A crown princess who doesn't do infrastructure construction isn't a good doctor.

While eating the shaved ice that was rumored to have been made by the bandits themselves, Liu Yao was full of questions. Seeing that Du Heng's tone and expression were very relaxed, he mustered up his courage and asked the two people sitting opposite him about his doubts.

"Are you... really bandits?"

Xiong Tian glanced at his second brother but didn't speak, while Xiong Hao looked up at Liu Yao with a kind expression and said, "We were originally honest farmers working in the fields, but the government has been imposing heavy taxes year after year, and we are almost unable to survive. However, those high-ranking officials are rolling in money and don't care about the lives of ordinary people. We had no choice but to become outlaws. However, we only stop some wealthy merchants passing by and never take lives. We distribute all the money we get to our brothers and brothers, and if we have any left over, we will help the poor families in the vicinity."

He had already said these words before, so Xiong Hao spoke them very smoothly, and even improved his wording.

"But why is it that everything we've heard says you're a bunch of vicious people?"

Xiong Hao paused, and Xiong Tian, ​​the most naive of the three brothers, said, "That's because we deliberately made them say that. If they look rich, we'll say our road is safe, and when they come, we'll act accordingly. If they don't look rich, we'll just say bad things about us to prevent them from taking this road."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yao hadn't reacted yet, while Du Heng subconsciously glanced at his own attire.

Upon seeing this, Lu Feng laughed and said, "Oh my god, Brother Du, I didn't even notice. When did you start dressing so casually?"

"This was a special change because we initially wanted to keep a low profile when we came in."

Du Heng was still stubborn, but Liu Yao mercilessly exposed him, saying, "When we came out, we didn't bring any nice clothes because we were in a hurry. After all, nice clothes aren't very durable, and it would be a waste to wear them while traveling."

Exhaling a long breath through his nose, Du Heng said, "Isn't all this for your sake? But you're doing so well here, why would you send a message to the young master? Anyone who didn't know better would think you were about to die."

Lu Feng waved his hand, "Passing messages has nothing to do with me. It was my young master who did it. I don't know what he wrote. It's no use cursing me now. You can talk to him when my young master comes back."

Du Heng snorted coldly, "How dare I speak ill of Young Master Ke? Otherwise, I might be poisoned to death one day without even knowing it."

These words immediately drew strong agreement from the Xiong brothers, Xiong Hao and Xiong Tian, ​​who nodded vigorously like chickens pecking at rice.

Although this mountain stronghold wasn't a real den of villains, it was mostly a group of men who had been subdued and brought to their current state. At Ke Zuo's instruction, Lu Feng had used quite a bit of medicine to do so.

After chatting for a while, and Du Heng had basically learned about Lu Feng's great achievements over the past few days, footsteps came from outside the door.

"Lu Feng! Greet him!"

Upon hearing the familiar voice and tone, Du Heng smiled, raising one corner of his mouth.

"They're even welcoming the emperor! They think they're the emperor himself."

Liu Yao asked softly, "Brother Du, 'welcoming the emperor' isn't something you can just say casually, is it?"

Du Heng said, "Don't worry about him. Let him come begging to us after he gets into trouble. By the way, remember to stay away from that person afterward, and remember to tell everyone when you get back."

After Liu Yao replied with "okay," the guy whose voice had been heard from afar but whose face could not be seen finally showed up.

Ke Zuo wore a light silk robe, his face was as white as jade, and he had the appearance of a wealthy young master. Behind him, Xu Chi, who was a little taller, had a tanned complexion from being exposed to the sun. He had a buzz cut, which was rare these days, and he looked very masculine. He was also dressed very neatly, with a wicker box on his back and an umbrella in his hand.

The burly man walking behind should be Xiong Ba, the former leader who was called in to be a henchman.

"Oh, I just got back and I already hear people talking bad about me."

Du Heng immediately recognized that the umbrella Xu Chi was carrying was specifically for Ke Zuo. Remembering Lu Feng's earlier comment that he was accompanying Xu Chi up the mountain, he continued sarcastically, "Tsk tsk tsk, you didn't even change your clothes before going up the mountain with someone. These clothes would have been torn by the wild grass on the mountain, but you still managed to keep them in good condition. Could it be that Xu Chi carried you the whole time?"

Ke Zuo strode forward, squeezing past Xiong Hao and Xiong Tian, ​​and sat down opposite Du Heng. He then retorted, "How come you've lost your sense of judgment after being away for a few months? Look at me, what kind of person am I!"

Du Heng frowned and glanced at it, then raised an eyebrow and said, "Why are you wearing all this? Are you afraid someone will assassinate you?"

Patting Xu Chi's broad arm, who was already sitting next to him, Ke Zuo said proudly, "It's because my Xu Chi cares about me. This fabric is very stretchy, and it's also impervious to water and fire, and it feels much better against the skin than usual. So he gave me his share so I could change into it."

After saying that, Ke Zuo looked Du Heng up and down, and then continued, "Unlike you, no one cares about you. After being away from home for so long, you've become unrefined."

"Yes, not as particular as Young Master Ke."

After Du Heng finished speaking, Ke Zuo suddenly realized something and exclaimed, "Could it be that my brother You has become like you too?!"

Du Heng rolled his eyes at him, "Young Master is fine, you don't need to worry about him."

"That's good."

After patting his chest, Ke Zuo turned around and looked around.

"Now that you're here, let me pack my things, and we'll set off tomorrow."

The three Xiong brothers were taken aback, their expressions a mixture of surprise and delight. Du Heng let out a long sigh and said, "Brother, we've been traveling for several days and haven't had a proper rest. Can you please not be in such a rush?"

Ke Zuo blinked and nodded, "Okay, no problem. But I still hope to see my brother You as soon as possible, otherwise if I feel disappointed, I might..."

Before Ke Zuo could finish speaking, Lu Feng raised his hand at the point where he paused, his palm and fingers twitching, exuding a dangerous aura.

Du Heng slammed his hand on the table and said, "How about we leave the day after tomorrow?"

"OK".

After the group finished "discussing" their plans, the three brothers, who were focused on being the background, kept pushing and shoving each other, until finally the eldest brother stepped forward.

Xiong Ba tentatively asked, "Boss, so who are we...?"

Ke Zuo raised an eyebrow and said, "You guys should stay here and continue what I told you to do. This mountain is perfect for planting, especially herbs. You can't let it go to waste. I'll send someone to collect the produce when I have time. I don't think you'll be at a disadvantage."

The three brothers were happy to have a legitimate job. Their previous "principled" robberies didn't bring them much income. If the prospects that Ke Zuo had mentioned to them could be realized, it would be a blessing for both the brothers and the villagers down the mountain.

Withdrawing their stiff smiles from the earlier joke, the three brothers genuinely showed their joy, stood up, clasped their hands, and thanked Ke Zuo in a loud voice.