Time Travel: I'm a Flower Thief

The following day, Xie Xiaoyi bid farewell to Lu Tiansui and Lu Fang.

Lu Fang accompanied her for more than ten miles, only waving goodbye at the fork in the road.

Xie Xiaoyi turned around and headed straight for the East China Sea, traveling day and night, a journey that took three or four days.

One day, they came to a road between two mountains, where the cries of monkeys rose and fell from both sides of the mountain, making a great commotion.

Just as he was getting annoyed by what he was hearing, he suddenly heard the sound of carriage wheels and horses' hooves behind him, and a well-organized caravan drove straight towards him.

The convoy was led by guards and followed by skilled warriors, with a particularly conspicuous ebony carriage in the middle.

The car body is decorated with jade carvings and gold inlays, and the curtains are adorned with silver tassels, clearly indicating that it belongs to a wealthy family.

Xie Xiaoyi remained standing in the middle of the road without moving when a burly man on horseback charged out from the front of the convoy and cracked his whip.

"The Su family's convoy is here. All bystanders, please move aside immediately!"

As soon as the roar subsided, the birds in the forest scattered in fright, and all the guards stared at Xie Xiaoyi with their hands on their swords, displaying an arrogant and haughty demeanor.

Xie Xiaoyi immediately became angry, raised his eyes, and asked coldly, "The Su family? Which Su family?"

The burly man scoffed, his face full of disdain: "The Su family of Jiangnan? You dare to listen to them?"

Xie Xiaoyi then asked, "Is Su Mubai related to your Su family in Jiangnan?"

The burly man glanced sideways and said in an even more aggressive tone, "That's our second young master! Enough with the nonsense, get out of here!"

"This carriage carries the eldest young master's wife, a noblewoman from the Murong family. How dare you block her way on her way back to the manor!"

Xie Xiaoyi's heart suddenly skipped a beat—

It turned out to be the sister-in-law of the white-robed scholar, Jian Su Mubai!

But this caravan belongs to the Su family of Jiangnan and is also involved with the Murong family. Could it be that this Madam Su has some connection with Murong Wei?

Seeing Xie Xiaoyi standing there in a daze, the burly man's eyes flashed with ferocity. He spurred his horse and charged towards him, the whip lashing his face with a powerful gust of wind.

A steward in brocade robes, mounted on horseback nearby, immediately shouted in a deep voice, "Big Tiger! Don't hurt anyone! The lady is returning home today; bloodshed is not advisable!"

Before the steward's shout had even finished, the galloping horse, unable to stop its momentum, kicked up dust and nearly crashed into Xie Xiaoyi.

Xie Xiaoyi cursed inwardly, "Big Tiger? I think you're just a fool!"

He turned his foot and dodged the whip, then with a swift left punch, sent the horse flying two or three zhang away. The horse crashed to the ground, its hooves thrashing about and neighing incessantly.

The tiger on horseback was quite skilled; before the horse even touched the ground, it did a somersault and landed steadily in the middle of the road.

With a flick of his wrist, the dagger at his waist was drawn with a "whoosh," its blade pointing directly at Xie Xiaoyi, his eyes wide with fury:

"You've got some brute strength, kid! Are you fucking looking for death? Are you deliberately trying to cause trouble here?"

When the guards saw that Da Hu had suffered a loss, they immediately panicked. Four or five of them grabbed their weapons and rushed forward, about to swarm him.

Suddenly, the brocade curtain of the carriage was lifted by a delicate hand, and a gentle voice rang out: "Stop."

As soon as the voice fell, the guards at the front froze in their tracks, stopping abruptly in place.

Da Hu's hand holding the knife suddenly stopped, his angry expression stiffened, and he turned to bow towards the carriage, his tone instantly becoming much more subdued: "Madam."

The steward in brocade robes hurriedly urged his horse forward, cupped his hands towards the carriage, and said, "Madam, it's just a misunderstanding. How could we dare let you show your face in public?"

A woman's voice spoke softly from behind the curtain: "I just returned home from my parents' house. It's best to keep things quiet on the way. There's no need to hurt anyone or resort to violence."

No sooner had the words been spoken than a slightly aged but powerfully resonant old woman's voice came from inside the carriage, carrying a hint of reprimand:

"Butler, how do you usually discipline your subordinates? How dare they be so insolent in front of the Madam! Bring them back here at once!"

The steward in brocade robes immediately turned to Da Hu and the guards, and sternly reprimanded them:

"Get out of here! Didn't you hear what the madam and the nanny said? What kind of behavior is this!"

Although Da Hu was unwilling, and the veins on his hand holding the knife were throbbing, he ultimately dared not disobey his wife's wishes and glared fiercely at Xie Xiaoyi.

He snorted and reluctantly sheathed his sword, mounted his mount, and led the guards aside, muttering to himself:

"You're lucky, kid, otherwise I'd chop you up alive."

The butler urged the horse forward, bowed to Xie Xiaoyi, and softened his tone considerably:

"Young man, we are from the Su family of Jiangnan. We are here to escort my eldest son and his wife from their maternal home, the Murong family, back to the Su family."

"This path is narrow, young man, please make way for me. I would be extremely grateful."

Xie Xiaoyi didn't say anything more, but stepped aside to make way for the middle passage.

Seeing this, the butler turned and signaled the convoy to continue.

The carriage slowly drove away, and Xie Xiaoyi immediately lifted his foot and followed at a leisurely pace behind the caravan, always maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

He had only one thing on his mind: to find out if Madam Su had any relationship with Murong Wei.

After following them for only a mile or two, the convoy in front suddenly stopped.

In the middle of the narrow mountain path stood five people, each with a burly build and a steel whip on their back.

"Be on guard!" The steward in brocade robes frowned and immediately reined in his horse, shouting loudly.

Twenty or thirty guards moved at the sound, instantly drawing their long swords and quickly forming a semi-circle to protect the ebony carriage, their sword tips pointing outwards, exuding an imposing aura.

The steward urged his horse forward, clasped his hands in a respectful greeting to the five men, and spoke with a touch of worldly experience:

"I am the steward of the Su family in Jiangnan, escorting the mistress back to her residence. The mountain path is narrow; if you friends wish to borrow my passage..."

We are willing to offer a small gift. If you intend to make things difficult, the Su family does have some influence in the martial arts world, so please reconsider.

The burly man at the head of the group shouted, "Have you ever heard of the five whips of the bandits, specifically used to block the middle of the road!"

The steward in the brocade robe's expression changed drastically; he was startled and blurted out, "Who are you? Brother Ji?"

Xie Xiaoyi was not far away and heard every word clearly, almost bursting out laughing on the spot.

How many brothers?

Is this how people name themselves?

The most burly man among them grinned, his tone extremely arrogant:

"That's right! We are the Five Whips of the Green Forest!" He raised his hand and patted his chest. "I am the eldest brother, Uncle Ji!"

He then pointed to the tallest man among the men beside him, "This is my second brother, Ji Bochang!"

Then, pointing in turn, the third burly man with thick, raised eyebrows nodded in response, "Third Brother Ji Boqiang!"

A fourth, tall and burly man stepped forward, "Fourth brother, Ji Boda!"

The last burly man, his face contorted with rage, gripped his steel whip tightly. "Fifth Brother, Ji Boying!"

Xie Xiaoyi almost burst out laughing when he heard the five names, thinking to himself:

"The parents of this Ji family certainly chose a good name; when put together, it means thick, long, strong, big, and hard! Impressive, impressive indeed."

After the five men announced their names, they all stood tall and proud, exuding an air of arrogance.

"Stop talking nonsense, Su family! Leave the gold and jewels in the carriage, and Madam must stay and have some fun with us brothers!"

"My five whips of the Green Forest can not only hold the middle of the road, but also hold other places..."