Liu Rumei pondered for a moment, then shook her head slightly. "I don't think so. He seems like a straightforward person."
After saying that, she turned to Liu Guan. "Go prepare, we're leaving immediately."
She then looked at the tired Chen Xiaobei. "Young master, you've worked hard. Please come into the house and rest for a moment."
Chen Xiaobei waved his hand. "No need to rest, Miss Liu. You go ahead and handle things, and I'll take you there later."
Soon, a group of several dozen people lined up, all in black robes. They had swords and knives at their waists, looking imposing.
Liu Guan personally brought over a horse and handed the reins to Chen Xiaobei.
"Here, take this."
Chen Xiaobei had never ridden a horse before, but as the saying goes, "You've never seen a pig run, but you've seen a pig walk," so he learned by imitation. He stepped into the stirrup and swung himself onto the horse, gripping the saddle tightly.
Liu Rumei cupped her hands in a salute. "Young master, thank you for your trouble."
Chen Xiaobei nodded and gently patted the horse's rear.
The horse slowly moved forward for a few dozen meters. Chen Xiaobei, initially nervous, began to relax. Riding wasn't as hard as he thought.
As his mood relaxed, his movements became smoother, but the only thing he didn't dare to do was ride too fast.
Behind him, Xiao Qing grew a bit impatient. She tried a few times to urge him to go faster, but Liu Rumei stopped her each time.
She could tell that Chen Xiaobei wasn't very skilled at riding.
No, it should be said that he was quite unskilled.
But fortunately, the journey wasn't long—only about twenty miles—and they quickly arrived.
At the village entrance, Chen Ping was on duty with the village's guard.
When he saw Chen Xiaobei riding a tall horse with so many people, he immediately felt uneasy.
Where did this kid get all these people? What's he up to?
But then, he thought, maybe this kid was just bluffing and scamming people. He'd better ask what was going on.
With that, he placed his hands on his waist and stood in the middle of the road. "Chen Xiaobei, stop right there."
Seeing it was him, Chen Xiaobei immediately felt irritated. After all, these guys had run off so early the night before, what kind of men were they?
Though he cursed inwardly, he still had to put on a polite front, since he was the village's guard captain.
He stopped his horse, smiled, and asked, "Chen Ping, what's the matter?"
Chen Ping also smiled and replied, "What are you planning to do with all these people?"
Chen Xiaobei pointed toward Qingniu Mountain. "Last night, I found someone injured up on the mountain. I've brought people to rescue him."
So that's what happened.
He wanted to ask more, but at that moment, Xiao Qing, who was behind, couldn't hold back any longer. She urged her horse forward, pointing at Chen Ping. "Hey, are you blind? Don't you recognize our Miss Liu? Move out of the way, we're here to save someone. If you delay us, we'll have words with you!"
Chen Ping dared not offend her and quickly stepped aside, smiling nervously. "Of course, of course, please go ahead."
As Liu Rumei passed by him, Chen Ping suddenly felt a wave of envy. Liu's family in the county, who didn't know their name?
Liu's family was a prestigious clan, even in the capital, they could command power.
How the hell did Chen Xiaobei get involved with the Liu family?
As he thought about it, tears of envy started to trickle from the corner of his mouth.
After his envy, he felt a little regretful. If he had followed Chen Xiaobei into the mountain last night, he could have shared in the credit.
Chen Xiaobei arrived at his house and cupped his hands in a salute to Liu Rumei.
"Miss Liu, please wait for a moment. I'll go home and report to my wife."
Seeing the dilapidated courtyard walls and house, Liu Rumei frowned.
Xiao Qing, looking at it, couldn't help but mutter, "This is no place for people to live."
At that moment, Chen Qiao'er heard the commotion and rushed out of the yard.
"Brother, brother, you're back." After shouting this, she saw so many people behind Chen Xiaobei.
Chen Qiao'er instinctively turned and ran back, throwing herself into the arms of Cui Hongyu, who was just about to leave.
Cui Hongyu held Chen Qiao'er and walked outside the yard. Seeing so many people, her heart tightened.
Chen Xiaobei quickly said, "Hongyu, don't be scared. They're here to find Brother Liu Tie."
Cui Hongyu nodded, "Husband, you've worked hard. Do you want to rest and drink some water before going up the mountain?"
The word "husband" made Liu Rumei widen her eyes in surprise.
She looked at Cui Hongyu and then at Chen Xiaobei, struggling to understand how such a young and beautiful girl could marry a poor man like him. The house was so poor!
Xiao Qing couldn't help muttering, "This Hongyu must be blind. How could she marry a man like him?"
Liu Rumei turned to look at him. "Alright, stop talking nonsense. We're here to find Liu Tie, and nothing else concerns us."
Xiao Qing reluctantly said, "Okay."
Chen Xiaobei looked at Cui Hongyu with affection, then patted Chen Qiao'er on the head. "You two stay here. I'll be back soon."
After saying that, Chen Xiaobei mounted his horse and slightly bowed to Liu Rumei. "Sorry for the wait. Let's go now."
As Liu Rumei passed by Cui Hongyu, she gave her a slight nod with a smile.
Chen Qiao'er's large eyes blinked as she flashed a mischievous smile at Liu Rumei.
The innocent and pure smile warmed Liu Rumei's heart, but at the moment, she had no time to think about such things.
Chen Xiaobei led Liu Rumei and the others up on horseback, soon arriving at the foot of Qingniu Mountain. As they went further up, the mountain path became steep, and it would be difficult for the horses to continue.
Chen Xiaobei dismounted and pointed toward the path. "If we go up, it's about ten miles to the mountain god's temple. Brother Liu Tie is in the temple."
After saying that, he lifted his leg to move forward, but Liu Rumei stopped him. "You've worked hard. You stay here and wait."
Chen Xiaobei shook his head slightly. "It's no trouble, no trouble. I'll go with you. In case you get lost, it would be troublesome."
Liu Rumei took a step back, respectfully bowing to Chen Xiaobei. "Thank you, young master."
Seeing Liu Rumei's gesture, Liu Guanjia and more than thirty men in black robes all bowed in unison and loudly said, "Thank you, young master."
This scene made Chen Xiaobei both surprised and envious. When would he ever have such a procession? It felt great.
Following the mountain path, Chen Xiaobei felt his strength beginning to fail. He had been busy since last night, and all he had drunk was a few sips of water; he hadn't eaten anything.
But when he saw Liu Rumei and Xiao Qing following closely behind, he gritted his teeth.
He couldn't let himself fail at a critical moment.
Liu Rumei clearly noticed that Chen Xiaobei was struggling physically. She waved her hand to Liu Guanjia, who immediately brought a few strong men to Chen Xiaobei.
"Should we continue up the mountain path?"
Chen Xiaobei nodded.
Liu Guanjia quickly led the group forward.
Liu Rumei caught up with Chen Xiaobei. "What's your name?"
Chen Xiaobei knew she was trying to let him rest, so he instinctively slowed down his pace.
"My name is Chen Xiaobei, I live in Heitou Village at the foot of the mountain."
"Was that your wife earlier?"
Chen Xiaobei nodded. "Yes."
At this point, Xiao Qing couldn't help but ask, "How did she marry you?"