Chapter 0119: Second Leader’s Wife Shen XX, Xie Family Younger Brother Xie XX
Upon hearing that the Second Leader’s wife had arrived, the brothers of Qianjin Zhai all rushed out.
When they saw the “woman” perched on the Second Leader’s shoulder, their eyes widened in astonishment, silently marveling at how this young lady’s beauty could rival that of a national treasure, even surpassing the fortress mistress the First Leader had captured some days ago.
Xie Chengze, however, was completely unfazed. He directly removed his veil, instantly eliciting a chorus of “Wow!” from the crowd.
The Second Leader adored such straightforward sisters. He strutted back and forth in front of his brothers, proudly showing off his new wife. “How about it? Handsome, right? And skilled in calligraphy too!”
“Ooh—!” The brothers of Qianjin Zhai erupted in envious exclamations. “Second Leader, you’re truly blessed!”
Their Qianjin Zhai had unexpectedly welcomed two new wives at once, and such beautiful ones at that. It seemed next year would surely bring continuous prosperity and a flourishing lineage to Qianjin Zhai!
“Second Leader, the First Leader summons you!” a bandit shouted from afar as he ran over to deliver the message.
“Come, wife, let’s go meet the First Leader!”
The Second Leader strode confidently toward the mountain stronghold, not forgetting to issue orders. “Take those two blindfolded ones away. The old one is a craftsman—put him with the workers and have him learn to build kangs. The young one, take him for the brothers to practice with. If he can defeat just one of us, he’ll become one of our brothers from then on!”
“Yes!”
The bandits hurriedly led away the blindfolded Hu Lai and Wuji.
Watching Hu Lai being taken away, Xie Chengze raised an eyebrow and tugged at the Second Leader’s long brows, feigning curiosity as he asked, “Second Leader, what is a kang?”
“Hey, that’s a fine thing!” Seeing Xie Chengze’s ignorance, the Second Leader pretended to act coy. “Give your old man a kiss, and I’ll tell you!”
Xie Chengze: …
Xie Chengze raised his hand and gave the Second Leader’s head a light knock, exasperated. “Say it or not, as you wish. If you won’t tell me, I’ll ask someone else.”
“Alright, alright.” The Second Leader immediately relented, thinking to himself that the knock felt neither too light nor too heavy—almost like flirting. “A kang is similar to an earthen bed, but it warms up when you burn firewood. I heard it was invented by the court, and they even sent craftsmen to the county towns to build kangs. Well, we don’t want to freeze either, so we captured a few craftsmen to make kangs for our brothers.”
“Then what did you mean earlier when you said my husband was valuable?” Xie Chengze raised his brow slightly, this time genuinely curious.
“Heh, there are plenty of bandit strongholds on these mountains. We’ve captured all the craftsmen. If they want kangs in their strongholds, they either have to raid other counties or buy them from us.” The Second Leader boasted proudly. “One craftsman can be traded for a dan of rice and flour! Anyway, keeping them would mean feeding them our grain—better to sell them off!”
Xie Chengze: …
You lot certainly have a head for business. Even capitalists would shed tears hearing this.
The main hall for discussions in the stronghold was built on higher ground. After climbing the steps, the Second Leader finally set Xie Chengze down from his shoulder and whispered, “Later, in front of the First Leader, give me some face. No tugging here and there.”
“Oh.” Xie Chengze replied reluctantly, then stood behind the Second Leader, slightly disdainful as he pinched the corner of the fur coat to conceal most of his figure. “Is this acceptable?”
“Mhm mhm mhm.” Second Leader nodded, then strode into the main hall with his chest puffed out, exuding the imposing aura of a fierce mountain bandit. “Big Brother! I’m back!”
“Second Brother! What did you get?”
A deeper, booming voice rang out, followed by a slight tremor in the ground as if some mountain bear were approaching, making everyone’s hearts flutter with unease.
Xie Chengze cautiously peeked out and saw a nearly two-meter-tall burly man with a full beard walking toward them, a wide grin on his face. Two tiger-headed axes, each larger than ten heads put together, hung at his waist. With a build as sturdy as a bear and a tiger, he truly resembled a wild beast from the mountains, and just one glance was enough to send shivers down one’s spine.
He silently swallowed hard.
Thank goodness Xie Zimiao hadn’t come along—that kid would’ve been scared out of his wits.
“Caught a craftsman, a servant who knows a bit of martial arts, and two carts of goods,” Second Leader reported truthfully, then grinned foolishly. “And a woman, to be your sister-in-law!”
“Oh?” Da Dangjia walked up to Second Leader, reached out, and lifted Xie Chengze from behind him as effortlessly as plucking a rabbit.
Xie Chengze: …
Xie Chengze struggled. “Second Leader, save me!”
Second Leader immediately rushed over to support him, his heart aching. “Big Brother! Be gentle! The lady is frail and still ill!”
“She’s quite the looker. Who’d have thought we brothers would have such luck this year! Heaven truly has eyes!” Da Dangjia burst into hearty laughter and set Xie Chengze down. “Good height, but too skinny—not even a hint of breasts! We’ll need to hunt in the mountains and fatten you up. How else will you bear children and nurse them?”
Xie Chengze: …
My apologies, but I can neither bear children nor produce milk.
“No rush, no rush,” Second Leader quickly interjected, smoothing out Xie Chengze’s disheveled clothes. “I’ll wait for you and sister-in-law to have yours first.”
“Bah! That woman! Don’t call her sister-in-law!” Da Dangjia sat down, waving his hand in resignation. “She’s too shrewd; I can’t outsmart her. Brother Xie also said she might indeed be the daughter of an official from Jingcheng. We can’t mess with people like that.”
“Don’t listen to his nonsense!” Second Leader scoffed, clearly holding a grudge against that Xie fellow. “He’s just an unsuccessful grain transport official—what would he know? Why would an official’s daughter come to such a remote, freezing place to do business and even climb our Qiantai Mountain?”
“Second Leader, you are mistaken.”
A clear, spirited voice suddenly sounded at the entrance. Xie Chengze whirled around and locked eyes with the white-robed man who had just entered.
The handsome, unrestrained face held a faint smile, and his tall, elegant figure and refined, noble demeanor stood in stark contrast to the rustic mountain stronghold. A familiar Azure Sword swayed gently at his waist with each step, revealing its owner’s true identity.
“Brother Xie!” Da Dangjia laughed upon seeing him. “You’re here!”
“I heard Second Leader snatched a woman and came to take a look.” The white-robed man lowered his gaze, a teasing smile playing on his lips as he regarded Xie Chengze in his white dress and red fur coat. “Truly a peerless beauty, no ordinary treasure.”
Xie Chengze: …
Xie Chengze bared his teeth: Shen—Yuan—!
It’s really you!
“Second Leader, may I ask your lady’s name?” Shen Yuan strolled over, addressing Second Leader but keeping his eyes fixed on Xie Chengze.
Er Dangjia warily eyed Shen Yuan, fearing this pretty boy might snatch away the new bride, and shielded Xie Chengze behind him. Then, remembering he hadn’t yet asked Xie Chengze’s name, he hastily inquired, “Madam, what’s your name again?”
Xie Chengze inwardly scoffed and enunciated each syllable deliberately, “This madam is called Shen! Yuan! Yuan!”
“And what might this Xie brother’s name be?” he asked through gritted teeth.
Shen Yuan clasped his fists slightly in a courteous salute and replied with a light smile, “This humble one’s name is rather inelegant—Xie Daqiang.”
Xie Chengze: “…”
Xie Chengze: “Pfft.”