The Sorrowmender

Chapter 77 – Listen to my words

When the woman was mentioned, the seven or eight burly men were visibly startled. The fear in their eyes dissipated somewhat, replaced not by confusion but by a bright gleam.

This made Xu Qingzhou blink, feeling as if he had seen wrong.

Because such an expression was familiar, reminiscent of the time when a roommate shouted "There's a beauty," causing all the boys in the dormitory to become excited... those who know, know.

At this moment, the eyes of these seven or eight men shone with that same light.

"Uh—woman?"

"Boss Ma, since when do we have a woman?"

"I don't know."

They whispered among themselves, seemingly forgetting that Xu Qingzhou was still watching them.

The leader, Boss Ma, looked even more bewildered, shaking his big head.

He said very seriously, "No—no woman, our mountain stronghold is all men. Sir, to be honest, apart from these two young ladies, we haven't seen a woman in months."

Such a scene naturally fell into the eyes of Little Wuyou and Xu Xiaobai. Wuyou's eyes turned, and she whispered in Xu Xiaobai's ear.

"Sister, why do I feel like they're not very smart? Did you hit them and make them dumb?"

Xu Xiaobai looked confused and instinctively shook her head.

"No way, I didn't hit their heads."

Jian Xiaoshu sat quietly on the side, but his eyes were not honest, darting back and forth among the people.

Xu Qingzhou also twitched his mouth a few times, suddenly understanding why there was such a sign at the entrance.

These guys indeed didn't look too bright.

He asked again in a deep voice, "So, there are no women in your stronghold?"

"There used to be, Aunt Wang who cooked for us, and our chief's wife. But three months ago, the soldiers came, and we were scattered. After I led the brothers out, we haven't seen them since."

Boss Ma said, and the others nodded to confirm.

Xu Qingzhou raised an eyebrow, "So, you're not bandits from Cold Peak Ridge, but from somewhere else?"

"Yes, sir."

"You came from elsewhere and dared to occupy someone else's territory and commit robbery. Do you really think I'm stupid?"

Xu Qingzhou's cold shout was like a thunderclap, scaring the men into a shock, quickly responding:

"Sir, please understand. After our stronghold was taken, I led a few brothers intending to head to Cold Peak Ridge to make a living. But to our surprise, when we reached that Cold Peak stronghold, there was no one there."

"The stronghold was burned to the ground, and we had no choice but to hide here."

"Wait..." Xu Qingzhou interrupted Boss Ma's wailing, "You say there's no one on Cold Peak Ridge, is that true?"

Boss Ma swallowed hard, nodding emphatically.

"True, true, there's really no one. If you don't believe me, ask them. I truly don't dare to deceive you, sir."

"Yes, yes, we all saw it, not a single person."

"The stronghold was burned to ruins."

"......."

Seeing their demeanor, they indeed didn't seem to be lying. This also explained why such a large stronghold had a sign at the entrance declaring there was no silver here.

It seems only these fools could have done it.

But Xu Qingzhou was puzzled. If there was no one, why did the system's intelligence say that Zhang Yue was in this bandit nest?

Although this was two days ago, these men also said they had been in this area for some time.

So the bandit hideout certainly wasn't cleared out in the last two days. There must be something fishy here.

"Foster Father, are you resting?"

[Speak if you have something to say, otherwise leave.]

Xu Qingzhou was speechless, "Is the intelligence you gave me really accurate?"

[Please do not doubt the intelligence provided by the system. Zhang Yue must be on Cold Peak Ridge. You'll know when you go.]

Receiving the system's affirmative answer, Xu Qingzhou no longer dwelled on it, just muttering softly.

"It seems this matter is not simple."

His original plan was to rely on his formidable strength to reason with the other party, rescuing the young lady without bloodshed.

If the other party was sensible, it would be a win-win situation. If not, he would remove this tumor.

Now it seems the plan might have to change.

Seeing Xu Qingzhou deep in thought and silent for a long time, the men grew increasingly anxious, looking at each other, unsure if they had answered correctly and saved their lives or answered wrongly and sealed their fate.

"Sir, sir—" Boss Ma called out cautiously.

"What is it?"

"Did we answer correctly? Can you let us go?"

Xu Qingzhou played with the folding fan in his hand, thinking it over before speaking slowly, "I can spare your lives, but you must remember today's lesson."

"When you return, find a proper job, whether farming or doing business, and don't engage in illegal activities again."

His tone paused, becoming more serious, "Don't misunderstand, I'm not advising you to be good. It's just that with your intelligence and skills, you really can't handle this line of work. Do you understand?"

The seven or eight men stared blankly at Xu Qingzhou. Although they heard the answer they wanted and got the result they desired, they couldn't feel happy for some reason.

Xu Qingzhou's last words deeply pierced their hearts, inevitably bringing them back to past memories.

They wanted to refute Xu Qingzhou's words but didn't know how because he was right; they really weren't cut out to be bandits.

Surviving seemed to be just a matter of luck. They lacked strength, strategy, and courage.

In short, they were people with nothing.

"We remember your words, sir. But to be honest, if we had any other choice, we wouldn't be doing this. Even so, we only rob for money, never harming lives. We just want to survive."

Boss Ma said, his voice filled with endless helplessness, his eyes showing sorrow in the deep autumn night, in the abandoned temple.

So intense.

The others showed the same expression.

There's a kind of wrong you know is wrong, but you do it anyway.

There's a kind of wrong you know is wrong, but you have no choice but to do it.

The result is the same, but clearly, these people belong to the latter.

Becoming bandits, forced to the mountains, perhaps just for survival.

After all, in such times, Xu Qingzhou had long said that right and wrong couldn't be defined.

Xu Qingzhou sighed inwardly, but outwardly he remained stern, with a hint of anger in his voice as he questioned.

"So you're telling me this to say you were forced, that I should sympathize with you, or think you're right, is that it?"

[A short extra chapter, daily update at 00:01.]