The matter of Yongfeng Village was not complicated. With Xu Hengyan's intelligence and keen observation, it was not surprising that he could sense her intentions.
Xie Jiang nodded to him with understanding.
Luo Shou's three foolish boys were completely unguarded around her, and in a few sentences, they revealed everything she wanted to know.
Luo Zhongtong had waited for many years and could no longer wait.
He had originally planned to use the Yellow Orchid Mountain bandits to seize power. Luo Tong said he had seen Luo Dahai on the bandits' boat last time, which was not a deliberate frame-up or a mistake on Luo Tong's part.
But Luo Zhongtong also worried about inviting a wolf into the house.
After all, it was easier to invite Buddha than to send him away.
He wanted to be the village chief himself, not the village chief's uncle.
If the Yellow Orchid Mountain bandits entered the village and refused to leave, and Yongfeng Village became a stronghold for the Yellow Orchid Mountain bandits, he would only be given the position of fifth or sixth in command.
Then what would be the point of all his efforts over the years?
It would be better to be content with being the village chief's uncle!
Therefore, although Luo Zhongtong had made contact with the bandits, he remained hesitant and indecisive.
At most, he would lure Luo Shou out of the village and have the Yellow Orchid Mountain bandits kidnap Luo Shou.
"They must want to threaten my brother with my life, to force my brother to fight the bandits to the death!"
But Luo Shou did not want their scheme to succeed and risked his life to escape from the bandits' boat.
"What is the reputation of the Yellow Orchid Mountain bandits? They are evil and extremely brutal. If my brother fights the bandits, even if he wins in the end, he will be severely weakened, and Luo Zhongtong can take the opportunity to cause trouble and seize power!"
When Luo Shou spoke of this to Xie Jiang in the morning, besides his overflowing indignation, there was also a great deal of lingering fear.
"Given Luo Zhongtong's sinister nature, if he gains control of Yongfeng Village, he will not spare my brother and me, nor my sister-in-law and Qingqing..."
After being rescued by Xie Jiang, he dared not say anything for fear of exposing his identity as a mountain dweller.
Now that Xie Jiang had coincidentally arrived at Yongfeng Village, Luo Shou felt there was nothing he couldn't say.
The most important thing was that Luo Zhongtong and Lu Baohong were allies, so Xie Jiang naturally had to stand with them.
One of their own.
Xie Jiang looked at Luo Shou and smiled leisurely, "If I were the leader of the Yellow Orchid Mountain bandits, I wouldn't confront your brother head-on."
Luo Shou asked, "Why?"
Xie Jiang raised her eyebrows slightly, "Your skills seem quite good. You must have a lineage, and your ancestors should not have been ordinary people."
Luo Shou's eyes widened as he stared at her.
"The bandits have been in the mountains with you for so many years, and your village has managed to survive to this day. Besides the advantageous geographical location of your village, your brother's and Luo Zhongtong's armed forces should also be a significant reason."
Xie Jiang had no interest in their ancestors' affairs. It was likely that, like the Lan Yong Xie clan, they had led their elders and young to hide in the deep mountains to escape war.
Was hiding in the deep mountains necessarily safe?
Not at all.
In times of chaos, mountain bandits were even more prevalent than outside.
It only showed that the Luo clan's ancestors had some ability.
Not only did they choose a good location, but they also preserved their lineage.
Luo Shou nodded in agreement, bobbing his head like a pecking chicken.
Xie Jiang said, "Although the Yellow Orchid Mountain bandits are known for their brutality, your brother is not an ordinary person. What benefit is there in a head-on confrontation with your brother? It would only weaken their strength, and all the benefits would go to Luo Zhongtong. Why would the Yellow Orchid Mountain bandits do that?"
Luo Shou's mind was a bit confused. "If what you say is true, and the Yellow Orchid Mountain bandits captured me but didn't want to confront my brother, then what do they want?"
Xie Jiang smiled with a light and airy demeanor, "They could just hand you over to any government official, and let your brother fight the officials to the death. You have a good relationship with your brother, right? If you die at the hands of the officials, your brother will surely avenge you, won't he?"
Luo Shou was jolted awake, "The outcome of my brother fighting the soldiers is the same – he will be severely weakened!"
Then Luo Zhongtong would take advantage of his brother's weakness to seize power.
Yongfeng Village's overall strength would be greatly reduced, and the Yellow Orchid Mountain bandits would be the mantis behind the cicada!
The deeper he thought, the more Luo Shou felt a chill. On such a hot day, his back was soaked with sweat.
What would be the fate of the old and young in the village if those inhuman bandits entered Yongfeng Village?
Luo Shou murmured, "Fortunately, I met Young Master Xie. Otherwise, otherwise..."
Xie Jiang said, "Be grateful for your own resilience. If you hadn't escaped from the bandits yourself, I wouldn't have been able to fish you out of the river."
Luo Zhongtong also knew that the Yellow Orchid Mountain bandits were inhuman. Therefore, no matter how eager he was to seize power, he ultimately did not lead the bandits into the village.
Now, with the help of Lu Xuan and his son, he was eager to make his move.
Lu Xuan and his son were different from the Yellow Orchid Mountain bandits.
Luo Zhongtong could not control the Yellow Orchid Mountain bandits, but he was confident that he could deal with Lu Xuan and his son. Even though Lu Xuan had a good reputation in the army, he was now nothing more than a stray dog.
Having been out of contact with the outside world for a long time, Luo Zhongtong was so naive.
Lu Xuan probably saw Luo Zhongtong as an idiot.
~
The hunting expedition organized by the West Village for the young and strong men in the past two days was mostly a cover for making arrangements.
Luo Shou's brother had also been very busy these past few days.
Luo Shou had complained to her that morning. After Xie Jiang saved him, he returned to the mountain village and told his brother. His brother had said that if there was an opportunity, he would personally thank her.
But now that Xie Jiang had been captured by Lu Baohong and brought to Yongfeng Village, he wanted to tell his brother that his savior was in the village, but he hadn't seen his brother from yesterday until today.
"Our mountain area usually has heavy rainfall in the summer. The river flowing through the village has been severely silted up in recent years, flooding a lot of good farmland. My brother might have taken people to clear the silt again."
Xie Jiang looked down and carved a small figure on the bamboo cup, remaining silent.
Luo Lu did not have the leisure to clear silt at this time.
Luo Zhongtong's arrangements and plans were not something Luo Lu could be unaware of.
Luo Zhongtong's net had already been cast, so how could Luo Lu do nothing?
"Your brother really dotes on you."
Carrying such a big burden alone, Luo Shou knew nothing.
This might not be a good thing for Luo Shou, but Xie Jiang felt a sense of envy.
After struggling alone for so many years, how could she not get tired?
She also wished she could hide under her brother's wing and live carefree.
Looking at the small figure she had just carved on the bamboo cup, the curve of Xie Jiang's lips was particularly cold.
Xie Jiang suddenly said something that made Luo Shou a little stunned, but he admitted that Xie Jiang was right, "My parents passed away long ago. My brother raised me."
If his father hadn't died early, and his brother had become the village chief at too young an age, there would have been no place for Luo Zhongtong.
~
Xu Hengyan guessed that Luo Zhongtong might make a move on his birthday, and Xie Jiang would inevitably do something on or before that day, but he couldn't figure out what she would do with her extraordinary culinary skills.
Xie Jiang smiled and remained silent, not giving him any hints.
Lu Baohong and several men from the West Village were still outside the low wall, watching with their mouths watering.
Xu Hengyan wanted to ask but it was inconvenient.
Xie Jiang took a sip of soup with a profound expression.
In fact, what she had to do was very simple.
It was Xu Hengyan who was accustomed to overthinking everything.