He was blindfolded and walked through an overgrown wasteland for over a quarter of an hour. He heard a “creak” as an old wooden door opened, then was roughly pushed, stumbling and falling onto a pile of dry grass. Fortunately, he wasn’t hurt, but his shoulder and hips were painfully bruised.
Two more people were pushed in and fell beside him. He guessed it was A Zhu and the driver. He heard a bandit say: “Stay put! Try to run, and I’ll break your legs!”
Xu Hanxiao’s hands were bound behind his back, but his feet were free. He tried to stand and move small steps towards where he was pushed in, bumping into a wooden board. He nudged it with his shoulder, and the board was loose, hitting the door frame with a slight sound. Just as he thought this, someone outside roared: “What are you doing? Trying to escape?”
Xu Hanxiao quickly said: “No, no, I’m just thirsty. Please, some water.”
“Get lost, I’m thirsty myself!” the man outside angrily replied.
The two brothers discussed and decided that since there were now several members of the Xu family in this small room, and their intentions towards the bandits were unclear, they might as well take advantage of the unguarded moment to escape, and might even encounter Han Ren and warn him to be careful.
Having made up their minds, they untied each other’s blindfolds and the ropes around their wrists, and carefully pushed the door. The door was locked, but after pushing a few times, no one outside shouted or stopped them. Han Xiao and Han Zhong exchanged a glance, nodded simultaneously, and ordered the strongest among them, Old Six, to forcefully break down the door.
They escaped from the wooden house and found themselves in a dilapidated small courtyard. Looking around, they saw no guards, checked the sun’s position, and quickly fled westward. They hadn’t gone far when they heard a loud shout from the courtyard: “They’ve escaped!”
Chapter 17: Gathering Hearts (Complete)
Xu Hanzhong was increasingly reluctant to leave, pretending to cry out and fall to the ground. The bandits had no choice but to drag Xu Hanzhong up from the ground, one on each side, and carry him away. Xu Hanzhong dared not shout, only desperately looking back in the direction of the newcomers.
