A group of burly men crowded at the doorway instinctively leaped out.
Looking at the puddles of filth, none of them had a good expression.
"Chu Lin, go deliver the message."
The Chieftain immediately ordered.
"Yes!" The one named Chu Lin cupped his fists and turned to leave.
Ajiu clapped her hands and stood up. Seeing that over twenty people had a better reaction than before, she turned to look at the Chieftain.
"We'll see the effect tomorrow. Some may need further consolidation." These bandits would not think of killing the donkey once it had served its purpose.
Ajiu wanted to wait for a day, as it would take a day for the message to be delivered, and another day for someone to come to their rescue.
She was just curious why bandits also had merit points.
The Chieftain clasped his hands in a bow. "Thank you, young lady. Please."
A statue was placed in the main hall, but it was covered in dust. The four characters "Zi Wei Da Di" beneath the statue were still faintly visible.
A table was built on the ground with stones, and on it, a few steamed buns and thin porridge were placed as offerings.
"You've been busy all morning, young lady. Please eat something quickly."
The Chieftain lifted his tattered front and sat cross-legged on the stone.
Ajiu was actually surprised. Weren't they at their wit's end? Where did these white flour steamed buns come from? And such delicate congee.
Her instinctive thought was that they were stolen, and Ajiu felt that the food tasted like ash.
Suddenly, outside the nine doors behind her, a large number of women and children appeared, their eyes filled with longing as they looked at the food on the table.
Women and children?
Ajiu suddenly turned her head to look at the man with the full beard.
He waved his hand towards the outside of the door, and the women and children dispersed. The children who were unwilling to leave were forcibly carried away by their mothers.
"Mom, I'm hungry..."
The child cried reluctantly.
The Chieftain rubbed his hands and said, "Actually, we weren't short of food and drink before, but now we are..."
"Not short?" Ajiu was even more puzzled. Aren't bandits all about robbing houses and plundering households?
The Chieftain pulled a waterskin from his waist, uncorked it, and a smell of alcohol wafted out. He tilted his head and took a sip, then raised the waterskin and said,
"This brew is made from grains we grew ourselves."
Ajiu's mouth twitched. Bandits also farm?
Seeing Ajiu's expression, he knew she didn't understand. The Chieftain laughed heartily.
"We are all desperate commoners who, by chance, came together. We traveled thousands of miles searching for a water source. Once found, we can settle down and find ways to plant something. It's a pity!"
As the Chieftain spoke, his eyes were filled with hatred as he looked in a certain direction.
"It was burned down when the soldiers surrounded and attacked us."
Seeing that the Chieftain had somewhat overturned her impression of bandits, Ajiu couldn't help but ask the question in her heart.
"Did you find a water source?"
"Yes, we were all farmers before, villagers from north of Qi Ming City. We fled south two years ago, coming together along the way. We were chased by the refugee army in the Qiming Mountains and had nowhere to escape, so they forced us into the deep mountains, and we simply settled there.
It took us three years to cut down trees and build houses, relying on that single spring to plant quite a few crops. Alas..."
As he spoke, the Chieftain took another gulp of wine. "This is the last half gourd. We must drink it sparingly."
Ajiu nodded slowly. Who would choose to become a bandit in a peaceful world?
"A month ago, King Qi's army discovered us. Because the terrain was treacherous, we thought they couldn't do anything to us hiding in the valley. Who knew they would set fire to drive us out?"
Ajiu slowly ate the steamed buns, listening to the Chieftain's narration.
"This fire forced us to desperation. Hundreds of brothers died before we managed to rescue ourselves and these women and children. But the grain we accumulated over three years, as well as the water source, was all ruined."
Ajiu suddenly felt something was wrong. Was the Chieftain acting? "Since you had a water source, why did you rob our water and food back then?"