Chapter 268: A Strange Woman

While others were busy tying up the water bandits, Du Ruo walked to the corner.

First, she gave Lao Tietou a thumbs up. "Uncle Lao Tie, amazing!"

Lao Tietou waved his hand. "I'm old and useless. If this stupefying incense had taken effect any later, this old man would have been beaten to death by them."

Du Ruo's mouth twitched.

*Good heavens*, was he being humble-braggy here?

She turned to Bian Dou Dou, who was still terrified, and smiled. "Young Master Bian, you've worked hard."

Bian Dou Dou's face was pale, and he looked at Lao Tietou with complex emotions, then moved two steps outside, staying a bit further away from Lao Tietou.

The Jiang family's servant was really scary, even scarier than Jin Que.

At least Jin Que would say hello before killing someone, right?

"Sister-in-law Jiang, I... I'm going outside to rest for a while," Bian Dou Dou said weakly.

Du Ruo nodded. "Fine, there shouldn't be any danger now. Young Master Bian, you're tired too, go and rest."

Bian Dou Dou said "Mm" and lifted his foot to walk toward the door.

After two steps, he turned back, pointed to the incense burning on the table, and asked, "By the way, Sister-in-law Jiang, we also smelled the incense just now; we should be fine, right?"

"It's fine." Du Ruo smiled. "Didn't I give you the antidote beforehand?"

Bian Dou Dou finally felt completely at ease and turned to continue walking.

As he walked, he muttered in his heart.

Why was everyone in the Jiang family so strange? Lao Tietou didn't need to be mentioned; he was so powerful but willing to be a servant.

And Sister-in-law Jiang too—a woman who wasn't afraid of snakes!

And she carried so many strange medicines when she went out. It was fine to consider poison and antidotes as self-defense, after all, she couldn't help it if she was beautiful.

But what is going on with the ***?

Could it be that she was planning to drug someone on the way?

Really couldn't understand.

Fortunately, Jiang Zhan was relatively normal...

Like the other lackeys, this batch of water bandits was also thrown into the cabin and locked up.

They were just waiting to be handed over to the government after going ashore.

After finishing all this, the sky outside was completely dark, and the river wind blew with a *whoosh*, carrying a chill.

After being tense for so long, they finally relaxed.

But few people could fall asleep.

The boat captain took his men to clean up the dining hall and personally cooked a few pots of porridge for everyone to fill their stomachs.

He and his men were not good at cooking.

The previous cook had accidentally fallen into the river and drowned while getting up at night, and later, by chance, they found a new cook.

It was Deaf Granny.

A deaf and mute lonely old woman who didn't want wages, only two meals a day and a place to live, and she cooked especially well. Who could refuse that?

He was naturally very happy and even secretly laughed at Deaf Granny for being a fool.

Later he found out that the fool was actually himself...

"What should we do now? Turn around and go to Fengyang Prefecture, or enter the Fishing Stronghold to save people?" The boat captain looked at everyone present and spoke first.

Master Yan was also hesitating.

His duty was to bring the students safely to the exam venue and bring them back safely; it was best not to meddle in other people's business.

But leaving just like that seemed a bit inappropriate.

Their Xiushan Academy had always taught students that studying wasn't for promotion and wealth, or for having many concubines, but for governing the country and bringing peace to the world.

Now, when they could easily save people, choosing to stand by and watch was against the academy's purpose.

After thinking it over, Master Yan made a decision. "How about this: let everyone express their stance on saving people in the Fishing Stronghold, and the minority will obey the majority."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The decision was made quickly.

It would be Master Yan, the boat captain, the two guarantors, plus ten candidates—fourteen people in total voting.

The voting result came out quickly.

Save them!

Du Ruo wasn't surprised by this result at all. Scholars, after all, always carried a bit of hero complex, hoping to save the people from fire and water.

That was quite good.

Actually, according to her, they could go to Fengyang Prefecture to report the case first and let the government officials come to save them; that would be the most appropriate.

However, since Master Yan and the others had already decided, then save them.

Du Ruo immediately called Coward over and asked about the situation in the stronghold.

There weren't many water bandits left in the stronghold, just a dozen or so people responsible for guarding the "fat sheep," and they didn't have any martial arts, so they weren't hard to deal with.

"Fine, you lead the way in front."

"Mistress, spare me!" Coward knelt directly to Du Ruo, crying. "I previously tricked the Third Leader and over a hundred brothers; if they get out in the future, they will definitely kill me! Now you want me to trick the remaining brothers, I, I..."

Du Ruo looked confused. "Is there a difference between tricking a hundred brothers and tricking a hundred and ten brothers?"

Coward was stunned. "..."

It seemed there really wasn't any difference.

"How about this: I'll point you to a bright path." Du Ruo threw silver to him. "After it's done, I'll give you the antidote, and you take the money and run away on a small boat to make a living elsewhere."

Coward hurriedly stuffed the silver into his pocket. "Are you keeping your word?"

"Of course I'm keeping my word, but..."

Du Ruo's face sank. "If I find out you dare to do bad things again, I won't spare you."

Coward immediately raised two fingers. "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. I swear to heaven that I will definitely turn over a new leaf and be a new person!"

Originally, he had only joined the Fishing Stronghold to get a bite to eat.

If there was a good life to live, who would want to be a water bandit?

The matter was settled like this.

That night, led by Lao Tietou, a dozen guards and escorts, guided by Coward, sneaked into the Fishing Stronghold under the cover of night.

It was indeed as Coward had said; the road was unimpeded, like entering an empty land.

Finally, they rescued over thirty hostages from the dungeon, and together with the knocked-out guards, brought them back to the boat.

The hostages were all disheveled and in rags, some limping and covered in wounds.

Clearly, they had been abused.

As soon as they arrived on the boat, these people started crying loudly and crawling on their knees.

"Thank you all for saving our lives!"

"I thought I would die in that ghost place and never get out again. Heaven has eyes

Looking at their miserable state, Du Ruo also felt a bit of sighing.

When all is said and done, it's just that the world is in a bad state.

After thinking for a moment, she greeted the boat captain, then went to the kitchen to make some food and brought it out, distributing it to them one by one.

These people were likely starving; as soon as they got it in their hands, they began to wolf it down.

Except for two people.

Those two were a bit strange. Although the clothes on their bodies were filthy, it was clear that the fabric was very good; they should have some family background.

From the beginning, they had not shown their faces, keeping their heads wrapped in outer garments, seemingly unwilling to be seen.

Even when Du Ruo handed them food, they just snatched it away without even saying a word of thanks.

Could they be mutes?

Du Ruo peered at them suspiciously several times.

But she soon felt relieved; perhaps they just didn't want others to know they had been abducted by water bandits. After all, in this era, if a woman encountered thieves, regardless of whether she had been violated or not, it would sound very bad if it got out.

Especially for those wives and young ladies of high-ranking, wealthy families.