But this time, they weren’t too worried.
Earlier, they had rushed to find her because they were afraid she might do something dangerous while drunk. What if she lost awareness and fell into the river?
But just now, they had confirmed that although she was drunk, her logic was clear, and she seemed reliable. Other than climbing over the wall, she probably wouldn’t do anything dangerous.
There was no need to worry too much.
Zhou Shi could only sigh and say, “Fine, since Li Niang went out, we’ll just wait for her to come back.”
After seeing how effortlessly Yu Li climbed the wall earlier, Zhou Shi had come to realize just how capable Li Niang was. As long as she didn’t engage in any dangerous activities, there probably wasn’t anyone who could hurt her.
Zhou Shi turned to Fu Wenxiao and said, “Xiao Ge’er, your health isn’t good. Go and rest, don’t stay up late.”
She was afraid that Fu Wenxiao might insist on waiting for Yu Li to return before going to bed, and who knew how long that would take.
Although Fu Wenxiao’s health seemed to have improved a lot recently, which made Zhou Shi quite happy, she still didn’t dare let him stay up late.
Fu Wenxiao remained silent for a moment, then nodded.
He understood his own body. Although it had improved, it was still in a weakened state. After standing here for so long, that familiar pain had started to spread again, as if seeping out from the crevices of his bones, making it difficult for him to remain standing.
He closed his eyes briefly, enduring the familiar pain, and slowly walked back to his room.
—
The county town was equally lively on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Ever since General Xuan was stationed nearby a decade ago, the curfews in Shanping County gradually ceased, and even the city gates remained open at night.
On holidays, the county would hold lantern festivals, drawing villagers from nearby areas to the town to admire the lantern displays. Many would even stay overnight at relatives’ homes in the county.
Skinny Wu and his group weren’t interested in lanterns. On this rare holiday, they gathered to drink together.
Once the alcohol took effect, they completely forgot about a certain terrifying person and began yelling to start gambling.
A group of them gathered under the banyan tree at the entrance of Luoyu Alley. The loud shouts of gambling carried far, causing passersby who knew these idlers were troublemakers to steer clear.
The group was deeply engrossed in gambling when a shadow, ghost-like, appeared behind them. Without warning, a foot landed squarely on Skinny Wu’s raised backside, sending him flying forward onto Gao Sheng across from him.
In an instant, the group collapsed into a heap, shouting in anger and confusion.
They turned around with hazy drunken eyes and, upon seeing the person bathed in moonlight, sobered up considerably.
“B-B-B-Boss Li!”
The drunkards, startled, began hiccupping out of fear, scrambling to their feet as they desperately tried to steady their wobbly legs.
Their minds a little clearer now, they looked at Yu Li in terror.
They lamented in their hearts. Even during the holidays, instead of staying home with her family, Boss Li came all the way to the county town. Was she here specifically to catch them in the act?
Now that she’d caught them gambling again, there was no escaping a brutal beating.
Yu Li stared at them expressionlessly, her gaze sweeping over the group before pointing at the shortest and thinnest among them.
“You, come here.”
Seeing her delicate, fair finger aimed at him, Skinny Wu sobered up a little more, so scared he couldn’t stop hiccupping.
He stammered, “B-B-B…”
Yu Li frowned impatiently. “B what? Straighten your tongue!”
“Boss Li!” Skinny Wu’s tongue instantly straightened. Shrinking his neck in fear, he shuffled forward and stammered, “W-What can I do for you?”
Yu Li said, “Come with me!”
Skinny Wu: “…”
He didn’t dare resist and could only follow Yu Li with a face full of misery.
The rest of the group stared blankly after them. It took a while for their alcohol-clouded minds to clear a little.
They exchanged glances, and someone hesitantly asked, “Um, where do you think Boss Li is taking Skinny?”
She saw them gambling, yet she didn’t beat them? How strange!
“Maybe she’s taking him to bury him?” suggested the timid Li Wulang pessimistically.
“Don’t talk nonsense!” Gao Sheng slapped the back of his head. “If Boss Li wanted to bury him, she wouldn’t have let us off. She’d bury all of us together.”
“Probably something important,” someone suggested.
The group struggled to use their muddled brains for a moment and found the idea reasonable.
They quickly relaxed.
As long as Boss Li wasn’t angry and didn’t beat them up, the rest could wait until tomorrow.
Gao Sheng waved his hand. “Alright, scatter now! Go home and get some sleep!”
After the earlier scare, none of them had the mood to gamble anymore. They were terrified that Yu Li might return suddenly and scare them half to death again.
Better to leave quickly.
—
Skinny Wu didn’t know where Yu Li was taking him. Following behind her, the cool night breeze helped sober him up a bit.
After walking for a while, he mustered the courage to ask, “Boss Li, where are we going?”
Yu Li didn’t respond and continued walking forward.
She walked so quickly that Skinny Wu had to jog to barely keep up. He was soon gasping for breath, his chest burning with pain. How could someone as slim as her walk so fast? She moved faster than most people could run.
Just as he thought he might collapse from exhaustion, Yu Li finally stopped.
She said, “Wait here.”
Skinny Wu froze, but before he could say anything, she vanished in a blur, startling him.
He looked around and found that they were now in a narrow, quiet alley. The alley was dimly lit by the faint moonlight that barely seeped through, giving the place an eerie atmosphere.
Before he could figure out where they were, a woman’s sharp scream came from a nearby house.
Skinny Wu instinctively turned toward the sound and saw someone climbing over the wall—it was Yu Li!
Just as he was about to call out to her, he noticed she was carrying a disheveled man by the collar.
Under the moonlight, Skinny Wu immediately recognized the man—it was that yamen officer surnamed Ge.
What was going on? Why was Boss Li looking for Officer Ge in the middle of the night? Was she going to beat him up?
At that moment, hurried footsteps sounded from the house. A voluptuous, charming woman opened the door.
Seeing the three of them outside, the woman looked startled and alarmed. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
Officer Ge was equally frightened. He glanced at Skinny Wu, then at Yu Li, and quickly said to the woman, “Wen Niang, it’s fine. I know them.”
Wen Niang looked at Yu Li suspiciously, her face clearly showing doubt.
Even if they knew each other, barging into her home and abducting Officer Ge like this was hardly normal.
Heaven knows what had just happened. She had been drinking with Officer Ge, gently and sweetly coaxing him into a daze, ready to move on to the main event. Then, out of nowhere, this girl had burst in, scaring her out of her wits and leaving Officer Ge completely deflated.
Then the girl had picked up the now-deflated Officer Ge, climbed over the wall, and left.
Officer Ge’s mind was on the verge of collapse. He had no idea why Yu Li had come for him.
And how did she even know he was here?
If Officer Ge had known that Yu Li had first gone to his house, learned from his family that he wasn’t there, then gone to find Officer Zhu and found out from him that he was here, he wouldn’t have been so confused.
Because of what happened last night, Officer Zhu, wanting to make amends, had arranged for Wen Niang to accompany Officer Ge for the evening. Naturally, Officer Ge had been more than happy with this arrangement.
Even though his injuries hadn’t fully healed, they didn’t stop him from seizing this rare opportunity to enjoy Wen Niang’s gentle care.
Now, such a golden chance was ruined just like that. Officer Ge was deeply upset, yet he had no choice but to accept it. His mood was, to say the least, miserable.
Yu Li ignored Wen Niang and said to Officer Ge, “Let’s go!”
Officer Ge hastily scrambled to fix his disheveled clothing and asked, “Where are we going?”
As expected, he got no answer, as Yu Li had already turned and walked off.
Both Skinny Wu and Officer Ge knew how formidable she was and didn’t dare disobey her. They quickly followed in her footsteps.
Left alone, Wen Niang stood at the door, staring blankly as the three of them left.
She was utterly confused. Who was that girl? Why did Officer Ge follow her so obediently after being treated like that?
When the girl had barged in earlier, Wen Niang had taken a closer look and noticed that she was a strikingly beautiful young woman, her skin so fair it practically glowed under the light.
Did Officer Ge know such a stunning young lady?
If he knew someone like her, why did he still come looking for Wen Niang?
But thinking of how the girl had lifted Officer Ge like a sack and carried him over the wall, Wen Niang realized this was no ordinary person. Whatever intentions Officer Ge might have had, he likely didn’t dare act on them.
Once the three of them disappeared from view, Wen Niang, still full of questions, closed the door.
Forget it. Let them go. Losing Officer Ge didn’t matter much. Tomorrow, she could ask Officer Zhu what was going on.
—
Yu Li brought the two men to a secluded spot by the city wall.
The two of them stared at her in confusion, not understanding why she had brought them here.
The next moment, they were yanked by the collars of their clothes and suddenly found their bodies lifted off the ground—not flying, but being carried by her as she leaped into the air.
She seemed to be scaling walls like it was nothing!
They could clearly feel her feet kicking off the wall as she propelled them upward. Just like that, she effortlessly climbed over the city wall, as if it were merely a decoration.
When their feet finally touched solid ground again, it took them a moment to process what had just happened, and they let out startled cries.
“Shut up!” Yu Li commanded.
Their cries caught in their throats, and they quickly closed their mouths, staring at her in terror.
In the dead of night, instead of using the city gate, she had hauled them over the wall to this desolate corner. It was hard not to think of “murder and body disposal.”
Was she really planning to kill them?
Yu Li turned to look at them and asked Officer Ge, “Where nearby are there bandits?”
Officer Ge: “…”
At first, he was stunned, then his face filled with disbelief. Today was Mid-Autumn Festival, a day to celebrate and enjoy. And yet, you want to go looking for bandits? What for? Do you actually plan to fight them?
Hearing this, Skinny Wu suddenly remembered something and regretted it so much he wanted to slap his own mouth.
He shouldn’t have spoken carelessly during the day!
She had actually taken his words to heart and now wanted to deal with the bandits. Sure, she was powerful, but dealing with bandits was the government’s responsibility, not hers!
“Boss Li…” Skinny Wu said cautiously, “You’re not seriously thinking about fighting the bandits, are you? That’s what the government is for. You don’t need to worry about it…”
Hearing this, Officer Ge quickly chimed in, disregarding his shock. “Yes, exactly! This isn’t something you need to concern yourself with!”
Yu Li, her face stern and righteous, declared, “Anything that threatens human survival must be eradicated!”
The two of them: “.…”
What kind of logic was that? What did she mean by “threatens human survival”?
Was she referring to those bandits in the mountains? And by “human,” did she mean the common people?
Expressionless, Yu Li demanded they quickly point her in the right direction.
The two men had no choice. They didn’t dare resist her and could only comply begrudgingly. With a pained expression, Officer Ge pointed out a direction.
He indeed knew where the nearby bandit stronghold was—so did the local government.
However, eradicating the bandits came with too high a cost. Shanping County was just a small county town with limited resources and manpower. Given their constraints, it was nearly impossible to wipe out the bandits.
As a result, as long as the bandits didn’t cross too many lines, the government generally turned a blind eye.
Officer Ge added, “It’s already late now. If we were to head there, it’d probably be dawn by the time we arrived. And by then…”
At dawn, those bandits would be far more difficult to deal with.
He knew Yu Li was strong, but no matter how strong she was, she was still just one person. If she confronted those ruthless bandits head-on, she would undoubtedly suffer. Most importantly, if he went with her and something happened, he wouldn’t be able to escape either!
Once Yu Li got her directions, she immediately set off with the two men in tow.
The two of them: “…”