Zhu Yu was straightforward. She took out the sedative she had prepared from her bosom, pried open the landlady’s mouth, and shoved it in.

The sedative was, of course, the handiwork of Yan Daoxin, dissolving instantly in water and melting upon entry, requiring no effort for the other party to swallow, without compromising the effect.

Then she planned to take off the landlady’s outer dress to wear herself, but Lu Qing was even more cautious. Despite the effects of the sedative, he was still uneasy and held Zhu Yu back, quickly dislocated the landlady’s arms and legs.

This was, of course, more secure, eliminating the possibility of resistance or escape.

Now, with double assurance, Lu Qing no longer stopped Zhu Yu and watched as she removed the landlady’s outer dress, then covered her with a quilt, even turning her to face the inside of the bed.

The landlady was slightly taller than Zhu Yu, making the dress appear a bit long on her. Fortunately, there was a dark red waist sash to help adjust the skirt upward, maintaining decent proportions at first glance.

After a while, the brothers returned, and this time the rune brought in a mountain bandit of similar height to Lu Qing. Lu Qing repeated his earlier tactic, dislocating the man’s arms and legs, while Zhu Yu administered the sedative, and Lu Qing swapped into the bandit’s attire.

For further precaution, Lu Qing took advantage of the Fu Family brothers’ absence to apply fake skin to the mountain bandit’s face.

One must admit, his technique in applying fake skin was quite exquisite. Although not identical, after applying it, the man who originally looked nothing like Lu Qing now bore a slight resemblance at a glance.

In broad daylight under scrutiny, it was impossible to mistake, but in dim light and haste, it was enough to fool someone.

Following precedent, the brothers Fu Wen and Fu Lu completed their tasks as well, and after all four were ready, Fu Wen swaggered downstairs first. Seeing no one on guard, the remaining three exited the room, quickly slipping out of the inn, heading towards the outskirts under the cover of night.

Along the way, they encountered a group of drunken mountain bandit comrades, causing Zhu Yu’s heart to skip a beat. However, these men were so drunk and, seeing them dressed as inn bandits, merely gibberishly hollered at Zhu Yu, seemingly teasing her about something.

Fearing that ignoring these drunkards would lead to further entanglements, adding complications at this critical moment, Zhu Yu mimicked the landlady’s tone and shouted, "Get lost, all of you!"

A woman able to move smoothly in a bandit’s den was no simple character. The landlady presumably held some status, and upon Zhu Yu’s aggressive rebuke, the drunkards wisely backed down, stumbling away without daring to spew more drunken nonsense.

Seizing the chance, the four quickly departed and, instead of rushing further, found a densely wooded hillside to rest after ensuring no other ambushes were around, observing the situation below from a distance.

About an hour later, the previously silent village below suddenly flared with fire, seemingly from two or three houses, accompanied by chaotic noises, including shouting and screams.

The chaos below continued until dawn, only then returning to calm. The fires in those houses were extinguished, and in the pale morning light, wafts of gray smoke lingered.

Zhu Yu was somewhat astonished.

She initially thought those who had trailed them from a distance without approaching intended for them to meet their end at the hands of the mountain bandits.

Unexpectedly, these people were even more ruthless than she imagined, committing to the charade by slaughtering the mountain bandits to fabricate the illusion of the entire village being massacred by bandits, while implying Lu Qing and the others died there by bad luck.

The four of them waited until full daylight without moving, with Fu Wen and Fu Lu taking turns to monitor the situation below. When daylight broke, Zhu Yu finally succumbed to exhaustion, dozing briefly by Lu Qing’s side.

When she awoke about an hour later, Fu Lu was quietly asking Lu Qing whether to wake the lady for some food. Seeing Zhu Yu awake, he quickly fetched some snacks from his bundle for her — items collected when fleeing that bandit den the previous night. They left their carriage and horses, but didn’t forget any important belongings, carrying them along.

Even the few refreshments Zhu Yu particularly enjoyed were not omitted.

"Where’s Fu Wen?" Zhu Yu accepted the snacks and water skin from Fu Lu, puzzledly glancing around.

"I sent him to scout the area," Lu Qing said, unscrewing the water skin for Zhu Yu, "Use this time to eat something. If it proves safe around us later, we’ll return to see how the village is faring."

Hearing they were returning to check, Zhu Yu perked up and hastily devoured the snacks.

Firstly, she was genuinely hungry. Secondly, judging by the previous night’s noises and fire, the village’s condition likely wouldn’t be conducive to dining.

So relying on her past experience, she knew to seize such a moment to eat, replenishing energy.

After a while, Fu Wen returned, informing Lu Qing that those who had been following them were no longer visible, and there were no suspicious individuals around them now.

Lu Qing was pleased with this and had Fu Wen eat some food quickly. Then around noon, the four descended the mountain and sneaked back to the village.

Only half a night had passed, yet now the place was left in dead silence. Not a sound, not even a distant howl of a dog, was heard as it was when they arrived.

Zhu Yu and the others checked as they went, discovering that nearly all the bandits who had taken over the villagers’ homes were killed, dispatched cleanly with a single throat slit.

Only a few appeared to have resisted; most had died without any struggle. The mingling stench of blood and alcohol suggested that many were likely very drunk the previous night, unaware of the intruders and easily slaughtered.

In light of this, these bandits seemed somewhat third-rate, unlikely belonging to any major faction, as even basic vigilance would be expected otherwise.