RWNEFE -Chapter 30 The Bandit Hideout—Can We Deal With It?

After a hearty meal, the water in the small pond was almost used up. The water skins couldn’t hold any more, and the exile group continued on their way.

The prisoners walked ahead, while Shen Lanxi’s carriage followed at a safe distance behind.

There were still two more rocky hills. Relying on his knowledge of the terrain, Liu Yanhui coordinated with Liu Laohu on the clear path, then confidently went to find Shen Lanxi.

“Master, from what I saw in travel records about the road to Jinmen, there should be two more rocky hills ahead. After that, the road becomes easier. But there’s one thing we still need to be cautious about.”

Shen Lanxi gestured for Liu Yanhui to speak from the carriage.

Inside the carriage were ink, brushes, paper, and inkstones, along with delicate tea sets, embroidered stools, a soft couch, and cushions woven from purple bamboo. Once inside, Liu Yanhui didn’t know where to put his hands or feet.

“Sit down.”

Liu Yanhui didn’t dare sit on the soft couch, nor the embroidered stool.

“I’ll just sit on the floor!” He shivered slightly—his clothes could shake off two pounds of dust. Even sitting on the floor, he worried about dirtying it.

Shen Lanxi took out a full-scale map of the route from Yongcheng to Jinmen and hung it on the carriage wall.

Seeing it clearly, Liu Yanhui’s pupils constricted.

This was a map! Possession of such a map in private hands was a serious crime!

Shen Lanxi picked up a one-meter-long bamboo stick and pointed to a location.

“We should currently be here.”

Liu Yanhui lowered his gaze, eyes flickering, and quickly nodded.

“I’ve read reports submitted to the court about the road from Yongcheng to Jinmen. There are bandits along the way. The rocky hills are barren—bad for hiding and for living. I suspect their base is in the larger mountains beyond these hills.”

Shen Lanxi asked, “If there are bandits, why hasn’t the court sent troops to eliminate them?”

Liu Yanhui was embarrassed: “The reports were suppressed. A military expedition costs money, and the Ministry of Revenue didn’t allocate funds. Even if they did, resources are tied up with border conflicts.”

Shen Lanxi stared at the map, her eyes dark and deep, making Liu Yanhui nervous.

“This bandit hideout… can we handle it?” she asked, resting her chin on her hand, eyes shining.

Liu Yanhui shivered violently. A thought flashed in his mind—he felt like he’d just boarded a pirate ship.

“That might not be wise. We don’t even know the situation inside the bandit hideout.”

Shen Lanxi already had a plan.

“The information you provided is useful. You may step down. There are still two more hills to cross, and I need to plan the next move.”

Liu Yanhui bowed respectfully and quickly left.

For a brief moment, he felt like a palace eunuch. The thought terrified him, and he pinched himself to make sure he wasn’t imagining it.

He’s a eunuch… and Shen Lanxi is what?

The journey after that was smooth. Shen Yuanjing and his siblings even ran over to chat with her, and the constables didn’t stop them.

“Big brother, how did you get so strong?”

“Big brother, who taught you martial arts? Can you teach us?”

Shen Lanxi smiled at the chatter and replied, “Sure! But to learn martial arts, you mustn’t fear hardship or fatigue. Can you endure it?”

Shen Yuanjing’s eyes sparkled. “Yes! I can endure it. Big brother, please teach us!”

Shen Lanxi said, “You’re not ready yet. Follow Chunxue and Qiushuang to build your foundation first. Once you’ve mastered the basics, I’ll teach you.”

The Shen brothers were a little disappointed.

Shen Lanxi continued, “My style is fierce. If you start learning without a solid foundation, at best you’ll injure muscles and bones; at worst, you’ll end up like the wolves last night—dead!”

The brothers thought about their big sister’s strength from yesterday. If she taught them carelessly… they couldn’t even bear to imagine it.

Since they were on the move, they couldn’t practice stances. Chunxue and Qiushuang had them carry heavy items from the carriage instead.

At first, the three brothers joked around, but after a cup of tea, they were grimacing and straining under the weight.

The other young Shen family members’ attention was entirely on them.

“Aunt, I want to learn martial arts too!” Shen Yuanqing whispered to Aunt Wei Rulan.

Wei Rulan said tenderly, “Son, the exile journey is already hard enough. You can’t endure more hardship.”

She said the same to another son.

“Don’t worry, they’re just excited now—they won’t last long!”

Zhang Zifen’s sons were also pleading.

Zhang Zifen shook her head, whispering disdainfully: “Your big sister is legitimate. She’ll only teach legitimate children. It’s not that I refuse, but even if you persuade your father, your sister won’t sincerely teach you. Better not to bother her.”

Shen Yuanxin looked at them from afar, a mix of envy and a dark shadow passing through his expression.

In other branches of the family: “Third and fourth brothers, should we send the children to learn from Lanxi?” Shen Conglian frowned.

Shen Congli said: “Everything else is lowly, only study is high. Even if you learn martial arts well, it’s only for guarding the house. What future does it give you?”

Shen Congyi nodded: “Lanxi fed so many people before—she must have a lot of money. Once we reach Dongchuan, let Mother manage the household, bring the money here, hire a teacher for the sons to study and take the imperial exams. Isn’t that better than learning martial arts?”

“That makes sense. Our eldest brother is scholarly. When we were at home, we only focused on farming to pay for his education. If he’s talented in study, we’re not lacking either. Our children will surely inherit that talent!”

“Yes, yes, what the fourth said is correct!”

As usual, Shen Lanxi went out each day to scout ahead and rotated watering the horses. The next hill had no water source, so Liu Laohu began rationing the daily water supply.

The exile group returned to their gray, weary state, trudging forward each day, lips cracked from thirst.

After a full day of thirst, Shen Lanxi began limiting water supply.

Shen family members had priority, as did Liu Yanhui and his family.

The prisoners’ eyes turned red when they saw the water, itching to grab it.

Shen Lanxi walked around them with her staff, and everyone fell in line obediently, quietly taking water.

She had plenty of water in her space. She wasn’t a saint—she wouldn’t give it away freely.

Finally, they crossed the second rocky hill. Upon reaching one-third of the third hill, Shen Lanxi went scouting, spending the entire day away.

While she was gone, prisoners tried to encourage constables to steal water. Those prisoners were severely punished by Liu Laohu, and no one dared mention stealing water again.

By evening, Shen Lanxi returned with news: “After this hill, there’s a small river at its foot.”

Liu Laohu’s cracked lips curled in excitement: “Finally, no sleeping tonight! We’ll rush through the night to drink!”

Shen Lanxi continued: “Don’t celebrate too early. Beside the river is a bandit hideout—Black Wind Fort! It’s huge, with at least a hundred people inside!”