When the burly men in black heard their boss say that, they all burst out laughing.
"Boss, to tell you the truth,
"I'm the same!
"Every time I see the girls in that old guy's house, I start trembling down there. I don't know what that old guy eats, but he locks his door every night and doesn't come out.
"Sometimes I can't even sleep from listening to them."
And so the men took turns telling and sharing stories about the rotten things they had done.
While the robbers were in high spirits, someone suddenly suggested, "Why don't we go pull another job? We can all satisfy our cravings while we're at it!"
Someone immediately chimed in.
"Great! I've been wanting to do it for ages!"
"Same here! Come on, let's do it!"
"Let's do it!"
After the bandits had traveled for a while toward an inhabited area, someone in the group warned, "This way should lead to Hunter Town, right?"
"That's right! It's where those damn hunters live."
"Even if we brought two more groups of men, could we afford to mess with that place?"
"Exactly! Even Master warned us not to provoke those people when he came back yesterday. Aren't we just asking to die if we go over there?"
"Pah! What master? That old guy was probably too worn out from messing around with women to walk, so he got scared of them. Anyway, I'm not scared!"
"Me neither. I'm not scared!"
But just as the men were about to compete over who was the toughest, a long "Ahhh~~~" rang out from the mountain forest.
The robbers immediately recognized it as a woman's voice, and judging by how she sounded, they figured she was probably good-looking too.
A hint of madness appeared on all their faces.
While Li Xing was explaining things to Little Jerry,
A few bandits standing watch from a tall tree spotted Li Xing and the other three.
"Boss! We've hit the jackpot! The jackpot!"
After the bandit keeping watch came down from the tree, the bandit leader hurriedly asked,
"Well? What's the situation?"
The bandit gave a lecherous grin.
"We've really struck it lucky this time. There are two women, absolute beauties! They're bathing in the river. They've got a pretty boy and a little brat who barely comes up past their knees with them.
"We can really enjoy ourselves this time!"
As the bandit spoke, he kept using his hands to outline the figure of the woman he had seen in the river, instantly making the robbers' blood surge.
After learning everything the bandit had described,
The bandit leader scratched his beard and said, "I figure some young master brought his wife and child out here to bathe! Let's not rush, brothers. We can wait until they're done washing and then go over and have our fun."
"Yeah, boss. I say we do it like last time and don't kill the man of the house right away! We can have him watch us get a taste of the women right in front of him. That felt so good I still haven't forgotten it!"
The robber leader laughed and teased him.
"Heh! Your tastes are as nasty as ever, kid. But I like it too.
"You all heard that, right? Don't kill the man. As for the kid, whoever wants to deal with him can do it."
The robbers all rubbed their hands in anticipation, their eyes so filled with lust that any normal person who saw them would have shuddered.
By the river.
Lucy and Aniekra had finished washing up.
The two had just changed into fresh undergarments and dresses and were drying each other's hair.
"Li Xing, you can come over now!"
At Lucy's call, Li Xing walked over to the riverbank.
"Honestly, you two really took your time, didn't you? It's been so long. I already promised to make dinner for Lucy's children. You've wasted so much time that I don't even know if I can still serve them a delicious meal on time."
Hearing Li Xing bring that up, Lucy, who had been about to apologize, felt her blood pressure rise a little.
"I..."
Just as Lucy was about to say something, Aniekra spoke beside her.
"Lucy, you promised me."
"But he!... All right, it really was my fault this time."
Li Xing watched as Lucy walked up to him and formally admitted she had been wrong earlier.
"I'm sorry, Li Xing. I was wrong just now. I shouldn't have suddenly screamed and made you misunderstand, and I shouldn't have splashed water on you. So let me say I'm sorry! Can you forgive me?"
Lucy's sudden change in attitude left Li Xing unsure how to respond for a moment.
"It's fine! It's fine! It's nothing. As long as you didn't run into any crooks, that's good. It's all right, you don't have to be so formal."
Seeing Li Xing looking a little flustered, Aniekra stepped forward and spoke softly to him.
"Mr. Li Xing, we both understand what you're thinking, but please accept our apologies. After all, we were the ones in the wrong today. You and Little Jerry came to help us, and only if you accept my and Lucy's apologies can the two of us ladies feel at ease!"
"Is that so, Miss Aniekra? This... all right! Lucy, I accept your apology, and I forgive your misunderstanding and your actions." Li Xing also spoke solemnly.
For a moment, the group was filled with joy.
A gentle breeze swept over the river, refreshingly cool, and made Li Xing feel refreshed inside.
"Ah~~choo!"
But when the wind made Aniekra sneeze, Li Xing's eyes were drawn to the two objects that shook from the sneeze.
To keep his body from making an embarrassing display again,
Li Xing hurriedly urged her, "Aniekra, hurry and put on your outer clothes. Don't go and make yourself sick."
"All right, Mr. Li Xing, you're right. I'll go get my clothes from the cart now."
Aniekra was about to leave as she spoke, but Li Xing suggested, "How about I go get them for you?"
Aniekra looked curiously at Li Xing's face.
Seeing that Li Xing really did want to go help, she said, "Mr. Li Xing, when it comes to a lady's clothes, you'd best..."
Aniekra's reminder made Li Xing understand at once.
He hurriedly explained, "Sorry, that really was presumptuous of me."
Aniekra turned and gave Li Xing a smile, then headed toward the cart by the river.
"Come to think of it, don't you need to wash, Li Xing?"
"Little Jerry and I can keep watch for you here. You should go down and have a proper wash too!"
Lucy teased Li Xing with a mischievous grin.
Little Jerry, however, seriously interjected from beside them.
"Sister Lucy, Brother Li Xing already washed once this morning."
"Is that so?"
Lucy turned her gaze to Little Jerry. "Did Brother Li Xing tell you that?"
When Sister Lucy asked him, Little Jerry shook his head and said, "No, Dad told me."