Dandy Escapes From Marriage - Chapter 37

The next morning, there was quite a stir in the mountain stronghold as the second master returned with his men.

Before long, the door was pushed open, revealing a burly man standing there. He threw a woman inside and cursed, “Useless.”

The woman fell to the ground, crying while covering her face, trying not to cry too loudly.

“Oh, more new people?” The man walked in, carefully scrutinizing the newcomers. “Why is there a monk too?”

The gatekeeper explained, “He accidentally wandered to our mountain while begging for alms.”

“How unfortunate.” The man slapped Hui Shang’s head, then turned his head and beamed at Liu Shu. “Wow, such good looks! The master should be pleased. Take her to my room; let these ugly ones stay here.”

Just as Liu Shu was being taken away, Zhang Moyang tried to get up but was held back by Hui Shang.

As Liu Shu was dragged away from the gate, he glanced back at them with a comforting look.

Among the group of captured people, he was currently the safest.

The second master’s room was much brighter and more spacious, with tea and water prepared.

“Stay here quietly, don’t run around. Your time of glory will come later,” the second master said.

Liu Shu nodded obediently.

The second master sat at the table, staring at him for a long while. His fingers tapped incessantly on the table. After a mental struggle between heaven and man, ultimately, the desire for wealth triumphed over beauty. He got up and left to avoid clouding his judgment and losing the valuable “merchandise.”

When only Liu Shu was left in the room, he sat at the table and recalled what he had seen in the stronghold these past two days. He dipped his index finger in water from the tea cup and began drawing on the table.

The firewood shed was to the east of the gate, with a large courtyard in the middle. Opposite were the bandits’ sleeping quarters, and the second master’s room was at the far end. He could roughly infer the layout of the entire stronghold but some areas were still unclear.

“Young man, I need to use the outhouse,” Liu Shu opened the door and smiled at the guards outside.

There were eight guards this time, all of whom had better temperaments than the previous one, perhaps knowing he could fetch a good price, so they were relatively polite to him.

One of them led him out. The outhouse was in the far west corner. Liu Shu explored a new area, observing the surroundings as he walked. Suddenly, his steps hesitated. He turned his head and noticed a closed door guarded by over a dozen armed men outside.

“How long are you going to keep us locked up?” Liu Shu asked pitifully to the guide.

“It won’t be long. Just endure a bit more. As long as you behave, the second master won’t harm you,” the man said.

“Can I know where I’ll be taken?” Liu Shu asked.

“I’m not sure about that. I’m only responsible for keeping you all safe. Stop asking; I don’t know anything.”

“I’m just curious. With so many of your people, I can’t escape anyway.”

“That’s right. We have over a hundred people in our stronghold. You few women can’t escape. Even if you manage to get out of the stronghold, you may not safely get down the mountain.”

With a clearer idea in his mind, Liu Shu spent the day going to the outhouse several times, roughly counting the people in the stronghold. There were about a hundred of them.

Night fell, and the people in the stronghold gathered for dinner, eating and drinking together, making quite a lively scene.

After drinking several jugs of wine, the second master habitually returned to his room. Upon entering, he noticed the untouched food on the table and asked, “Why aren’t you eating?”

“My stomach hurts,” Liu Shu said, clutching his stomach, looking pained. “I need to go to the outhouse.”

“Why did your stomach suddenly ache?”

“Probably not used to the food and water here.”

The second master looked at his sweaty forehead and pale face. It didn’t seem like he was faking it. He waved his hand, letting the guards take him to the outhouse, then returned to the dining table.

After walking for a while, Liu Shu suddenly fell to the ground, then struggled to get up, holding a few pebbles in his hand. As he passed a certain place, he stopped, looked up at the stars at a forty-five degree angle, and said sadly, “The merriment belongs to others.”

Indeed, the guide glanced towards the direction where everyone was eating. Due to the need to keep watch, he couldn’t eat and drink with them.

At that moment, a pebble accurately hit the window of a certain room.

“Let’s move,” Zhang Moyang got up from the ground and pulled out a few bottles of wine from the firewood pile.

These were the wines Liu Shu had ordered every time, but secretly kept.

Zhang Moyang poured the wine through the window crack, where a pile of dry firewood was stacked outside.

Chen Yinglian rubbed two wooden sticks together continuously. Having spent years hunting outdoors, she was adept at making fire by friction. Soon, sparks appeared.

Zhang Moyang swiftly ignited the dry leaves and gestured to Hui Shang. She then threw the leaves onto the window. With a bang, flames ignited instantly.

Hui Shang protected several girls near the door, banging on it frantically, “Help! There’s a fire!”

The gatekeeper immediately opened the door upon seeing the firelight at the window, alarmed and hastily called for help to extinguish the fire, rushing to rescue the people inside.

“It seems something happened over there,” Liu Shu asked.

The guard watching him also heard the commotion and, startled, looked in that direction. Suddenly, someone grabbed him by the neck, slammed him hard against the wall, and he instantly passed out.

With everyone busy fighting the fire, Liu Shu swiftly retrieved a signal arrow from his boot. It briefly lit up with a faint glow in the air, easily overlooked.

Next, he dragged the guard into a dark corner, exchanged clothes with him, dirtied his face, and slipped into the kitchen to get a fire starter. Carrying several jugs of wine, he sneaked into the bandits’ sleeping quarters.

Just as everyone finished extinguishing the fire in the firewood shed, they turned around and saw the sleeping quarters ablaze. Calls for help intensified as they rushed to fight the fire.

The second master suddenly realized this wasn’t an accidental fire but deliberate arson. His face changed color, and he hurriedly ran to the warehouse. Kicking open the door, he found it intact with no intruders. He immediately ordered, “You few, search nearby for any suspicious individuals!”

The guards scattered to search the surroundings. A moment later, one rushed back, head bowed, and quickly reported, “Second master, the woman locked in your room is missing!”

“What!?” The second master’s expression changed dramatically, furious as he rushed back to his room.

At the door, two figures passed each other. The man slowly smirked, closed the warehouse door, and surveyed the packed warehouse, mostly filled with crops.

After searching around, he finally dug out a box hidden under a pile of corn. Unfortunately, it was locked.

“No big deal,” Liu Shu sneered.

For a while, his mother confined him to the house as punishment for wandering outside. During this time, he found joy in learning to pick locks, a skill his mother still didn’t know about.

After opening the box, it revealed gold, silver, and jewelry.

Suddenly, footsteps approached outside, and the door was kicked open. He picked up his slingshot and aimed it at the person entering, only to find an arrow pointed at him.

They both released their grips simultaneously. Liu Shu waved, “Perfect timing. Take a look at these things. Take whatever you want, and consider the 100 taels reward settled.”

Chen Yinglian walked in, smiling happily. “You’re even more obsessed with money than me. Even at this moment, you’re thinking about thieves’ money.”

“I have no choice. I’m poor,” Liu Shu replied, stuffing items into his clothes. Suddenly, he paused and saw something familiar.

It was an amber pendant, with a rare shape inside, resembling a willow tree sketched with a few strokes.

It was the only one of its kind in the world, his personal belonging.

At that time, when he was alone and robbed by a group of bandits, he deliberately kept this amber, thinking that if the bandits took it to market, his parents could use it as a clue to find him.

Unexpectedly, these bandits still kept this piece of amber, now returning it to its rightful owner.

“How are Zhang Moyang and Hui Shang doing?” Liu Shu asked.

“They’re protecting those girls, pretending to be innocent. I took advantage of the chaos to search the thieves’ treasury,” Chen Yinglian replied.

“Do you still have your bow?”

“Just this one, but I can rob others.”

“That’s convenient. Just as I thought.”

The two of them hurried to leave, and before departing, Liu Shu didn’t forget to set a large fire at this spot.

Upon returning to his room, the second master discovered the beauty was indeed missing. Enraged, he slammed his palm on the table and was about to order a search when news arrived that the warehouse was also on fire.

The warehouse was crucial to them, and now everyone was frantic to put out the fire.

“It must be that woman playing tricks. Capture her or anyone else involved, dead or alive!” the second master roared in anger.

Only two or three people who had escorted them away from the firewood shed earlier remained; the rest had gone to fight the fire. Now realizing the women seemed to be attempting escape, they went to apprehend them. Just as they were about to reach them, an arrow suddenly struck an arm.

Liu Shu and Chen Yinglian rushed back. “Hurry, let’s go.”

The several girls were escorted down the mountain by Zhang Moyang and Hui Shang, with the two men providing cover. Fearful yet determined, they ran ahead, unwilling to burden others.

Suddenly, a large group of people appeared ahead, startling them. But they soon realized these were government officials, and relief swept over them as they tearfully shouted, “There are still two people up there, please save them!”

“Is Xiao Wu and Miss Chen still up there?” Shen Ke asked after counting the people.

“Yes, hurry, I’ll take you up,” Hui Shang said.

Shen Ke nodded and instructed Zhang Moyang to escort the girls back safely while he continued upwards with the others. As they watched the fire grow brighter, their worry deepened.

The group swiftly surrounded the summit. The bandits, exhausted from fighting the fire for nearly an hour, were now surrounded by soldiers. Their will to resist was greatly diminished, and they surrendered without further struggle.

After tying up all these people, there were still some lingering flames in the house. Shen Ke ordered another group to put them out to prevent them from spreading into the forest.

“Where’s Xiao Wu?” He scanned the tied-up individuals but didn’t find Liu Shu.

“Huh, it seems the second master isn’t here either,” Zhang Moyang suddenly said. “Xiao Wu was locked in the second master’s room today. Could he have found out?”

Shen Ke’s face turned pale. He immediately instructed Zhang Moyang to lead the way to the second master’s room, where they found the second master with an arrow wound.

Just as Shen Ke was about to ask questions, Hui Shang shouted from outside, “There’s a charred body here!”

He rushed out and saw a person in red clothing lying in a dark corner in the distance.

He ran over immediately but stopped abruptly when he was about to approach. He walked heavily toward the body.

The body faced down in the dirt. Shen Ke didn’t even have the strength to lift him up.

“Is it… Xiao Wu?” 

Zhang Moyang heard his hoarse voice and froze, then turned to see his eyes reddening. Not knowing what he was thinking, Zhang nodded, “Yes.”

Shen Ke froze in place, his body slowly bending, hands clutching his knees to steady himself. Tears welled up in his eyes, a sensation of something being forcibly pulled from his body, leaving him.

There was a cacophony around him—soldiers cleaning up, Hui Shang and Zhang Moyang whispering something—but he didn’t want to care about any of it anymore.

His vision blurred, he looked up at the body, slowly reaching out his hand. He faintly heard the person still shouting “A Ke, A Ke…”

“A Ke!!”

Shen Ke’s finger twitched slightly, as if it wasn’t an illusion?

He turned around and saw Liu Shu with his back to the firelight, hands full of gold and silver jewelry, a victorious smile on his face. He ran towards him, “Look what I found! The second master actually has a cellar in his room, hiding private money. Luckily, I found it!”

The gold and silver jewelry in his hands clinked crisply. He stopped in front of Shen Ke, his smile suddenly freezing, “What’s wrong with you? Why are you crying so much?”

Shen Ke stared at him without blinking.

Liu Shu turned to Zhang Moyang, “What’s wrong with him?”

“He thought that was your body,” Zhang Moyang pointed to the person on the ground, grinning mischievously, “He’s almost cried to death. I see he cares about you too.”

Liu Shu looked at the charred body on the ground, “Did you guys trick him?”

“I only said there was a body here,” Hui Shang said, then turned to the instigator.

“I just wanted to test his feelings for you,” Zhang Moyang said.

“Get lost, you use yourself to try!?” Liu Shu kicked Zhang Moyang several times, then handed the jewelry in his hand to Hui Shang, and finally held Shen Ke’s face with both hands, wiping away his tears. He felt heartbroken, “It’s okay, this kid is lying to you. We mature men keep our promises. We agreed to wait for you to save me. You didn’t come, how could I dare to die—”

Suddenly, a hurried and stiff kiss fell on his lips.

Amidst the noise around them—people fighting fires, begging for mercy, coming and going hastily, and loving each other fiercely in one direction