Chapter Twenty-Six: Run Quickly, the Bandits Are Coming

Di Hong looked down from above, glancing askance at the woman, a sneer curling at the corners of his lips.

“A refugee fleeing famine, carrying so much silver on you?”

“Reporting to the General, all this silver was brought from home by my husband and me. After traveling such a long journey, we simply couldn’t feel safe without some silver on us.”

Di Hong chuckled coldly. “Hmph, if you ask me, this silver was definitely stolen. And now, you’re trying to bribe me in front of everyone—truly a crime worthy of death!”

The woman was instantly terrified out of her wits. She had only wanted to buy her way into the city, yet hadn’t expected this general to falsely accuse her of theft—a charge that could cost her her life.

The landlord hurried over and tried to explain to Di Hong, “General, my ancestors once served the court and left us some family wealth so we could herd livestock. This silver really is ours!”

“Please, General, judge fairly. We just wish to find a place to settle in Ziyang City and live in peace. That’s all we seek.”

But Di Hong cared nothing for their pleas. If he openly accepted their bribe in the presence of his men, it would look far too unsavory. So, he deliberately twisted the facts and slandered this landlord couple as thieves.

In this way, he could not only seize their silver, but also preserve his image as an upright and incorruptible officer—killing two birds with one stone.

Just as he was maliciously making things difficult for the couple, a sudden neigh of a horse sounded from afar.

Jiang Chen came galloping from the distance, whipping his horse urgently. In truth, he had been watching from nearby, waiting for the right moment before putting on a show of pressing emergency.

“Report!”

“General, there are bandits nearby, heading straight this way!”

Di Hong was stunned for a moment. “Bandits?”

“There are no bandits around Ziyang City. Are you sure you didn’t mistake them for someone else?”

Jiang Chen replied with certainty, “No mistake, sir. There are seven or eight scouts from the bandits just behind us. It seems they’ve set their sights on the money and provisions these refugees are carrying.”

“I also saw behind those scouts a great cloud of dust—shouts and neighs of horses. There must be at least a hundred men charging this way. We need a plan to defend ourselves, General!”

“Defend ourselves? Nonsense! Men, retreat with me!”

Di Hong, seated atop his horse, looked into the distance and indeed saw a group of horsemen riding toward them. The way they advanced could be nothing other than bandits.

He had only fifty men under his command—not nearly enough to face a hundred bandits head-on. Besides, he had no reason to risk his life in such a fight.

Thus, ordering a retreat was only natural. As for the fate of the refugees, Di Hong gave it not a single thought.

Jiang Chen’s performance was flawless, and with his urgent, impassioned report, Di Hong had no time to examine the details. He made a prompt decision to withdraw to Ziyang City.

Although he knew the nearest bandit gang to Ziyang was a hundred miles away at Tiger Head Mountain, it wasn’t impossible for them to come so far to plunder, especially in chaotic times like these.

The whole cavalry squad rode off toward Ziyang City under Jiang Chen’s watchful gaze.

The refugees left behind were thrown into panic, and the landlord couple, still unwilling to give up, tried to flee toward Ziyang. But they were burdened by too much luggage, and the two servants who had accompanied them had already been killed.

Despite their efforts, the weight of their belongings made it impossible to get far.

Jiang Chen turned his horse to wait for the arrival of the bandits. Now, his trouble was these ruthless murderers.

“You know who we are, surely. Hand over anything of value, or don’t blame me for showing no mercy!”

The leader of the bandits, seeing Jiang Chen’s attire, showed not the slightest alarm.

He sized Jiang Chen up, then said, “Brother, are you alone?”

“Bad luck for you, running into us at a time like this. Hand over anything you have of value—now!”

Jiang Chen replied coolly, “The most valuable thing on me is probably my life. Do you dare take it?”

“Trying to act tough, are you? You think your life is too long? I’ll cut you down with one stroke!”

The bandit spurred his horse forward, swinging his steel blade at Jiang Chen’s head. Had the blade landed, Jiang Chen would have been instantly decapitated, blood spraying three feet.

Clang!

A clear ring of metal striking metal sounded—the steel blade was solidly blocked.

Yet the one who intervened was not Jiang Chen, but a tall, thin man dressed in tattered clothes.

What he used to block the blade was unusual—a short dagger of deep green. To call it a weapon was a stretch, for it was clearly unsharpened and would require extraordinary force to injure anyone.

The bandit was puzzled. His blade, for length and sharpness alone, plus the force of his downward strike from horseback, should have been impossible for this man to block.

Yet, standing before the horse, the stranger caught the blow single-handedly, even Jiang Chen was startled.

One glance at the stranger’s movements revealed his skill—no one had expected such a master hidden among the refugees.

“Meddler! I’ll kill you too!”

The bandit, infuriated, readied another attack.

But before he could leap from his horse, his blade was kicked away, and his chest struck with such force that he was knocked flat to the ground.

The change was so sudden the others hadn’t time to react. Now, when they looked at the stranger, he radiated a chilling, murderous aura.

“All together!” someone shouted.

The bandits dismounted and surrounded him, not believing any one man could withstand their seven blades.

What they did not know was that, in Jiang Chen’s eyes, their defeat was already sealed. Their opponent was in another league entirely; numbers and weapons meant nothing.

Sure enough, after only a few exchanges, the gaunt stranger slew several bandits without mercy. The three remaining, terrified out of their wits, leaped onto their horses and fled in panic.

Jiang Chen was just about to thank this hero when he heard hoofbeats approaching once more—Di Hong had returned with his men!

Now Jiang Chen felt a headache coming on. How was he to maintain his deception? The other party’s return did not bode well, and they would not be so easily fooled again.