As time passed， the bandits derived immense pleasure from their twisted form of entertainment. They took delight in tormenting the villagers， seizing upon even the smallest mistake.

Once， a young villager accidentally stumbled， spilling a bucket of water. Scarface， enraged， grabbed a wooden stick and mercilessly beat the young man.

“You idiot! Can't even walk properly?“ Scarface yelled as he struck. Blood soon stained the ground， and the young villager groaned in agony， but no one dared to intervene.

The other villagers could only watch helplessly. An elderly man， his voice trembling， said，“What can we do? These devils are beyond reason.“

A child nearby sobbed，“Mommy， when can we go home?“

The mother， holding back her tears， hugged the child tightly.“Soon， my dear. We will go home soon.“

At that moment， the bandit leader rode up on his horse， casting a cold gaze over the villagers who had been reduced to shadows of their former selves. Suddenly， he laughed.“If you behave， good things will come your way once we reach our destination. But if anyone disobeys， don't blame us for being harsh!“

The villagers bowed their heads， not daring to meet his eyes. The bandit leader nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand.“Move on， keep marching!“

In contrast to the fierce and brutal bandits， the chubby bandit unexpectedly became a lifeline for the surviving villagers. His chubby， always smiling face made him seem like the only hope to the tormented villagers.

One day， a bandit was harassing a young village girl. Frightened， she didn't dare to lift her head or speak， which only angered the bandit further. He dragged her by the hair into the bushes， leaving behind strands of hair and patches of blood on the ground. After hours of torment， the chubby bandit gently carried her back. Her clothes were disheveled， and her face was so swollen it was almost unrecognizable.

The chubby bandit placed the girl on a cart with the children， softly comforting her，“Rest here for a while. I'll sneak some food for you.“

Over the next few days， the children grew fond of the chubby bandit， who often smuggled food for them. One night， he picked a particularly weak-looking child and whispered，“Are you hungry? I have some food.“ He handed over a piece of bread， and the child， eyes brimming with tears， gratefully accepted it. However， the chubby bandit's actions were soon discovered. One day， the bandit leader found some crumbs and flew into a rage.“Who's been stealing food?“

The chubby bandit immediately feigned innocence.“Boss， it wasn't me! I just couldn't bear to see them suffer...“

The bandit leader sneered.“Do you think I don't know your tricks? Stop pretending to be a good guy.“ He slapped the chubby bandit and dragged him away by the ear， scolding him harshly.

After two days of hunger， the children mustered the courage to ask again.“Uncle Chubby， can you get us some food?“ one brave child pleaded.

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The chubby bandit touched his swollen ear.“I don't dare anymore. I got beaten last time!“

The children， with snot and tears streaming down their faces， begged until he relented.

“Alright， poor kids.“ The chubby bandit looked around cautiously before pulling out some coarse grain cakes and a bucket of water. The villagers on the nearby carts watched with watering mouths.

“Uncle Chubby， can we have some food too?“ a young villager asked boldly.

The chubby bandit sighed， putting on a sympathetic face.“Oh， poor souls!“ He pulled out some cakes from his pocket.“These were for me， but here， you take them.“

The chubby bandit patted the child's head.“Good child， remember not to tell anyone， or we’ll all be in trouble.“

The child nodded vigorously.“I won't say a word， Uncle Chubby. Thank you.“

Satisfied， the chubby bandit nodded， secretly pleased.

“Thank you， Uncle Chubby!“

“I'm no uncle. I'm just like you， captured by these bandits. They killed my whole family. We're in the same boat. I'll help if I can， but don't expect too much from me!“

“What? Uncle Chubby， you're also a captive? Do you know where they're taking us?“

“Actually， your fate isn't so bad. They sell people to rich men on the plains. You'll have enough to eat and drink， but you'll have to herd sheep and horses.“

“Oh， as long as we're not in danger!“ The villagers heaved a collective sigh of relief， finding temporary comfort in his words. The chubby bandit's actions made the villagers deeply grateful， though they didn't notice the cunning glint in his eyes. He enjoyed the gratitude， knowing it positioned him as a“good man“ among the villagers while balancing his status with the bandits.

“I'm surprised they don't tie you up. If I were you， I'd have escaped long ago!“ the chubby bandit said casually.

The young villagers exchanged glances， their eyes gleaming. A-Qiang， his eyes bright with hope， approached eagerly.

“Uncle Chubby， do you think we can escape?“

“Just dive into the woods. Who can catch you then?“

A-Qiang leaned in，“Uncle Chubby， we'll get lost in the woods. Can you guide us?“

The chubby bandit glanced around warily.“When it gets dark， run to the woods over there. After about 300 meters， there's a small river. Follow the river out of the woods. Left leads to your people's village， right to the plains. Don't get it mixed up!“

A-Qiang's eyes lit up， clutching Little Hong's hand tightly.“Thank you， Uncle Chubby. You're a lifesaver!“ He almost knelt to thank him， but the chubby bandit quickly stopped him.“Don't draw attention to us. You’ll get me caught.“

That night， the two young men lay on the yellow earth， unable to sleep.

“Little Hong， should we escape?“

Little Hong， dazed and listless from the journey， stared blankly at the sky.

“Little Hong， you can't be like this! Even your mother wouldn't want to see you like this!“

Pain flickered in Little Hong's eyes as he closed them.

“If we don't run， we'll die on the road. Follow me. If we can escape， great. If not， it's just bad luck.“

“Brother Qiang， do you think Uncle Chubby is tricking us?“

“Uncle Chubby is kind. He often sneaks food for the kids and women. He doesn't seem like a bad person.“

“Yeah， and there's nothing to gain from tricking us，“ Little Hong agreed， unable to find a reason against it.

“Alright， we'll wait until midnight， then sneak away when the bandits by the campfire are drowsy，“ A-Qiang said excitedly.

In the bandits' tent far away， the bandit leader lay on a pile of straw， drinking. Nearby， someone flattered him，“Boss， feeling bored? I have a good idea.“

“Chubby， you always have crafty ideas. Spill it，“ said Wild Horse， next to none other than the chubby bandit who'd been scolded days before.“But you're a scoundrel， making me scold you in public. Satisfied?“

“Boss， you don't understand these lowly folks. Now that you've scolded me， they think I'm one of them. They'll tell me everything， making me your eyes and ears among them.“

“Hmph， you always like these sneaky schemes. What's your idea?“

“We need some entertainment to make this more interesting!“