In times of chaos and famine, I traded one pound of rice for two royal flushes.

The deserters drank happily, enjoying a rare moment of relaxation.

The two deserters went out to relieve themselves, and soon after, they dragged someone into the house, laughing loudly.

"Master Qin, this fellow was eavesdropping behind the house and we caught him."

Qin Shaolang looked up and saw that he looked somewhat familiar, and his brows furrowed.

"The hunting team?"

Li Hu nodded.

"Yes."

Qin Shaolang asked again.

"Did Er Mazi send you to gather information?"

Li Hu quickly shook his head.

"No, I've fallen out with Er Mazi, and I want to come to you for help."

Upon hearing this, Li Hu could feel the hand pressing down on him less forcefully.

He then carefully explained what had happened, turning his face slightly to show the bruises on his face.

"Er Mazi has slandered both of you this time, and he will definitely do something else in the future. You must be on your guard."

Chu Wu, who was standing to the side, suddenly laughed.

"Are you a stray dog ​​coming to surrender?"

Qin Shaolang coughed lightly.

"Don't say such harsh things, you're really hurting other people's self-esteem."

Chu Wu's eyes darted around, and relying on the tacit understanding they had developed through working together today, he continued to smile.

"Isn't he a stray dog? He couldn't stay with Er Mazi anymore, so he remembered to come to us. Do you think we're that cheap? Brothers, did you come to Brother Qin empty-handed?"

Although these deserters did not understand Qin Shaolang's thoughts, Chu Wu's hints were clear enough.

They all laughed and cheered.

"We have to help Master Qin build the cellar and do farm work for him for three years before we can be considered Master Qin's household soldiers."

Another soldier laughed directly.

"There's no such thing as getting something for nothing."

……

As the discussion intensified, Li Hu was completely dumbfounded.

Before he came here, he always thought that Qin Shaolang would at most have Chu Wu by his side, and that would be the best he could do!

But little did they know, there were more than thirty people in the room.

There are more people than the hunting party!

His presence suddenly seemed superfluous; he had been spying from outside to find out what was going on inside.

I thought my involvement would be crucial, but now it seems it was utterly worthless.

Seeing Li Hu lower his head further and further, Qin Shaolang coughed lightly.

"Everyone, please be quiet and don't say anything."

The deserters immediately shut their mouths; they had been discussing it heatedly just moments before, but now they were completely silent.

This organizational prowess had already made Li Hu break out in a cold sweat.

Just as Li Hu's scalp tingled, Qin Shaolang spoke slowly.

"Li Hu, I actually welcome you to join us. You don't have to do any farm work like the others. Consider it a special treatment I'm giving to the villagers."

Upon hearing this, Li Hu nodded vigorously.

"Thank you for taking me in, Master Qin!"

After completely shattering Li Hu's plan to negotiate a deal to join, Qin Shaolang slowly spoke.

"Actually, some of us still have the idea of ​​going into the mountains to hunt, but we're not familiar with the terrain..."

Before Qin Shaolang could finish speaking, Li Hu spoke up.

"I am familiar with the mountain environment. If you need my help, Mr. Qin, I can assist you."

Hearing this, Qin Shaolang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, he didn't really want to completely win over Li Hu, as Li Hu had too few skills.

Moreover, these deserters under his command are hidden time bombs that could explode at any moment.

"Don't call me Master Qin anymore. You're not one of my soldiers, so there's no need for such formalities. I don't plan to go into the mountains for the next few days, so you should go home and rest. If needed, I'll naturally arrange for someone to contact you. By the way, don't spread today's events around, or Er Mazi might cause you trouble."

Li Hu nodded quickly.

"Thank you, I'll definitely wait for your news."

Seeing this, Qin Shaolang waved his hand, signaling his men to release Li Hu.

Seeing that this was not a place for him to stay, Li Hu bowed and took his leave.

Qin Shaolang suddenly smiled.

"Chu Wu, you spoke so ill of him just now, almost causing me to lose an important helper. Give him that plate of meat on your table, and take a jar of your wine as an apology."

Chu Wu smiled憨厚ly and nodded repeatedly.

Today's event was a last-minute setup to suppress Li Hu, and now that it's time to wrap things up, Chu Wu naturally went with the flow. He even patted Li Hu on the shoulder, praising his bravery in fighting the white-browed tiger today.

After Li Hu left, Chu Wu approached Qin Shaolang.

"Brother Qin, do you think this person is usable?"

Qin Shaolang stroked his chin and pondered for a moment.

"It's hard to say, after all, people's hearts are hard to fathom, but with that jar of wine and the meat we gave him, he shouldn't be going against us anymore."

Li Hu was beaten by Er Mazi and forced to come here to surrender. Although Chu Wu teased him, Qin Shaolang did not skimp on the benefits he received.

A jar of wine and a plate of meat—the quantity was small, but it was personally delivered by Chu Wu, who had "offended" him, showing his deepest affection.

He got the respect he couldn't get from Er Mazi from Qin Shaolang. As for the teasing he was made up about earlier, did it have anything to do with Qin Shaolang? At most, it was just some gossip from his subordinates.

……

Li Hu returned to the house with wine and meat. As soon as he put the things down, a woman came up to him, looking on in surprise.

"How can Er Mazi be so generous? When has he ever been willing to let you bring back wine and meat?"

Li Hu quickly shook his head and made a shushing gesture.

"You know what kind of person Er Mazi is; this wasn't given to me by him."

The woman quickly inquired about what had happened that day and couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Qin Shaolang has risen to great heights! He's incredibly lucky. With thirty men under his command, as long as he can support them, he can do whatever he wants anywhere."

These words startled Li Hu slightly.

Yes.

There were thirty people in total, far more than the villagers could handle.

It seems that going to seek refuge with Qin Shaolang today was a very wise decision. Even if Er Mazi and Qin Shaolang really fight, Er Mazi will be the only one who suffers!

Thinking of this, he immediately slammed his hand on the table.

"How come I didn't think of that? It's all thanks to Madam's sharp mind."

As he spoke, Li Hu asked another question.

"But now, apart from being familiar with the mountains and forests, I have no other value. I'm afraid that once he gets familiar with the situation in the mountains and forests, he won't need me anymore."

The woman immediately pouted and pinched the flesh on Li Hu's waist.

"Look at what you're saying. You yourself said earlier that Qin Shaolang gave you wine, massaged your back, and even helped you out of a predicament, but his subordinates had some complaints about you."

Li Hu immediately frowned, looking at the woman with suspicion.

"Does Madam mean that Qin Shaolang is still willing to accept me, but his subordinates are not?"

The woman immediately poked Li Hu's head.

"You pig-brain! Don't you even consider how much grain Qin Shaolang's family could possibly have to feed these thirty people? Even if he received a hundred taels of silver from the government, how many months could that last? You went empty-handed; aren't you just asking for a share of their profits? It would be strange if they didn't have a problem with you!"