Finest Servant

Chapter 176 An Unexpected Encounter

Lin Wanrong walked over with a smile, saying, "Everyone's here, eh? Why didn't you follow the Eldest Miss back to Jinling?"

Xiao Feng responded, "Brother San, it was the Eldest Miss' instruction to stay and wait for you."

Lin Wanrong felt a little relieved. The girl still had some conscience, not only did she leave the others to wait for him, but she also left her carriage for him to use.

Comforted, he considered himself the highest ranking amongst those present, naturally the carriage should be his to enjoy. He stepped up to enter the carriage, but as he reached to pull back the curtain, he heard a voice from within, a blend of shyness and anger, commanding, "Get down."

Startled, Lin Wanrong found the voice oddly familiar, like that of the Eldest Miss. Hastily pulling the curtain aside, he saw the woman inside frowning at him. If it wasn't Xiao Yuruo, then who else could it be?

"Get down, get down, get down now," the Eldest Miss hadn't expected such impudence from him, climbing into the carriage in front of so many servants. She was naturally upset and hastily spoke out in her soft voice.

With an awkward smile, Lin Wanrong descended from the carriage, wondering, hadn't this girl left? Why did she suddenly appear here? And here he thought she had generously left the carriage for him.

"Brother San," Xiao Cui spoke, "the Eldest Miss says that since we came together, we should leave together."

Upon hearing this, Lin Wanrong felt a warmth in his heart. To come together, and naturally to leave together. He hadn't expected the Eldest Miss to be so considerate, making him feel that his efforts for her family hadn't been in vain.

Initially, Lin Wanrong thought that the Eldest Miss, uttering such heartwarming words, would greet him with a warm smile. However, the reality was quite the contrary. On the return journey to Jinling, the Eldest Miss did not speak a single word to him, as if he was completely nonexistent, her coldness surpassing even that of their journey out.

After their trip to Hangzhou, after their shared experiences and the red thread incident, there had been obvious signs of an improvement in their relationship. However, after the events of the previous day, it seemed to have reverted to its prior state.

Lin Wanrong had tried initiating conversations with the Eldest Miss several times, but she simply ignored him. After a few attempts, he too lost interest and resorted to quietly riding his horse.

When they reached the border region of Zhejiang and Jiangsu, the high mountains and dense forests made for a dangerous journey. On their way there, they had met many merchants, but perhaps due to the rain, there were very few pedestrians on their return.

Feeling depressed, Lin Wanrong was leading on his horse when suddenly, a large stone rolled down from the mountain, blocking their path.

Frightened by the sudden event, Lin Wanrong's horse let out a long neigh and began to spin, nearly throwing him off. He quickly grabbed the saddle, pressing his body against the horse's back, barely maintaining his balance. His heart pounded wildly. Was this a landslide or a mudslide? How could such a large stone fall?

The people behind him were also drenched in cold sweat. If the stone had hit them, it would have been catastrophic.

"Lin San, are you alright?" The Eldest Miss's voice carried a slight tremble, coming from inside the carriage. This was the first time she had spoken to Lin Wanrong since they had left Hangzhou.

"I'm fine, just almost got crushed by a rock," Lin Wanrong replied with a grin.

"You and your silly remarks," the Eldest Miss huffed but did not say anything more.

Lin Wanrong looked around. There was no landslide, but the large stone had come out of nowhere, a complete mystery. As they pondered this, several figures suddenly appeared on the mountainside, their faces covered with black veils. From afar, the glint of their knives shimmered, radiating a threatening aura. A glance was enough to understand their intentions – a robbery was imminent.

This was Lin Wanrong's first encounter with mountain bandits. There was a certain excitement in his heart, but he wondered whether these villains were after wealth or women. ‘Damn it,’ he thought, ‘I hate bandits claiming authority by blocking paths and robbing people, such a low-class way of survival.’

"Mi-miss, it's mountain bandits..." Xiao Cui's face paled as she stammered.

Xiao Feng quickly stepped in front of her, "Don't be afraid, I'll deal with these bandits, ensuring your safety, Sister Cui..."

‘Sister Cui…’ Lin Wanrong felt a shiver run down his spine, an icy coldness enveloping him. ‘What a pair of immoral lovers.’

The Eldest Miss frowned. She had traveled this route countless times, never encountering any mountain bandits. What was happening today?

With a shout, dozens of figures rushed down from the mountains, their physiques and vigor quite intimidating.

Escaping was no longer an option. Lin Wanrong quickly dismounted his horse and picked up a stone, instructing everyone, "Guard the carriage, don't let the bandits harm the Eldest Miss."

In a blink of an eye, the bandits were right before the carriage. One of them shouted, "This mountain is mine, this tree is mine..."

"Shut your mouth," Lin Wanrong yelled in anger, hurling the stone in his hand at the bandit. With his strength and accuracy, the stone hit the bandit square in the face, knocking him down like a split watermelon, cutting his words short.

Everyone was taken aback. The bandits certainly hadn't expected such ferocity from their opponents; one of them had already been felled before they could even make a move.

Si De, Xiao Feng, and the others, shouted in surprise, their voices tinged with excitement.

Lin Wanrong was carrying many treasures. Not to mention his mysterious martial arts prowess, the poisoned needles from Qin Xian'er, and the firearm from Xiao Qingxuan were more than enough to deal with these bandits. He had been itching for a chance to use them, and today, the bandits were indeed out of luck.

Seeing one of his bandits fall, the leader-like figure next to him glared at the stone, anger flashing in his eyes, "Seize them quickly."

Real bandits would have shouted something like, "Brothers, charge," not using a refined phrase like "Seize them." Noticing some bandages on the bandit leader's hand and recognizing the familiar voice, Lin Wanrong had a sudden realization. Damn it, he thought, how did this peaceful place spawn bandits? It turned out to be that rascal Tao Dongcheng playing tricks.

On that day, when Tao Dongcheng had set the scheme to "rescue" Eldest Miss Xiao, it had been foiled by a single stone thrown by Lin Wanrong. Naturally, he remembered it vividly. No wonder he was fuming when he saw Lin Wanrong using the same technique again.

Beside Tao Dongcheng, a petite figure said, "Just capture Lin San, don't make it hard for Miss Xiao." Judging by the voice and appearance, it was Tao Wanying, that fiery little pepper.

Upon hearing this, Lin Wanrong was livid. Damn it, these siblings were not only collaborating to rob, but they also specifically targeted him, as if he was the easy prey. This Tao girl was supposedly a public official, what a waste of food she was.

"Catch them all," Tao Dongcheng ordered loudly. Tao Wanying let out a soft protest, "Brother, you said we would only catch Lin San and not make things difficult for Sister Yuruo—"

A glint of malice flashed in Tao Dongcheng's eyes: "Capture them, capture them all."

Listening to the siblings bickering, Lin Wanrong understood. Tao Wanying held a grudge against him, was close to Eldest Miss Xiao, and therefore wanted only him captured. Tao Dongcheng's intention was as clear as day to everyone but a fool like Tao Wanying.

A dozen bandits charged at once. Lin Wanrong shouted, "Protect Miss Xiao," and promptly picked up two stones to hurl at the attackers. His strength and accuracy were top-notch, especially since he aimed at the faces, giving the bandits no chance to dodge. Two more fell victim to his stones.

Seeing his men being so useless, Tao Dongcheng was agitated. "Attack together. Capture Miss Xiao first—"

Although Lin Wanrong was skilled in martial arts, he was inherently lazy. If he could sit, he wouldn't stand; if he could lie down, he wouldn't sit. With his poison darts and firearm, he could easily deal with them. Only a fool would engage in hand-to-hand combat.

It was about time to practice his marksmanship. Lin Wanrong chuckled, about to reach for his firearm in his bosom. Suddenly, he heard a long whistle. A figure came rushing like lightning, and engaged the bandits. This man's martial arts skills were extraordinary. Despite being outnumbered, he held the upper hand, quickly defeating several bandits, causing Tao Dongcheng and his sister to blanch.

Lin Wanrong could see clearly. This man, the one who came to their aid, was Gao Qiu, the bodyguard from Xu Wei's side.

‘Damn, the bodyguard had arrived.’ Lin Wanrong was quite excited. ‘It must be Xu Wei who sent him to protect me. The old man was a good friend indeed. It's a pity I missed a great chance to practice my shooting.’

Gao Qiu was an elite guard from the palace, his skills far surpassing Tao Dongcheng's men. In a few moments, he had subdued half of the dozen men.

When Tao Dongcheng saw the situation turning unfavorable, he turned to escape. Tao Wanying, however, was braver than her brother. Looking at Lin Wanrong, she said, "I will capture the villain Lin San."

Tao Dongcheng, seeing his sister's determination, urgently grabbed Tao Wanying to escape. Lin Wanrong, however, wouldn't let them leave easily. ‘Damn it, weren't they swaggering just a moment ago, with all their talk about opening mountains and planting trees? If I let them escape today, I might as well write my name backwards.’

He always did the unexpected, playing by his own rules. Seizing the opportunity, he dashed forward to catch up with Tao Dongcheng and shouted, "Young Master Tao—"

Without thinking, Tao Dongcheng turned his head, only to be met with a blur. Lin Wanrong's heavy fist landed on his temple. Reeling from the blow, Tao Dongcheng silently crumpled to the ground.

"Brother—" Seeing her brother fall unconscious, Tao Wanying let out a mournful cry. She tightly clung to Tao Dongcheng's hand and glared at Lin Wanrong. Her eyes were filled with intense fury. "Lin San, what do you want?" she demanded.

"What a joke, Miss Tao. It's clear you came to rob me, but you're asking what I want?" Lin Wanrong chuckled. "Since you brought it up, I might as well tell you. You folks are doing an excellent job as bandits. It's so entertaining that I'm itching to try it out myself, to play the part of a robber."

"You, what do you want to rob—" Tao Wanying asked in alarm.

Lin Wanrong smirked and replied flippantly, "I plan to commit a bit of robbery—of a romantic kind!"

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