076 – The bandits of Fowl Crying Lake!
Two hundred and ten gold coins is a large sum of money to Li Muyang.
With his parents’ income even if they worked non-stop a year they would merely earn a dozen of gold coins. Leaving their previous living conditions aside, even after obtaining the large reward from being the first place in the exams, he still doesn’t have that luxury to casually throw away more than two hundred gold coins.
This was the reason for Li Muyang for trailing behind the search team and refusing to leave.
Those scholars need to find their own gold coins otherwise it would be difficult for them to survive when they reach their new school.
Li Muyang also needs to find those coins, his hard-earned money that his parents carefully hid because they worry that he would suffer outside.
They wanted Li Muyang to eat as much as he wants, buy new clothes and invite friends to dinner without being laughed at. Luo Qi even indirectly told him that he must treat Cui Xiaoxin to a meal when he arrives in Tiandu, after all they were cla.s.smates and Li Muyang was able to become the first in the exam was all because of Cui Xiaoxin. 是
Li Muyang also was thinking of the same thing—–If he has the chance, he should take Cui Xiaoxin to dinner to express his grat.i.tude.
Of course, that’s all.
If Cui Xiaoxin does not refuse.
Compared to the importance of these gold coins, being criticised by this handsome but arrogant-looking guy who’s glaring at them like he’s looking at a pile of dog s.h.i.t, is not so important anymore.
Li Muyang still felt somewhat uncomfortable though, a slight feeling of being offended.
But he was baffled; he undoubtedly is an intelligent and cute little cat, where did that high and mighty feeling that he was feeling stem from?
Cui Zhaoren remained silent.
Cui Zhaoren felt he just encountered the biggest idiot.
Someone actually ran over to him and threatened him with the power and prestige of the lord of Jiangnan city? Someone actually used the bad reputation of his younger cousin to scare him?
If he knew of the relationship between the Yan family and Cui family, and Yan Bolai’s and Yan Xiangma’s relationships to him—–the expression on his face must be quite funny, right?
“Do you really want to search?” Cui Zhaoren became more and more interested. A grin surfaced on his face.
“Just now manager Chen said that people on the third floor are important people then you will naturally have a n.o.ble’s breadth of mind and a n.o.bles’s manner. It’s not necessary for everyone to come up, we will only send several representatives up, your people can also accompany them to search around—–”
“If nothing is found, then that would be best. But if one of young master’s underling is not clean and took our poor students’ money, then young master please speak for us and give our gold coins back. We will remember this kindness in our heart and would spread young master’s name all over the world.”
Cui Zhaoren smiled even happier, his eyes curve as he watched Li Muyang. “If I don’t want to?”
“Then in that case we also can’t do anything. Young master comes from a n.o.ble family then your background is also not ordinary. You have numerous guards protecting you and admirable power, us scholars don’t even have the strength to tie up a chicken, how could we compare with you—–But scholars will more or less hold a grudge. During our free time we like to write poems and articles, in order to write new poems we force ourselves to feel the distress at that time. Any trivial matters that we experienced in our life would be exaggerated and magnified. For example, if someone slaps us, we would write a bully stabbed us several times. If someone touched a girl, we would write that a hooligan, along with several servants, hara.s.sed an innocent young woman in public —–”
“If I don’t let you go up and search, then you would write in your article: ‘rogues use their strength to s.n.a.t.c.h off the money of scholars entering into the capital to study?” Cui Zh.o.a.ren asked with a smile, interrupting Li Muyang.
“That’s not a bad idea. It seems young master is also someone who has an interest in poetry and writing, tomorrow we can have a good discussion and learn from each other——”
“Nonsense.” Cui Zhaoren suddenly erupted in anger. The face full of smiles turned into an evil face in a split second, this was too fast for anyone to accept. “Who do you think we are?”
“You are?” Li Muyang asked. You better hurry and announce your background. Only when you announce your background could I see if the lord of Jiangnan City and that young master who ran off to Tiandu could suppress you.
Cui Zhaoren’s mouth opened wide but in the end, he did not say who they were.
Their whereabouts is extremely secretive, in order to complete a series of tasks how many people in total were involved?
If he exposed his ident.i.ty because of some useless students and caused his plan to be widely known, then the Lu family or the Lu family’s minions would come along to rescue people; with the men currently around him it really is difficult for him to contend against them.
After much difficulty they finally managed to capture iron-wall general; he is the sword that will point at Lu Xingkong and also the boulder that will block Lu Xingkong’s path to the position of government minister. When compared to the major people in Tiandu, these students on the ship are nothing.
Restrain!
Must restrain himself!
“You said your name is Li Muyang?” Cui Zhaoren asked aloud. Now the timing is wrong but there will always be a chance. When he’s at Tiandu, he would make his life worse than death.
“Yes.” Li Muyang cupped his hands together and asked: “What’s your name, please?”
“You don’t deserve to know.” Cui Zhaoren said in an icily arrogant voice. “You can’t get on the third floor and you also can’t search this deck—-go back.”
He stared coldly at the numerous scholars in front of him, then to the people around him he shouted: “If someone dares to push through, kill them.”
“——-”
The entire crowd was dead quiet.
The guys who were repeatedly uttering: ‘even if the prince violates the law he still must be punished as ordinary people’, were too scared to even say a word.
Fairness and justice are just something to be carried on the lips. Would anyone take it seriously?
“This is bullying.” Li Muyang said resentfully. I already announced my background, I said Yan Bolai is my uncle and Yan Xiangma is my brother, how could you be so rude? Could it be that their background is not that intimidating? “Uncle Yan often said he would rather be stabbed in the back than be slapped in public. What you did, is that not the same as slapping us directly in the face in public?”
“If you say it is——” Cui Zhaoren shrugged his shoulder.“Then it is.”
“——-”
“Pirates. There’s pirates—–” Someone yelled.
“Zhang Ergou, you d.a.m.n fool, this is the Great Lakes, why would there be pirates—”
“Lake bandits, we discovered lake bandits in the Fowl Crying Lake area—–” The same voice echoed over once again.
Fowl Crying lake is the water where Qinghai, Red River and Taihu gathers, it is also close to the ancient Liangshan and Eighteen Son mountains. So there are countless lake bandits, the situation is also in a state of disorder. From time and time they would come out to cause a commotion and then disappeared in the blink of an eye, into the midst of the Great Lakes.
The kingdom had sent out armed forces to obstruct and destroy the bandits and even though the soldiers won the battle time and time again, the bandits are still not wiped out.
At the sight of soldiers, they disperse and disguise as fishermen. Once the soldiers are gone, they group back together as lake bandits. This has caused headaches for many of the high officials of the kingdom.
“The lake bandits are here?” Someone exclaimed aloud.
The majority of these students are pampered and spoiled since childhood, and for many of these students, this was the first time they left home.
Their life has been smooth all along, they had no idea that just as they were ready to leave their home they would encounter lake bandits—-Although their gold coins were stolen, they would still find a way in the end. But if the bandits were to slash across their head, nothing could be done.
Li Muyang’s both legs trembled. Feeling the heavy bag in his trouser crotch, he felt slightly better.
He thought to himself that even if those lake bandits board the ship, he could use his gold coins to exchange for his life.
“Young lord, three large vessels belonging to the Fowl Crying Lake bandits are gathering towards here, it seems they are eyeing the pa.s.sengers ship.” His adviser Su Rong hurriedly trotted towards his side.
Cui Zhaoren’s eyes were ice-cold and his voice carried a killing intent as he said: “All these scoundrels deserve to die.”
“But young lord—–”
Cui Zhaoren abruptly turned around and yelled: “Look after the goods, it must not have any slip-ups.”
“Yes.” A group of people simultaneously bowed and replied.