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

Suddenly free.

Gu Xixi pretended to be panicked and staggered a few steps. Qin Dasao and the others quickly stepped forward to support her.

"Xixi, are you alright?!"

"Xixi, are you alright?!"

Gu Xixi turned her head and saw more than a dozen pairs of concerned eyes.

Besides Sister-in-law Qin and Sister-in-law Zhou who were already nearby, almost all the women in the village had gathered there, all looking at Gu Xixi with smiles and tears in their eyes.

Several women who had previously spread rumors about Gu Xixi were now almost crying with excitement.

"Gu Xixi, it's so good that you're still alive!"

“Xixi, I misunderstood you in the past. You really care about our village.”

“Good girl, even if it was to save our village, you didn’t have to be so tough just now. Just beg for mercy a couple of times, and saving your life is the most important thing.”

……

Sister-in-law Qin secretly patted Gu Xixi, "You scared me to death just now. You should tell everyone if you're alright."

Gu Xixi came to her senses and smiled brightly, "I'm fine, not hurt at all, thank you all for your concern."

At this moment, Lao Qian and the others had already tied up the bandit leader.

Of course, I didn't forget to kick him a few times to vent my anger.

Having lost their leader, the remaining bandits who were charging towards the village entrance obediently stopped, raised their hands as instructed, and waited for the villagers to come over and tie them up one by one.

Old Qian first inquired about Gu Xixi's condition, and only after confirming that she was alright did he squat down again, preparing to continue dealing with the bandit leader.

As soon as he lifted the person up, he discovered numerous suspicious points.

“It’s strange. How come he has these bloody cuts all over his body, on his arms, legs, and face? And they look like they were made by a razor blade. The cuts are thin, long, and very neat.”

The problem is, everyone was watching, and apart from Gu Xixi, no one approached the bandit leader.

How did he suddenly start bleeding, and end up covered in bruises?

Old Qian and Old Zhou both looked at Gu Xixi at the same time.

Gu Xixi opened her eyes innocently and waved her hands vigorously, "It wasn't me, and I didn't see what happened either."

"Anyway, he just suddenly collapsed."

She spoke with conviction because these were all the truths.

It's because those shadow guards were so well hidden and acted so quickly that it was indeed difficult to see the process clearly.

Old Qian and the others' glances at Gu Xixi were merely subconscious actions.

They only needed to think for a moment to realize that a weak woman who had just been held hostage had no chance to fight back.

An old woman interjected, "In my opinion, this is a divine intervention, bringing retribution upon the wicked!"

Many villagers nodded in agreement.

Although Old Qian wasn't that superstitious, he couldn't find any sharp weapons on the ground, only a few blood-stained holly leaves, which he guessed were drips of the bandit leader's blood.

With a host of things to deal with, Old Qian had no choice but to abandon his investigation, filled with doubt.

He instructed, "It's still early today. A few men will come later. I'll escort them to the county government office."

"Those responsible for the shift patrols, go back to your posts and make a few more careful rounds to see if any thieves have slipped into the village unnoticed!"

Zhou Haode (Zhou Dasao's husband, Lao Zhou) was about to drag the bandit leader away with a stern face. He had only tugged on the rope when the bandit leader, who hadn't moved an inch, suddenly fell heavily to the ground with a thud.

Seeing this, Old Qian snapped, "You've already been arrested, and you still want to resist? Are you trying to be a rogue?!"

The bandit leader remained lying face down, silent as a corpse.

Old Qian was so angry that he raised his foot to kick him.

Zhou Haode said, "Village Chief, please wait."

Old Qian looked up and said, "Old Zhou, this man just kidnapped Xixi's niece and tried to rob our village. He's committed heinous crimes. Now he's going to continue his shameless behavior. There's no need to be polite to this kind of person!"

Zhou Haode stared down at the back of the bandit leader's head. If he didn't move, wouldn't he suffocate?

"This person... is probably not unwilling to leave, but simply unable to move."

"Huh?!" Old Qian looked at the ground in surprise.

At this moment, Master Liu, dressed in a scholar's robe, ran over, carrying a rusty pickaxe that appeared out of nowhere, stumbling and staggering.

"Where is the thief?!"

Everyone was silent for a while.

Someone reminded him, "Mr. Liu, the thieves have all been captured."

Master Liu was stunned, his face full of shame, and said, "It's all my fault for being too slow. I was late in the time it took to find a pickaxe."

The more he spoke, the more heartbroken he became.

"I'm so useless. Everyone else is busy catching thieves, but I haven't been able to do anything for the village!"

The villagers respected the schoolteacher and quickly offered their advice, saying:

"Mr. Liu, please don't think like that. You are an educated man, how could you do such things as fighting and killing?"

"Yes, you came to the village to teach the children to read, so it should be us protecting you."

"Master Liu, are you alright?"

……

Master Liu's eyes welled up with tears of gratitude. "Everyone in our village is a good person, a really good person."

Gu Xixi broke out in a cold sweat upon seeing this scene.

Well, here comes someone who's even better at acting than her.

If Master Liu ever quits teaching, he could set up a storytelling stall in the city and make a fortune.

When Gu Xixi was taken hostage, she noticed that a shadow guard was hiding in the canopy of a tree in the distance.

At that time, He's shadow guards were with He Jinglan at Gu Xixi's house.

These people outside could only have been dispatched by Master Liu.

It was too coincidental that Master Liu only appeared after everything had settled down.

He was most likely hiding nearby, and only pretended to have just arrived after seeing that Gu Xixi was safe.

After checking on Master Liu, Old Qian remembered the bandit leader who was still lying on the ground.

He turned the bandit leader over and saw that the guy's face was turning blue and purple from holding his breath, and he was panting heavily with his mouth open.

Old Qian asked doubtfully, "You really can't move?"

Gu Xixi calmly turned around and joined the women's chatter.

Anyway, she already said she knew nothing.

I don't know who killed the bandit leader.

It is unknown whether the bandit leader was stabbed in the leg by a ring containing anesthetic.

It is unknown whether the bandit leader was paralyzed throughout his body, leaving him with only the ability to breathe and move his eyes.

I don't know when these symptoms will subside.

After all, the effects of medication vary from person to person. Some people may experience nerve damage, and even if they recover, they may still be lame and drooling...

She had no choice but to take double precautions because she didn't want to risk getting hurt.

The key to survival is to have it in your own hands; that's when you feel truly at ease...

That afternoon, all the bandits who had broken into Huachidu Village were handed over to the Qingtian County Government.

In the dimly lit cell, the bandit leader slumped in his sleep, half-asleep.

Suddenly, a basin of ice-cold water was poured over his head.

He suddenly jolted awake, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself outside, where he could see a sky full of stars.

However, he was not happy because his hands and feet were tied to the wooden frame.

Standing before them was a man of stunning beauty, yet who inexplicably sent chills down their spines.

The man, holding a long sword, casually lifted the bandit leader's right hand. "You grabbed her by the neck, was it this hand, or... this one?"

Although it was a question, the poor bandit leader had no chance to answer.

He screamed in agony as blood streamed down his wrist...