Chapter Forty-Four: The First Robbery of My Life

"You?" Yang Siyuan looked Feng Qiuji up and down, then stared at her face for a good while before exclaiming, "Haven't we met somewhere before?!"

This ridiculous fellow, only now did he remember!

"I'm the Feng Qiujui from last night!" Though she’d encountered bandits, fortunately, this Yang fellow turned out to be the second-in-command. It seemed the Buddha was right about karma—just last night she’d performed a good deed, and now she was receiving her reward. Feng Qiuji resolved to do good works more often from now on.

"Ah, so it’s Qiuqiu!" Yang Siyuan clapped his hands in realization. "Well said, well said. I was just thinking about how to repay your great kindness, and now I can do it today!" With that, he immediately pulled Feng Qiuji forward to stand before the group.

"Big Brother, this young man here is a good person! Just now he said he wanted to join our Axe Gang. What do you think?"

At the mention of the Axe Gang, Feng Qiuji couldn’t help but praise the name in her heart—what a splendid name!

"Join?" The bandit chief scrutinized Feng Qiuji from head to toe. In all his years robbing travelers, people had only ever feared bandits—never had anyone tried to join them. Still, there were only about twenty-odd people in the gang, and he had been thinking of expanding lately. After a moment’s thought, he asked, "What skills do you have?"

"Huh?" Feng Qiuji was caught off guard by the question, and after a pause, she started counting on her fingers, "I can eat, sleep, and I know how to play."

"Are you mocking me?" The bandit chief flared up at her words, raising his blade, about to swing at her, but fortunately Yang Siyuan held him back.

"Big Brother, don't be hasty. Let me ask him a few questions." Turning to Feng Qiuji, he asked, "Kid, can you kill?"

Kill? She had never done anything like that in her life! She shook her head quickly.

"Have you been educated?"

Educated? She was a top student, after all, so she supposed she qualified. She nodded eagerly.

"Can you cook?"

Cook? Better not. Even she couldn’t stomach her own cooking, let alone expect others to eat it. She was about to shake her head, but caught Yang Siyuan making all sorts of winks and gestures at her, urgently signaling her to say she could.

Feng Qiuji understood at once and nodded her head vigorously.

"That’s good enough. Big Brother, our gang still lacks a bookkeeper. Since this young man can cook, let him be our accountant and also handle our daily meals. What do you think?"

"If you say so, Second Brother, then so be it," the bandit chief said with a wave of his hand, agreeing.

Feng Qiuji was elated—she hadn’t expected Yang Siyuan’s words to carry such weight, nor that the bandit chief would heed him so well. Now she had powerful backing in the gang and wouldn’t have to worry about being bullied.

Truth be told, she’d planned to strike out on her own, use some funds to start her own sect or society, but who’d have thought she’d stumble into a bandit gang right after leaving home? It wasn’t a bad turn of events: she could have some fun and save herself the trouble of spending money and recruiting members—much less effort that way.

"Thank you, Big Brother! Thank you, Second Brother!" Feng Qiuji said happily, grabbing their hands in gratitude.

"Wait a minute—you’re not an undercover agent sent by the authorities, are you?" The bandit chief, not lacking in wits, eyed her warily. "All our brothers here are locals. Where do you live? We’ll need to check your household registration!"

"Big Brother, to be honest, I lost my parents young, and I’m the only one left in my family. I sold off all my household valuables and planned to take that money to do business elsewhere, so I actually come from very far away."

"And the property you sold?"

Feng Qiuji realized she couldn’t avoid losing some funds. Oh well, Ling Zetian still owed her tens of thousands of taels, so what did it matter? She pulled out the remaining silver notes from her pocket and said, "On my journey, I’ve spent quite a bit already. This small token I’ll donate to the gang as a gesture of goodwill, since I’m new here."

The bandit chief took the notes, counted them, and found nearly a thousand taels. His face broke into a wide grin. "Anyone willing to donate so much can’t be one of those government lackeys—they’d never have this much money! Very good. What’s your name?"

"My name is Feng Qiuqiu."

"Excellent, Brother Qiuqiu! Now let’s go pull off another job, then head back to the hideout for a meal!" With that, the bandit chief clapped Feng Qiuji hard on the shoulder, nearly knocking her over.

Rubbing her aching shoulder, Feng Qiuji muttered inwardly: Truly, whether in ancient or modern times, money is always the most useful thing! Pity about her thousand taels—she hadn’t even gotten to spend them! If only she’d kept a few notes for herself instead of donating it all—how foolish!

As they walked, Feng Qiuji chatted cheerfully with Yang Siyuan and soon learned that the Axe Gang’s members were mostly poor youths from villages outside town, most of whom hadn’t gone to school and had no way to make a living, so they turned to highway robbery to fill their stomachs.

Some, of course, had truly been forced into this life. For example, the big brother himself had once had a family, and at twenty-five, with great effort, he’d managed to arrange a marriage—betrothal gifts paid and all, just waiting for the auspicious day to bring the bride home. But a rich man’s son in town caught sight of the girl, and a classic case of bride kidnapping ensued. The bandit chief couldn’t swallow the insult—he killed the young master in a fit of rage, bringing disaster upon himself, and the authorities hunted him everywhere. In his anger, he fled to the mountains and became an outlaw, and thanks to his exploits, the former gang leader took a liking to him. When the previous leader was killed during a job, this unfortunate man naturally became the head of the gang.

Hearing the bandit chief’s tragic story, Feng Qiuji couldn’t help but sigh. It seemed Ling Zetian wasn’t much of a ruler if he let rich bullies run rampant. It was truly outrageous!

Soon, the band of a dozen or so arrived at another road.

At the bandit chief’s command, everyone hid in the grass, keeping a sharp eye on the road.

Feng Qiuji was puzzled about how they knew someone would pass by here. They waited a long time, but aside from the wind, nothing happened. The snow had mostly melted over the last couple of days, but it was still quite cold. Now, a group of people crouched in the withered grass blowing in the wind, staring at the muddy, yellow country road—Feng Qiuji suddenly felt that banditry wasn’t easy. It was actually hard work, and very risky—one never knew when disaster might strike.

Just as Feng Qiuji was about to doze off in the grass, the distant sound of carriage wheels finally reached her ears.

"Attention, it’s coming," the bandit chief whispered. Feng Qiuji jolted awake, crawled forward, and saw a carriage approaching.

A young servant was driving the carriage. Judging by its luxurious appearance, the owner must be someone wealthy—looked like they could score big this time. The thought made Feng Qiuji’s hands itch with excitement.

"Big Brother, can I borrow your knife for a bit?" Feng Qiuji tugged on the sleeve of a small bandit crouched beside her, pointing at the knife in his hand.

"No way. If I give it to you, what will I use?"

"Oh, don’t be so stingy! Just give it here!" Without waiting for his consent, Feng Qiuji snatched the knife from his hand and gave it a couple of swings.

"Go!" At the bandit chief’s command, the dozen or so bandits leapt out of the grass, shouting in unison, "This mountain is ours, this tree we planted. If you wish to pass, pay the toll!"

In that moment, Feng Qiuji felt a surge of accomplishment.

The carriage driver, seeing the bandits, immediately reined in the horses and got down.

"What’s going on?" a young man’s voice came from inside the carriage.

"Young master, we’ve run into bandits," the servant replied. As soon as he spoke, the carriage door opened and a young man stepped out.

He carried a folding fan, dressed in fine robes of exquisite workmanship—clearly a man of wealth and status. This was bound to be a lucrative haul.

Feng Qiuji couldn’t help noticing that young noblemen in this era seemed to love posturing with fans. Others might look dashing with a fan, but this fellow’s looks left much to be desired.

"Impudent bandits! Do you know who I am? How dare you rob me?!"

"Who cares who you are? Even if you were the King of Heaven, you’d still have to hand over your money!" The bandit chief, worthy of his title, was truly impressive.

"I’ll have you know, I am Qin Han! Have you heard of Qin Han? I’m—"

"Cut the nonsense!" Even Feng Qiuji couldn’t stand his arrogance. Did he really think he was the emperor, that everyone should know him? As the newcomer, Feng Qiuji seized the chance to prove herself, gripped the knife, strode forward, and pressed it to the conceited youth’s neck. "Hand over your money, or I’ll finish you off right now!"

"You, you, you... You be careful! If you harm me, you can’t afford the consequences!" Qin Han’s confidence evaporated as soon as he felt the blade against his throat. He’d only blustered to bolster his courage, hoping the bandits would recognize his name and let him go. Who knew this ignorant gang had never even heard of him.

"Big Brother, come search him," Feng Qiuji ordered. The bandit chief stepped up to frisk Qin Han, while the others swarmed over the carriage in search of valuables.

Yang Siyuan watched from the side, a faint smile on his lips. He hadn’t expected this Feng Qiuqiu to have such nerve, daring to rob travelers alongside them. But he also felt a twinge of concern—after all, banditry was illegal and the authorities would crack down on them. Feng Qiuqiu was just a young woman; joining a bandit gang could only bring her harm.

——— Author’s Note ———

Classmate Feng Qiuqiu is about to begin her grassroots life outside the palace, oo-ho-ho~ Stay tuned!