These bandits were unlike ordinary robbers.
Typical bandits would randomly ambush passersby, but these men used their brains.
As the saying goes, bandits are not scary; it's scary when bandits are cultured.
The chieftain would often send one or two brothers to roam the city and scout.
Before a raid, they would carefully select their targets, confirming the target's wealth was worth robbing and roughly determining their route.
At first, they didn't understand the chieftain's intentions, finding it tedious and troublesome, preferring to simply lie in wait and strike.
But under the chieftain's leadership, their first few attempts were incredibly successful.
They gained something every time, never returning empty-handed.
After that, they would diligently follow the chieftain's instructions, even if they didn't fully grasp his reasoning.
Many bandits robbed at night and in the afternoon, but the chieftain specifically ordered them to raid in the morning.
The chieftain said that the world believed them to be lazy and sleeping until noon, so they would do the opposite.
It was during these times, when travelers were exhausted from a night's journey, or had just woken up and were completely unprepared, that an ambush was most effective.
Along the way, with the chieftain's continuously refined and improved strategies, they had never failed.
Using this familiar process, they had even gone from starting with nothing to establishing their own mountain stronghold and expanding their brotherhood.
Indeed, this time was no exception.
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Soon, Mo Xingchen gradually became disheartened amidst his repeated hopes.
As the bandits approached the carriage, he expected Wen Bai to fiercely jump up and kill them. He even covered his eyes beforehand, fearing that Wen Bai would leave a deeper scar on him...
To his surprise, when Wen Bai was lifted up, he didn't struggle. He even took a final bite of the roasted chicken he was holding tightly.
When the bandits sat on the carriage shafts, he thought Wen Bai would have a plan or knock them out...
Instead, two bandits entered the carriage and kept an eye on the three of them, while another drove.
Wen Bai sat quietly beside Wen Jue in the carriage. Seeing that the bandits had no intention of stopping him from eating, Wen Bai insisted on finishing the entire roasted chicken.
The two bandits inside the carriage had never seen such a calm person being robbed. They thought the child was simply ignorant of the danger, perhaps genuinely hungry.
Even at this point, Mo Xingchen still had great confidence in Wen Bai, especially since he still had the mood to eat so calmly.
Wen Bai must have a backup plan.
It wasn't until the three of them were escorted into the mountain stronghold that Mo Xingchen saw the scene inside.
There were over ten strong, burly men there!
Any one of those men was as tall as the three of them stacked together.
Seeing that Wen Bai was still making no move, Mo Xingchen finally showed an expression of despair.
This place was clearly the territory built by the bandits themselves.
Originally, it must have been a dilapidated, abandoned temple.
This was evident from the fallen stone statues.
The bandits had incredibly strong mental fortitude and didn't believe in spirits.
They moved the largest stone statue to the courtyard outside, leaving some smaller statues inside as decorations.
After renovating the temple, they divided it into two rooms: one for the chieftain's bedroom and the other as their main hall for discussions.
Next to it, a row of thatched huts had been built to provide shelter for the later brothers.
A large area around it was enclosed by tree trunks of varying thicknesses.
The bandits led Wen Bai and the other two directly into the building.
The chieftain, Han Hu, saw the three little ones brought in by his subordinates.
He was burly, eight feet tall, and sat on a high stool in the converted stronghold, his legs spread wide.
Upon seeing that the newcomers were three little children, his imposing demeanor gradually turned to confusion. He scratched his head, bewildered.
As if unable to believe his eyes, he boomed in a voice like a bell, questioning his subordinates: "You robbed these three little kids this time?"
The bandit initially felt pleased, thinking he'd be praised by the chieftain, as the money was enough for their entire stronghold's expenses for a year.
But being asked this by the chieftain, he now realized that robbing three children was indeed not very glorious.
He rubbed his nose, caught in an awkward position.
Han Hu roared in anger: "Damn it, what good can little kids have?! And didn't I tell you before that we never rob the elderly or women and children? You've gotten ambitious, haven't you! You won't even spare these little toddlers!"
The more Han Hu thought about it, the more he felt like he was going backward. He had always considered himself a chivalrous thief, even though they spent the money they robbed.
He was now ashamed of the actions of his subordinates.
Growing increasingly agitated, Han Hu became enraged. He decided that rules must be established today, and he roared: "You..."
Wen Bai, Wen Jue, and Mo Xingchen stood below, quite close to Han Hu. His roar made them feel as if their hair was about to be blown off.
The bandit subordinate took out a thick stack of silver notes and pleaded: "Then... boss, I'll release these three kids now, return the money and the carriage to them, and send them down..."
Han Hu's angry, bell-like eyes widened.
Good heavens!
Where did these three children get so much money, even more than the wealthy merchants they had robbed?!
Han Hu immediately calmed down. He cleared his throat and made a gesture to stop the subordinate: "Since this is your first offense, we'll let it slide this time. But no more."
"Then, boss, this money..."
"Since you've already done it, you must take responsibility like a man. Take out your share, and the rest goes into the public fund."
The bandit whispered a request: "Boss, what about these children?"
Han Hu seriously examined the three children.
He then noticed that although the little胖子 below was terrified, he hadn't cried.
And the other two... they were twins!
They showed no signs of fear, just stood there looking at him.
Moreover, the twins were incredibly good-looking.
As he looked, Han Hu suddenly remembered that he was now in his forties, and his profession was quite unstable.
He didn't want to force any women, and over the years, he hadn't met anyone willing to be with him.
Although he frequented brothels and had a few regular companions, none were willing to bear him a son!
His事业 was now growing better and better, his stronghold larger, and his subordinates more numerous. It was time to have a child to nurture.
He stood up from the high stool and walked towards the children.