Chapter 82 You're only now thinking about me?

Chapter 82 You're only now thinking about me?

The people sleeping soundly inside the cave were unaware of what was happening, but the few guards at the cave entrance saw everything clearly.

Under the moonlight, the bandits drew closer, their faces filled with panic and surprise.

Seeing that they couldn't find anyone, the bandit leader in the distance angrily kicked up the gravel on the ground, sending lime powder flying. He was full of anxiety and impatience, clearly furious at losing his target.

Just then, a tall, thin bandit suddenly turned his head and looked straight toward the cave.

The people at the cave entrance shrank back in fright, their hearts pounding in their throats.

Fortunately, the entrance to the cave was hidden by dense tree branches, so it shouldn't have been discovered.

But the next second, the bandit pointed towards the cave to the leader, shouting something and gesturing the shape of the "cave" with his hands.

The leader of the bandits immediately looked over, squinted at them for a moment, and then raised his chin.

The bandits immediately understood and spurred their horses toward the cave. The clatter of their hooves struck everyone's hearts like a heavy hammer.

Oh no, they've found us here!

Jiang Yutang sighed inwardly, his palms instantly becoming sweaty.

The people nearby also realized the seriousness of the situation, and they all tensed up, too nervous to breathe.

A guard squatted down beside Jiang Yutang, panting heavily with nervousness, his mouth still carrying the sour, rotten smell of the mixed cakes and raw water from earlier that day.

Jiang Yutang frowned, turned her head away in disgust, wanting to take a few breaths of fresh air, but when she turned her head, she met Cheng Lanzhou's cold face.

He was staring intently at the bandits walking towards the cave, his eyes sharp as knives, and his aura chillingly cold.

"Why don't we strike first? Kill these guys before they get close!" Jiang Huaiyu lowered his voice, his hand stealthily reaching for the short knife at his waist, his tone full of ruthlessness.

"No way." Cheng Lanzhou immediately waved his hand to stop them, his voice calm and clear, "If these bandits don't go back soon, their leader will definitely bring people to search, and then everyone in the cave will be in trouble."

"What should we do then? We can't just wait for them to come in!"

Jiang Huaiyu was so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead. There were still elderly, weak, women and children in the cave. If the bandits broke in, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Cheng Lanzhou took a deep breath, his gaze resolute as he stood up, supporting himself on his knees. His voice was low but clear: "I'll go distract them."

Upon hearing this, the people at the cave entrance were stunned. Going out at this moment would be no different from a lamb entering a tiger's den, and might even expose their location.

Jiang Yutang instinctively grabbed his sleeve and asked anxiously, "Are all your injuries healed? How could you handle so many bandits by yourself?"

Cheng Lanzhou looked down at her hand gripping his sleeve, a slightly mocking smile curving his lips, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible dissatisfaction.

"Only now do you think to ask about my injury?"

Jiang Yutang was taken aback, then belatedly realized that perhaps he had been waiting for her to express her concern all along.

But now was not the time to dwell on these things. She wanted to say something more to persuade him not to act impulsively, but Cheng Lanzhou gently brushed her hand away, bent over, and quietly moved out of the cave under the cover of tree branches.

"Wait!" Jiang Yutang called out to Cheng Lanzhou as he was about to disappear into the cave.

Cheng Lanzhou stopped and turned to look at her, his eyes questioning.

Jiang Yutang didn't say much, and turned around to pull at Jiang Huaiyu's clothes next to her.

Jiang Huaiyu spread her hands blankly, letting her rummage around her waist until she pulled out a gleaming folding knife and threw it at Cheng Lanzhou: "Take this!"

"Hey! That's my knife!" Jiang Huaiyu exclaimed in a panic, lowering his voice to shout, "It's the only one I have that I can handle, how could you just give it away like that!"

"What time is it now? Is your life more important or the knife?" Jiang Yutang patted his shoulder, her tone reassuring.

"Just consider it a loan from him, and he can return it to you when you're safe, okay?" It was as if she were coaxing a child.

Jiang Huaiyu pouted and reluctantly looked away.

Cheng Lanzhou glanced down at the folding knife in his hand. Without saying a word, he gripped the knife tightly, turned around, and disappeared into the night outside the cave, leaving only a neat silhouette.

"Is it really okay to let him go alone?"

DouDou, the constable, was still uneasy and muttered under his breath, "What if he gets caught by the bandits or reveals our location?"

Just as Jiang Yutang was about to retort, a cold laugh came from the cave.

A sudden, cold laugh, accompanied by a chilling gust of wind, startled the group, causing them to turn around.

Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the branches, illuminating Cheng Dai'er's face. She crossed her arms and glanced disdainfully at the guard: "In this situation, sending anyone out would be a death sentence, except for him."

The escorts exchanged glances. The gentle escort couldn't help but turn to his companion and whisper, "Didn't you think that man just now seemed unusual? His every move exuded a certain strength, unlike an ordinary vagrant."

The pockmarked escort nodded, pursed his lips, and turned to look at Jiang Yutang, tentatively asking, "Miss, just who is that person?"

"Oh--"

Cheng Dai'er scoffed again, but this time she didn't hide it. She raised her chin, her eyes filled with a hint of smugness, and her voice was not loud but clear enough.

"His name is Cheng Lanzhou, haven't you heard of him?"

The three escorts were stunned for a moment, then their expressions changed drastically as if they remembered something.

The beady-eyed escort stammered, "Cheng Lanzhou? Could it be the General Cheng Lanzhou who guarded the northern frontier? How could he have been exiled?"

"Cough cough cough!"

Jiang Yutang quickly coughed a few times to cover their words, nervously looked around, and whispered, "Keep your voices down! Do you want to be discovered by the bandits outside?"

The three guards looked at her in bewilderment; their voices had been quieter than her cough.

Suddenly, a series of urgent noises came from outside the cave.

"Grab him! Don't let him get away!"

The bandits' shouts came through clearly, followed by a cacophony of hoofbeats and footsteps, indicating that the bandits were chasing after the direction Cheng Lanzhou had led them away.

The cave fell silent instantly; everyone held their breath and strained to hear what was happening outside.

Although the roars of the bandits and the sound of their hooves gradually faded into the distance, they awakened many of the sleeping refugees in the cave.

They sat up, rubbing their sleepy eyes. Seeing the tense expressions of the people at the cave entrance, and recalling the roar they had vaguely heard earlier, they stared at each other, but no one dared to ask a question.

At this moment, Jiang Shengan, Jiang Songzhi, and Jiang Jiuzhe were also awakened by the noise.

Seeing the men staring at the cave entrance with grave expressions, Jiang Songzhi quickly lowered his voice and leaned forward to ask, "What happened? Have the bandits come?"

Jiang Yutang nodded and quickly recounted what had just happened. After listening, the group's expressions immediately darkened, and they all nervously looked out into the dark night outside the cave.

Jiang Jiuzhe couldn't help but worry, "Is it really okay to let him lure the bandits away by himself? There are so many bandits, what if he..."

Jiang Shengan frowned and looked at his third son: "You should go with him. It's better for the two of you to look after each other than for him to fight alone."

"no."

Jiang Huaiyu shook her head, her tone firm: "We need to leave someone who knows martial arts here to guard the place. There are elderly, weak, women and children like Mother and Second Sister-in-law in the cave. If the bandits don't leave completely, or if there are other accidents, someone has to protect everyone."

Although he was heartbroken over the loss of his knife, he was also aware of the priorities at hand. Sending Cheng Lanzhou to distract the bandits was the best option right now.