Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 476-475 A Robber Who Follows the Rules
This is probably what they mean by "a word becomes a prophecy."

The carriage traveled up the mountain road, and as dusk approached, just as it reached the depths of the dense forest, Feng Xiuhu and his two companions were stopped in their tracks.

Suddenly, a rapid, loud drumbeat sounded, and amidst the whistling noise, people rushed out from all directions, surrounding the carriage.

They carried either broadswords and spears, or muskets and hunting rifles, each one standing tall and imposing.

Fang Youliu quickly spoke up to warn, "We've run into them! We've really run into them!"

Feng Xiuhu lifted the curtain and took a look. He was initially angry, but then he was stunned by what he saw: "Why is it so professional?"

The reason is simple—this band of bandits is completely different from the ones Feng Xiuhu has encountered before. Although their firearms are obviously made using rudimentary methods and are relatively simple, their weapons are gleaming, indicating that they are well-maintained. Moreover, they are all plump and strong, full of energy, and clearly living a good life.

What made Feng Xiuhu even more uneasy was that these people actually had a uniform.

With the incessant drumming in his ears, Feng Xiuhu looked around and asked, "Why is there background music?"

The bandits surrounded the area but did not attack, seemingly waiting for something.

Before long, the crowd parted to reveal a man wearing a bearskin cloak striding in with an imposing air.

His sinister, beady eyes swept over Fang Youliu, and he said in a deep voice, "People in the car, get out."

When Feng Xiuhu came down, the man with the beady eyes didn't say anything.

But when Shunzi came down, Green Eyes' expression changed slightly: "What a fierce man!"

This angered Feng Xiuhu, who questioned him, "Why don't you praise me?"

His beady eyes looked again, sizing him up and down—a Western-style dress, overcoat, newsboy cap, thumb ring, cane, and black leather shoes.

He exclaimed with delight, "What a fat sheep!"

Feng Xiuhu started rolling up his sleeves: "You son of a bitch..."

Fang Youliu quickly stopped him and turned to the green-eyed man, shouting, "We are acquaintances of Dumb Jin!"

"Dumb Jin?"

The man with the beady eyes chuckled: "I've heard of the name of the second-in-command of the boat gang, but you've got the wrong person. I have no connection with him."

Fang Youliu winked at him: "Think about it again, are you really not on good terms with me?"

The man with the beady eyes was bewildered: "What, do I have to acknowledge this friendship?"

Shunzi said irritably, "What he means is, if you don't acknowledge this friendship, you'll be in for a world of trouble today."

"Ouch!"

The man with beady eyes scoffed, "Such arrogance! You want me to suffer? Let's see if my Divine Might Cannon will allow it!"

Upon hearing this, all three of them changed color.

Feng Xiuhu looked at Fang Youliu: "You didn't say before that the bandits in Yu'ai Prefecture could even get their hands on the Divine Might Cannon, did you?"

Fang Youliu's expression was also very serious. He gritted his teeth and replied in a low voice, "Is this a problem in Yu'ai Prefecture? Bandits from anywhere else can't get their hands on the Divine Might Cannon!"

While they were whispering amongst themselves, the robbers over there had already brought out the "Divine Might Cannon".

Behind Green Bean Eyes, four robbers pushed a homemade cannon out of the crowd—the cannon barrel was as thick as a thigh and no more than a meter long.

Although it was another homemade, rudimentary contraption, it must be said that these robbers did have some skill involved.

Feng Xiuhu asked, "...You call this the Divine Might Cannon?" The beady-eyed man glared at him and said, "I just like giving things impressive names, you have a problem with that? Just tell me if it's a cannon or not!"

Having made a blunder, Fang Youliu realized he had been too serious earlier. Too lazy to persuade him any further, he turned back to sit on the carriage shaft and pretended to doze off: "You guys handle it."

The three men showed no sign of panic, unlike the easy prey they usually presented. A sense of unease crept into the man's beady eyes.

He squinted to examine it—his already small eyes were almost completely hidden.

"Anyone who dares to cross the mountain at night is either an outsider who doesn't know the rules, or a martial arts expert who thinks he's so great."

"But no matter which one it is, you only have three people and six hands. We brothers only take money and don't take lives, so we advise you to cooperate honestly and not to deliberately walk into the line of fire, so as to save us from seeing blood."

Feng Xiuhu laughed and said, "You're quite principled."

The man with beady eyes patted his chest: "Of course! Otherwise, why would we be targeting you?"

Feng Xiuhu raised his hand to answer: "Okay, I know the answer to this question. You don't rob those who are dressed in rags and have miserable faces, because there's no profit in it; you also don't rob those high-ranking officials with many followers, because it would be troublesome—it's most suitable for someone like me who is neither here nor there."

The man with the beady eyes was taken aback, then spat and said, "What kind of twisted logic is that? That's not how we do things."

The man with the beady eyes pointed to the sky and then to the ground: "Although what we do is despicable, we are worthy of our ancestors' integrity and the bloodline of Yu'ai Prefecture. That's why we never rob women or children. The reason we let you off the carriage just now was to see if it was worth it for us brothers to rob you."

Shunzi, who had been eagerly anticipating the challenge, suddenly became respectful: "It's a legitimate rule!"

Feng Xiuhu slapped him on the back of the head: "You're actually complimenting each other with him now?"

With his beady eyes, he solemnly cupped his hands to Shunzi and said, "I am honored by your high regard, and I will certainly leave you some money for lodging and meals afterward."

Speaking of money, Shunzi remembered the safe full of gold certificates in the carriage. He finally came to his senses and exclaimed in surprise, "You're dreaming!"

The boy with beady eyes laughed heartily: "Haha! Then you have no choice!"

He raised his hand and waved: "Brothers, light your green guns! Catch the seedlings!"

At his command, the robbers sprang into action. They worked together seamlessly, with some diverting attention to Shunzi while the rest surrounded Feng Xiuhu.

This was a tactic devised by Green Bean Eyes—"Pounce on the seedlings" meant to first take the weakest link as a hostage.

Just as Shunzi was about to draw his gun, Feng Xiuhu couldn't hold back and struck first—he had no choice but to help these robbers, who showed him no respect, so he had to teach them a lesson and let them know who the real boss was.

Before the bandits could get close, a thick fog rose from the ground, completely obscuring the road and the dense forest, as if the world had suddenly changed.

The robbers panicked and looked around for their companions to lean on, but then they heard shouts coming from the fog. Before they could understand what was happening, it was their turn—chains appeared out of nowhere, binding the robbers tightly and suspending them in mid-air.

Green-eyed Man was also unaware of what had happened. Although he couldn't see anyone, he knew they had encountered a tough opponent, so he quickly shouted, "Good sir! Fierce man! Please have mercy! We were blind and that's why we bumped into you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Feng Xiuhu kicked him from behind, knocking him to the ground.

The man with the beady eyes turned around and saw Feng Xiuhu nearly bursting with rage: "What a fucking hero! Open your eyes and take a good look, it was me who did it!"

The man with the beady eyes quickly got up, bowed, and begged for mercy: "So it was a cultivator in person. Please have mercy on me, I promise it won't happen again."

The movements were fluid and graceful, and the girl with beady eyes was very skilled at them, without feeling embarrassed at all.

This struck Feng Xiuhu as odd, and he asked, "Have you robbed cultivators before?"

With a forced smile, the man with beady eyes said, "That happens all the time!"

(End of this chapter)