Chapter 21 – Descending the Mountain at Dawn (Part 2)
Jiang Pengji raised an eyebrow, unconcerned, “We’re both young men, and we’ve had quite a pleasant chat before. By that logic, we share some camaraderie. It’s just borrowing a set of clothes; I’ll return them later. When the sun rises and the family servants come looking, wouldn’t my appearance be quite rude in front of others?”
Previously, Liu Lanting had sustained a wound from a bandit while protecting Wei Jingxian. Lucky for him, he wasn’t seriously hurt, but his collar was slashed and the bindings on his chest had loosened, with the hairpin he wore mysteriously gone.
If that disguise were to run into the searching household servants, it would only take a moment for them to see through the disguise of a daughter.
In contrast, a young boy borrowing clothes from another familiar boy for an emergency was hardly a big deal.
The boy clearly considered this issue too, though his earlobes still tinged red.
He instructed his guard to fetch a clean, unused set of clothes for Jiang Pengji. The audacious noble girl didn’t mind, but he, as a gentleman, couldn’t casually ruin her reputation. Thankfully, his parents had ordered the servants to prepare many newly made garments before they left home, most of which had never been worn.
He had lost many while on the run, but there should still be a few sets nearby.
Jiang Pengji thanked him, and though the boy was slightly taller, he wasn’t much heavier; the clothes fitted her decently.
【Lan Cuiyu No Breaks】: Ahhhh—Host, are you planning to stream a public bath?!
【Stowaway Non-Money】: I don’t think that’s possible for a stream, they’re probably going to shut it down.
Right? How could that be?
【Host V】: Today’s stream will be long, everyone pay attention to this channel, notifications will be sent when we go live.
Saying that, she had the system cut off the stream.
“Looks like streaming isn’t that hard…”
Just being watched for everything felt odd.
System: “…Please don’t call those actions a stream… I think I need a break…”
Stuck with such a host, it felt like the system’s life had become that of a dried fish; any thoughts of streaming popularity seemed out of reach.
The bandit stronghold deep in the mountains remained silent, unaware that outside, Hejian County had erupted into chaos.
Families of each abducted noble girl dispatched their household servants, scouring the mountains all night. The local governor, upon receiving word, was so frightened that he nearly fainted, and without even putting his attire in order, rushed out to search.
It was no laughing matter; Hejian County, while not large, had numerous prominent noble girls, each not someone he could afford to offend.
Initially, each family wished to keep the news under wraps. After all, if the outside world learned that their daughter was kidnapped by bandits, what would happen to their reputation?
Even if they managed to get her back, having spent a night in a bandit’s lair, not even their closest relatives daring to hope she would remain untainted.
But this event had blown up far too much; the news of a noble girl’s abduction took flight like it had been given wings, making it impossible to suppress. As time wore on, they still hadn’t rescued the kidnapped girls, nor did they even have a clue where the bandits’ lair was.
As dawn slowly broke, the mood of everyone plummeted further.
An unmarried woman losing her virtue before marriage, while not a death sentence, was still a grave matter.
When the time for engagement arrived, the best outcome would likely be marrying a low-status bastard son or a poor legitimate son, and there was no doubt that her future husband would use this matter to bully the new bride.
Of course, noble girls who couldn’t endure such humiliation would choose to cut their hair and live as nuns for the rest of their lives.
As the sun climbed higher, mist rose in the deep mountains, and the household servants who had been searching all night quietly grumbled.
Not wanting to waste time, they searched tirelessly, not daring to even blink. Their throats hoarse from shouting, they couldn’t drink a sip of water, their stomachs grumbling, and their shins swollen from walking. The dampness of the thick forest left their clothes soaked with morning dew.
“Sigh… The Eldest Lady has been missing for a day, I wonder how she’s faring… I heard the old matron at home nearly fainted upon hearing the news…” one servant murmured with his head bowed, lowering his voice to discuss with a companion.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t dare talk about the precious young lady, but now it was different.
“What can happen now that she’s fallen into the hands of thieves? Right now, we only hope she’s still alive, but the bandits are vicious, so…”
The other servant disagreed, “But I heard there are many bandits; after a night like this… it might be better if she just…”
“Pah! How dare you speak such disgusting words! If someone hears you, they might cut your tongue out!”
While the latter admonished sternly, his expression nonetheless hinted that he also agreed with the earlier servant’s words.
“Hey, wait a second… Do you see over there? Is that smoke rising?”
“Smoke? Where would smoke come from in these deep mountains, besides from those thieves…”
Before he could finish, the two servants widened their eyes.
Though they couldn’t confirm if it was from the bandits’ hideout, it was better than aimlessly searching all night without a clue. Trying to see from where the smoke was rising would be worth a shot. Even if it wasn’t the bandits’ lair, it could be hunters who lived there year-round!
Hejian County had high mountains and deep forests, with a complex geography. Without a guide, one could easily get lost.
Meanwhile, Jiang Pengji had already started boiling water for the noble girls to wash their faces one by one and tidy up their appearances.
Watching the guards gather all the available firewood and stoke the bonfire as much as possible, the male Feng Langjun glanced at Jiang Pengji, who exuded an air of elegance and charm, and teasingly commented, “Young Master Liu is clever to use smoke as a signal. It’s just a pity for my guards…”
Without raising her eyelids, Jiang Pengji casually replied, “Aren’t you all the ones who’ve been lost in the mountains for days? Don’t you want to seize this opportunity to escape? Those drawn by the smoke are looking for us, not for Huaiyu.”
This lanky boy beside her had the surname Feng, called Jin, courtesy name Huaiyu.
It had nearly been a day and a night since the families of the kidnapped noble girls hadn’t yet found a base; Jiang Pengji was deeply worried and disdainful of this era’s efficiency in locating people. If she didn’t take the initiative to guide them, who knew how long they would have to wait.
Earlier, she had considered leading those noble girls down the mountain, but that choice was far too time-consuming and risky.
Despite local beasts being like mini cute versions to her, one couldn’t deny their aggressiveness.
Jiang Pengji could handle it with ease, but how could those pampered girls protect themselves well?
Not to mention those paths were rugged and treacherous; not everyone could navigate them as effortlessly as she could.
Taking advantage of the early hours, Jiang Pengji had the noble girls tidy their appearances properly, helping each other fix their tangled hair and correcting their misplaced adornments, so they could look refreshed and as close to their usual dignified selves as possible.
