Carrying the little lucky star, leading the villain on the road to exile

Chapter 180. The Robbers
Bai Suihe knew there would be many bandits and highwaymen along the way, but she didn't expect the first hurdle to be so easy.

"Is this a mistake?" Bai Suihe felt that this was going too smoothly, just like those toll highways in the future, which didn't seem unacceptable.

I despise myself in my heart. I've really gotten used to paying these fees and actually think it's my due.

“There are quite a few teams like this,” Gu Kaiyuan said, seeing the guards beside the oxcart and guessing why they were leaving.

Small-time bandits probably wouldn't dare to confront them, since bandits also value their lives.

"Look at the number of people in our team, and think about the weapons they had before, and you'll know what choice to make."

Bai Suihe recalled the scene she had seen through the crack earlier; those people were holding machetes and axes, which were on a completely different level from the long swords and sabers carried by the others.

"But why are Liu Pingkang and the others..."

"You want to ask Liu Pingkang why they were willing to give money?"

Bai Suihe nodded. Logically speaking, since Liu Pingkang and his group were still government officials, they had even less reason to be afraid of these people.

"Liu Pingkang and his group have the ability to protect themselves, but what about those people in front of them?"

They escorted us to Lingnan, and they were responsible for our safety along the way. The journey was arduous, and if a few people died or were injured, they could explain themselves. But if the number of casualties was too high, they would also be punished.

They make the trip almost every year, so they know how to balance out the losses involved.

Sometimes, things that can be solved with money aren't really big deals.

It's also possible they have their own considerations involved, which we cannot know.

Bai Suihe nodded in agreement. Although doing so would be somewhat frustrating, it would minimize the losses.

The team ran another 20 li before Liu Pingkang told everyone to stop and rest for a while.

After a quick bite and feeding the livestock, they urged everyone to continue their journey.

As darkness was approaching, not only Liu Pingkang was anxious, but everyone else was too.

They now understand the danger involved, and no one is going against the escort anymore.

Even so, they were still stopped by the second wave.

These people had fierce looks, and hundreds of them surrounded them, scaring everyone into silence.

The Gu family members behaved themselves this time, hiding quietly in the crowd and trying to minimize their presence.

Gu Baijiang also tried to find Gu Kaiyuan during this time, but couldn't find him in the team.

"Did you see the open source?"

When Gu Baijiang asked this question, neither of the Gu brothers, Gu Kaiping and Gu Baijiang, knew how to answer.

They seemed to have forgotten about Gu Kaiyuan these past few days, never expecting that Gu Baijiang would still think of him.

"Father, do you need to see him?" Gu Kaichen asked in a low voice.

"What could I possibly want from them? I just thought we're all family, and it would be good if we could stay together and help each other." Gu Baijiang thought of Gu Kaiyuan's strong build and Zhuang Datou and his two burly men. He felt safer with them by his side. At the same time, he decided that he must contact Lord Ming again and ask him to send more people to guard the area. His life was still valuable, and he believed they wouldn't refuse.

“Having a lot of people around isn’t necessarily a good thing,” Gu Kaiping thought, wishing Gu Baijiang would forget about Gu Kaiyuan and wouldn’t let him come to him again.

Gu Kaichen was already giving him a headache, but Gu Kaiyuan was not as easy to fool as Gu Kaichen.

"You all better behave yourselves and hand over your valuables." The scarred leader, looking menacing, raised his large knife at them.

Liu Pingkang reluctantly took another step forward. "Leader, we are on a mission from the capital, escorting these prisoners to Lingnan. We hope you will do us a favor."

As he spoke, he took out another silver note from his pocket, intending to have Ma Zhi deliver it, but the other party scolded him, "I don't care who you are, once you're on our turf, you have to listen to us."

I know you're all criminals, committing crimes and such, no better than us, but why is it that even though you're in this situation, you can still live better than us?

“We don’t ask for much. Just put down all your valuables. After all, these things were stolen by them. Don’t you officials like to say that what is taken from the people should be used for the people? Now we are giving you a chance to atone for your sins. This will leave a much deeper impression on you than if the emperor had exiled you.”

"Yes, these corrupt officials! If it weren't for you corrupt officials, would we have ended up like this?"

If it weren't for the fact that life was so unbearable, who would be willing to do something that could cost them their life?

Hearing the shouts of condemnation, Liu Pingkang felt a chill run down his spine. He had never encountered this kind of team before, and the tactics he used before were useless here.

I didn't expect so many new faces to appear after only a short time. It seems that the previous group was either taken down or driven away by them.

A bad feeling rose in my heart; it seemed there was no way things would end well this time.

"Gentlemen, I know you've all come here seeking wealth," Liu Pingkang explained, appealing to both emotion and reason. "I've dealt with several other senior figures before, and I know there's a rule in our underworld: we can't be ruthless..."

As he spoke, he glanced at the two镖局 (escort agencies) leaders, and only when they nodded slightly did he feel more confident.

Scarface interrupted him, "Ha, we don't understand any of the rules of the underworld. I brought my brothers here to make money. If you don't cooperate, you're blocking our path to wealth, so don't blame us for being ruthless."

As he spoke, he waved to his men, "Brothers, let's get this going..."

Just as they rushed forward, the escorts and the men from the security company drew their swords, and screams and shouts erupted from the ranks.

Bai Suihe was also very worried while sitting in the carriage. She was protected by two maids, and Gu Kaiyuan was standing at the carriage door. Lin Hua and Lin Wei were also on both sides. Anyone who came close was dealt with by them.

These bandits didn't rush in to fight, knowing these people were not to be trifled with, and instead turned to other people's homes.

The two escort agencies, aside from occasionally helping out, mainly protected this area. It was impossible for the escorts to protect all the prisoners, and before long, the air was filled with the smell of blood.

Gu Kaiyuan watched all this with a cold eye, without even thinking of going forward to help. He had already made his choice between protecting his wife and children and being a hero.

On the Gu family's side, the women and children huddled inside the carriage. The three members of the Gu family, father and sons, who were originally facing the situation outside, also jumped into the carriage when they saw that something was wrong.

With no one offering resistance outside, the cow naturally became easy prey for the robbers. They didn't even bother to check what was inside the car before leading it away.

Upon noticing the car was moving, Liu Yun and the others turned pale, but they all covered their mouths, afraid to make a sound.

Gu Kaichen quietly lifted a corner of the curtain and saw the cow being led away. He immediately asked anxiously, "Father, what should we do now? Are we going to be taken to the bandits' stronghold?"