Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 376 375 Can this world ever get better?

Do you think the world can ever get any better?

Feng Xiuhu held a cigarette between his fingers, gazing into the distance with a deep look in his eyes.

The endless reed beds before us rippled like ocean waves in the river breeze.

The man with a bloodied head sat beside him, his lifeless eyes also gazing into the distance: "I don't know about others, but I'm not doing well. They say that anything can happen in the weather, and misfortune can strike at any time. Maybe I shouldn't have gone out today."

Feng Xiuhu patted his shoulder to comfort him: "Who says otherwise? I'm not much better off. Imagine I'm just walking along the road, and suddenly someone jumps out and tries to kill my horse and steal my money. How unlucky do I have to run into this?"

The man turned to look at Feng Xiuhu, his Adam's apple bobbing, and after a long pause, he managed to utter, "...Your horse is really tough; it survived five arrows."

"High technology, you wouldn't understand."

Feng Xiuhu spoke in a language the man couldn't understand, then changed the subject and asked, "Speaking of which, you're not also police officers disguised as bandits, are you?"

The man waved his hand: "No, we are legitimate river bandits, the kind with our own strongholds."

He pointed deep into the reeds: "Beyond the reeds lies the Flying Fin River, and in the middle of the river is Golden Basket Island, where our village is built."

Bang!
A bandit flew out of the reeds and landed at their feet.

He lay on the ground, spitting blood, clutching the man's trouser leg as he struggled to say, "The boss's... ideas are tricky!"

He didn't need to remind him; anyone could see it.

So neither of them paid him any attention and continued chatting.

Feng Xiuhu asked, "There must be quite a few people passing by this road every day. Do you earn a lot?"

The bandit leader shook his head: "Your Excellency is unaware of this, we don't rob everyone. We don't rob government officials, temples, or churches; we have to consider whether we have the ability to rob those with luxurious carriages and many guards; and we also have to consider whether it's worth the effort to rob those who look poor and whose cloth shoes are worn out."

"On the contrary, it's people like you who are neither here nor there that are the safest to rob."

Feng Xiuhu felt these words sounded familiar, and he was very dissatisfied with the professional ethics of the bandit leader: "You've already risked your lives, and you still have the right to be picky? Worrying about this and complaining about that, how can you support so many brothers?"

The bandit leader cupped his hands and smiled wryly: "You are unaware of the situation. Although we are bandits, robbing is just a hobby. It's enough to let the brothers stretch their muscles and remember their livelihood. In fact, our stronghold has a proper business."

Feng Xiuhu glanced at him sideways: "How serious are you?"

The bandit leader puffed out his chest and declared, "Nothing could be more proper—we sell fish."

Feng Xiuhu chuckled: "How much money can you make selling fish? It's nowhere near as fast as robbing people."

"It's very profitable."

The bandit leader nodded seriously.

……

The story has to start from the beginning.

Since that night when they started traveling through the night, Fang Youliu had been driving his carriage for a day and two nights without stopping. Today, when the sun was high in the sky, he suddenly refused to go any further and stopped the carriage by the edge of an endless reed marsh.

Feng Xiuhu asked him what was wrong, and Fang Youliu crawled into the carriage and lay down, saying that he was physically and mentally exhausted.

After further questioning, it was learned that the carriage was driven by Fang Youliu's magic power. It had been running non-stop for so long that he was not only about to succumb to sleepiness, but his magic power was also about to be exhausted.

Shunzi asked how much longer it would take to reach the town, and Fang Youliu replied with his eyes closed, "Qianyu City, the prefectural capital, is not far ahead. We will arrive in less than half a day."

Feng Xiuhu then advised, "Why don't you teach me how to drive this car? I'll take your place, and we'll arrive as soon as you wake up."

Fang Youliu, however, was not fooled and replied, "Knowing how to drive a carriage is useless. We will have to travel by water ahead. I will have to use my transformation magic to turn the carriage into a boat so that we can get there."

Feng Xiuhu had intended to trick Fang Youliu into teaching him the art of transformation, but before he could even speak, Fang Youliu had already started snoring.

Left with no other choice, he and Shunzi got off the train to get some fresh air, leaving the carriage for Fang Youliu to rest in.

Feng Xiuhu leaned against the carriage, lit a cigarette, and gazed at the vast reed marshes, feeling relaxed and content.

Shunzi went to relieve himself on the side of the road and stood there to urinate.

Before I could even stop shivering, I looked down and met the gaze of several pairs of eyes from among the reeds.

"Mom!"

Shunzi jumped in surprise, managing to swallow the last bit of his words. Just as he finished speaking, a whooshing sound came from deep within the reeds: "Step on the gourd!"

shhhhhh!
Several crossbow bolts were fired.

Tuk-tuk-tuk!
Several muffled thuds were heard.

Feng Xiuhu turned his head and saw that the crossbow bolt was stuck in the horse's body, but the horse was still standing still.

Then the whooshing sound rang out again, the same voice: "Open the sluice gate, release the geese!"

As the sound subsided, a group of bandits with straw in their hair and wearing hemp clothing rushed out of the reeds, yelling and screaming.

Just as Feng Xiuhu was about to throw away his cigarette butt, Shunzi rushed out first, grabbed a nearby bandit, and threw him away, yelling, "You scared the hell out of me!"

After the bandits knocked down a group of people, their momentum did not diminish, and they managed to carve a path through the reeds.

This imposing aura briefly intimidated the river bandits, and for a moment no one dared to step forward.

Then the voice from deep within shouted again: "Scatter stars! Charge side by side!"

Upon receiving the order, the bandits dispersed and formed an encirclement, brandishing their weapons.

Shunzi looked at Feng Xiuhu, who pointed deep into the reeds—that's where the sound was coming from.

Shunzi understood the signal.

He charged out despite the gleaming blade, shoving several people away with his shoulder, and charged into the reeds at full speed.

The bandits behind them shouted in unison, "Watch out, boss!"

Several muffled thuds came from the reeds, and then Shunzi shouted, "Big brother, catch!"

A figure flew out and landed on Feng Xiuhu.

Feng Xiuhu quickly moved a step to the side.

Bang!
With a muffled thud, the bandit leader struggled to maintain his composure and stood up, leaning on the carriage shaft.

Feng Xiuhu bent down and asked him, "What do you do?"

The bandit leader remained unfazed: "Just passing through."

Feng Xiuhu grabbed his hair and slammed him hard against the carriage shaft with a bang.

Blood trickled down his forehead. Feng Xiuhu asked again, "Think it through before you speak."

The bandit leader replied, "We're highway robbers."

Seeing their leader in distress, the nearby bandits tried to rush over and attack.

Feng Xiuhu reacted quickly, pulling a crossbow bolt from the horse's belly and throwing it.

"what!"

An arrow pierced the eye of a bandit, and he collapsed instantly.

The bandit leader quickly raised his hand: "Don't worry about me! The wind's getting strong—get out of here!"

Feng Xiuhu said, "No way. Don't let my brother's sturdy build fool you, he runs faster than a horse."

The bandit leader replied, "If we scatter and run, many of us will escape."

Feng Xiuhu laughed and said, "Those who escaped are lucky, but you probably won't be able to leave today."

He pointed to the stones by the roadside: "Sit down and talk slowly."

The bandit leader was very obedient and sat down next to Feng Xiuhu.

With half a cigarette still burning, Feng Xiuhu gazed at the endless reeds in the distance and couldn't help but sigh.

Do you think the world can ever get any better?

PS: Step on the gourd (control the vehicle); Open the gate (action begins); Release the geese (all personnel attack); Scatter stars (disperse and surround).

(End of this chapter)