Untouchable Lovers

Chapter 172: Chapter 155: Go With the Flow and Stay Calm

Chu Yu and Rong Zhi had spent three days on the carriage. Although they hadn’t been beaten again, the food provided daily was very scarce. Naturally, Chu Yu’s bundle had already been taken by the horse thieves, and when they both alighted from the carriage, they were so hungry they felt dizzy and blurred in vision.

Needless to say, this was also a method employed by the horse thieves to prevent their captives from escaping—starve them of strength to run away, leaving them with no choice but to obediently follow.

On the last day, all the captives were blindfolded, likely because the thieves didn’t want them to know the exact location of their lair. Although Chu Yu and Rong Zhi were treated with exceptionally and did not receive blindfolds, two horse thieves sat in the carriage to keep watch over them, preventing them from looking outside.

Despite being unable to look outside, the changes in light from the external environment were still noticeable inside the carriage. Before the convoy stopped, there was a period where it was pitch dark, resembling a train traveling through a tunnel. As they emerged from that stretch, the inside of the carriage suddenly brightened again.

As soon as Chu Yu was permitted to leave the carriage, she looked around in all directions. She had imagined that they would have stopped in a place that was the horse thieves’ main stronghold, perhaps a mountain fortress built amidst poor and dangerous terrain, but reality proved far from her expectations.

This was a peaceful and beautiful village, surrounded by flat and open land, with neatly arranged houses, and fertile ground. There were small paths crisscrossing through fields where one could occasionally hear the distant sound of chickens clucking and dogs barking. Eight or nine women and elders were laboring in the fields where wheat, heavy with ripe ears, stood alongside lush, thriving vegetables.

What was going on? Chu Yu was momentarily stunned, but then it dawned on her that this calm countryside was about to be ravaged by the ruthless horse thieves, and her heart twisted with pity.

Yet, what surprised her even more was that instead of fear, the villagers greeted the horse thieves with warm welcome. The women put down their farm work, children playing in the village joyfully ran up to meet them, wiping sweat and offering water, all with the demeanor of a close-knit family.

In an instant, Chu Yu understood—this place was indeed the lair of the horse thieves!

Returning here, each of the horse thieves had come home. Some had already started idle chats with their wives while others swung their children in circles. Even the fiercest among them showed a soft and tender expression.

Outside, they were brutal fiends, plundering wealth and lives, but at home, they were good husbands and loving fathers, a family living in harmony and bliss, even if this happiness was built on the misfortune of others.

Rong Zhi stood beside Chu Yu, having realized the situation sooner than she had. Seeing that the horse thieves had relaxed their guard, he whispered to Chu Yu, “My guess was indeed correct. This group is the notorious Chasing Wind Bandits. They are ruthless and as swift as the wind. Although the troops have been deployed to eradicate them multiple times, their lair has always remained undiscovered. Yet, who would have thought it turned out to be such a place.”

The location of this village must be extremely secluded; even if someone stumbled upon it, they wouldn’t suspect such a peaceful and idyllic place to be concealing a savage and ferocious reality.

At least half of the horse thieves had left the group to reunite with their families, leaving the remaining half to continue guarding the captives. The captives were split into two groups and locked up in two houses at the edge of the village. Chu Yu and Rong Zhi comprised one group and were accommodated in a relatively comfortable environment, while Boss Ren and others were herded into another, more sparse and rudimentary room.

Chu Yu knew that the preferential treatment they received was largely thanks to the lie Rong Zhi had told. The aristocratic family status was noble, and considering their identity, as well as the substantial ransom in their favor, the horse thieves would likely treat them well. However, the Royal Family’s identity couldn’t be exposed, as that would mean the likely involvement of military forces. To avoid complications, the horse thieves would prefer to kill them as quickly as possible.

Chu Yu had just entered the room with Rong Zhi when the loud sound of the door being shut and locked came from behind. She did not hurry to look back, but took her time observing her surroundings.

It was about noon, and on the wall at the height of a person, there was a small window approximately seven inches in length and width, providing light to the room. Chu Yu could see the interior clearly, there was no bed in the room, only a thick layer of straw spread in the corner that covered half of the floor, presumably meant for sleeping.

The room was quite clean with only two small stools stacked up in another corner, and no other furnishings.

Given their status, this was still the treatment they received; one could only imagine how terrible the conditions would be in the other room.

While Chu Yu was still looking around, Rong Zhi had already walked past her to the straw, flopped down, and lay there leisurely and lazily on the thick straw, letting out a long sigh, “At last, I can lie down.”

Seeing him so relaxed, Chu Yu stepped closer and scoffed, “You have time to sleep, you might as well think about how to get out of here first,” she said, keeping her voice very low in case the walls had ears.

Rong Zhi didn’t get up, just quietly lying there, gazing at Chu Yu who stood beside him. His eyes were pitch-black and profound, calm and waveless, “We can’t leave. The Chasing Wind Bandits have been rampant for more than a decade, and even the army can’t do anything about them. This place is clearly well-hidden, and I fear we would be dead under chaotic blades long before you and I find a way out.”

Chu Yu glanced out of the window, the village still appeared peaceful and beautiful, the horse thieves had changed into farmers’ clothing and were working in the fields. If it were not for witnessing their savage acts, Chu Yu would hardly believe these were horse thieves.

The face of each person in the village bore a satisfied smile, the land was so beautiful, it was almost like the fabled Taoyuan which one could chance upon but not seek. However, the happy life within Taoyuan was obtained in exchange for the bloodshed outside of it.

She could imagine the survival model of this village, where women and the elderly would farm at home, while the men went out to rob and kill. No matter the reasons for their robbery, this was not the innocent and idyllic Taoyuan that Tao Yuanming had described.

Knowing what Chu Yu was looking at, Rong Zhi said indifferently, “Rest easy, Jiangling is some distance from here, and it will take some time for them to go back and forth. Even if they reach Jiangling, they might not realize that we are impostors.”

Surprised by his words, Chu Yu turned to look at him, but saw Rong Zhi smiling, unperturbed.

“Instead of worrying about such distant concerns, why not join me in taking things as they come?” He patted the straw beside him and smiled, “Won’t you try? With your prestigious status, you must have never slept on straw before. Come, give it a try; it’s quite comfortable.”

Chu Yu hesitated for a moment, then followed Rong Zhi’s example and lay down beside him. Some of the coarser straw stems poked at her back through her clothes, causing a slight itch on her skin. However, the softness underneath relaxed Chu Yu, who had been tense for several days.

As she turned her gaze to meet Rong Zhi’s dark eyes, Chu Yu smiled lightly and said, “It’s indeed quite different.”