Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 162 Bandits
Yan Mingzhang remained silent, recalling the senior's instructions. She had suffered from many old injuries due to her constant travels, and now, with her advancing age, the sparring with Rong Yatou yesterday had aggravated them, causing her considerable pain. He advised her to leave early today to avoid Rong Yatou noticing anything amiss and worrying her. The senior told Rong Yatou not to be sad, and that if fate allowed, they would meet again.

Yan Mingzhang saw Rong Wanyin looking aggrieved, like an abandoned, red-eyed rabbit. But he was terrible at lying, so he could only offer dry words of comfort: "Perhaps Senior has urgent business. We'll meet again someday. Let's have breakfast first; everyone's hungry."

Rong Wanyin then glanced longingly at the door before reluctantly picking up her rice bowl.

As everyone was eating, a sudden commotion arose outside—the sound of horses' hooves! Old Li rushed in hastily, turned around, and slammed the door shut: "Old woman, quickly tell everyone to hide in the secret room! It sounds like bandits are coming!"

Granny Li opened the door to the secret room on the ground without hesitation, and everyone filed in without saying a word.

The secret room is considered semi-underground because the floor of the house was raised. At the top of the walls around the secret room, there are small vents for ventilation and for observing the outside situation.

Everyone strained to listen to the commotion outside. Mo Yun and Rong Wanyin tiptoed and peered through a small vent in the wall. Granny Li whispered, "These bandits are despicable! They repeatedly rob people of their property and even make fun of us!"

"Mountain bandits?" Yan Mingzhang glanced at Granny Li. "Chanzhou isn't far from the capital, so why are these mountain bandits so arrogant?"

Old Li sighed, "I don't know. This band of bandits is a recent phenomenon. They've robbed our village several times, and we're suffering terribly! So every household has converted their cellars into secret rooms and made their houses look uninhabited, hoping to escape this calamity."

“No wonder you were so wary when we came yesterday.” Yan Mingzhang suddenly understood what seemed illogical yesterday.

The sound of horses' hooves drew closer, revealing a group of strong and robust men, at least fifteen or sixteen in number. Each of them was strong and muscular, especially their leader, whose martial arts skills were clearly exceptional.

Rong Wanyin gasped, secretly calculating in her heart that if they were to meet face to face, she really wouldn't stand a chance.

The group dispersed, seemingly searching the village, leaving only the leader and a few scattered subordinates to search the vicinity. A short while later, several bandits emerged, escorting a few villagers. The leader glanced at them, frowned slightly, and muttered, "So few people? What can they do?"

What are they going to do with these people? They don't seem like they're going to kill them. Where are they taking them?
A bandit on horseback had several villagers chained together and were being led along. Suddenly, he whipped his horse several times. The horse, in pain, bolted, and the villagers stumbled and fell to the ground, dragged along like that. Instantly, they were covered in blood, a gruesome sight. The bandits laughed loudly, clapping and cheering. It turned out they weren't refusing to kill, but rather taking pleasure in it! Utterly depraved!
The crowd felt a pang of pity and anxiety as they watched the villagers being dragged along the ground by ropes. They all wanted to help, but Old Li stopped them: "Everyone, calm down. Even if we all joined forces, we are no match for these bandits. If we go out now, we'll just be throwing our lives away!"

As they were talking, several bandits kicked the door open and entered. After looking around the house, they reported to their leader that no one was inside and were about to leave.

As if struck by a thought, the leader suddenly stopped and turned to look around.

Yan Mingzhang was startled and realized something was wrong. He mouthed a single word: "Porridge!"

A chill ran through everyone. The porridge they had just finished eating was still on the table. They could only hope that their leader wouldn't be too suspicious. The leader touched the still-warm porridge bowl on the table and said, "Don't worry, the porridge is still warm. These people either haven't gone far, or they're hiding somewhere."

The leader immediately ordered, "You few, search the area thoroughly, don't miss anything. Take all the valuables, and burn the house down. I refuse to believe they wouldn't show themselves if they were hiding there!"

Several bandits brought firewood and placed it around the house. It looked like they were about to light it. Everyone was extremely anxious and had no choice but to take a desperate gamble.

Old Li said in a low voice, "There's still a lot of kerosene in this secret room. I wonder if it can be of any help."

Old Li briefly explained the layout of the room to everyone in a low voice.

Yan Mingzhang quickly assigned tasks on the muddy ground using tree branches. The group exchanged a knowing glance and nodded.

The fire was lit, and everyone covered their mouths and noses with wet handkerchiefs, tied them behind their heads, and waited quietly for the right moment.

Seeing that the fire had already started but no one came out of the house, the bandit leader assumed that no one was inside, relaxed, and turned to leave.

The moment the leader turned to leave, Rong Wanyin suddenly launched her attack, drawing her soft sword from her waist and thrusting it out of the ground, intending to achieve a surprise victory. Rong Wanyin's delicate brows furrowed, and with a flick of her wrist, the soft sword shot towards the leader like a serpent emerging from its hole.

Unexpectedly, the leader was highly skilled in martial arts and agile. With a slight sidestep, he easily dodged the fierce attack and then used his meteor hammer to parry and neutralize it. Rong Wanyin missed her attack and was also numb from the impact of the meteor hammer, making it difficult for her to make another move.

The bandit leader took a few steps back and sneered, "Hmph, so there really is a little cat hiding here!"

Rong Wanyin reacted quickly, somersaulting and landing firmly in a horse stance in the courtyard.

At this moment, with the leader's back to the secret chamber door, Mo Yun seized the opportunity and launched a sudden attack from behind, taking advantage of his unpreparedness. Mo Yun, wielding a long sword, thrust it towards the leader's back with lightning speed, sweeping it across with a whistling sound. The leader coldly snorted, turned around, and roared, his right hand flashing as he swung his meteor hammer with unstoppable force—this man possessed superhuman strength!
Seeing that Rong Wanyin and the other person's attacks were becoming increasingly fierce, the leader flicked his wrist, and the meteor hammer, like two black lightning bolts, roared and smashed towards Rong Wanyin and the others.

The bandit leader struck again with a powerful palm strike, nearly knocking Mo Yun's longsword out of his hand. Seeing this, Rong Wanyin shouted and thrust her soft sword forward once more, its momentum like a fine, continuous rain, impossible to defend against. The leader dodged left and right, but dared not be careless. The three exchanged blows, locked in a fierce battle. Rong Wanyin moved nimbly, her soft sword following like a shadow, her swordsmanship cunning, targeting the leader's vitals; Mo Yun's saber technique was fierce and powerful, each strike heavy and forceful. The leader, fighting two against one, showed no sign of weakness, his fists and palms striking with overwhelming force.

The leader spun around, his meteor hammer gleaming like a dragon emerging from the sea, smashing straight at Mo Yun with the force of a thunderbolt. Mo Yun hurriedly dodged to the side, the meteor hammer slamming into the ground, sending dirt and stones flying. The leader raised both hammers high and smashed them down at Mo Yun, who parried with his sword, but the impact left his arm numb.