Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 477-476 Mountain Bandits and Mining Teams

"A common occurrence?"

Feng Xiuhu was even more puzzled: "Then how have you managed to survive until now?"

The man with the beady eyes stuck out his neck and said, "You have to promise to let my brothers go first, and I'll tell you anything you want to know."

Feng Xiuhu waved his hand to dispel the fog.

Looking up, the green-eyed man saw that the robbers were all hanging in mid-air. Because they were wearing the same green linen clothes, they looked like bitter gourds hanging there.

Seeing that no one was injured, Green Bean Eyes finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He turned around and solemnly cupped his hands to Feng Xiuhu, about to express his gratitude, when he saw Feng Xiuhu raise his hand to indicate: "Wait a moment."

After saying that, Feng Xiuhu looked left and right, and followed the sound into the woods beside the road.

He finally found his target behind a big tree.

The robber, who had been hiding well, stared blankly at Feng Xiuhu, but his hands were still moving.

dong dong dong!dong dong dong!
Feng Xiuhu slapped him to the ground: "Still banging on me, you bastard!"

After stomping on and destroying the waist drum, the world finally became peaceful.

Feng Xiuhu walked back, satisfied: "Where were we?"

The man with the beady eyes honestly replied, "You've come to the point about how I've survived until now."

"Yes."

Feng Xiuhu nodded: "You even dare to rob cultivators, I don't know if you're just brave or lucky."

Green-eyed man rubbed his hands and said, “Don’t mention it. It’s not a big deal. Usually, if we were to rob a cultivator or a priest, we would just kowtow and admit our mistake. If we were sincere, they would release us in the end.”

Feng Xiuhu asked in confusion, "Are the cultivators and priests here so easy to talk to?"

"He's not exactly easy to talk to."

The man with the beady eyes replied, “Master, you don’t know this. In the mountains of Yu’ai Prefecture, bandits are like wheat. Once you cut one crop, another grows back next year. Even if we kill them all, we’ll still encounter new bandits next time we come. So it’s better to spare our lives. At least next time we meet them, we’ll be able to tell right from wrong and won’t offend you again, Master.”

In a way, this can be considered a regional characteristic.

Feng Xiuhu became curious: "What's your name?"

With his beady eyes, Bao knelt down and patted his chest: "Thanks to the brothers in the mountains for their presence, I am Bao, known as the Mountain Leopard, the top leader of the Broken Peak Hall."

Feng Xiuhu glared at him: "Who asked for your nickname? I asked for your name."

"This one……"

With her beady eyes glancing to the side, she hesitated for a moment before saying in a very soft voice, "Bao...Bao Xiaojuan."

"Hahahaha—"

Shunzi, who had just gotten closer, heard it clearly and burst into laughter.

Bao Xiaojuan blushed with embarrassment and explained with a stiff neck, "It's the 'juan' of 'spinning silk,' not the 'juan' of 'woman'—my family used to run a cloth shop."

Shunzi's laughter was so loud that Feng Xiuhu almost lost his hearing, so he kicked Shunzi away and continued asking questions.

“Xiao Juan, from what you’re saying, you often rob cultivators and priests? That doesn’t make sense, does it? Where do so many cultivators come from that run into the mountains?” Seeing that the topic had been diverted, Bao Xiao Juan seized the opportunity to quickly continue, “Actually, we rarely encounter cultivators from temples, but we see priests from churches much more often.”

"They went into the mountains with the mining team."

Feng Xiuhu remembered that Fang Youliu had said that there were many mineral veins in Yu'ai Prefecture.

Bao Xiaojuan explained, "The mining team has to go into the mountains to mine, and after mining, they have to transport the ore back to the factory. This back and forth inevitably leads to encounters with bandits, which is why we dare not attack them."

"But priests are such noble figures, how could they endure hardship and toil every day? So not every team had a priest accompanying them. Therefore, they came up with a plan to have people wear imitation priest robes to impersonate them!"

"Later, we bandits also understood this. After all, the brothers all needed to eat, so we had no choice but to take the risk—whether there were any opportunities or not, we would just shoot first! If we were lucky, we would make a profit; if we were unlucky, we would just lose our lives."

"But then the mining team couldn't take it anymore, and we bandits didn't want to gamble with our lives every time, so over time a tacit rule was formed."

"As long as we show up, if there really is a priest in the team, we should quickly kowtow and admit our mistakes, and the priest will treat us like a fart and let us go; but if there is no priest, the mining team will offer us some money, and we will not kill anyone, but just take the money and leave."

Feng Xiuhu couldn't help but sneer: "What kind of robbers are these? They're just making a deal."

Bao Xiaojuan slapped her thigh: "Hey, sir, your summary is spot on! In the end, it's all about business!"

He added, "Of course, business with the mining team is business, but we haven't forgotten our duty. When it's time to rob someone, we still have to—otherwise, how would we have run into you today?"

Feng Xiuhu nodded thoughtfully.

Bao Xiaojuan scrutinized his expression and tentatively asked, "May I ask which temple you come from, sir?"

This area falls within the territory of the Church of the Night, so it's normal that he hasn't witnessed the methods of the Church of the Mist.

Feng Xiuhu replied, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I am neither a temple monk nor a church priest."

Bao Xiaojuan was taken aback, but didn't dare to ask further, so she changed the subject: "I haven't asked your name yet, sir?"

Feng Xiuhu pointed to himself: "Ma Er."

He then pointed to Shunzi beside him: "Ye San."

Bao Xiaojuan's face changed instantly, her expression a mixture of surprise and delight. She exclaimed, "Ma Erye San from Qianyu City!?"

Above the carriage shaft, Liu opened his eyes and added irritably, "And Fang Liu too!"

Bao Xiaojuan pretended not to hear, and grabbed Feng Xiuhu's hand excitedly, "Second Master Ma! Is it really Second Master Ma in person?"

Feng Xiuhu withdrew his hand, somewhat puzzled: "How come you recognize me too?"

When Feng Xiuhu was in Jindi City, Du Kecheng, the deputy director of the patrol bureau, had heard of the name "Ma Er". At the time, Feng Xiuhu did not find it too strange - after all, he had caused a lot of trouble in Qianyu City and had even involved the government. It was normal for the government officials to know his name.

Feng Xiuhu was somewhat surprised that even a bandit with no connection to the government knew about it.

Bao Xiaojuan slapped her thigh excitedly: "How could I not recognize them? Killing foreigners, fighting against the government, and then escaping unscathed and leaving gracefully—Second Master and Third Master's reputation has already spread throughout the underworld!"

Overwhelmed with excitement, Bao Xiaojuan forgot her earlier unpleasantness and stood up straight from the ground. She took off her cloak and draped it over Feng Xiuhu's shoulders, saying, "It's chilly in the mountains at night, Second Master, please put this on quickly. Come back to the village with me, and I'll treat you to good wine and meat!"

Feng Xiuhu was reluctant: "I don't want to stay in a farmhouse; I want to stay in a big hotel in the city."

Although she didn't understand the first half of the sentence, Bao Xiaojuan understood the second half.

He pointed to the path leading down the mountain and said, “After we cross the mountain, the nearest city is still more than ten miles away! By the time you get to the city and find a place to stay, it will be almost dawn. Why don’t you come back to the village with me and get a good night’s rest? It’s not too late to leave tomorrow.”

(End of this chapter)