Zhang Shuya slapped Wang An's hand just as he was about to raise his gun and said
"We can't shoot this man dead right now. Otherwise, we'll have to find another reason to nail that Xing Liwen."
Wang An was well-versed in legal statutes and knew that for a police officer, a living person was always more valuable than a dead one.
Thus, upon hearing Zhang Shuya's words, Wang An put the gun away.
Immediately after, Wang An pulled the box pistols from the waists of this man and the dead man beside him, then untied the man's belt and bound him up.
However, he only tied the man's arms, leaving the legs free.
Looking at the man's mouth, which wouldn't stop humming, Wang An felt a bit irritated; he was mainly afraid the man would shout randomly on the road and attract unnecessary trouble.
So, after a moment's thought, Wang An cut a length of rope from his waist.
Once the rope was cut, Wang An gripped the man's chin with his left hand and used the rope to gag him, much like a bit in a horse's mouth.
The man shook his head, muttering something like "Aliula," seemingly saying "Stop tying my mouth."
Wang An ignored him completely, wrapping the rope around the man's head a few times before tying the two ends into a dead knot.
Seeing this, Zhang Shuya's expression didn't change in the slightest, as if Wang An doing this was only natural.
In truth, Wang An had intended to make the man walk back, but he quickly dismissed the idea; the distance was simply too far and it would waste too much time.
After leading the two horses over, Wang An thought for a moment and said to Zhang Shuya
"Big Sister, give me a hand. Let's throw him onto the horse's back together. I don't dare put too much strain on my waist."
Hearing this, Zhang Shuya glared at Wang An and clicked her tongue at him
"Look at you, you useless brat. Get over to the side. You got beaten so badly in a fight that you're a complete mess; it's damn embarrassing. Once you've recovered a bit, hurry up and practice with me, you useless thing."
Zhang Shuya's words left Wang An feeling very awkward. It was one thing to be beaten, but to be beaten to the point of nearly being unable to care for himself was indeed a bit humiliating.
Therefore, Wang An didn't dare talk back; he just stood by silently, behaving himself.
After speaking, Zhang Shuya walked up to the humming man, grabbed his pants and clothes with both hands, and without seeming to exert much effort, lifted the man clean off the ground.
Then, Zhang Shuya leaned back slightly, hoisted the man up, and tossed him onto the horse's back like a sack of flour, leaving the man lying prone across the horse.
As for Zhang Shuya, her face didn't flush nor did her heart race; she treated a hundred-plus pounds as if it were nothing.
During this time, although the man's mouth was tied by Wang An, it didn't stop him from emitting terrified "wu wu wu" sounds.
Seeing this, Wang An quickly used rope to secure the man to the horse's back.
To be honest, in all his life, including his previous life, Wang An had never seen a woman with strength like Zhang Shuya's.
Of course, he had also never seen a woman who could eat as much as Zhang Shuya.
After tying the man, Wang An went alone to dispose of the corpse, and the three people and four horses began their journey back.
Zhang Shuya didn't even ask how the corpse was handled, as if Wang An had simply gone to throw out the trash.
It must be said that in the mountains, a human life and an animal's life were essentially the same.
Especially for people like Zhang Shuya and Wang An, who had seen too much life and death; facing a human corpse was exactly the same as facing an animal corpse—their expressions didn't change at all.
Since the horses hadn't rested yet, Wang An and Zhang Shuya didn't dare let them gallop, so they just strolled along slowly, their pace truly sluggish.
Even so, they rested twice along the way. Horses are like that; they have more endurance when pulling a cart or a sledge.
If they carry a person and run fast, especially through rugged forests, they can't keep going after running eighty or a hundred li.
Normally, a warhorse like a Da'er horse would be worked to death if it ran over 300 li continuously.
As for the common blue horses of the local area, they'd basically be finished after running about 250 li.
But all of this assumed they were on flat ground.
Running in the mountains is completely different from running on flat land.
By the time the three people and four horses returned to Wang An's house, it was already past 4 PM.
Wang Dazhu and his wife hadn't returned from helping unload bricks, and Wang Yi hadn't finished school yet, so Mu Xueqing was still leading the two younger sisters-in-law at home.
Seeing Wang An and Zhang Shuya return, and seeing a person lying on the horse's back, Mu Xueqing immediately showed a happy expression.
Mu Xueqing didn't ask about their journey, but instead directly called out to them
"Big Sister, Xiao An, come inside and eat first. The pot has been kept hot."
Hearing this, Zhang Shuya said with a smile
"Mm-hmm, I didn't eat breakfast, thinking I'd come here for a good meal at noon. But look at this—it's all Xiao An's fault. As soon as I arrived, he dragged me into catching laborers. I'm so hungry my chest is sticking to my back."
Mu Xueqing also smiled and said
"That's right, it's all because Xiao An is unreliable. Once we're full, we'll have to give your brother a beating to vent some frustration. Who told him to cause trouble every single day?"
It had to be said that this woman, Mu Xueqing, had quick reactions and spoke with deep meaning. In the first sentence, it was "Xiao An," and in the next, it became "your brother."
She was practically telling Zhang Shuya: *This is your brother; as the older sister, what is there to complain about?*
Zhang Shuya naturally caught the meaning in Mu Xueqing's words and immediately teased her with a smile
"Xueqing, you're so beautiful and yet you protect your man so much. For Xiao An to marry you, did the ancestral graves of the Wang family catch fire?"
Mu Xueqing might not have heard the "ancestral graves catching fire" slang, so she said with some confusion
"Did the ancestral graves catch fire before Xiao An married me? Why didn't I know?"
Zhang Shuya was stunned for a moment, but seeing that Mu Xueqing's face was serious and she wasn't joking, she couldn't help but burst into loud laughter.
Beside them, Wang An seeing this also couldn't help but laugh.
Only Mu Xueqing looked at the two of them with a face full of confusion, unable to figure out what they were laughing at.
Once the two had laughed enough, Zhang Shuya explained
"Xueqing, have you heard of 'ancestral graves emitting green smoke'?"
Mu Xueqing nodded: "Mm-hmm, I know that."
Zhang Shuya smiled: "Then isn't catching fire more prosperous than emitting smoke?"
Mu Xueqing was blank for a second, but she immediately realized what "ancestral graves catching fire" meant and couldn't help but laugh herself.
The two women chatted and laughed as they entered the house, but Wang An couldn't just ignore everything and go inside.
He had to arrange the horses and the man first.
(End of Chapter)