A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

Seeing that there was work to be done, more and more elderly women and men gathered around.

Because of their advanced age, these people were protected by the villagers.

They were just worried about not being able to do anything, and finally seized an opportunity that they could... to tie someone up.

Everyone immediately became highly motivated, carrying hemp ropes and keeping their eyes peeled for anything.

As soon as a thief falls on the field, the older group immediately swarms in, some pressing down, some restraining, some tying up, giving the thief no chance to catch his breath.

Sister-in-law Zhou was in charge of leading the team, while Sister-in-law Qin and Gu Xixi took the initiative to protect and escort these people.

The two men brandished their long knives and axes fiercely to keep other thieves away.

A burly thief had just been thrown into the air by the village chief and fell face-first into the dirt. Before he could even catch his breath, he was suddenly pinned down by several old men piled on top of him.

The burly man struggled and cursed, but after only two curses, he was already wrapped up like a dumpling by several women.

Sister-in-law Zhou, carrying a shovel full of dirt, shoveled it into his mouth without any mercy, saying, "Your cursing was really filthy!"

"How did your parents raise you? You can't even see that these people are people you should call uncles and aunts, yet you spew nonsense!"

The burly man's mouth was stuffed with dirt, so he couldn't curse and could only glare fiercely at the group of people in front of him.

At this moment, behind Gu Xixi and the others was a patch of wild grass, and in front of them, no one was approaching within a semi-circular area, making it a safe gap.

Gu Xixi found it amusing to watch everyone tying up the thief, so she glanced at them a few more times, completely unaware that she was being watched.

Suddenly, she heard a loud rustling sound behind her. Realizing something was wrong, she tried to turn around, but it was too late.

Gu Xixi felt her left shoulder being pressed down hard, and before she could react, she was forced to take two steps back.

A large hand gripped her neck tightly. She immediately began to have difficulty breathing.

Gu Xixi was either shocked or extremely anxious when she saw Qin Dasao and the others.

The sun was high in the sky when she looked up and caught sight of a tall tree in the distance. Its canopy was lush and green, and as the branches and leaves swayed in the wind, a few silvery reflections flashed across its surface.

Gu Xixi's tense mood instantly calmed down.

She wanted to reassure everyone, but with her neck being choked, she couldn't speak and could only silently close her eyes to them.

The one who kidnapped Gu Xixi was none other than the bandit leader.

Seeing that the situation was not in his favor, he spotted a slender and delicate girl (Gu Xixi) through the crowd and decided to take her hostage.

After all, young girls are most vulnerable to being frightened. When she cries and makes a fuss, her tearful face is so pitiful.

Using her to threaten the villagers would definitely be the most effective method.

So, taking advantage of the chaos of the fighting, the bandit leader sneaked alone into the wasteland next to the village.

He hid in the bushes and circled around to get closer, determined to catch the hostage by surprise.

As he predicted, he succeeded.

The bandit leader was extremely smug and shouted loudly, "People of Huachi Ferry Village! And that village chief with the iron bar! Stop right now! Look, this little girl from your village is already in my hands!"

Those who heard it first all looked in this direction.

Some of the villagers in Huachidu Village who were still bravely fighting off the enemy were alerted by their companions and realized that something had happened.

The fighting gradually subsided.

Once they figured out what had happened, the remaining bandits cheered and provoked them.

The villagers of Huachidu were shocked.

Old Qian and several other hot-blooded men immediately rushed to save the person.

Fortunately, Old Zhou was the most composed. He stopped them and whispered, "Don't be impulsive. Boss Gu is being held hostage by the bandit leader. If we provoke that villain, Boss Gu's life may be in danger."

Old Qian glanced at Gu Xixi, gritted his teeth, and shouted to the bandit leader, "You just want grain, right? I promise you, I'll bring out all the grain from my own family and load it onto the cart for you right now."

Old Qian's idea is very practical.

Firstly, as the village chief, he should have been at the forefront when something happened.

Secondly, his family is small, and at least the orchard provides income from raising chickens and ducks. Even if they run out of grain, they can buy grain with their money and survive until the autumn harvest, so they won't starve to death.

If other villagers who have no extra income are also deprived of their food, their entire families will go hungry.

Thirdly, even though they were about to defeat the bandits and victory was in sight, compared to Gu Xixi's life, no matter how unwilling Lao Qian was, he did not hesitate to back down and bow his head.

However, the bandit leader, believing he had the upper hand, said smugly, "We were just taking some food anyway."

"But who told you to refuse a toast only to suffer the consequences? Now I've changed my mind."

He grinned wickedly and looked down at Gu Xixi, saying, "Why are you like a block of wood? Are you scared stiff?"

"Cry already, why aren't you crying?"

Gu Xixi was certainly not a blockhead; she was not worried about her safety at all, and even had the leisure to carefully weigh the pros and cons.

Poison or anesthetic?

The poison she concocted was intended to be quick and effective, so the victims' deaths would be quite gruesome.

The rumors in the village already made her sound quite sinister, such as that anyone who offended Gu Xixi would sooner or later suffer misfortune for their entire family.

It was one thing to kill a Northern Li army soldier in the wild to protect oneself.

To poison someone in broad daylight, in full view of everyone.

The death was still in the same contorted and convulsing state, with blood flowing from all seven orifices and the face blackened...

Gu Xixi was certain that the rumors would likely escalate into "ghost reincarnation," "evil cultivation," "who in their family carries such a poisonous drug with them," and so on.

Furthermore, government offices and laws regulate poisons that can cause death.

This is not a matter of life or death.

In conclusion, it's best to avoid using poison.

Seeing that Gu Xixi hadn't reacted yet, the bandit leader's eyes turned sinister, and he gripped her shoulder tightly.

"I'll teach you to cry! Cry now, and tell everyone in your village right now that I need help!"

"Otherwise, I'll kill you right now!"

After a moment, he heard only a long sigh.

Now even the bandits were a bit lost.

An ordinary woman would be terrified if she were taken hostage.

But this person in front of me, even with such a threat, not only doesn't cry or make a fuss, but also has the mind to sigh. Is she an idiot?

The bandit leader naturally wouldn't actually kill the only hostage.

Seeing that the hostages wouldn't cooperate, he was bewildered and had no choice but to change tactics, grinning maliciously as he shouted:

"Brothers! What are you waiting for? Let's get in the village! Take whatever you like!"

"I've got the hostage in my hands. Let's see who dares to stop you!"

Only seven or eight of the remaining bandits remained.

The seven or eight people hesitated for a moment, then cheered and rushed forward.

However, before they could even run past the big locust tree, they felt several flashes of cold light fly past their faces.

Whoosh...

In the blink of an eye, before anyone present could even see what had happened...

Blood splattered simultaneously from the bandit leader's shoulder, thigh, and wrist.

"You...you launched a sneak attack!"

Even as he fell, he struggled to kill Gu Xixi, wanting to take her down with him in his dying moments.

However, he suddenly froze, and as the long knife in his hand clattered to the ground, he collapsed to the ground like a rag doll.

Unable to exert any force.

I can't move my body at all.

How is this going?

The bandit leader glared at Gu Xixi, who was closest to him.

He opened his mouth, only to find to his horror that he could not make a sound.