Senior Sister, Please Act Human! - Chapter 16

Xiao Yuanzhi was startled and instinctively edged behind Wei Zisu.

Wei Zisu regarded the bandits coldly. The thumb of her left hand was already bent against the guard of her sword. The moment any of them dared attack, her blade would leave its sheath.

Xiao Yuanzhi waited for the bandit leader to deliver the classic line.

He opened his mouth—but remained that way for quite some time without saying anything.

Xiao Yuanzhi stepped out from behind Wei Zisu.

Even a mute had been forced to become a bandit. His family must have been living a difficult life.

She felt rather sympathetic toward him.

Still, even if he could not speak, he was young and strong. Surely he could find some other way to earn a living. There was no need to rob people.

Besides, what about her made her look wealthy?

Her pockets were cleaner than her face. She was so poor that she might as well have written two enormous words across her forehead:

POOR PERSON.

Just as Xiao Yuanzhi prepared to persuade him to choose a better path, the bandit leader finally managed to speak.

“Th-This… this… this road… was… was… was opened… by… by me. Th-This… this tree… was… was planted… by me. If… if… if you want… to… to… to pass… leave… leave… leave behind… money… for… for passage…”

So he was not mute.

He merely stuttered.

Had he spoken continuously without the stutter, Xiao Yuanzhi might even have thought he was trying to act cute.

The bandit raised his voice.

“If… if… if you want… to… to live… then… then… then hurry… and… and give… give us… money!”

Despite his vicious appearance and loud voice, Xiao Yuanzhi could not feel frightened while listening to him stammer like that.

When the two women ignored him—especially Xiao Yuanzhi, who continued staring directly at him—the bandit seemed to feel humiliated.

He waved his saber threateningly.

“Hurry… and… and give… give us… money!”

A hint of disdain entered Xiao Yuanzhi’s gaze.

This bandit was so low-budget.

He was nothing like the ones she had seen on television.

Her playful side immediately emerged. Imitating his stutter, she said, “B-B-Bandit… B-Big Brother, I… I… I don’t… don’t… have… any money.”

Wei Zisu glanced at Xiao Yuanzhi.

She did not stutter, yet she deliberately imitated someone who did.

Was she not intentionally provoking him?

However, Xiao Yuanzhi was someone Wei Zisu disliked.

Even if she got herself into trouble, she would have brought it upon herself.

Besides, Xiao Yuanzhi had managed to injure Wei Zisu. Dealing with these bandits should not be a problem for her.

And even if there was a problem, it would merely be a matter of time.

Following the principle that unrelated matters should be left alone, Wei Zisu offered no warning and allowed Xiao Yuanzhi to continue fooling around.

For some inexplicable reason, she even found herself hoping that the bandit would realize he was being mocked and start fighting Xiao Yuanzhi.

What was wrong with her?

“If… if… you don’t… have… money… then… then hand… hand over… everything… valuable!”

At that moment, Wei Zisu admitted she had overestimated the bandit.

With a mind like that, he was probably an idiot.

The mockery was painfully obvious, yet he still had not noticed.

Xiao Yuanzhi replied, “I… I… I also… don’t… have… anything… valu… valuable.”

The bandit asked, “You… you… don’t… have… anything… valu… valuable?”

Xiao Yuanzhi nodded with a smile.

“Th-That’s… that’s… right.”

The bandit clearly did not believe her.

Judging by the women’s clothes, how could they possibly have no money?

“Im… im… impossible!”

And so, Xiao Yuanzhi insisted that she truly had no money, while the bandit repeatedly declared that he did not believe her.

They went back and forth over those same two points for quite some time.

The most important thing was that both of them spoke with perfectly serious expressions.

One of the bandits watching from the side wiped a hand over his face, looking utterly devastated.

He was overwhelmed with regret—so much that his intestines were practically turning green.

First, they had listened to Third Brother and chosen the wrong place for their ambush.

They had spent the entire afternoon squatting there until their legs went numb, only to encounter these two young women.

Now Third Brother had somehow begun arguing with one of them.

Even more astonishingly, the girl was also a stutterer.

What incredible fate had brought them together?

They were bandits!

If their victims refused to cooperate, they could simply rob them by force.

Why waste so many words?

Had he known this would happen, he never would have said anything before they left the stronghold.

At their usual speed, they would already have returned to the mountain and started drinking by now.

“Hurry… hurry… and… give… give us… money!”

The smile on Xiao Yuanzhi’s face had never disappeared.

“D-Don’t… have… any!”

Another bandit leaned toward the stuttering leader.

“Third Brother, this girl seems to be looking down on you.”

The stuttering bandit flew into a rage.

“B-B-Bull… shit! I… I’m… a… a mountain… mountain… mountain…”

Xiao Yuanzhi genuinely wanted to give him some water to help the words go down.

Instead, she helpfully supplied the missing word.

“Bandit.”

Wei Zisu glanced at the sky.

If they continued wasting time like this, darkness would fall before they even reached halfway up the mountain, leaving them unable to see the road.

She reminded her, “Little Junior Sister, it is growing late. Stop entangling yourself with them.”

Xiao Yuanzhi waved her hand and smiled.

“I know. I have everything under control.”

Although she spoke quietly, the bandits also practiced martial arts and naturally heard her.

One of them was the first to understand.

After all this time, the little girl was not a stutterer at all!

Despite her young age, she was full of schemes. She had been playing them all for fools.

The bandit shouted angrily, “Third Brother, this girl doesn’t stutter! She’s been imitating you this whole time! She really is looking down on you!”

He pointed at Wei Zisu.

“And that woman beside her has been standing there like a block of wood, watching the whole thing for entertainment. They’re together. She must be looking down on you too!”

The moment he finished speaking, Wei Zisu took several steps backward and put some distance between herself and Xiao Yuanzhi.

Her movement silently declared:

This person has nothing to do with me.

Xiao Yuanzhi’s heart lurched.

Oh, wonderful.

She had been exposed.

Had she known this would happen, she would not have spoken to Wei Zisu.

Still, thinking about Wei Zisu gave Xiao Yuanzhi some confidence.

Wei Zisu was the eldest senior sister, after all.

When she had chased Xiao Yuanzhi around and attacked her, that explosive power had been impressive enough to make anyone exclaim—

Fucking incredible.

“Eldest Senior Sister, I was exposed because of you. You can’t abandon me.”

After saying that, Xiao Yuanzhi turned around and discovered that Wei Zisu was already standing three people’s distance away.

Fuck!

Was that really necessary?

Xiao Yuanzhi had initially believed Wei Zisu would never stand by and watch her die.

They were disciples of the same sect, after all.

But judging from the situation now, Xiao Yuanzhi would be fortunate if Wei Zisu did not come forward and kick her twice.

Xiao Yuanzhi pointed furiously at Wei Zisu.

She was so angry that she could not think of anything to say.

In the end, it all became a single sentence.

“Well done, Wei Zisu. You win. You’re ruthless!”

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Yuanzhi put on a pitiful expression and spoke to the bandits in a tearful voice.

“Bandit Big Brothers, I didn’t mean to do any of that. Just look at how strong and mighty you all are. I’m only a weak young woman. I normally wouldn’t even dare kill a chicken. Even if someone gave me ten thousand times the courage, I still wouldn’t dare make fools of you.”

Xiao Yuanzhi choked back several sobs.

“Ever since I was little, I’ve admired great heroes and brave men. It wasn’t until I met all of you that I finally understood—the people I’ve admired all this time were actually you!”

She lightly wiped the corner of her eye, pretending to brush away tears.

“How could I possibly want to toy with you? The reason I did it was all because… all because… Boohoohoo…”

The one thing Third Brother could never bear to see was a woman crying.

The moment a woman shed tears, he had no idea what to do.

His earlier anger faded considerably.

“D-Don’t… don’t… cry. What… what… what was… the reason?”

Seeing that Third Brother had been swayed, a triumphant smile briefly flashed across Xiao Yuanzhi’s lips.

Well done, Wei Zisu.

If you could betray me first, then I could return the favor.

If anything happened to Xiao Yuanzhi today, she would drag Wei Zisu down with her.

Xiao Yuanzhi suddenly pointed at Wei Zisu.

“It was all because of her!”

Everyone’s attention immediately shifted from Xiao Yuanzhi to Wei Zisu.

Xiao Yuanzhi wiped the corners of her eyes again and choked out, “She ordered me to do it!”

Wei Zisu’s expression became so dark that it could not possibly grow any darker.

She was genuinely angry now.

What utter nonsense was Xiao Yuanzhi spouting?

As though trying to make the bandits believe her even more, Xiao Yuanzhi continued, “Look! The sword in her hand is proof. What ordinary young woman leaves home carrying a sword?”

“If she hadn’t taken me hostage, I never would have done such a thing. From the moment she forced me to come here, she had already noticed all of you waiting in ambush.”

“Then she happened to hear that Big Brother had a little… difficulty speaking. Who could have imagined she would decide to mock you for her own amusement?”

“But she refused to do it herself, so she forced me to speak in her place. This helpless young woman truly had no choice!”

Xiao Yuanzhi “cried” so hard that she could barely breathe.

She swept aside her hair and exposed her fair neck.

“At the time, her sword was pressed directly against my throat. With only the lightest slash, my blood would have sprayed across the ground, Big Brother!”

After speaking, she even crouched down while “crying,” slapping her leg with one hand and pulling at the grass with the other.

Her complete performance and elaborate story left everyone utterly dumbfounded.

That included Wei Zisu.

Third Brother had never witnessed anything like this.

He had no idea how to comfort her and became so anxious that his palms filled with sweat.

He crouched beside Xiao Yuanzhi.

“G-Girl… don’t… don’t cry.”

Seizing the opportunity, Xiao Yuanzhi threw all the dust she had secretly gathered in her hand directly into his face.

“Ah—!”

Dust suddenly entered Third Brother’s eyes, and he hurriedly covered them.

The bandits standing near him also suffered the same fate.

At the exact same moment, Xiao Yuanzhi shouted at Wei Zisu—

“Run!”

Only then did Wei Zisu understand.

Xiao Yuanzhi had deliberately told that ridiculous story to lower the bandits’ guard and create an opportunity for them to escape.

She had not truly intended to frame Wei Zisu.

Wei Zisu had misunderstood her.

She ran several steps, then noticed that Xiao Yuanzhi was not moving very quickly.

Wei Zisu turned around, rushed back toward her, grabbed her hand, and pulled her along as they fled together.

Third Brother’s face was streaked with tears and dust.

He felt both humiliated and furious.

He had shown kindness, only to be treated this way.

“G-Get… get…”

Before he could finish giving the command, another bandit shouted ahead of him—

“Chase them!”