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Although Ye Xiaohan was horrified by the brutality of the man before her, she still insisted on thanking him, as he had indeed helped her escape from the pursuit of the black-clad assassins.
She was not a saint; she would not forget what those assassins had done just because they were dead now. They had killed her companions, and if they had not died, she would be the one lying dead now.
The man seemed somewhat surprised when he heard Ye Xiaohan's thanks, and only then did he open his eyes to take a good look at her.
"You've got some guts, woman. Seeing a murder and still able to stay so calm—most women would have fainted by now."
Ye Xiaohan forced a smile. If circumstances allowed, she would have liked to faint herself.
"Big brother, thank you. I need to go bury my brother's body, so I'll take my leave now." Qi's body still lay cold on the ground; Ye Xiaohan could not let him lie there in such desolation.
The man laughed. "Not bad, you're loyal. In a situation like this, instead of running away, you're still thinking about others. I'm quite satisfied."
Ye Xiaohan was puzzled but managed to force a smile in response. It sounded like a compliment, but it didn't seem appropriate to thank him for it.
The man continued, "I think you're great. Come back with me and be my wife! I'll find someone to bury your brother properly; I promise to find a good spot for him!"
"Huh?" Ye Xiaohan completely failed to follow his train of thought. "What are you talking about?"
The man grabbed Ye Xiaohan and lifted her up as if she were a chicken, dragging her along. "I’ve taken a liking to you. Let’s go! We’ll get married as soon as we get back!"
"Let go of me! Who wants to marry you? I don’t even know you!" Ye Xiaohan struggled desperately. What kind of joke was this? If this man took her away, she feared her fate would end up like that pile of bloody corpses on the ground.
However, her struggles were nothing more than a cat scratching at its claws to him; it was an unequal contest. Despite Ye Xiaohan's resistance, she was dragged back without any chance of escape.
Halfway through her journey, Ye Xiaohan felt something was off. This direction—wasn't it the way to the Bandit Stronghold that Seven Fingers had just pointed out to her?
Connecting it to what that man had said earlier about capturing her to become the stronghold's lady, and considering his frightening combat skills, a thought formed in Ye Xiaohan's mind.
This man was likely related to the Bandits.
Half an hour later, her guess was proven correct. Not only was he related to the Bandits, but he also held significant importance.
He was Zhao Ren, the Second-in-Command of the Bandit Hideout.
"Second-in-Command, you went down the mountain and brought back a woman?" The Bandits on the mountain were surprised to see Zhao Ren return with Ye Xiaohan. "Who is this woman?"
Zhao Ren laughed heartily and pushed Ye Xiaohan forward. "This is my wife! From now on, she will be the Second-in-Command's lady at our Bandit Hideout! Everyone get ready; I'm getting married!"
"Congratulations, Second-in-Command!"
Cheers erupted all around. Ye Xiaohan was stunned. These people didn't even know her identity and accepted it so readily? At least they could have asked for her name first!
"Wait, hold on!" Seeing that no one opposed, Ye Xiaohan quickly tried to save herself. "Big brother, don't you think this is too hasty? We just met today!"
Zhao Ren chuckled. "What does that matter? As long as we have feelings for each other, knowing each other for a day is enough! You should get familiar with everyone while I go inform the Second-in-Command."
The problem was that there were no feelings between them at all! As Zhao Ren turned to leave, Ye Xiaohan wanted to fight for her freedom, but he moved too quickly, and the curious onlookers had already started to gather around.
Ye Xiaohan tensed her body, even her hair seemed to stand on end. This was the notorious Bandit hideout, a place where countless murders had taken place, comparable to the Hell of Shura.
Entering here alone felt like a white rabbit jumping into a tiger's den.
However, she could not leave; she had to stay. Gu Bei had gone missing here, and there must be clues left behind. It was very likely that he had been captured by these Bandits.
To find out Gu Bei's whereabouts, Ye Xiaohan decided to blend in and search for clues.
Zhao Ren walked up to a room, not even bothering to knock before pushing the door open.
"Second-in-Command, I'm back," Zhao Ren's loud voice echoed in the room, stirring those inside.
The person inside was the leader of this Bandit Hideout. He looked at Zhao Ren and nodded, "Back already? Did everything go smoothly?"
"Of course! When I take action, what can't be accomplished?" Zhao Ren boisterously sat down. "Second-in-Command, I have something to discuss with you. I found a wife down the mountain; you need to pick a good date."
The Second-in-Command looked surprised and asked, "Where did you find this woman?"
Zhao Ren recounted the events, saying, "This woman suits my taste perfectly; I want to marry her. Our Village has been having some bad luck lately, so we can use this wedding to drive away the misfortune!"
"That works," the Second-in-Command considered for a moment before agreeing. "Ten days from now is an auspicious day for weddings; let's choose that day."
Zhao Ren grinned widely and said, "Great! Then it's settled for ten days from now!"
The Second-in-Command had agreed, so naturally, no one at the Bandit Hideout would object. Zhao Ren, as the Second-in-Command of the Bandit Hideout, was well-known for his temper, and no one dared to oppose him when he personally brought a woman back.
Except for Ye Xiaohan.
She indeed wanted to infiltrate and find Gu Bei, but marrying him was not part of her plan.
However, Ye Xiaohan's objections were negligible; no one paid her any mind. The matter was settled just like that.
Ye Xiaohan was locked in a room to prevent her from escaping. She surveyed her surroundings; the windows were reinforced with sturdy bars, making it nearly impossible for anyone inside to escape.
It seemed they were quite experienced in capturing people, even having dedicated rooms for confinement.
Ye Xiaohan's stomach growled with hunger. She hadn't eaten anything since she got up in the morning, and after barely taking a bite of her rations at noon, she had been chased by men in black and struggled during her capture. Now she felt both exhausted and famished.
This hunger sharpened her mind. Taking advantage of the quiet, Ye Xiaohan began to piece together what she knew.
Currently, her information was limited; all she knew was that Gu Bei had been betrayed by a Traitor, leading to the annihilation of his forces, and he himself was missing. As for the Bandit Hideout, which had defeated the imperial army six times in a row, she had no useful information about them.
Staying here did seem like a good idea. Given the current situation, Zhao Ren appeared to have no intention of killing her. Of course, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t suddenly fly into a rage and kill someone at any moment.
After witnessing Zhao Ren's brutality, Ye Xiaohan felt no fondness for the Bandit Hideout. Although Zhao Ren had saved her, Ye Xiaohan could guarantee that he hadn’t acted out of a desire to rescue her; he simply found those men in black displeasing and wanted to kill them.
Yet Ye Xiaohan had no other options left. Aside from seizing this opportunity, she had no reason to remain at the Bandit Hideout.
Given the style of these Bandits, if she insisted on resisting and angered them, she feared she would be killed immediately.
She had no choice but to play along. Ye Xiaohan made up her mind; she decided to take this opportunity to gather information about the Bandit Hideout.
Regardless of whether she could find Gu Bei, obtaining internal information would allow her to return and formulate a more comprehensive attack plan.
To make her act more convincing, Ye Xiaohan initially hesitated and did not agree right away. Instead, she pretended to be frightened, remaining silent no matter how others urged her.
As time passed, it seemed that Zhao Ren and the bandits in the hideout were about to lose their patience. Ye Xiaohan called for Zhao Ren, indicating that she wanted to talk.
"I'm here; what do you want to discuss?" Zhao Ren quickly arrived upon hearing that Ye Xiaohan was looking for him.
Ye Xiaohan lowered her head, summoning great courage before finally looking up at Zhao Ren and asking, "Do you really want me to marry you?"
"Yes," Zhao Ren readily admitted. "I've never seen a woman as bold as you. Even the women in the Village don't all dare to kill. I'm quite fond of you and want to marry you."
Ye Xiaohan hadn't expected that her calmness at that moment had caught Zhao Ren's attention. She secretly regretted not having acted differently back then; if she had just spoken out or fainted, she wouldn't be in this predicament now.
However, this also meant she had lost the chance to search for clues about Gu Bei.
Indeed, matters in this world often cannot be resolved perfectly.
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