Of course, these mass bribes weren’t anything of great value, but under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the other party couldn’t really quibble. Everyone was a minor leader, and they could only do each other favors, after all, no one knew who might rise to power in the future. It’s always wise to leave some room for future amicability.
However, when the team stopped to rest at the checkpoint, it was hard to avoid the surreptitious skimming by the checkpoint staff.
People were on the move, and the squad leader or boss would stealthily circle to the back for a so-called inspection, which they couldn’t escape from.
A mighty dragon still wouldn’t suppress a local snake.
Yet, Bai Junjun hadn’t expected to be so unlucky as to encounter an inspection just at the first rest stop.
The squad leader had sharp eyes and, spotting two scrawny carriage guards from afar, he decisively chose their carriage.
They walked over stiffly and began rummaging through the carriage’s contents.
Luckily, Bai Junjun’s carriage was also loaded with a plethora of weapons for cover, so the four men were focused on checking for any contraband and didn’t pay attention to the basket behind them.
But these were professional skimmers; it was only a matter of time before they’d find something.
Sure enough, as they dug through the items, they eventually discovered the wicker basket and began smiling smugly as they walked towards the back.
Li Wenli, however, stepped forward to block their path.
"Oh?" The squad leader glanced at the slight soldier, hands crossed over his chest with visible interest, "Where does this little devil come from? What do you want to do?"
Li Wenli stretched a smile: "The leaders have worked hard inspecting, we don’t have anything of value here, please look elsewhere."
Despite his face being plastered with a smile, his words made their faces darken.
After all, even though they were indeed there to scoop some benefits, no one had ever dared to lay it out so openly.
Li Wenli was playing with fire in a powder keg; one of them grabbed his collar and said viciously, "You little shit, what did you say?"
Li Wenli tilted his head slightly, his eyes flashing with a cold light, "If you don’t want to die, let go."
"Heh, fine." The man lifted Li Wenli and then harshly threw him to the ground.
Clearly, this leader had some real brute strength and power.
However, Li Wenli, thrown to the ground, didn’t end up dazed as everyone expected. Planting his hands on the ground, he flipped agilely and stood up, his military uniform’s collar loosened, exposing the greyish-pink collar underneath.
Spying the crimson he wore underneath, the men’s faces took on a lecherous expression.
Only then did they notice Li Wenli’s fair skin; below his neck, where no dust had settled, looked even more delicate.
Moreover, his features were distinct from the average country lad, at seventeen or eighteen years of age, not yet fully matured, he looked rather androgynous.
The men could see the surprise in each other’s eyes, "Who would have thought we’d find a ’Mulan’ here."
"It’s really not easy to tell the male rabbits from the female rabbits when they’re mixed in with the rabbits."
"Surely the Eastern Army doesn’t need a woman to fight its wars, let me verify your identity and then report back for the credit."
Spitting out such words, they began to eagerly approach.
At that moment, Bai Junjun narrowed her eyes and stepped forward, but Li Wenli stopped her with an outstretched hand.
"They’re just a few weak chickens; there’s no need for you to get involved."
This exchange grabbed the men’s attention. They had only briefly glanced over here earlier, and hadn’t expected that both of these skinny individuals would be so good-looking.
And the younger one, although his face was covered with dust, had eyes and lips that looked as if they could drip water, emanating a more feminine charm than the one with the rougher voice.
This piqued their interest all the more.