Your Majesty, Please Stop!

Chapter 7 Facing Life and Death with Resolute Determination

It rained again in the morning, leaving the ground muddy.

The wind was strong, causing the garlic and chili peppers hanging on the wall to sway.

Xin Zhuo opened the door, her long black hair tied loosely, and her coarse sleeves rolled up. She glanced at the gloomy sky, then stepped on the muddy ground and walked towards the kitchen.

The bandits of the Hungry Wolf Gang had been unusually inactive these past few days, but just like the calm before a storm, were they waiting for the four-day deadline? The two leaders could arrive at any moment?

The bag of food stolen from the Shuiyue Temple wasn't much, but thanks to the fair distribution by the second-in-command, Cui Ying'er, such as only eating one meal a day, they had managed to make it last for a full five days.

Yes, it had been five days, surpassing the four-day deadline given by the Hungry Wolf Gang.

Huang Dagui and the others thought that perhaps Chai Donghuo and his companion had encountered an accident outside and were captured or even beheaded.

This speculation made them somewhat relaxed. Coupled with their practice of the Cultivation Technique secret manual, they even developed a mysterious confidence that even if they were to return, they could still put up a fight!

However, Xin Zhuo felt skeptical. The progress of these bandits' subordinates was truly limited. The so-called "poor in knowledge, rich in martial arts," half a year without tasting meat, and without the assistance of medicine, they relied solely on their bodies to endure.

At least the ability to seize from the Lunar Serenity Well had no value, completely not worth operating. The own Realm was stuck at the eighth level, and the joy of leveling up one level a day was gone.

"Creak—"

Pushing open the kitchen door, which was adorned with a faded and peeling "Fu" character, a strong smell of garlic wafted out from inside.

Someone with a big appetite must have come over and stolen the garlic to eat.

It wasn't time to eat yet, and Xin Zhuo was also very hungry, but what was even more unbearable was her thirst. The fact that the well had run dry had caused the other five bandits to be anxious and study it for several days, but in the end, they couldn't figure it out and could only go to the mountain spring five miles away to fetch water, which was quite troublesome.

She looked towards the location of the water barrel and couldn't help but be stunned. The water barrel was blocked by a graceful wheat-colored body.

A body that wasn't wearing any clothes.

Cui Ying'er was taking a bath.

Her wet hair, slender legs, and droplets of water on her toned abdomen, her arms protecting herself, and a pair of captivating fox-like eyes looked coldly at Xin Zhuo.

It was like a beautiful ink painting.

"I came to drink water."

Xin Zhuo looked at the water barrel behind her and felt that it probably wouldn't be appropriate to continue drinking water, so she quickly turned around and walked out of the kitchen, thoughtfully closing the door.

Curved.

Big.

Round.

He silently made three fair evaluations.

"Is it those impure nuns who have fascinated you, thinking that everyone is like them?"

A splash of water and a cold question came from inside the room.

"What are you talking about?" Xin Zhuo stopped in his tracks, feeling curious about the connection between drinking water and the nuns.

"I take a bath in the kitchen every first and fifteenth day of the month at noon. Everyone in the village knows."

"Oh..."

Xin Zhuo looked at the sky and indeed, it was around noon. No wonder, besides Han Qimang who was opposite him, teasingly looking, no one else appeared. But he had never paid attention to these things before.

"If you don't wash in your own room and go to the kitchen, won't there be a strong smell of garlic? And why choose this time, is there any special reason?"

"Am I discussing the time and these peculiar things with you?"

Cui Ying'er began to dress. To be honest, she used to look down on Xin Zhuo, thinking he was stubborn and timid. However, his change in the past few days made her see him in a new light and brought comfort to her heart. But now, this deliberately annoying brat, even though she didn't really care, she felt a bit annoyed.

He really is an ungrateful little master!

"In fact, you don't have to think too much. I have great respect for you, just like... for an elder."

Xin Zhuo said insincerely, took a step and left, feeling like he could even drink the rainwater in the iron can on the window.

"Elder..."

This sentence destroyed something beautiful in Cui Ying'er's heart, and the clothes she had put on slipped off again.

He thinks I'm old? I'm only twenty-two years old, even though I have indeed given birth to many children at this age.

She casually picked up the knife next to her, hesitated for a moment, then threw it aside and picked up a calabash spoon instead. She scooped up some water and handed it out through the window, speaking softly, "Forget it! Drink it."

No one responded outside.

Uh~

Are you angry?

Cui Ying'er fell silent, then sneered, "You're taking advantage of me and pretending to be cute."

Xin Zhuo walked to his own room, stepping on the mud. Han Qimang, who was diagonally across from him, held the shoe sole, lowered her head and giggled, trying hard to hold back, her face turning red.

"Did you do it on purpose?" Xin Zhuo stopped in his tracks again.

Han Qimang coughed lightly, raised her head, her peach blossom eyes watery and mischievous, pouting, "Yeah, isn't it nice? Aren't they round, big, and curvy?"

Oh? The order is reversed...

"Phew! You female thief!"

Xin Zhuo cursed silently and pushed open the door.

Little Huang rushed over immediately. Xin Zhuo was very fond of this loyal little guy. He grabbed his ears and threw him onto the table, then picked up the two books on the table, "The Mysterious Bookworm of the Ancient Temple" and "Zhang Buye Hou".

These were the only two books in "his" collection, the kind with color, which couldn't be found in a certain search engine in his previous life.

They were not very long, but they were dirty and enchanting, dirty and unique, dirty and quite challenging. People in the same industry in his previous life would exclaim "666" when they saw them.

It seems that "he" was not a serious reader before.

In the past few days, with a critical eye, he stayed up three nights in a row to read them by candlelight. His eyes were bloodshot, and then he felt bored, as holy as a sage.

In his mind, he couldn't help but think of the scene with the second in command just now.

Actually, it was quite exciting.

No, he couldn't watch it again.

Practice calligraphy.

Just as he wrote the character "gold", a hurried footsteps and hoarse shout came from outside, "Oh no! The entire Wolf Den Gang is launching a full-scale attack!"

It was Han Jiulang's voice. Besides the head of the gang, they took turns to stand guard and patrol. It seemed to be his turn today.

"Clang..."

The doors around him all opened at the same time.

Cui Ying'er's voice shouted, "What do you mean by a full-scale attack? Speak clearly."

"The head of the Wolf Den Gang, Chai Donghu, and the second in command, Chong Tianpao, have returned from out of town. They are leading more than thirty people from the gang to launch a strong attack from the foot of the peak."

What was expected was finally happening, but Han Jiulang's voice still trembled uncontrollably.

There was a moment of silence in the courtyard.

"That damn it, who's afraid of who? My Tiger-shaped Knife is not for show!" The third in command roared angrily, his broadsword hitting the ground with a loud "bang".

Then, there was silence again, followed by the sound of weapons being unsheathed and the sound of wearing chest armor.

The head of the Wolf Den Gang had finally arrived!

Xin Zhuo stood behind the door, frowning. The feeling of being chopped at the door for no reason was really bad.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to open the door.

In the courtyard, the five bandits were already prepared to fight to the death. His appearance did not attract any attention. In this situation of fighting, the head of the gang had no use other than cheering them on.

"May I ask..." Xin Zhuo pondered for a moment, "What realm are those two specifically? What grade?"

In a group fight among bandits, the outcome was determined by higher-level combat power. Xin Zhuo deeply believed in this.

The five bandits glanced at him and continued to prepare.

"I'm talking." Xin Zhuo reminded them of his presence.

"Chai Donghu is at the eighth grade, Chong Tianpao is at the ninth grade, and the rest are just small fries, not as good as us." It was Han Jiulang, the youngest, who showed some respect to the head of the gang.

The highest was eighth grade?

He himself was at the second grade, which was slightly stronger than the ninth grade, but he hadn't reached the eighth grade yet, so he probably couldn't beat them.

His subordinates, the highest-ranked Cui Ying'er and Han Qiniang, hadn't reached the ninth grade either, so they were definitely not opponents.

Xin Zhuo was unsure, so he proposed a mature and cautious idea, "I think it would be more cost-effective to escape, for example, to the Water Moon Nunnery."

Although the road down the mountain was blocked, there was a deserted road behind that could detour to the Water Moon Nunnery. The nuns there wouldn't kill people while eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures.

"Clang!"

The third in command, Huang Dagui, and the fourth in command, Bai Jianxi, dropped their weapons on the ground.

The five bandits looked at him in disbelief, astonishment, and disdain.

They didn't understand the term "cost-effectiveness," perhaps it was jargon used by scholars, but the word "escape" was so grating to their ears.

"What's wrong? If you can't win, why seek temporary pleasure and give your life away for nothing? If you can survive a little longer, you can always come back and fight again." Xin Zhuo said seriously.

"What a cowardly 'Ziyue'! You talk about having courage, but you have the courage of a rolling ball. I look down on you!" Huang Dagui was furious.

Bai Jianxi also raised his slender finger and scolded angrily, "If everyone were like you, unclear about the nuns, who would understand them better than me? Dirty!"

Cui Ying'er tried to stay calm, but her voice was very cold, "We became bandits, putting life and death aside, and we took up the banner of righteousness. This is the righteousness of the bandits. Why are you so afraid of death?

The bandit gang is our home, this is what the head of the gang said; protecting the gang together, this is what the head of the gang said. Why are you so cowardly when faced with such a situation? As bandits with a sense of righteousness, we should face life and death calmly!"

"Um..."

I admit, there is some truth to it.

But... it completely contradicts the image of bandits who scatter when the tree falls and are afraid of death. This righteous and just speech instantly made Xin Zhuo feel small.

But what does it mean to be unclear about the nuns?

The five bandits started to rush down the mountain.

Cui Ying'er ran a few steps, then turned back and sincerely advised, "Head of the gang, you should escape on your own. You are different from us. You are a scholar, young in age. Change your name, maybe there is still a way out for you. Go seek life! We will hold them off for you, repaying the favor of the head of the gang!"

(End of this chapter)