Chapter 439: Mountain Bandits Cause Chaos, Life and Death Uncertain
The window drifted open slowly, cold moonlight poured in, and Jiang Yichun stood tall. Moonlight shone on him, adding an air of haziness and solitude.
His sharp eyes seemed to have lost some of their sparkle. Bai Ruozhu’s heart thudded; he must have been injured.
As he leaped into the room, Bai Ruozhu rose and rushed over, whispering, "Are you injured?"
Jiang Yichun, seeing her so anxious, felt both sweet and a little bitter. He quickly grabbed a jacket and draped it around her, mildly rebuking her, "What kind of weather is this, and you’re not wearing a padded jacket? You’ll catch a cold."
As Bai Ruozhu put on the jacket, she continued to stare at him, "Don’t evade the topic, where are you injured? I can even smell the blood."
He gave a bitter smile, "Your nose is surprisingly sharp. It’s nothing, just a superficial wound. It doesn’t need stitches; I’ve already bandaged it up."
But Bai Ruozhu unceremoniously checked his pulse herself, only feeling relieved when she confirmed it was a superficial injury.
"Where have you been these last few days? I couldn’t find you anywhere." Bai Ruozhu blurted out without thinking. After the words left her mouth, she regretted them. She had a university classmate who dated a security officer and often complained: everything was good, except she couldn’t ask where he went or what he did— it was against the rules.
The same rule probably applied to Jiang Yichun’s department, and her question was somewhat inappropriate. Wasn’t it unfair to make him choose between answering or remaining silent?
Surprisingly, Jiang Yichun didn’t show signs of discomfort. Instead, he gently asked, "Do you remember the bandit Xiao He from the Wang family we captured before?"
Bai Ruozhu nodded slightly. That man was a mountain bandit.
"There is a nest of bandits in Xuantian Mountain in the north. They have established a stronghold they call Batianzhai. Xiao He was kidnapped by the people of Batianzhai back in the day. Now he is quite well-known within Batianzhai and currently holds the rank of seventh head." Jiang Yichun explained.
"The chieftain of Batianzhai is called Chen Batian, whether that is his original name or a self-adopted one we don’t know. We only know that he learned martial arts at the Shaolin Temple when he was young. Despite his decent understanding of martial arts, he couldn’t endure the austerity of Buddhism, so he ran to the northwest to establish a stronghold. He gathered a band of trusted followers and occasionally caused disturbances on the mountains. This has been going on for over twenty years now."
"At first, he didn’t have enough manpower, so they would kidnap people. Xiao He was captured during one of those times. Now they have more people, and their audacity has only grown. A few days ago, they suddenly raided Linjiang Village. I didn’t have time to take leave from you because of the urgency."
Bai Ruozhu’s heart pounded, her hands immediately clutched Jiang Yichun’s collar, and she anxiously asked, "What happened to the victims in Linjiang Village?"
Jiang Yichun was a bit surprised by her level of worrying; he thought she was concerned about the tenant farm family. He hurriedly said, "The family who leased your field is fine. They have a cellar in their house. The entire family hid in there, so nothing happened to them."
"What about a Deng family member?" Bai Ruozhu’s heart was lodged in her throat.
Jiang Yichun knit his brows slightly, "I didn’t pay particular attention to that, but the casualties this time weren’t severe. What’s wrong with the Deng family, are you familiar with them?"
Bai Ruozhu revealed a worried look, saying, "The wife of Deng Zhongren, Niu Cuicui, is Xiaosi’s biological mother."
Jiang Yichun was taken aback, asking, "When did you find out about this?"
Bai Ruozhu then summarized her journey to Linjiang Village to lease the land again, and her encounter with Niu Pazi that led to the revelation of Xiaosi’s true origins.
Jiang Yichun’s eyebrows furrowed deeply, saying, "Now that the imperial court is trying to suppress the bandits, Xiaosi’s identity must not be known by anyone else, otherwise..."
He paused, and Bai Ruozhu understood. Given the current wave of bandit suppression, even if Xiaosi’s mother was wronged and violated by the bandits and Xiaosi himself had no connection with the bandits from a young age, they wouldn’t leave such a risk unattended.
"Don’t worry, right now, only my father and I know about this. He won’t speak out of turn, and Niu Pazi won’t say anything either. Even Niu Cuicui herself can’t remember." Bai Ruozhu reassured him.
Jiang Yichun nodded, "That’s best. Xiaosi is a harmless child. I’ll have people inquire about Deng Zhongren and his wife, and I’ll inform you when there is news."
With Xiaosi in mind, Bai Ruozhu couldn’t avoid some heartache, and her pent-up frustration failed to dissipate. She gritted her teeth and asked, "Why can’t you take on less dangerous tasks?"
But Jiang Yichun laughed, his hearty laughter surprisingly bright, "What, are you worried about me?"
Bai Ruozhu had spent the past few days worrying. A surge of irritation rose in her upon seeing him joking around.
"Yes, I am worried! I don’t have your disregard for danger, your lack of self-preservation. Do you realize how awful it is for me to worry about you every day? Alright, consider me meddlesome. From now on, I won’t interfere in your matters any longer!" Her voice involuntarily raised in pitch as she spoke. After finishing her tirade, she turned her back to him, not wanting to entertain him any longer.
Jiang Yichun’s facial expression ranged from amused to regretful, ultimately settling into careful tiptoeing.
He reached out and embraced her from behind, enduring her resistance without loosening his grip. Instead, he held her even tighter.
"Don’t be angry. I’ve talked to my master about moving into public service to avoid doing these dangerous tasks. When he asked me why, I told him I intended to get married." Jiang Yichun’s tone was sprinkled with hints of sweetness towards the end.
Bai Ruozhu’s heart tightened as she turned back to face him and asked, "Did your master agree?"
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Thank you all for the birthday wishes, group hugs all around~ I might update a little late today, I will try my best, Mouka.