Chương 8: Encountering Bandits... and Making a Merit

and Making a Merit and Making a Merit On the mountain road connecting Yellow Leaf Town and Giant Willow Village. A few miles out of town, the shadow of the city walls was nowhere to be seen. Zhao Hu turned back and instructed:"Everyone, stay alert! Beware of desperate thugs!" After traveling for a couple more quarters of an hour, a massive pile of boulders appeared ahead. Zhong Kui shouted:"Look alive! This is a mandatory choke point for the three villages in the Great Ridge Mountains.

Bandit groups frequently operate here."

No one dared to be careless; they all strained their eyes to scan both sides of the road. At the slightest rustle of grass in the wind, they raised their guard. Song Que wasn't negligent either. He switched his vision to the Mountain Sparrow. Scouting from above, he indeed spotted a group of bandits hiding behind the scattered rocks not far away. These robbers were terribly unprofessional. Counting them, there were exactly thirteen people, armed with only three bows and a pile of wooden clubs and jagged rocks.

A bunch of scumbags in rough leather clothes, their faces wrapped in sackcloth, holding their breath as they tracked the Giant Willow Village caravan. Weighing the numbers on both sides, Song Que felt slightly relieved. He stepped forward to warn:"Uncle Zhong, I've spotted people."

"You saw people? Where?" Zhong Kui asked sternly, startled. Zhao Hu was also alarmed and asked urgently:"Kid, speak quickly, what did you see?" The entire group became incredibly tense, like cats whose tails had been stepped on. They gripped their knives tightly, holding their breath as they looked at Song Que. They watched as he pointed toward the rocky slopes about three hundred meters ahead:"On both sides over there, I saw people. Someone just popped up to peek, and I caught them."

"Kid, you can see from this far away?" Zhao Hu barked, visibly annoyed.

"Boy, are you absolutely certain? If you dare spout nonsense, this old man won't coddle you," the Village Chief asked seriously.

"Village Chief, there are definitely people. I saw them with my own eyes. My eyesight is excellent." Zhong Kui's face darkened:"Village Chief, Captain Zhao, it's better to believe it than to ignore it. Since Song Que is so certain, there must be a scheme. It's better for us to be cautious; it won't cost much time." Zhao Cairong didn't dare be careless either. Running into desperate men meant losing money at best. Exposed in this wilderness, who could he cry to for justice? He hadn't enjoyed his life enough yet!

He hurriedly said to Zhong Kui:"Zhong Kui, you have the most experience. You take charge from here." At this critical moment, Zhong Kui didn't shirk responsibility. He nodded to the Village Chief and Zhao Hu before issuing orders:"Everyone, grip your weapons tightly! Form a line in front of the carts! The five of you, pull the carts slowly on my command!" The caravan advanced fifty paces before Zhong Kui raised a hand to signal a halt. He called Song Que forward.

They stopped when they were about a hundred meters from the ambush site. Turning to Song Que, he asked:"Kid, are you scared?" A battle could erupt at any moment, and standing right in the enemy's line of sight... of course Song Que was scared! His face had paled slightly. Having lived two lifetimes, this was arguably his first real combat situation. But then again, he had seen his fair share of storms.

He had performed bloody surgeries, been struck by lightning, personally experienced the bizarre phenomenon of transmigration, and even possessed a superpower. Thinking this way—perhaps using some mental gymnastics to comfort himself, or maybe because he had already died once—he found a certain calmness in facing life and death. His mood actually improved significantly. Thus, Song Que didn't lose his composure. He smirked and replied:"Uncle Zhong, maybe a little. But don't worry, I guarantee my hands won't shake."

Meaning, when it came to hacking people down, he absolutely wouldn't hesitate. Hearing this, Zhong Kui greatly appreciated the boy's grit. Though Zhong Kui hadn't fought on a battlefield, he had led hunting teams into the Great Ridge Mountains for years. He had faced countless deadly perils, and many people would completely fall apart when confronting danger. For Song Que to still be able to smile and talk right now showed a demeanor far surpassing countless adults.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Looking over the hillsides on both flanks, it was indeed an excellent spot for an ambush. Zhong Kui shouted:"I don't know which friends are blocking our path. Might you offer some guidance?" A long silence followed, causing a commotion among the villagers in the back. Zhong Kui turned to ask Song Que:"Are there really people up there?"

"Uncle Zhong, absolutely. They're hiding right behind those rocks," Song Que said, pointing out four massive boulders in one breath. Zhong Kui nodded, knocked an arrow, drew his bow, and shouted:"Friends, come out!" The arrow left the string with a whoosh, threading the needle through the gap between the rocks and embedding itself deeply into the cliff face behind. Instantly, chaotic noises erupted from that spot. Following a series of rustling sounds, a group of people stepped out from behind the boulders.

Not more, not less—exactly thirteen men. Their faces tightly wrapped in coarse cloth, the leader holding a bow called out:"Excellent archery! Truly worthy of Giant Willow Village's number one archer." Listening to him, it was clear these newcomers had bad intentions and had investigated their backgrounds thoroughly.

"I wonder what you gentlemen intend by blocking our caravan. If you're facing any hardships, please speak up. If it's within my power, I, Zhong will definitely assist."

"Hehe, it's nothing major. It's just the end of the year, and the children at home still lack enough food and warm clothes. We merely want the brothers from Giant Willow Village to lend us a hand."

"Haha, that's not difficult at all," Zhong Kui laughed heartily.

"Please step aside, brothers. Once the caravan passes, i will personally offer one hundred catties of white rice so you brothers can manage through the New Year."

"You, Zhong, do you think you're shooing away beggars?!" A burly bandit wielding a bow roared angrily. This group's appetite was not small. Zhong Kui frowned and asked:"May I ask how much you gentlemen want?" At this moment, the leader barked:"Two carts! Leave two carts of supplies, and you people of Giant Willow Village can pass freely." A collective gasp echoed, and a commotion broke out among the Giant Willow Village group. From afar, Zhao Hu roared:"That is absolutely impossible!"

Zhong Kui also sneered:"Your greed knows no bounds. That is out of the question."

"Hehe, leave two carts, and your entire group goes home safely to celebrate the New Year. Or, we spend a little effort to take it ourselves. But don't blame us for showing no mercy then," the bandit leader threatened. But Zhong Kui was no vegetarian; how could he be scared off by mere words?

"We won't know who will come out on top until we fight! Gentlemen, please step aside. Let us pass, and we will offer a gift of gratitude. Otherwise, we can only meet with blades and spears."

"If we really clash with blades and spears, how many of you will actually make it back? That kid next to you, is he your son? Can you bear to watch him lose his life here?"

"At worst, the fish dies, and the net tears! We won't let you have an easy time either!" Seeing Zhong Kui's unyielding stance, the bandits grew restless.

"Big Brother, let's hack them to death!"

"That's right, Boss, let's do it!"

"Shut your mouths!" the bandit leader roared.

"Listen up, people of Giant Willow Village! Leave one cart of supplies, and I will let you pass safely. This is my final offer. Otherwise, don't blame us for being ruthless." Unexpectedly, Zhong Kui grew even firmer, completely refusing to compromise:"There is no room for negotiation. These are the supplies for our entire village; I absolutely will not leave them behind. You either make way or bring your horses forward!" Hearing this, the bandits boiled with rage. Their leader burst into laughter:"Good, very good!

You won't shed tears until you see the coffin. Do you think we only have this many people?" This time, it was Giant Willow Village's turn to panic. Zhong Kui's expression flickered uncertainly as he scanned the surroundings. Zhao Cairong was also terrified. He was still in the prime of his life; he hadn't enjoyed being Village Chief enough! He felt that using wealth to avert disaster was acceptable, especially since the goods didn't belong exclusively to his family anyway. It wasn't his turn to feel the heartache.

Thinking this, the Village Chief frantically winked at Zhong Kui. But Zhong Kui completely ignored him, forcing him to signal Zhao Hu instead. Captain Zhao gripped his bow, stepped forward a few paces, and shouted:"How can we trust you?" Hearing this, the bandit leader secretly rejoiced—this deal was going to happen. Maintaining a cold facade, he yelled:"We only seek wealth! Once the supplies are in our hands, we will retreat immediately. You can rest assured."

"Zhong Kui, what do you think?" Zhao Hu asked softly, using his full name. The intention to compromise was glaringly obvious. Zhong Kui's face twisted in struggle. He couldn't gauge the true strength of these bandits and didn't dare take the risk. Seeing this, Song Que knew he couldn't wait any longer. It was none of his business, but the village's poverty was a stark reality. As a member of the village, he didn't mind helping out if he could. Besides, these scumbags sure knew how to bluff.

Did they not know the Song family had a "reconnaissance drone" named Mountain Sparrow in their inventory? He shouted disdainfully:"Bragging without shame! Uncle Zhong, don't believe them! If they truly outnumbered us, would they be wasting their breath talking until now?"

"Kid, shut your mouth!" Zhao Hu turned and barked furiously.

"You've got some nerve, brat! Careful, disaster stems from the mouth!" The bandit leader's face turned purple with rage. But Young Hero Song didn't even glance at him, offering a mocking smirk:"Motherf*cker, if you have more people, just call them out! If you can summon more, I'll leave all the goods for you. How about that?" Killing intent surged from the bandit leader across the distance. He roared:"You're courting death!" Saying that, he swiftly raised his bow, aimed at Song Que, and loosed an arrow.

Young Hero Song, who was comfortably acting tough and posturing, saw the movement and felt his soul practically leave his body. Thankfully, the distance was quite far. He hurriedly rolled sideways to dodge. He only heard the sharp whistle of wind past his ear, and the next second, an arrow was deeply embedded in the ground a meter behind where he had just stood.

"Fall back!" Zhong Kui shouted. Honestly, he didn't even need to shout. After dodging the arrow, Song Que didn't even think; his instincts took over, and his legs carried him sprinting toward the rear. Zhong Kui and Zhao Hu also quickly retreated, keeping their eyes vigilantly trained ahead, shouting at the bandits:"For your Excellency to attack a child like this is too despicable!" Only when they retreated to the front of the formation did they feel secure.

Zhong Kui turned to Song Que and asked:"Song Que, are you alright? Remember this for the future: never turn your back to the enemy. That's a death wish." Song Que's face was green as he nodded repeatedly. So embarrassing... I postured way too hard.