Chapter Eight, Blood-Stained Armor, Unnamed Brand!

In Wei Tianqing's eyes, a hint of surprise appeared. It seemed that he did not expect Chu Huan to have such courage. Meanwhile, Su Linlang, who had been standing in the crowd like a narcissus, also turned her head slightly. Under the black veil, her eyes looked towards Chu Huan.

Helpless, everyone drank except for those whose hands and feet were tied. Then the bandits took wooden ladles and poured water into the mouths of the bound boatmen. When they finally arrived in front of Chu Huan, they were about to pour water into his mouth as well, but the female bandit leader said, "Don't give him any, take him away too!"

Chu Huan shouted sternly. The female bandit leader did not show any anger in her eyes, but the masked man immediately showed anger in his eyes and shouted, "Someone, chop this kid for me and see if the knife is hard or if his bones are hard!"

The man had no choice but to take a sip of the river water from a wooden ladle and pass it back to the bandits. The bandits pursed their lips and said, "Pass it on, everyone must take a sip. Those who refuse to drink the river water only need to leave their heads behind!"

On the ship, two gang members immediately tied Chu Huan with a rope and pushed him into the crowd. However, a gang member snatched the gray package that Chu Huan had been holding in his hand.

The female bandit leader glanced at him coldly and walked straight to the bandit ship, saying coldly, "Take him away!" She went up to the deck, turned back, and said lightly, "Pack up his belongings and take them away together!" She returned to the bandit ship.

The masked man also felt a little strange on the side, but when he saw the female leader's wet clothes tightly attached to her body, outlining the curves and undulations of her enchanting figure, especially the two plump mounds on her chest standing proudly due to the torn binding, it was clear as day that they were like angry waves and towering peaks. Although the expression of the masked man could not be seen under the mask, his eyes were full of blazing flames. He approached and asked softly, "Are you okay?"

Are you ready to take all these people away? The female bandit leader swept away the surrounded crowd, with a group of boatmen including Pan, totaling more than thirty people, densely packed at the bow of the ship.

Chu Huan's face was expressionless as he coldly looked at the female bandit leader. His hands, which were bound behind his back, slowly clenched into fists, and for the first time, a chilling coldness appeared in his eyes.

"Old Su" Zhang opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something, but in the face of the great enemy, what could an old man in his fifties do? Moreover, knowing that even arguing with these fierce bandits would be of no use, it might only cause more trouble, so he could only watch helplessly as Su Linlang walked lightly to the side.

The female bandit leader's eyes showed a hint of surprise. Obviously, she did not expect that the package contained a bloody and broken armor. She saw that there seemed to be something else in the package, so she bent down and picked it up. It turned out to be a wooden plaque. Upon closer inspection under the moonlight, it was actually a memorial tablet for the deceased.

No one moved for a moment, and the bandits shouted loudly, "Those who were called, stand aside. If anyone tries anything funny, I'll chop off their head!"

The Masked Man also walked over. Many people looked into the package, only to see a dark brown color. Some people reached out and picked up the things inside. "Crack!" A sound came, and it opened up. It turned out to be a broken armor. At first glance, it was clear that it was the armor worn by a soldier. However, this armor was already in tatters, with many holes and covered in bloodstains. The bloodstains had long turned black.

Chu Huan said lightly, "No!"

His sudden cold shout surprised everyone on the bow of the ship. At this moment, the bandits were like maggots, and Chu Huan was like fish meat. Despite this, he dared to shout at the female bandit leader. Many people thought that Chu Huan was ignorant of life and death. If he angered these fierce bandits at this time, as long as someone raised their knife, Chu Huan would probably lose his head.

The female bandit leader sneered, "Should you give orders or listen to me?"

The female bandit leader's eyes showed a look of surprise, and Wei Tianqing was also deeply moved when he heard Chu Huan's words.

The masked man chuckled and said, "Of course not." He raised his hand and pointed at six or seven people in succession, saying, "All of you, step forward!" Su Linlang was also among those pointed at.

The Masked Man had nothing to say upon hearing this and gave Chu Huan a resentful look.

The few people he referred to were all dressed in luxurious clothes, clearly indicating their wealthy backgrounds, but none of those followers were pointed out.

The female bandit leader jumped onto the deck from the side of the ship. She tore a piece of cloth from somewhere on her body and covered her face again. After boarding the ship, she saw that Chu Huan had already been tied up. She sneered and caught a glimpse of a bandit holding the package that Chu Huan had just carried. She walked up and said coldly, "Open it!"

The masked man whispered two sentences in the ear, and the person immediately brought a wooden bucket and fetched a bucket of water from the river. Then he carried it over and had someone bring a wooden ladle, stirred it in the bucket, and finally scooped a ladle of water. He walked over to a passenger and handed the wooden ladle over, saying in a rough voice, "Take a sip!"

The masked man waved and said, "Take them back to the ship, tie them up tightly... Hehe, these are not people, they are shiny silver." The bandits all laughed, and someone had already boarded a small boat between the two ships, then drove Su Linlang and six or seven others onto the bandit ship. The masked man then walked to Wei Tianqing's side, glanced at the pale and beautiful woman beside Wei Tianqing, and coldly said, "Wei Tianqing, this time, I will condescend to take a walk with you, the nobleman. If you're lucky, you might have a chance to survive!" With a wave of his hand, someone had already boarded a small boat between the two ships, then drove Su Linlang and six or seven others onto the bandit ship. The masked man then walked to Wei Tianqing's side, glanced at the pale and beautiful woman beside Wei Tianqing, and coldly said, "Wei Tianqing, this time, I will condescend to take a walk with you, the nobleman. If you're lucky, you might have a chance to survive!" With a wave of his hand, he had people push Wei Tianqing and the beautiful woman onto the bandit ship. The two unconscious men, Erhu and Heizi, lying on the ground, were ignored.

In the eyes of the female bandit leader, there was a look of astonishment. She looked at both sides of the spiritual tablet, only to find that there was not a single word, and it was unknown for whom it was used to mourn.

The man tremblingly took the wooden ladle and saw the turbid river water inside. He frowned and said, "Your Majesty, why do we have to drink this... this river water?" As soon as he finished speaking, a gang member immediately placed a big knife against his neck and coldly said, "There's no need for so much nonsense. It's either drink the river water or lose your head. You can choose one!"

Su Linlang raised her hand and gently patted the maid's back. Although her face was not clear, her posture was elegant and fearless, calm and composed. She whispered, "Take good care of Su Bo!" Her voice was very soft and gentle, but it gave people a very cold feeling.

Chu Huan's face suddenly showed a cold expression, his bound hands clenched into fists, his veins bulging, and his voice was icy: "Shut up! If you dare to utter another word of slander, you will undoubtedly die!"

The crowd dared not resist. Several people hurriedly walked out of the crowd and stood aside. Su Linlang took a step forward to pass, but the maid quickly grabbed her arm, her face full of fear, and tremblingly said, "Miss...!"

... ....

At this point, she was certain that Chu Huan's background was not simple. She had suffered a great loss in the river earlier, so she wanted to see what was inside the package.

Two bandits pushed Chu Huan onto the bandit boat. As soon as Chu Huan arrived at the bow of the boat, he suddenly heard a "bang bang" sound behind him. He turned around and saw that the passengers who had drunk the river water were falling down one by one on the deck.

A member of the gang nearby approached and asked, "What should we do with these people?"

The masked man said hurriedly: "This kid is talking nonsense, not a good thing. Leaving him will bring trouble. It's better to get rid of him early!"

A member of the gang next to him raised his knife and was about to strike. The passengers immediately turned their heads away, afraid to look. But they heard the female gang leader say coldly, "Stop!" The gang members dared not strike anymore and slowly lowered their arms.

When Chu Huan returned to the bow deck, it was already crowded with people. The passengers in the cabin had been driven to the bow, crowded in the middle of the bow deck, while more than ten bandits surrounded them with large knives in hand. At this moment, the bow was silent.

Isn't this armor yours? The female bandit leader slowly retracts her knife. Whose talisman is this?

The maidservant stood beside Su Linlang, her delicate face already pale. The old man known as "Old Su" also stood beside Su Linlang. Su Linlang still wore a bamboo hat on her head, and the hanging black veil still covered her face, making it impossible to see her countenance. However, her graceful and voluptuous figure stood out conspicuously in the crowd.

The female bandit leader ignored him and walked up to Chu Huan. She raised her knife and pressed it against Chu Huan's throat. With her other hand raised, she glanced at the nameless spirit tablet and coldly said, "What is all this? Are you a soldier?"

Chu Huan's face turned cold, and he asked in a cold voice, "Is there poison in the water?"

Chu Huan's gaze swept over the crowd and saw Xue Laoliu and others who had just gone into the water lying on the deck. They were all tightly bound, some with bloodstains and unconscious, not knowing whether they were dead or alive. Among this group of people, Chu Huan saw Wei Tianqing, whose hands were tied behind his back and a large knife was held against his neck. Wei Tianqing's expression was unusually serious. When Chu Huan looked at him, Wei Tianqing's gaze also met his. As their eyes met, Wei Tianqing nodded slightly. Although his expression was serious, there was a hint of admiration in his eyes. Among this group of people, Chu Huan saw Wei Tianqing, whose hands were tied behind his back and a large knife was held against his neck. Wei Tianqing's expression was unusually serious. When Chu Huan looked at him, Wei Tianqing's gaze also met his. As their eyes met, Wei Tianqing nodded slightly. Although his expression was serious, there was a hint of admiration in his eyes.

Why die in battle?" The female bandit leader asked again, "Is it because you oppressed the people and were killed in retaliation? The lackeys of the court can't do anything good anyway."

Chu Huan's expression suddenly became strange, furrowing his brows and pausing for a moment before saying lightly, "This is my brother's battle armor. He died in battle, and I couldn't bring back his body. I can only bring back the battle armor he wore in his lifetime for burial in our hometown." He looked at the nameless spirit tablet in the hands of the female bandit leader, his expression filled with sadness, and his voice inexplicably calm, "The place where he died is far from our hometown, and the road is treacherous. I'm afraid he won't find his way back home. By carrying this spirit tablet with him, he... ... won't get lost!"

The Masked Man said busily: "This person is of no use. Either kill him or leave him behind. Why bother taking him away? Don't add another trouble!"

The bandits crouched down and placed the package on the deck, skillfully opening it.

Amidst the crowd, Chu Huan spotted Su Linlang and her two servants at a glance. Except for a brief encounter on the road before boarding the ship, this was the first time Chu Huan had seen Su Linlang on the boat.

A member of the gang pushed him hard and said, "We rob the rich to help the poor. If they cooperate, we won't kill them. But we can't let him inform the authorities so quickly. We put some chloral hydrate in the water. None of them will wake up until tomorrow noon!" Then he chuckled, feeling very pleased.