Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 83 Robbery Makes Me Happy
Yun Ce, his face covered, chuckled and leaped over the hastily erected shield wall like a bullet. While still in mid-air, his spear was already aimed at Zhao Ling, the military officer who hadn't had time to put on his helmet.

Zhao Ling used his broadsword to deflect Yun Ce's spear, gripped the sword with both hands, and said in a deep voice, "You scoundrel, you're courting death."

Yun Ce laughed and said, "Are you scared?"

Zhao Ling, seeing the bandits coming from the other side of the river like a swarm of ants, was eager to direct the defense and didn't want to get entangled with Yun Ce. He took a few steps back and saw that two of his subordinates blocked Yun Ce. Only then did he turn around and leave. He hadn't taken more than a few steps when he heard the sound of a sharp weapon cutting through the air behind him. He turned around and slashed his saber horizontally, blocking the spear aimed at the back of his head.

The two subordinates who had just been blocking Yun Ce's way were now in dire straits. One was lying on the rock wall, blood gushing from his mouth and nose, while the other had a large hole in his throat, from which a stream of bubbly blood was flowing. He was clearly not going to make it.

Zhao Ling dared not turn his back on an opponent like Yun Ce any longer. He stepped forward and swung his sword, aiming to slash at Yun Ce's waist. Yun Ce flipped in mid-air, but the sword missed its mark. Zhao Ling roared and stepped forward again, the sword swirling around his waist before slashing at Yun Ce, who had just landed.

With a clang, the saber struck the lance shaft, bending the straight lance into an arc. Yun Ce turned around, gripping the lance with his right hand and clawing at Zhao Ling's throat with his left.

Zhao Ling, wielding his knife in one hand, punched Yun Ce's claw. He chuckled and then staggered backward, using his powerful body to knock the shield-bearing soldiers behind him off balance, giving Hong Guniang, who had been struggling to break through the shield formation, an opportunity.

Pei Chuan shouted as he squeezed through the breach in the shield formation, desperately hacking at the shield soldiers on both sides with his longsword, creating a larger gap for his own men to follow.

Zhao Ling was in a panic and was about to swing his sword to fill the gap when Yun Ce's lance thrust at him again. He had no choice but to parry with his sword. For some reason, his right hand suddenly stiffened. His saber blocked the lance, but Yun Ce's fist, which flew through the air, landed on his face, making him see stars and his vision go black. He swung his sword wildly and retreated. When his vision gradually cleared, Yun Ce's fist appeared in front of him again.

A thunderous boom resounded in Zhao Ling's mind, and then it seemed as if his brain and skull were no longer attached. Even though Zhao Ling opened his eyes wide, everything in front of him was still pitch black.

The constant booming of thunder echoed in Zhao Ling's mind. He felt that his consciousness and body were becoming increasingly uncoordinated. He was clearly moving backward, but he felt like he was moving forward.

A chill ran through my chest and abdomen, followed by a burning pain—the sensation of a sharp weapon piercing my armor…

Seeing Yun Ce relentlessly punching Zhao Ling, who was teetering on the brink of collapse like a sack full of grain, Hong Guniang cursed and plunged her spear into Zhao Ling's stomach.

Pei Chuan, who had been rescued by Yun Ce, swung his sword at Zhao Ling's neck.

"Oh dear—"

Zhao Ling's previously muddled eyes regained a sliver of clarity. He actually reached out and grabbed the longsword that Pei Chuan was slashing at him, using it to block the red girl's spear that was thrusting at him again. The spear slid across the blade, making a creaking sound, and once again pierced through his hastily put-on armor.

Yun Ce swung his lance in a wide arc and smashed it into Zhao Ling's back. Zhao Ling staggered forward, and Hong Guniang's lance finally pierced through his body.

Pei Chuan tried to take the knife, but failed twice in his efforts to wrest it from Zhao Ling, who was spitting blood. He simply gave up on the longsword and used his secondary weapon, an axe, to chop Zhao Ling on the forehead.

Blood immediately gushed from both sides of the axe blade. With his eyes bulging, Zhao Ling used his last bit of strength to punch Pei Chuan in the nose, and then he began to fall to the ground convulsing.

Pei Chuan, his nose smashed to pieces, ignored it and, wielding his axe, hacked at Zhao Ling's neck with all his might. In just a few strokes, the head was severed. He picked up the head, stuck it into a spear, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Zhao Ling is dead!"

Pei Chuan's voice was very loud, and since he was in a valley, his cry of "Zhao Ling is dead" carried far and wide.

The thieves, who were already locked in a fierce battle with the soldiers, became even more excited and charged at them with even greater recklessness.

When Yun Ce's foot touched Zhao Ling's corpse, a wisp of white light pierced into his boot. If it weren't for Gouzi's help, Yun Ce and Zhao Ling would still be fighting.

Seeing that Yun Ce had no intention of continuing the battle, Hong Guniang pointed to a carriage behind her that was carved with dragon patterns and said to Yun Ce, "The goods inside are especially valuable."

Yun Ce casually touched the carriage and asked, "How did you know?"

Hong Guniang rolled her eyes and said, "Zhao Ling personally guarded this carriage. Even when he was sleeping, he never let it out of his sight."

Yun Ce admitted that the current Red Girl was very clever. She tore off the seal, broke the lock, and found that the huge carriage contained only a wooden box that was three feet long, two feet high, and two feet wide.

After reading it, Yun Ce said to Hong Guniang, "You're trying to trick me."

Hong Guniang was also puzzled by the small amount of stuff in the carriage, but she quickly said to Yun Ce, "It's not true that the heavier or more numerous the items, the more precious they are."

Yun Ce thought that what Hong Gu Niang said was right. It was indeed quite foolish to carry a pile of gold around all day. He carried the box on his shoulder. It was neither too light nor too heavy, and it was just right to carry. He waved to Hong Gu Niang and then jumped over the Gaoliang River again and disappeared into the woods on the other side.

Pei Chuan walked over with a displeased look and asked Hong Guniang, "Why did you give him the most expensive thing?"

The girl in red said with a gloomy face, "Are you questioning me?"

Pei Chuan hesitated for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "This subordinate dares not." Hong Guniang thought for a moment and then explained to Pei Chuan, "That box can occupy a whole carriage, which means the goods inside are very valuable. Valuable means famous. Let me ask you, how do you monetize famous goods?"

What we need now is money to buy things, not rare treasures. Having those things will only bring countless enemies.

Since that's the case, it's better to give it directly to Liu Chang'an. If the enemy burdens us too much because of these things, we can just throw him out to lighten our load.

Pei Chuan bowed respectfully, completely convinced, and said, "You are wise, young lady."

After carrying the box through the woods for a while, Yun Ce, seeing that no one was around, threw the box into the Dragon Ball. He had no interest in opening the box at this moment; it was E Ji who preferred counting money and opening boxes.

He didn't take the same route he came by, because if someone accidentally saw him, he could easily be mistaken for a thief by the authorities. So, he deliberately took the low-lying, flat side of the Gaoliang River with lots of trees.

The sun is about to set, and the long day is about to end.

The timing of Hong Guniang's attack was excellent. After Zhao Ling's death, they should be able to finish the battle before dark, and then, under cover of darkness, quietly transport away the stolen imperial convoy.

The wasteland was close at hand. Yun Ce, who had walked a long way, was about to whistle to call his chestnut horse over when he saw the chestnut horse's long face silently emerge from behind a tree.

"Oh, you were waiting for me here? How did you know I'd come out this way?"

Yun Ce happily walked over, hugged the chestnut horse's long face and kissed it. He felt that he and this horse were becoming more and more in sync. A fine horse should be this vibrant and lively. Compared with such a considerate horse, the steel horses on Earth should be discarded.

He jumped onto the chestnut horse's back, patted its neck, and said, "Alright, we should go home now. Can you run back before dark?"

In the past, when Yun Ce spoke to the chestnut horse, the horse would respond in some way, whether it understood him or not. Today was strange; as soon as Yun Ce mounted the horse, the horse carried him and quickly disappeared into the woods.

A horse that doesn't graze on its favorite grasslands and keeps heading into the forest must be something wrong. Yun Ce wanted to go to the wilderness to check, but the chestnut horse refused. It carried him around and around in the forest, finally emerging from a dilapidated ditch. Even then, the chestnut horse was still sneaking around with its ears tucked in, and there was no sound from its hooves.

After the man and his horse stealthily made their way through a large patch of overgrown grass, the chestnut horse began to gallop at breakneck speed. It ran so fast that even its tail, which usually trailed behind it, stood straight like a whip due to the excessive force it exerted.

When Yun Ce returned to the Royal Hunting Grounds, it wasn't completely dark yet. When E Ji saw Yun Ce return with a wooden box tied to his horse, she came over with a big smile and called for Feng An and Liang Kun to help her carry the box. As for Yun Ce, he naturally received her warm embrace.

A perfunctory embrace is naturally devoid of warmth. When Eji noticed that the box wasn't heavy, she led Anji and the others to carry it to the bedroom.

"My lord, what's in the box?"

Yun Ce swallowed a mouthful of rice, shook his head, and said, "I don't know."

Why don't you pick and choose?

"Do not have time."

Are the officers and soldiers very capable?

"They were incredibly powerful; the corpses were strewn everywhere, and even the river was blocked."

Eji's face turned pale upon hearing this. She checked Yun Ce again and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "How much is too much?"

Yun Ce smiled and pointed to the room where the boxes were kept, saying, "Aren't you going to open them and take a look?"

Eji, who had been unable to contain herself any longer, immediately abandoned Yun Ce and hurriedly went to her bedroom.

The person who cooked today should be Anji. Eji couldn't make food that suited her tastes so well, especially the sour soup made with lychees and shredded meat, which really tests the chef's skills.

Yun Ce scooped himself a bowl of soup, and just as he brought it to his lips, he heard E Ji scream in the room. The soup bowl crashed to the ground, spilling soup everywhere and shattering into seven or eight pieces. Yun Ce's figure had already disappeared from the room.

The box had been opened, and the room was filled with light. Eji was still screaming with her eyes covered. Yun Ce quickly closed the box and began to comfort the frightened young woman. At the same time, Gouzi had already transformed into silver threads and crawled into the box.

When Feng An, Liang Kun, and An Ji arrived, the box had already been hidden inside the cabinet by E Ji. All that could be heard was E Ji constantly complaining that Yun Ce had tricked her.

Being teased by Yun Ce, or teasing Yun Ce, was their daily routine. Feng An and the others gave the two of them a disdainful look before returning to their rooms.

(End of this chapter)