The Blessed Farm Girl Has a Spatial Storage-Chapter 342: Encounter with Water Thieves

342 Encounter with Water Bandits

Seeing the other side steadily closing in, would Zhao Zhitong and her companions just sit there and wait for death?

Obviously not. Zhao Yu, knife in hand, immediately slashed out, relentlessly attacking the incoming servants.

Although Qiao Muchen and Zhao Yue’s martial arts skills weren’t as good as Zhao Yu’s, they had also trained. These servants were no match for them, and they immediately joined the fray.

The boatman at the side was so scared he nearly lost his wits, cowering and afraid that stray blades might injure him.

He had originally thought that by relying on the Fei Clan’s power, he could ensure his safety. He never expected that this Young Master Fei would actually harbor such disgusting thoughts as forcibly abducting a young woman.

Truly, misfortunes never come singly!

「 」

The fight didn’t last long, and the outcome was almost a foregone conclusion.

The Fei Clan’s servants were no match for Zhao Yu and his companions. In just a few moves, they were all beaten down.

Seeing his servants so easily defeated, Young Master Fei’s face turned green with anger. Previously, he hadn’t been particularly set on acquiring Zhao Zhitong.

But after such resistance, he became utterly determined to get his hands on her.

He snorted coldly, "You’re truly overestimating yourselves. Daring to offend my Fei Clan? You’re simply courting death! Today, I’ll show you whether you can reach Jiangning in one piece after offending me!"

With that, he summoned even more servants, determined to teach Zhao Zhitong and the others a lesson.

Just as the two sides were fighting fiercely on the boat, someone suddenly shouted, "Not good, water bandits are here!"

The words struck the crowd like a thunderbolt.

At the same time, with a loud CRASH, another boat slammed into their hull. Their vessel lurched violently, and with a cacophony of battle cries, a group of desperadoes swarmed aboard the boat carrying Zhao Zhitong and her party. Everyone stopped fighting.

Young Master Fei also began ordering his servants back to protect him and fend off the water bandits’ attack.

The water bandits were far more difficult to deal with than the Fei Clan’s servants.

There were about five boatloads of water bandits. They had been wreaking havoc on the waterways year-round and knew the routes well. After clambering aboard, they brandished their blades, hacking at anyone they saw.

They were numerous and well-trained. Zhao Zhitong and the others were quickly separated while trying to fend them off.

Zhao Zhitong was cornered by several water bandits on the deck at the stern.

She gripped a knife, her gaze falling to her wrist. There, an ordinary-looking bracelet was actually a hidden weapon gifted to her by Wei Shulan.

Just as she found an opportune moment to launch it at the water bandits, another group of people suddenly appeared on the river!

The boats collided violently. Zhao Zhitong staggered and tumbled from the deck...

...

Before she could even utter a curse, icy river water rushed into her nose and mouth.

She couldn’t swim...

Zhao Zhitong desperately flailed her arms, thrashing a few times on the water’s surface. These were her final struggles.

Then, her body began to sink. As her air supply dwindled, her consciousness slowly faded...

「 」

When she awoke again, she found herself lying on a bed. Beside her, a little girl of about six or seven was watching her curiously.

Seeing her open her eyes, the little girl blinked, then blinked again.

Zhao Zhitong opened her mouth, about to ask, "Who..."

Before she could speak, the little girl suddenly cried out, scrambled up, and ran out, calling as she went, "Mama, Mama, the pretty sister is awake!"

Zhao Zhitong: "..."

Then, the door curtain was lifted, and a woman in her thirties, a cloth wrapped around her head, walked in.

Seeing Zhao Zhitong sitting up, she smiled and asked, "Young lady, you’re awake? Are you cold?"

Zhao Zhitong shook her head and noticed she was wearing very plain clothes. These must be clothes from this woman’s family, she thought.

The woman smiled and said, "Your clothes... that young gentleman took them to dry by the fire. These are my eldest daughter’s. They’re a bit worn, but I hope you don’t mind."

Zhao Zhitong quickly waved her hands. "Not at all, not at all. Did you save me? Thank you."

Just then, the little girl who had run out earlier returned, carrying a small bowl.

She came to Zhao Zhitong, handed her the bowl, and whispered, "Sister, this is for you. It will warm you up."

Zhao Zhitong looked at the soup in the bowl and understood the little girl meant that drinking the ginger soup would warm her.

Zhao Zhitong couldn’t help but smile as she reached out for the ginger soup. "Thank you, little sister."

At that moment, the woman said, "Actually, it wasn’t exactly us who saved you. My husband transports goods on the river. Recently, a den of water bandits has appeared on the Yingshui River, and they’ve become very brazen."

"Today, we had an ambush set, planning to clear them out. Who knew the Fei Clan’s boat would pass by? The water bandits targeted them, and you all got caught up in it."

"Coincidentally, when my husband went over, he saw you and a young gentleman fall into the water. That young gentleman was holding you and swimming towards the shore, so we brought you both here."

"In fact, the one who actually pulled you from the water was that young gentleman." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Just as Zhao Zhitong was wondering who the young gentleman that saved her was, Qiao Muchen lifted the door curtain and entered.

He too wore a simple gray cloth shirt, but even so, it couldn’t conceal his refined aura.

Qiao Muchen said, "Jin Clan Sister-in-law, Mr. Jin is calling for you. I’ll take over here."

The woman acknowledged him, took the empty bowl from Zhao Zhitong’s hand, and smiling, led her little daughter away.

Watching Qiao Muchen walk in, Zhao Zhitong’s anxious heart finally settled. She smiled and said, "So, the young gentleman who saved me was you."

Qiao Muchen couldn’t help but chuckle. "Why, from your tone, it sounds like you’re quite disappointed. Who were you hoping would save you?"

Zhao Zhitong was speechless. "..."

Am I disappointed?

Qiao Muchen said, "Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Are you feeling better?"

Zhao Zhitong nodded. "I’m fine now. I’m quite resilient."

Then, as if remembering something, she asked, "Oh, right, who are these people? And Lanlan, Zhao Yue, and my Xiao Ge—how are they? Were they rescued?"

Zhao Zhitong voiced the questions weighing on her mind.

The woman said her husband transported goods on the river, but how could someone who just transports goods capture water bandits? She was naturally curious.

Qiao Muchen chuckled. "My, you’ve just woken up and already have so many questions."

Despite saying so, he proceeded to answer her.

"Do you know about Cao Yun? To transport part of the grain tax collected from the fields to the capital or other designated locations, the imperial court connected the Yellow River, Huai River, and Yangtze River systems, forming a new Cao Yun transport channel that linked north and south."

"The transport of this tribute grain is handled by what is called the Cao Yun. This Mr. Jin is a leader within the Cao Yun."

"The Cao Yun is considered to be half involved with all corners of the country, and half working for the imperial court, thus belonging to a gray area. Their influence in all corners of the country is quite substantial."

Qiao Muchen patiently explained, then continued, "Also, Wei Shulan, Zhao Yue, your cousins, and Grandma Yang are all fine. Once the water bandits realized our vessel was just an ordinary passenger boat with nothing valuable aboard, they turned their attention to attacking the Fei Clan’s ship."