The Ger's Contract Marriage [BL]
Chapter 480: Hijacked

Chapter 480: Hijacked

"I really do!" The boy seemed to draw courage from somewhere or other. "I know where their den is!"

Despite his skeletal frame and sunken eyes from many sleepless nights, he had an air of courage to him. He was thin, but had good bones, with stringy hair, but it was still thick. If anyone cared to assess the boy, they would see he was a good candidate for hard labor.

If someone like Xuan Jian assessed the boy, he would see he was a good candidate to become a martial artist. The boy was likely one of the best candidates he would have come across since he entered the continent of Dongzhou.

The time was truly nearing. Before any Great War or great changes, legends were always born. The problem was, could they live to live up to their true potential? In a continent like Dongzhou with clan elders plucking young talents like a food source, it was hard to say.

For Xu Hu Zhe, the shock of the boy’s presence was jarring. He could hardly believe someone had slipped past his senses. He needed to be more cautious in the future. They had been through too much in only a matter of hours, he needed to focus on his skills.

The raven-haired teen decided when they returned to Nanshan, he would ask his brothers for more rigorous training. In his opinion, the entire trip was a failure. He barely protected those closest to him.

Little did Xu Hu Zhe know, but a certain silver-haired man had a small smile on his face. Xu Zeng had never met Hu Zhe during the darkest times in his black history. He’d never seen the titan of a garden snake when he was thin and stringy, but for some reason, he felt the boy— Zhang Cai— reminded him of a certain raven-haired teen.

It didn’t hurt that they both had the same look of determination in their eyes. What were they determined to do? The silver-haired monster could fathom. For all he knew, their problems were solved, and their desire to become stronger completely flew over his head.

Whatever was in their heads, wasn’t something Xu Zeng would focus on for too long. He was quite tired at the moment although he wouldn’t show weakness on purpose—there were still two partners who doted on him nearby.

He might have been delirious the last two days, but he still felt their care and worry in this time. It was nice to be doted on, but it wasn’t nice enough to make his loved ones worry for no reason.

Zhang Cai had been watching their battle with the bandits the entire time. Even Xu Zeng, the great and powerful demon beast, wasn’t sure exactly when the boy had shown up first, but he did know he was present for some time.

The little scrawny thing had even lent a hand here and there, hovering around Bai Mo, and protecting the weakest of the group when he could. This had earned him merit in Xu Zeng’s eyes.

While he wasn’t as capable as Xu Hu Zhe in a fight, Xu Zeng still valued the boy’s contributions to the skirmish. Although, he was certain he could wipe out the vermin on his own, having Xu Hu Zhe, Zhang Cai, and Bai Mo supporting him felt nice.

It felt very nice to have people help you.

He almost understood why people would marry young. If he could take people close to him to the zombie plane, it would be much less scary. It might even be fun to live and die supporting each other. It was a different kind of high.

This train of thought didn’t last long because the boy had even more value to share. He really did know where the bandit’s liar was.

As they followed their new guide, through the simple mountain path, Xu Zeng couldn’t help but wonder what awaited them at the bandits’ den. He had expected a crude cave or a ramshackle mountain village, a fitting hideout for those who hid from the law. However, as they approached the small village nestled in the peaks, he was taken aback by its appearance.

The little village was indeed a mountain village, but while small, it seemed much nicer than his hometown of Sun Village. Gone were the crude dwellings and makeshift shelters typical of bandit hideouts; instead, the buildings had been renovated with care and attention to detail.

Even in the night, one could see how clean and well maintained the village was. Zhang Cai didn’t seem to be chatty, but he eagerly shared what he knew. This faction of the Tang bandits had occupied this place for nearly a year and they liked to live in luxury.

he quaint houses, though modest in size, exuded an air of tranquility and prosperity. Their hideout was decorated in an upright manner, and the local law enforcement from the town below was under their thumb. They shared gold and silver with them to keep their illegal dealings going.

In return, the bandits were granted free rein over the village, even extending their influence to the nearby villages. The town even provided them with access to their red-light district free of charge. The poor were also offered up to them as servants to keep the mountain village clean and food on their plates.

Any local villagers in the area— in their right mind— opted to go to the surrounding towns to do business and would only go in large groups to keep themselves safe from the Tang bandits. This wasn’t always safe, but it made one a smaller target when they moved in numbers.

Their group of three was too eye-catching initially for this reason and had been targeted even before they entered the Tang bandit’s territory.

How did Zhang Cai know all of this?

He was one of the poor offered up to the bandits. This "offering" kept the town clean of the homeless that accumulated in the warm months.

He and his sister did odd jobs here for several months. The only thing that saved his sister from being used as a plaything was that she was flawed— she was deaf— and on top of cleaning she was occasionally hit for "fun."

Zhang Cai didn’t want to live this kind of life anymore. His compensation for showing them the village was to be taken away from this place and the bad memories.

The village was "empty," and the servants were locked up in one of the buildings. Zhang Cai was able to get out, because of his thin frame. In fact, he wasn’t the only one who could get out, he and his good brothers were all thin enough to sneak out undetected.

He and his two good brothers would have come to watch together, but one of his "brothers" had taken a beating for his sister, and she hadn’t gotten off unscathed either. The remaining brother stayed behind to watch over them.

After allowing Zhang Cai to release the "servants" of the Tang bandits, Xu Zeng left their unconscious captives where he could still keep an eye and ear out for them. He wanted to see what treasure they had.