RWNEFE -Chapter 127 Slap Her for Me!

On Qingsong Mountain

“Boss, a group of people is heading our way. They don’t look easy to deal with!”

Xiao Fang frowned. The knife scar on his face shifted as his brows knitted together, making him look even more fierce and intimidating.

“What do you mean, not easy to deal with? Am I easy to deal with?” he snapped.

The underling hurriedly tried to placate him. “Our men said their carts are piled high with wolf pelts. The pelts aren’t even dry yet—blood has been dripping all along the road. They’re covered in blood too, like walking blood gourds!”

Xiao Fang’s interest was immediately piqued.

“Anyone who dares to kill wolves must be skilled. And skilled people always carry good stuff. Looks like we can pull off a big haul again!”

The more he thought about it, the happier Xiao Fang became. Recently, aside from a few dirt-poor exile convoys passing through, there hadn’t been a single wealthy group.

If this kept up, his Qingsong Mountain stronghold would soon be scraping the bottom of the barrel.

“Gather the men. Spread the word!”

“Yes!”

~

After traveling for two and a half hours and finally leaving the grasslands, they came upon a lake just before noon.

They were caked in dried blood. If they didn’t wash up soon, the stench would set in.

“Stop the carts and rest!”

“Yes!”

After sprinting nonstop all morning, everyone was desperate to rest—some nearly cheered out loud.

The men were just about to rush into the lake to wash when Liu Yanhui waved them away.

“Go wash farther off. If you dirty the water here, what will we use to cook later?”

The men chuckled and trooped off together.

Even the women needed to wash, but they had to be more discreet. Sending the men farther away served that purpose too.

“Young Master, I’ll boil some water for you. Use hot water to wash,” Chunxue said.

Shen Lanxi lifted her cloth bundle. “No need. I’ll go farther away to wash. You all boil the water first. When I come back and keep watch, then you can wash.”

Chunxue was about to say something, but Shen Lanxi stopped her with an unmistakably firm gesture.

“Wait.”

Shen Lanxi gathered her qi and leapt away. In the blink of an eye, she turned into a tiny black dot and vanished.

After making sure no one was around, she slipped into her space.

After washing up thoroughly, she not only cleaned off the wolf blood from her body but also washed away the disguise on her face.

Her identity as a woman had already been exposed—whether she disguised herself or not no longer mattered.

Still, out of habit and for convenience on the road, she put on men’s clothes again.

When Shen Lanxi reappeared, everyone she passed stared in shock.

What a handsome young man—where did he come from?

And how did he end up in such a desolate place?

“Young Master, the hot water is ready!” Chunxue called out.

Everyone who heard this looked as if they’d seen a ghost.

This handsome young man… was Young Master Lan? Shen Lanxi?

“You all go wash. I’ll stand guard here.”

“Yes!”

An hour later, the men returned one by one. A few good swimmers even brought back fish in their hands.

When they saw Shen Lanxi’s jade-like face, their eyes nearly popped out of their heads.

Heavens above—

How could Shen Lanxi be so stunning, like some kind of enchantress?

It was unfair! How could all the good qualities be packed into one woman?!

Compared to everyone else’s shock, the Shen family’s reaction was far more subdued and complicated.

“Why did she show her face?” Didn’t she know what she looked like?

Wasn’t this just asking for trouble?

Old Madam Shen wore a critical expression.

Shen Conglian said indifferently, “Show it or not—it doesn’t matter. Everyone already knows she’s a woman.”

Hearing this, Old Madam Shen’s reproachful gaze immediately shifted to Shen Congwen and Zhang Zifen and her daughter.

“Eldest Son, you really handled this matter foolishly!”

Ever since being dug out of the pit, Shen Congwen looked like an eggplant struck by frost—haggard and dispirited.

In the past, he would have rushed to explain himself when his mother spoke like this. Now, he couldn’t even summon the will to speak, as if all strength had been drained from him.

“Mother, this isn’t entirely Big Brother’s fault. It’s all because certain little vixens couldn’t stay in line!” Madam Liu sneered, her tone sharp.

Old Madam Shen glared viciously at Zhang Zifen and scolded, “Put away that fox-like seductress act of yours! Didn’t you say just yesterday that you wanted to die? And today you’re clinging to men again. If we weren’t on the road to exile, I’d have had you tied up and sold long ago!”

Terrified, Zhang Zifen shrank behind Shen Congwen. She thought he would protect her—but to her fury, he didn’t say a single word.

“Mother…” Zhang Zifen had just begun to speak when Old Madam Shen cut her off coldly.

“Second daughter-in-law, slap her for me!”

Madam Liu had long disliked Zhang Zifen. Without another word, she stepped forward and slapped her hard across the face!

“You lowly concubine! When our masters are talking, there’s no place for you to speak. I warned you last time—if you dared call me ‘Mother’ again, I’d smash that fox face of yours!”

Zhang Zifen shuddered violently, clutching her face and shrinking backward without stopping.

Old Master Shen let out a long, quiet sigh. “Listen to your mother and grandmother. From now on, this family may very well have to rely on Lanxi to hold it together. You all saw what happened yesterday—two people died, buried just like two animals. Our family hasn’t lost a single person yet. We should be grateful.”

Old Master Shen rarely spoke, but when he did, even Old Madam Shen listened.

Wei Dongzhu and Liu Yanhui had already seen Shen Lanxi’s true face. The others had not.

Cheng Zheng and the others flushed bright red, too embarrassed to lift their heads.

Shen Lanxi said, “We’ve already entered Qingsong Mountain territory. Once we pass Qingsong Mountain and travel another hundred li, we’ll reach the border of Dongchuan.”

Using a bamboo stick, she drew a circle around Qingsong Mountain.

The area was vast.

“We’re not sure how many men they have.”

“What we do know is that the toll is fifty taels per person. What do you all think?”

The discussion boiled down to one question: pay, or force their way through?

Cheng Zheng wrote decisively: Pay.

Liu Yanhui thought for a moment. “A strong dragon can’t suppress a local snake. I agree with Old Cheng.”

Wei Dongzhu nodded as well. “Agreed.”

Liu Laohu blurted out instinctively, “Makes sense!”

He could be skipped altogether.

The others all agreed too—unanimous approval.

Shen Lanxi looked at Liu Yanhui. “Count the people and prepare the money in advance.”

“I’ll take care of it right away,” Liu Yanhui said, rising to leave.

At noon, food aromas filled the air. Shen Lanxi was eating when Liu Laohu hurried over.

“I just went on patrol with some men and saw this thrown in the middle of the road!”

It was a note. Written on it:

This mountain is mine, this tree is mine.
If you want to pass, leave your toll.
Fifty taels per person!

“Put the money where the note was found.”

“Alright!”

They had already finished eating. Because of the toll, they didn’t rush ahead to check.

After waiting a full two hours, Liu Laohu finally took people over.

“The money’s been taken!” he reported.

By martial-world rules, taking the money meant the deal was done.

“Pack up. We move out!”

For now, passing Qingsong Mountain seemed easier than they had expected.

~

“Boss, they paid!” the underling carried the money chest into the stronghold.

Xiao Fang froze, his tone incredulous. “They just… paid like that? That easily?”