Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 6 A Night in the Valley

The riot started in the camp of the marriage team.

Suddenly, there were bursts of horse neighing from the other side. A group of sand bandits rushed down from the sand slope and headed straight for the tent in the center, where Princess Mohe and all the dowry tributes were.

The princess's escort immediately drew their swords to resist. They were well-trained Mohe elite soldiers, having encountered numerous robberies, both large and small, along the way. Initially, they handled the situation appropriately, remaining calm. However, they soon realized something was amiss. These bandits were far more formidable than those they had encountered before. They were able to quickly detect their weaknesses in the midst of the chaos, charging, encircling, and changing formations... They clearly came prepared, not a ragtag group.

After several clashes, a hole was torn in the guard circle, and the bandits were about to take advantage of the opportunity to sneak in.

The small caravan witnessed the scene on the other side and immediately fell into chaos.

Some, hoping to protect themselves, packed up their belongings and planned to flee. However, their heavily laden cargo was a considerable hindrance, and they found it difficult to choose between saving their lives and their property. They could only hope that the fighting on the other side would not implicate them. Others believed that the enemy had ill intentions and, having already attacked the other side, would certainly not let them go. They decided to assist the marriage party against the bandits while they still had the strength to resist.

Sarug was the first to rush over to help.

Harang tried to stop him. He gripped his scimitar tightly and said, "Aung, this kind of thing can't be avoided just by wanting to. Instead of praying here for the bandits to let us go, we should do our best to drive them out. Otherwise, we will be at their mercy!"

Cai Zhu'er agreed with his idea and even helped him call the other strong young men in the caravan. "The princess's guards are still holding on, and the enemy's numbers aren't too large. As long as we all work together, we can definitely drive the bandits away! Brother, you have to be careful too. Those bandits seem to be more powerful than the ones we encountered before."

Sarug warned, "Don't worry, you and Aong hide well. If things go bad, save your life! Don't take anything, just run towards Yangguan. You might run into the patrolling army of Daxuan..."

Caizhuer and her father hid in the dark, watching the battle nervously.

As they expected, although the bandits' main target was the marriage party, they had no intention of letting their small caravan go. While attacking the princess's tent, they also sent several people to deal with this side. These bandits happened to run into Saluge and his group, and the two sides fought fiercely.

Seeing that Mo He's side was about to lose the upper hand and that her brother was also injured, Cai Zhu'er, with tears in her eyes, gritted her teeth, pulled her father up and said, "Aunt, we can't wait any longer. Let's run away first."

Harang was really worried about his son: "Caizhu'er, wait a little longer, your brother..."

At this moment, the sound of horses neighing came from the sand slope beside them. Caizhuer thought it was the sand bandits again, and looked back in panic, only to see a team of cavalrymen in black and silver armor leaping towards them.

The leader raised his halberd high and shouted, "The Yueqi Battalion of the Daxuan Zhenxi Army is here to welcome Princess Alan of the Mohe Kingdom! Who dares to act rashly?"

In the messy firelight, Caizhuer could vaguely see that it was a young general with handsome features and sharp eyes.

The Daxuan contingent consisted of around twenty or thirty soldiers, not a large number, likely just a small advance guard to welcome the marriage party, but it was more than enough. At that moment, Caizhuer felt like they were a force sent down from heaven. With the Daxuan army and battalion at their disposal, no matter how rampant those bandits were, they would surely be crushed! They were saved!

A new round of fighting broke out in the valley.

The sand bandits first kidnapped Princess Mohe in the tent. Although the general was afraid, he did not retreat. Instead, he walked up alone and negotiated a deal with the sand bandits.

With a sharp blade on Princess Alan's neck, the princess, who had left her homeland, forced herself to remain calm and tried to persuade the bandits to weigh the pros and cons and let her group go.

Things took a turn for the better, and Caizhuer breathed a sigh of relief.

In her opinion, this night should pass without any danger.

But she was wrong.

At the critical moment of the three-way confrontation, several sharp arrows flew in the dark night. One arrow pierced the general's waist and abdomen, and another arrow pierced the princess's shoulder blade and shot into the chest of the bandit leader.

Suddenly, dozens more arrows flew into the valley, and the situation that had just stabilized collapsed again. A large number of masked assassins appeared from all directions. After the arrows swept through the camp, they sprinkled a large amount of unknown powder on the campfire. Soon, a faint fragrance filled the valley.

Caizhu'er had never smelled such a smell before. After taking a few breaths, she felt her mind becoming hazy and her hands and feet losing strength. She felt the same way, and so did everyone else.

The sneak attack was successful, and the assassin saw that the time was ripe and officially went out to reap the spoils.

Their numbers were equal to those of the Daxuan soldiers, but due to their underhanded tactics, they gained the upper hand. The Sand Bandits were no match for them, and the Daxuan soldiers were gradually overwhelmed.

The princess's assassins still did not give up. They took advantage of the chaos to rescue the princess from the bandit leader who was shot to death. They tried to break out of the siege and protect her as she escaped.

Faced with this situation, Harang knew that their small caravan was in great danger, so he pushed Caizhuer out and said, "Aung's legs are not good, and he runs too slowly. Don't worry about me. Run quickly and find a place to hide. Don't let them catch you!"

The assassins showed no mercy and slaughtered everyone in the valley.

The smell of blood was so strong that it was sickening.

At this moment Caizhuer felt extremely desperate.

She wanted to drag Aung to continue running, but in the chaos Aung shook off her hand and blocked the flying arrow for her.

"Aung, Aung!"

"Run, run quickly, Caizhu'er, Grandpa can't take you into the customs..."

The frightened camels and horses separated them. Caizhuer burst into tears: "Aung, please don't leave me..."

Harang fell in a pool of blood, his eyes looking towards his daughter reluctantly, and slowly lost their luster.

Caizhu'er, intoxicated by the incense, felt weak and lost, stumbling forward until she stumbled into a pile of corpses. These were the bodies of bandits and members of the caravan... Caizhu stumbled, as if sensing something, and frantically began searching among the corpses.

"Brother, brother, where are you?"

"Don't scare me, brother. I promise I won't feed you bugs anymore..."

The familiar figure lay there, bruised and lifeless.

The last hope was gone.

The brother who was still laughing and playing with her not long ago is now just a silent body. He will no longer tap her forehead, tickle her, or stand in front of her to protect her.

why?
They just want to go to a stable place and do some business to support themselves and their families. Why not give them a chance? Why destroy everything when they are full of hope?
Who are these assassins?

Why do they treat their lives as worthless?
　Next chapter: The bride keeps vigil.

　　Thanks to Jiang Jiang Jiang Jiang Han and Xia Xi Chan Ming for their recommendation votes~
　　

(End of this chapter)