the second in command Xue Gen. On the high seat in the hall sat a burly, ferocious-looking middle-aged man with a pair of sharp and shiny axes in his hands. Anyone could guess from his aura that he was the boss of Yanjiaopo.
"My name is Mu Liang, nice to meet you, boss." Mu Liang remained calm and bowed to the big man with a smile.
"So you are the famous Li's shopkeeper Mu in Jiangnan. Nice to meet you." Yan Song also politely bowed to him, and then got straight to the point: "It's the hot summer season, the weather is dry, and it's hard for us brothers to make a living in this mountain. We have been living in poverty for two or three months. Today, we are fortunate to have the shopkeeper Mu come to our door in person. Please don't blame us for being rude."
"How much do you want to ask, boss?" Mu Liang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He was treated as a hostage by them but they asked him not to blame them. No wonder Yan Jiaopo was regarded as a hero despite being a mountain bandit. At least his superficial work was better than that of ordinary bandits.
"Of course we have to negotiate the price, but we won't negotiate with Manager Mu. How much Manager Mu is worth to the Li family is probably decided by the boss of the famous Li family in Jiangnan, right?" The boss Yan Song also smiled nonchalantly, which instantly softened this ferocious face.
"In that case, could you let my Li family's coachman go back and tell him about this? He is so scared at his age, and there are elderly, weak, women and children at home waiting for him to return safely." Mu Liang was helpless for the moment and had to find a way to let Lao Yan go back first, which would be better than letting his brother be frightened by these bandits.
"Brother, this man's words cannot be trusted. I was almost fooled by him just now at the foot of the mountain!" However, Xue Gen on the side hurriedly spoke up to persuade Yan Song.
"Manager Mu is a businessman, so it's understandable that he's eloquent, but he's already in our hands, are you afraid that he can escape?" Yan Song looked at his brother disapprovingly, then stood up and walked in front of Mu Liang, nodding and saying, "Manager Mu is still a guest of Yanjiapo, there's no reason for us not to agree to your request."
"Thank you, boss." Mu Liang bowed slightly and smiled kindly.