After dinner, Xie Jiang hurried to her room, waving to Xu Hengyan who was also heading towards her room.
"Yan Yan, wash up quickly, I'll wait for you..."
Xu Hengyan tripped on the threshold and almost fell, glaring fiercely at Xie Jiang before turning around and slamming the door shut.
What was she saying, rambling all day.
It was enough to cause misunderstandings!
Fortunately, only the two of them lived in this small courtyard, otherwise her guards would have started exchanging knowing glances, making it seem like he was a little wife being taken advantage of.
What nonsense.
A whole set of rogue behavior at such a young age.
After Xu Hengyan finished washing up and sat down, he heard a piercing sound.
"Yan Yan, Yan Yan—"
Xu Hengyan resigned himself to getting up and opening the door. He saw her propped against the window, urging him on.
"Yan Yan, you're too slow, you're not proactive at all."
Guang Bai secretly rolled his eyes and grumbled.
Was this kind of thing worth being proactive about?
The dignified heir of the Duke of Wei had fallen to the point of serving someone to sleep.
Where could he find justice for this?
Would anyone else dare to pay attention to his young master if it were someone else?
Guang Bai was also impressed with Young Master Xie.
He bossed his young master around so righteously.
And his young master actually didn't refuse!
An extraordinary person.
How had she managed to get such a firm grip on his young master in such a short time?
Xie Jiang happily hopped onto the bed and sat up properly, patting the spot next to her for the entering Xu Hengyan.
Now it was sitting by the bed, but if things continued to develop smoothly, it would be on the bed in the future.
After Xu Hengyan sat down on the edge of the bed, he looked at Xie Jiang and after a long pause, asked, "What do you want to hear?"
Xie Jiang said, "Just say anything, I like listening to whatever you say."
Soon, Xie Jiang wished she could take back her words.
The world of academics was beyond her imagination.
She never expected Xu Hengyan to tell her about his recent reading insights!
He even looked into her eyes, speaking with increasing enthusiasm, as if he had found a kindred spirit and wanted to pour out his heart.
Xie Jiang's gaze gradually became unfocused, her upright posture slowly slumped, and she finally fell into the soft quilt.
Xu Hengyan hadn't expected a bedtime story to be so sleep-inducing.
Even though he wasn't telling a story.
The effect was clearly just as good.
It seemed she really had a habit of sleeping with bedtime stories.
Xu Hengyan pulled the quilt that was haphazardly thrown over her and covered her with it. Just as he was about to get up and leave, a clamor from the street outside grew stronger and stronger.
Xie Jiang, who had just fallen asleep, was woken up and looked at Xu Hengyan in a daze, "What's wrong?"
Listening to the commotion outside, Xu Hengyan's expression turned solemn and his brows furrowed.
The clamor not only showed no signs of abating but intensified, even mixed with shouts and killing cries.
"I'll go out and see."
As soon as Xu Hengyan opened the door, he saw Guang Bai running over with a saber, "The bandits from Huanglan Mountain have descended!"
"How many have come down?"
"I don't know, someone has already been sent to investigate."
"Notify the nearby prefectures and counties to send troops for reinforcements immediately..."
Xu Hengyan gave instructions as he strode outside, preparing to investigate himself and then find a way to drive back these bandits.
When he reached the courtyard entrance, he met Tian Kangtai rushing in from outside.
"Young Master Xu."
Xie Jiang also came out of the room after getting dressed.
"What's the situation?"
Hearing Xie Jiang's voice, Tian Kangtai quickly entered the courtyard to report.
"I heard it's the bandits from Huanglan Mountain. They've been plundering all the way to Gangshi Town, numbering around three hundred people."
He was surprised by the quick reaction of Xie Jiang's guards. In such a short time, they had already found out the number of bandits.
Xu Hengyan stopped and looked at Xie Jiang.
He had only brought a dozen people with him, which wasn't even enough for the bandits' leftovers. He didn't know when the nearby garrisons would arrive, and he was severely short of manpower.
And based on his observations along the way, he was sure her people were capable.
Xie Jiang understood his meaning and immediately nodded solemnly, "When faced with such a situation, of course, we cannot stand idly by, nor can we only seek self-preservation."
As Xie Jiang spoke, she walked towards Xu Hengyan, and then the two of them quickly climbed to the third floor of the inn, which was already the highest point in Gangshi Town.
Xu Hengyan and Xie Jiang both looked towards the west of Gangshi Town.
The sounds of shouting and killing were coming from the west, and the flickering firelight could be vaguely seen there.
Tian Kangtai's expression was grave but not panicked at all, "These bandits have been plundering from the west, and they are currently robbing the wealthy households on the west side."
"There are too many bandits. Even if the wealthy households join forces, they probably won't be able to resist for long."
Xie Jiang quickly assessed, "The two of us have over thirty people combined. Although we are still far outnumbered by the bandits, we are not without a fight."
Guang Bai looked at her in surprise.
Was she joking?
Thirty against three hundred?
His dozen or so men had all followed the young master into battle and dealt with bandits. It wasn't impossible for them to fight one against ten, but among Young Master Xie's guards, although there were giants like Da Chui, could the others fight effectively?
Xie Jiang calmly said to Xu Hengyan, "With your status, it's not difficult to gather the strong young men in the town."
Xu Hengyan understood her meaning almost instantly.
From the sounds, it was clear that the Huanglan Mountain bandits were not just after loot. At this time, the only way for the people of Gangshi Town to survive was to organize self-rescue.
However, facing a large number of inherently brutal bandits, most people did not have the courage to open their doors, let alone rush forward and draw their swords against those bandits.
If someone took the lead and organized them, the situation would be different.
Especially when the person leading the organization was the heir of the Duke of Wei.
It had only been a few decades since the world was pacified. Who hadn't heard of the prestige of the former Duke of Wei? Even the Huanglan Mountain bandits would be terrified.
The current heir of the Duke of Wei also had a great reputation.
What hesitation would there be in joining forces with the heir of the Duke of Wei to fight off bandits and save their homes?
The Central Plains had never lacked valiant young men.
"With our thirty-odd people charging forward, and with the help of the town's strong young men, it won't be difficult to repel these bandits. I'll lead my men to meet the Huanglan Mountain bandits first."
After understanding the general situation of these bandits, Xie Jiang felt it was not a big deal. She instructed Xu Hengyan and was about to go downstairs.
Xu Hengyan grabbed her arm, "You're going to lead people there yourself?"
Xu Hengyan was not at ease. The Huanglan Mountain bandits were notorious for their evil deeds, and it was too dangerous for her to go.
"Worried about me? Then hurry up and organize your men to come and help."
Xie Jiang's words and actions were very relaxed, as if she didn't think the situation she was about to face was very dangerous, and she was determined to go herself.
The more casual her attitude, the more uneasy Xu Hengyan became. If the Huanglan Mountain bandits were not taken seriously, wouldn't she be in danger?
"If we dawdle any longer, who knows how many people will die. Let's hurry," Xie Jiang waved her hand back without looking and left in a hurry.
Xu Hengyan said gravely to Guang Bai, "Leave two people with me. Take the rest with you and make sure to protect Young Master Xie."
"Yes."
Guang Bai did not hesitate.
Although Young Master Xie had many flaws, he was worthy of his respect for being the first to rush forward when faced with such a situation.