Chapter 18

After eating and drinking their fill, Cheng Duo first went to deal with the miscellaneous fur in his backpack. To be honest, he didn't know how to handle them at first. The prey he hunted were mostly small animals like rabbits, bamboo rats, and badgers, and the quality of the fur wasn't good.

But when the shopkeeper quoted a price of thirty five wen, Cheng Duo felt quite disappointed.

However, Yong-ge didn't back down. He had a retort for everything the shopkeeper said. Seeing that the shopkeeper seemed annoyed, he pointed at Cheng Duo and said, "Shopkeeper, don't underestimate the small furs he brought today. The gray wolf I brought earlier was killed by him, and its fur was undamaged… Let's make a compromise today, and I'll bring you better furs in the future."

The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment and reluctantly nodded. "Alright, you win. But let's make it clear, if you have good stuff in the future, you must sell it to our shop."

"Of course, of course." Yong-ge smiled and praised the shopkeeper. "Everyone knows that Sun's shop offers the fairest prices in this twenty-li slope."

The shopkeeper felt relieved upon hearing this and counted the copper coins, stringing them together before handing them over to Cheng Duo. He smiled and said, "Your wife is really skilled at bargaining."

Cheng Duo agreed wholeheartedly. "Indeed, no one is better at managing the household than him!"

Then it dawned on him that the shopkeeper seemed to have misunderstood their relationship. Cheng Duo originally wanted to explain, but since they were unrelated and Yong-ge, an unmarried young ger, was walking with him, it seemed difficult to clarify. So he decided not to say anything.

Yong-ge glanced at Cheng Duo with his big eyes exposed, seeming a bit uncomfortable. But he quickly adjusted himself and urged Cheng Duo, "Alright, let's quickly return to the inn to drop off the backpack and then go find myeldest brother and second brother."

"Okay."

There were quite a few gambling dens of various sizes in the twenty-li slope. Some were directly located on the main street, adorned with colorful silk, attracting people to enter. Others were hidden in small alleys, catering to gamblers from all walks of life, creating a chaotic and smoky environment.

Cheng Duo wasn't familiar with Li Da and Li Er, and even if he recognized their faces, it would be impossible for him to identify them based on their figures and movements alone. He couldn't approach each gambler and ask them to turn around for a look. Therefore, Yong-ge had to accompany him.

As they approached the entrance of a gambling den, Cheng Duo glanced at Yong-ge, who was shrinking behind him, and extended his sleeve to him. "Take it, hold onto my sleeve."

Yong-ge was taken aback for a moment but followed the instruction and grabbed a corner of Cheng Duo's sleeve. He then lowered his head and pursed his lips, feeling happy. However, before he could fully enjoy the moment, Cheng Duo complained, "If you hold it like this, you'll let go easily if there's a crowd later!"

"Oh." Yong-ge no longer bothered with pleasantries. He clenched Cheng Duo's sleeve tightly with all five fingers, regardless of whether his clothes were new or not. It didn't matter if they were damaged, it was Cheng Duo who told him to hold it!

The gambling den was indeed crowded. Yong-ge followed closely behind Cheng Duo as they maneuvered through the place. The larger gambling dens had hired bouncers to help maintain order. But the smaller ones were quite chaotic, with gamblers gathered around various tables, the sound of dice rolling and betting filling the air.

Cheng Duo noticed that Yong-ge couldn't see anything even when tiptoeing. He looked up and saw an upper floor. He then said to Yong-ge, "Let's go upstairs."

After Cheng Duo brought Yong-ge upstairs, he realized that something was off about the place. The air carried the smell of cheap cosmetics, along with the scent of lovemaking. Apparently, this floor served not only as a gambling den but also had additional services.

Yong-ge clearly didn't know and looked down from the corridor with astonishment. Just as he was about to speak to Cheng Duo, a hand suddenly reached out from behind and rested on his shoulder, "Little ger?"

Before Yong-ge could react, Cheng Duo had already protected him and grabbed the offending hand, giving it a strong squeeze.

"Ah—please spare me, spare me… I just wanted to borrow a few wen from this young ger, nothing else, nothing else…"

The discolored gambler, with clouded eyes, cursed his luck as soon as he saw Cheng Duo. He mistook Yong-ge for someone else, thinking he belonged to some brothel nearby. Why would a good young ger like him come to a gambling den?

"Get lost!" Cheng Duo didn't break the man's hand, but he had nearly done so. Seeing the man scurrying away, he turned Yong-ge's head to face the bustling crowd downstairs. "Don't mind him, let's find them quickly."

"Oh…"

Taking advantage of his height, Cheng Duo half-covered Yong-ge behind him. On one hand, he prevented others from seeing him, and on the other hand, he didn't want Yong-ge to see certain scenes inside some private rooms.

Those people didn't even bother to close the door properly. They were hugging, touching, and kissing each other, it was simply too much for the eyes!

Fortunately, the noise downstairs was loud, and the faint ambiguous sounds from behind were immediately drowned out by the noisy gambling tables.

Yong-ge's heart was beating fast. He had never experienced anything like this in his entire life. Although he was scared by the sudden appearance of that guy earlier, Cheng Duo quickly subdued him, and Yong-ge didn't feel afraid anymore.

What really left him stunned was that after Cheng Duo drove the man away, he stood behind him, covering more than half of his body. Although he didn't actually come close, Yong-ge could feel the continuous warmth radiating from Cheng Duo's body…

Yong-ge's attention was mostly focused behind him. Even his sensitive hair stood on end. His legs felt a bit weak, and Cheng Duo's presence gave him a sense of security. He wanted to lean against him naturally, but he felt it was inappropriate to think that way…

"Did you find them?"

Cheng Duo's question was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the heat in Yong-ge's mind. When he thought about Cheng Duo's feelings for someone else, he became completely calm. He stiffened his body, swept his gaze over the people downstairs, and shook his head at Cheng Duo. "It seems they're not here."

Cheng Duo hesitated for a moment. "Close your eyes and count to ten."

"Why?" Yong-ge asked.

"Why so many questions? Just do as I say!"

Hearing Cheng Duo's stern tone, Yong-ge pursed his lips and closed his eyes obediently. "Oh."

"Start counting…"

As soon as Cheng Duo finished speaking, Yong-ge felt the oppressive body behind him move away. He felt a little disappointed and lowered his head. "One, two…"

Cheng Duo quickly searched the upper floor. Since it was daytime, there weren't many people in the private rooms. Cheng Duo suspected that they might have been lucky when they first arrived upstairs, and the person guarding there had left. Otherwise, they would have to pay to come up.

Not finding anyone, Cheng Duo returned to Yong-ge. "Let's go, let's try another place."

…

Twenty-Li Slope wasn't a county town, so there was no curfew. In the evening, shops and brothels that operated at night hung lanterns, and there was a steady flow of people. It didn't seem quiet at all.

Cheng Duo had already taken Yong-ge to seven or eight gambling dens, but they hadn't found any leads. He suspected that they might have missed some secluded places, and Li Da and Li Er were not only fond of gambling but probably also enjoyed other activities…

Cheng Duo didn't forget that he had pulled those two guys out of Widow Zhao's house.

But this thought only crossed his mind once and he didn't even mention it: firstly, he couldn't bring himself to talk about it in front of Yong-ge , and secondly, he felt he had done enough, those two guys weren't worth his continued effort.

Yong-ge was clearly tired as well, but he didn't want to give up. Cheng Duo looked at him and suddenly said, "This method of searching isn't working. How about we go tomorrow to ask for help from my friend at Xiling Camp?"

Xiling Camp was only five miles away from Twenty-Li Slope, and it would take only thirty to forty minutes to walk there. The security of Twenty-Li Slope was the responsibility of the soldiers stationed at Xiling Camp, so it would be faster to ask Meng Ji for help than to continue their blind search.

Yes, Cheng Duo thought of Meng Ji.

That guy had left him an identification token, which Cheng Duo originally didn't plan to use. However, the cold reception from the fur merchant had put Cheng Duo in a financial crisis, and he still had that jade pendant in his hand. Maybe Meng Ji would be interested in it.

In the end, Cheng Duo thought that the situation in Twenty-Li Slope was too complicated, and he might invite trouble if he acted rashly. Asking for Meng Ji's help would solve that problem, and in the process, he could inquire about Li Da and Li Er's whereabouts.

If it weren't for the fact that telling the truth would upset Yong-ge, he actually believed it would be best if they couldn't find those two guys.

Yong-ge looked at him in astonishment. "Do you know people from Xiling Camp?"

Isn't Cheng Duo a bandit? How is he involved with Xiling Camp?

Yong-ge had seen Cheng Duo covered in blood, so he didn't believe his story about 'discovering his hometown flooded and his family taking refuge.'

He thought that Cheng Duo had simply grown disillusioned and given up on the hopeless career of being a bandit, which was why he wanted to stay in their village.

That was also the reason why Yong-ge didn't report Cheng Duo. Firstly, Cheng Duo had saved his life, so he couldn't explain that. Secondly, they had been startled by his astonishing strength when they first met, and when they discovered he was a decent person, it became even more unlikely for Yong-ge to report him…

Yes, since he didn't have a flooded hometown, what about his fiancée? Could it be that he had already arranged the marriage before becoming a bandit?

Cheng Duo looked at Yong-ge inexplicably. "What's with that expression? What's wrong with me knowing people from Xiling Camp?"

Yong-ge looked around like a thief and whispered, "Since you're a bandit, is it okay to meet people you knew before?"

"Who told you I'm a bandit!" Cheng Duo chuckled. He found Yong-ge anxiously rushing towards him as if he wanted to cover his mouth, so he quickly pushed him away. "Just talk, no need to get physical!"

Yong-ge's face turned red. "Who got physical? I just asked you to speak softly… Since you're not a bandit, how did you get so severely injured?"

Cheng Duo fell silent upon hearing this. He didn't want to talk too much about his past before crossing over. He just emphasized, "I'm not a bandit, and I haven't committed any murder or robbery…"

Wait, it seemed like he had done that!

Cheng Duo suddenly remembered when he encountered Meng Ji before. He had killed two enemy soldiers and even robbed them of their silver…

Cheng Duo coughed. "Anyway, I'm not… There's a reason why I got injured."

"What reason?"

'…' Cheng Duo ignored him. "So, tell me, do you want to come with me to Xiling Camp tomorrow?"

Yong-ge shrugged. "Sure, why not."

He had no other option since he couldn't find the person on his own.