RWNEFE -Chapter 26 Does the Young Master’s Residence Need an Accountant?

The constables traveling with them were mostly Liu Laohu’s sworn brothers. Seeing one of their own killed, their eyes instantly turned feral, scanning the surroundings with murderous intent. Liu Laohu roared in hatred:
“Who did this? If you’ve got the guts, come out! Stop hiding!”

The exiled prisoners screamed and scattered in all directions. The constables drew their blades and backed into a tight circle, standing back-to-back.

“Master, twenty archers are lying in ambush at the highest point of the mountain pass!”

Shen Lanxi’s phoenix-like eyes swept across the peak, her gaze sharp and restrained, like a hawk spotting prey.

“Everyone, stick close to the cliff wall!”

Hearing Shen Lanxi shout, Liu Laohu led the constables toward the wall, yelling as they ran:
“Those who don’t want to die, press against the cliff—move, now!”

Seeing Liu Laohu and the constables setting the example, the smarter exiled prisoners immediately changed direction and ran toward them.

Nu Bai had already locked onto the archers’ positions, and Shen Lanxi instructed Chunxue and Qiushuang:
“Protect yourselves and make sure no one notices I’ve left!”

The two nodded quickly.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Shen Lanxi climbed the cliff side using both hands and feet, heading swiftly toward the peak.

Arrows continued to fly, but thankfully everyone was spread out, so there were injuries but no fatalities.

Once on the peak, Shen Lanxi leapt several times, pinpointing the closest archers, and took them down one by one. The archers were knocked unconscious and thrown off the cliff.

The cliff was about twenty meters high. Those who fell barely survived; without rescue, death was certain.

In the blink of an eye, all twenty archers were dealt with. Half of their bows were thrown off the cliff, and half were confiscated into Shen Lanxi’s space.

Just as Liu Laohu poked his head out to look at the cliff, he saw a figure rolling down from above.

At first, he thought it was a large rock. But when the person hit the ground, blood spraying, he realized it was a martial artist in battle attire!

Then a bow landed beside them.

The martial artist had slipped?

Impossible!

More people and bows rolled down, confirming Liu Laohu’s suspicion: there was definitely a highly skilled fighter on the peak—but friend or foe?

His gaze darted toward Shen Lanxi’s position, but he only saw two servants, not Shen Lanxi herself.

Liu Laohu’s pupils constricted, and he pressed his lips tight.

After twenty people had fallen and no more rolled down, Liu Laohu waited, not daring to show himself, until Shen Lanxi appeared, casually holding a staff and wiping it clean.

Veins throbbed on Liu Laohu’s forehead. Only then did he step out of the cliffside cover, stomp over an archer, and kick him a full meter away. “You killed my brothers! Killers will be killed. One brother’s life for twenty of yours!”

Liu Laohu vented his rage by kicking each archer and then ordered the constables to search them.

Each archer had a small pouch of silver; some also carried promissory notes and medicinal supplies.

Thinking of his dead brothers, Liu Laohu’s anger still burned. Recalling Shen Lanxi’s previous method, he told the exiled prisoners: “The bracers they’re wearing are worth a lot, and their shoes are usable. Take whatever you want—everything you take is yours!”

The exiled prisoners, having gained experience before, immediately swarmed to grab the items.

Some even fought when they couldn’t get the leather bracers.

The previously troublesome woman sprang into action again, stripping the archers from the inside out, leaving nothing.

“Ugh, you’re taking a dead man’s clothes? Doesn’t that seem unlucky?”

She held her neck stiffly: “I’m not selling them. If I don’t say, who would know these were worn by the dead? The fabric’s sturdy and clearly valuable!”

Other women brightened at this, joining the strip-search frenzy.

The not-quite-dead archers watched helplessly as women stripped them bare in seconds, spitting blood from sheer anger and frustration.

Shen Lanxi quietly turned, holding her staff.

Pff—once the door to a new world opens, it’s hard to close.

Sometimes, all someone needs is a new line of thought. Once the mind opens, the path widens.

Liu Laohu had the same realization: once these people had taken the spoils, they were all part of the same team.

“I’ll take some of this money to my brothers’ families as settlement, some for the journey. You’ve all benefited from this, so keep your mouths shut. If anyone finds out you took dead men’s belongings, it won’t just be exile for you!”

The exiled prisoners immediately fell silent.

Liu Laohu shouted again: “Hear me?”

The prisoners responded quickly: “Yes, sir!”

A constable asked Liu Laohu: “What do we do with these people?”

Liu Laohu picked up the bows. They looked high-quality but had no markings—something unusual.

He went to Shen Lanxi: “Master Lan, what should we do with these?”

Shen Lanxi placed her cleaned staff back into the carriage and said casually: “Use the ready-made pit. Bury the bodies with the bows.”

Hearing her nonchalant words, Liu Laohu’s pupils flickered. He quickly arranged it. With ready labor, everything was soon buried.

Now it was Shen Lanxi’s turn to approach Liu Laohu: “Brother Liu, we’ve only just left the capital and have already encountered several dangers. If we follow the normal route, everyone might die along the way!”

Liu Laohu sensed the urgency: “Master Lan, do you have a plan?”

Shen Lanxi described her previously devised route and added gravely: “This is the only path left to survive.”

Liu Laohu cursed his luck. Why had he been sent out on this trip? Now that they’d come this far, complaining to heaven wouldn’t help.

There were family members and constable brothers waiting back home. The capital officials didn’t care about their lives—they had to protect their own.

“Alright. It’s the peak of the drought. The court probably won’t check. We’ll follow Master Lan’s route.” The exiles’ route was set by the court, but with so many vagrants, if anyone asked, they’d just say they were scattered by them.

Liu Laohu only told the exiles that the route had changed. To speed up, the male prisoners had their shackles and leg irons removed, replaced with handcuffs connecting their hands.

Even if some recognized the road to Yongcheng, unburdened by the dozens of kilograms they had been carrying, they understood Liu Laohu wanted them to move faster and said nothing.

As expected, the vagrants at the foot of Yongcheng had multiplied six or seven times over. Entry silver per person rose from two taels to five.

Shen Lanxi, using frugality as an excuse, had Chunxue follow Liu Laohu into the city to buy water.

Little of the food was consumed, but water was in high demand. Enough had to be carried to sustain the journey.

While resting, a young exiled prisoner stepped forward and volunteered: “Does the young master’s residence need an accountant?”