Xiong Fei put his hands on his hips and took two steps forward, his eyes filled with contempt.
"Alright, let me tell you. You go to the county prison and get Yang Dazhi and Ding Lao San out for us. We'll exchange one for one, no one will lose out."
Chen Xiaobei inwardly sighed. He had considered whether the bandits would use this as a condition, and now it had indeed come true.
But obviously, this condition was impossible to fulfill. Not only would he be unable to get them out using the waist token from the Liu family, even if Liu Rumei herself went, she might not be able to get them out.
Thinking this, he firmly waved his hand. "This condition is non-negotiable. Choose another one."
Chen Xiaobei's response left Xiong Fei stunned.
He had never seen someone act like this. It took him a while to recover, and then he said, "Chen Xiaobei, are you stupid? You're the one coming to us to ask for people, and you still want me to change the conditions?"
Chen Xiaobei smiled indifferently, and calmly replied, "Yes, think about it. If I go to County Magistrate Hu and tell him that I want to use Yang Dazhi and Ding Lao San to exchange for my wife and sister, do you think he would agree?"
This question left Xiong Fei at a loss for words.
Chen Xiaobei seized the opportunity to press further, "In my opinion, not only will he not agree, but he will immediately send soldiers to wipe you all out. So, when I ask for a change in conditions, I'm actually saving you."
Xiong Fei was left dumbfounded.
It turns out this was actually a life-saving favor.
Hearing this, Chen Xiaobei's companions, Chen Xiaowen and Chen Xiaobo, widened their eyes in disbelief as they exchanged glances.
What kind of trick is this?
Chen Xiaobei hadn't studied any books, yet he spoke with such conviction.
The most important thing was that he was acting like a savior.
It took Xiong Fei a while to come back to his senses, and he laughed loudly. "Chen Xiaobei, I wasn't raised scared. Don't try to use the official army to intimidate me."
Chen Xiaobei could tell that Xiong Fei was beginning to feel uneasy.
"Alright, you can't make decisions. Go tell Big Black that I'm willing to pay money to redeem the people."
Xiong Fei didn't realize this was a trap, and immediately asked, "How much money are you willing to pay?"
This?
He was being asked to name a price to redeem someone?
Chen Xiaobo, unfazed, held up two fingers. "I'll offer two big coins."
Two big coins?
Chen Xiaowen and Chen Xiaobo were instantly stunned.
Two coins, and you dare come to Wugong Ridge to redeem someone?
Chen Xiaobei, are you serious?
Are you trying to get the bandits to tear up the ticket?!
Xiong Fei was even more enraged. "Chen Xiaobei, you think you're funny? Today, I'll make you regret it."
With that, he drew a curved knife and rushed towards Chen Xiaobei.
Seeing the fury on his face, Chen Xiaobei wasn't worried at all.
He believed Xiong Fei would never kill him with one strike.
Sure enough, Xiong Fei reached him, raised the knife, and pressed it to his neck.
"Kid, do you believe I'll cut you down with one strike?"
"I don't think you will. Killing me here at the foot of the mountain means you'll have to dig a hole and bury me. Too much trouble."
This...
Is that even possible?
Even Xiong Fei was stunned by his reasoning. He stared at Chen Xiaobei for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing. "Fine, you wait here. If I don't come back, make sure you don't leave."
With that, he sheathed his knife, signaled to the two henchmen behind him, and turned to walk away.
Once behind a rock, Xiong Fei spat harshly.
"Didn't check the calendar before leaving today, and ran into a mad dog. Bah."
One of the henchmen asked, "Big Brother Xiong, why didn't you just kill him with one strike?"
Xiong Fei chuckled, "He's right. Killing someone here at the foot of the mountain means we'd have to dig a hole to bury him, clean up the blood, too much trouble. Let this idiot wait at the foot of the mountain. We'll go back and drink."
The henchman immediately grinned. "Right, right! Big Brother Xiong is clever. Just let this Chen Xiaobei wait here. He'll wait forever and never get his beautiful wife."
The three of them were joking and walking ahead when suddenly, the two henchmen froze, standing still, unable to move.
Xiong Fei spoke a few words but got no response. He couldn't help but turn back to look.
Upon turning, he saw that each of his two henchmen had a sharp, gleaming sword pressed against their necks.
Xiong Fei cursed inwardly, reached for his own knife, but immediately felt a cold chill on his neck.
A deep voice sounded, "Don't move. Move again, and I'll take your life."
Xiong Fei quietly cursed, but immediately changed his expression to one of forced cheer. "I'm not moving. I'm not moving, Master. What do you command?"
"Listen, go back and tell Big Old Black to send down the people Chen Xiaobei requested immediately."
Xiong Fei thought to himself, today is really messed up. Every person he encounters is more arrogant than the last.
"May I ask, who is this hero? So I can report back to the Big Bandit Leader."
"Do you know the Liu family in the county?" The steward said as he pulled out a waist token from his sleeve and waved it in front of Xiong Fei.
"Do you recognize this thing?"
Xiong Fei didn't recognize it, but he didn't dare say so. "I recognize it, but I'm afraid the Big Bandit Leader might not agree."
The steward laughed heartily. "If you don't bring Chen Xiaobei's people down by nightfall, today will be the day of your Wugong Ridge's demise."
With that, the steward slapped Xiong Fei on the back. Xiong Fei staggered forward a few steps, and when he turned around, the steward and the two henchmen were already gone.
Looking back at the two henchmen, they were already knocked out and lying on the ground, unconscious.
Xiong Fei was terrified and could barely think straight. He didn't call for help from his companions, and just bolted back to the mountain stronghold.
Big Old Black hadn't finished his drink when Xiong Fei rushed in, panic written all over his face. "Big Bandit Leader, something bad has happened."
Big Old Black widened his eyes, put down his cup, and frowned. "Xiong Fei, what's all this shouting about?"
Approaching Big Old Black, Xiong Fei, still in shock, said, "Big Bandit Leader, we've been set up, it's a huge problem."
Big Old Black looked confused, and even Hou Lao Liu couldn't hold back from asking, "Xiong Fei, hurry up and explain, what happened?"
Xiong Fei wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. "Big Bandit Leader, the person with Chen Xiaobei at the foot of the mountain is from the Liu family in the county."
"What?"
Big Old Black's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively asked, "Is this true?"
"It's true, Big Bandit Leader. I recognize the Liu family's waist token. The person even said, if we don't send the people down before nightfall, they'll come and wipe out our stronghold."
Hearing this, Hou Lao Liu jumped up angrily. "That's too much..."
But after he spoke, Hou Lao Liu fell silent, unsure what to do next. He saw that Big Old Black wasn't as angry as he expected, and was instead silent.
Hou Lao Liu had no choice but to change his tone. "Big Bandit Leader, the Liu family is bullying us too much."
Big Old Black sighed deeply. "No wonder Chen Xiaobei dared to come alone to Wugong Ridge. He has a strong backer."