The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 472 Hero

Li Miao spoke casually.

He didn't say everything clearly because he was taking care of Wu Mingxiao.

He is too young.

No one understood better than Li Miao, who had served as a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard for over twenty years, that the world and people's hearts were inherently chaotic. So-called order and justice were man-made products, extremely fragile, requiring careful nurturing and guidance to grow and thrive until one day they could confront the true filth.

To be exposed to extreme aspects of human nature too early is like watering a plant that is not yet fully grown with poison. But if one is completely detached from these things, then the so-called chivalrous spirit is nothing but a rootless duckweed, which may wither at any time.

So Li Miao only mentioned it briefly, leaving Wu Mingxiao to guess and process it himself, so that he wouldn't be unable to handle it when he met the person in question later.

As for why Li Miao went to so much trouble... it can only be said that taking care of children is a skill that has become second nature to Lord Li, and he couldn't help but do it.

Leaving aside the bumpy journey and the turmoil in Wu Mingxiao's heart.

The frame swayed for most of the hour before slowly coming to a stop.

The noise outside the car was deafening.

"That's all?"

"Damn it, we're starving on the mountain! This little bit of oil isn't even enough for us men to have a drink!"

They had clearly entered the bandit stronghold.

Li Miao raised her hand and tapped Wu Mingxiao's shoulder.

"It's time to get off."

After saying that, he casually opened the car door and got out.

"Fuck!"

"No, you didn't search the car?"

The bandits surrounding the cart never imagined that a living person would suddenly jump off the cart.

However, since it was on their own turf, they didn't react much after their initial surprise.

Li Miao looked around.

Come to think of it, ever since he started roaming the martial world, he's been playing in "high-level" matches. This is the first time he's ever seen a "beginner's village" like a bandit stronghold, a place that every novice swordsman must pass through.

Dirty, filthy, and smelly.

Skin and bones, rusted iron.

Sewage flowed everywhere, soaking torn clothes and garbage. In the open space not far away, several rotten horse-drawn carriages were piled up, and a dozen or so emaciated mountain bandits, baring their yellow teeth, shouted vulgarities at him.

Wu Mingxiao got out of the car and was stunned for a moment.

"Brother Li, this..."

Li Miao smiled.

"What, do you think that a bandit gang has to be like the ones in the storybooks, with a gathering hall, a martial arts training ground, and people eating meat and drinking wine in big bowls?"

"Most bandit strongholds are like this. In essence, apart from the fact that most of them are lazy and good-for-nothings, they are also poor people."

"It's hard to tell whether they turned to banditry because their hearts were corrupted or because they couldn't survive."

Wu Mingxiao is a joke.

This was not the scene he had envisioned.

If he were facing a group of burly, muscular thugs, he could certainly go on a killing spree. But if he were facing a group of emaciated, poorly clothed people... he really couldn't muster any killing intent.

Li Miao raised an eyebrow.

"Why, you can't do it?"

Wu Mingxiao remained silent.

Seeing him like this, Li Miao laughed.

“Your master really didn’t teach you enough. Fine, I’ll give you a lesson today.”

The two men chatted away, oblivious to the bandits around them, whose faces grew increasingly grim and ferocious.

Then a roar was heard.

"You son of a bitch, take this!"

A rusty longsword whistled as it slashed towards Li Miao's face. To be honest... when Li Miao was eight years old and sparred with Bu Lei, Bu Lei's moves were far more ferocious than this strike.

Li Miao ignored it and pressed his hand against the ground.

boom! ! !
Smoke and dust suddenly rose, and a huge amount of air escaped, blowing all the bandits around them away like waves. After landing, they tumbled and fell, their bones broken, and they lay on the ground howling in pain.

Li Miao didn't even look at them, turned around and walked away.

Wu Mingxiao glanced at it reluctantly at first, then quickly followed after carrying the baby.

This place is not the "main stockade," but a temporary outpost at the foot of the mountain used to dismantle stolen goods and guard the soldiers.

The two continued along the mountain path.

After walking for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they could see a circle of barricades in the distance, surrounded by an earthen wall, and at the entrance, two bandits were dozing against the wall.

Wu Mingxiao drew his sword and was about to step forward.

Li Miao reached out to stop him and walked over leisurely.

Hearing footsteps, the two bandits who were dozing at the door woke up, looked over, and their eyes were fixed on the knife in Wu Mingxiao's hand.

Without hesitation, the two turned and crawled inside the wall, slamming the door shut and bolting it.

"Another hothead has come to play the hero!"

"Quickly, get ready! Bring everyone out!"

"That knife in that man's hand is worth at least five or six taels of silver, and there's another guy wearing a cloak; we can sell his clothes too. Let's open for business!"

Their movements were incredibly skillful, and the footsteps echoed haphazardly within the earthen walls.

This band of mountain bandits seemed to be extremely adept at handling situations where someone came to perform acts of chivalry; their tone, far from being flustered, carried instead a hint of greed and delight.

Wu Mingxiao was somewhat confused.

Li Miao didn't care. He walked to the door and tapped it lightly with his fingers.

Bang! ! !
The door panel shattered with a deafening roar, sending several bandits who were blocking the door flying out, splattering blood everywhere.

Wu Mingxiao followed Li Miao in.

His gaze swept around, and he suddenly froze.

The bandits here were clearly not expected that the gate would be smashed so violently, and they were all stunned in place, giving Wu Mingxiao time to see everything clearly.

In terms of environment, it is actually quite similar to the outpost we just visited.

The difference lies in the people.

Aside from the bandits surrounding them with weapons, several more bandits were holding knives and escorting several people over not far ahead.

Judging from their figures, those people were all women. They were poorly clothed, with disheveled hair and thin bodies. Their exposed skin was covered with scars, and there was no trace of life in their eyes. Even with a blade pressed against their necks, they just followed forward blankly.

The bandits first glanced at the broken gate and the corpses, their faces turning pale. But after glancing at the hostages in their hands, they seemed to regain their confidence and shouted at Li Miao.

"Great hero, is it possible to be merciful?"

"Please don't make things difficult for us. The lives of these women are in your hands... Please think carefully before you act!"

Li Miao ignored him and turned to Wu Mingxiao.

"Did you get a good look at those women?"

Wu Mingxiao said through gritted teeth.

"I see clearly... these women are not ordinary people."

Although he was inexperienced in worldly affairs, he had a solid foundation in martial arts and good eyesight, so he could naturally see the details of the women at this distance.

Leaving aside their thin and miserable appearance.

Her bare abdomen was covered in wrinkles, the result of several births.

In addition, these women all had calluses on their hands.

Those are traces of martial arts training.

Given these bandits' familiarity with "chivalry," the answer becomes obvious—these women should have been called female knights-errant before.

A female knight-errant who went up the mountain to eliminate evil.

(End of this chapter)