My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 42 Thief
The Buffalo Mountains are vast in scale and exceptionally high and majestic in elevation.

The mountains stretch endlessly, extending east to Fangcheng, south to Nanyang, west to Guanzhong, and north to the Xiaoshan Mountains. The mountains are layered and rugged, with towering peaks. The terrain is difficult to traverse, and there are countless ferocious beasts that prey on people. Therefore, even the villagers in the surrounding villages at the foot of the mountains dare not venture too deep into the mountains and usually stay in the area at the foot of the mountains.

Li Xuanba led the group, steadily approaching Wild Buffalo Mountain.

The path leading to the mountain was difficult to traverse, with only faint traces visible. The path was lined with trees on both sides, and wild dogs could be seen roaming around looking for food from time to time, which was quite frightening.

Since leaving the farm, Feng Li has become extremely vigilant, carefully observing his surroundings, fearing that something might go wrong.

Li Xuanba was alright; it was his first time being so far from home, and he was full of curiosity about everything.

Among the people that Boss Li sent to help, there were all sorts of people, including the guide.

The man was a hunter by trade and was very familiar with the area; he was walking at the front.

"My lord, just ahead is a small village called Peach Village. It's not big, with only about a hundred people living there. After passing Peach Village, go another thirty li, and you'll reach Horn Pass, which is where you enter Wild Buffalo Mountain."

"Peach Village. I suppose there's a peach orchard in the village?"

I've heard that it existed in the past, but it seems to be gone now.

Are there still bison on Bison Mountain?

The guide took a deep breath. "There are too many! And the bison in this mountain are extremely ferocious; they can even eat people. It's so dangerous that hunters don't dare to go into the mountains!"

"Can they eat people? Don't cows eat grass?"

"I've heard of a giant bison, strong and large, bigger than any ordinary bison. It is fierce and savage, like a demon, and has harmed many hunters and merchants, causing panic among the people in the valley. However, I have never seen it, I have only heard about it."

The guide recounted some interesting anecdotes from the surrounding area, and Li Xuanba sat in Liu Chounu's lap, listening attentively to these stories.

Suddenly, Liu Chounu, who had been half-closing his eyes as if he were resting, opened them and reined in his horse to stop.

Feng Li noticed his expression and quickly told everyone to stop.

"Master Liu, what's wrong?"

Liu Chounu didn't answer, but just stared into the distance. Feng Li saw him sniff hard, and then Liu Chounu's expression suddenly turned serious. "There are bandits ahead."

"Huh? What?"

Before Feng Li could react, Liu Chounu had already taken out a rope from the side and tied Li Xuanba, who was in his arms, directly to his own body.

Feng Li looked completely bewildered.

Where is the enemy?
Why can't I see anything?
A moment later, a thick plume of smoke suddenly appeared in the distance. The black smoke rose extremely fast and its size began to increase continuously.

The guide exclaimed, "That's the direction of Peach Village!"

Liu Chounu looked at Feng Li and said, "It must have been thieves who burned the village. Otherwise, there wouldn't be such thick smoke from thieves burning the village. Their operation must have been quite large."

Feng Li panicked and didn't know what to say for a moment.

Li Xuanba immediately rebuked, "Brother! The thief is harming people, why are you hesitating?!"

"Let's go!!"

The knights grabbed their weapons, and Feng Li gritted his teeth, pointing into the distance, "Follow me!!"

Feng Li led the charge, with the rest following behind him as they sped toward the village.

The closer you get, the stronger the burnt smell becomes. The stench of blood follows, growing ever more intense.

Li Xuanba was tied to Liu Chounu, his face pale. The horse was galloping very fast, and the pungent smell kept filling his nose and mouth. This smell was even worse than the medicine he had taken before. He felt his body trembling slightly, but the old man close to him gave him a great sense of security.

Liu Chounu was tall and strong. He bent over, lowered his gaze, and tried his best to protect Li Xuanba.

After passing through the dense forest, the burning village came into view.

Screams were heard everywhere, and a group of ragged people were attacking another group of equally pitiful people.

They carried all sorts of weapons—knives, axes, hoes. In the distance, houses were engulfed in flames, and women were wailing, pinned to the ground. The path that ran through the village was littered with corpses—old and young, men and women.

In that instant, Li Xuanba suddenly lost his fear.

His face flushed red, an indescribable anger burning in his chest, his whole body burning hot, and he was so angry that he couldn't speak.

"Om~~"

The sound of something cutting through the air came from above, and Liu Chounu fired without hesitation.

His arrow pierced the air, and the beast who was pinning down the woman in the distance was instantly pierced through the neck. His neck looked as if it had been smashed, and his head almost flew off, with only a thin layer of skin hanging on it.

"Don't go down the side streets! The roads are narrow! Use the sides!"

Liu Chounu gave a reminder and spontaneously led a group of knights to circle around from the left. He turned directly to face the enemy, firing arrows incessantly. Before Li Xuanba could even see the thief clearly, the thief was already dead. Feng Li, on the other hand, led his knights to circle around from the right.

Liu Chounu kept firing, but he was able to adjust his direction and never took shortcuts. He always went whichever side was flat. Feng Li in the distance followed suit.

The knights began firing.

These unarmored bandits were utterly helpless against the arrows, just like the civilians they had just slaughtered, utterly powerless to fight back.

The sudden arrival of the knights terrified the murderous thieves.

Those who dared to rush out were the first to be shot, and the rest began to hide.

However, many places were on fire, and there weren't many places to hide.

Liu Chounu had no intention of going in to search for or arrest anyone. He simply led his men around the area, shooting any thieves who tried to escape.

Outside the village, knights ran around constantly, while bandits huddled inside, not daring to show their faces.

Feng Li felt the time was ripe several times and wanted to go in and arrest the man, but seeing Liu Chounu still lingering outside, he gave up the idea of ​​rushing in.

The fire in the village grew larger and larger.

"Spare me!!"

"We surrender!! We surrender!!"

Finally, one of the thieves couldn't help but shout.

Liu Chounu slowed down slightly, and Feng Li shouted from the other side, "Drop your troops! Get out here!!"

One after another, thieves emerged from the opposite side, terrified, raising their hands high to indicate they were unarmed. Feng Li reined in his horse and ordered his men to tie them up.

Only then were people sent in to check.

Liu Chounu refused to approach, but stood at a distance. Although he had lowered his bow, his eyes were sharp as he continued to observe his surroundings.

The old soldier looked more cautious than anyone else, almost to the point of being timid.

The fire in the village could not be extinguished. As for the people, Feng Li only managed to rescue seven or eight women, but they had all been trampled beyond recognition and were either dead or half-dead. The entire village was slaughtered.

Only then did Liu Chounu walk towards Feng Li.

"My lord, the dead are terrifying. If you are afraid, close your eyes."

Liu Chounu reminded him.

"I'm not afraid."

Liu Chounu approached Feng Li and the others. The thieves were kneeling on the ground, crying and begging for a way to survive.

Knights were carrying corpses, one after another, in a gruesome sight.

These young knights had never seen such a scene before. Apart from the men sent by their leader, the rest of the young men all looked distressed, and a few were vomiting in the distance.

Feng Li looked at Li Xuanba.

"Mr. Lang."

He was somewhat worried that Li Xuanba might not be able to accept such a scene.

Li Xuanba's face was indeed very ugly, his little face was pale, but after a moment, anger replaced his pale face.

He looked at the thieves and said, "They all have fathers and mothers, and are born as human beings. How could they commit such atrocities?!"

The thieves dared not argue; they simply kept begging for mercy.

Feng Li asked, "My lord, what should we do?"

Li Xuanba raised his head and said, “Xunzi said: ‘Punishment must be based on guilt; those who kill shall die.’”

Feng Li was somewhat surprised. He glanced at the young man in front of him again, then gestured to his subordinates who had come with him, "Leave the head behind, and you can exchange it for merit at the government office."

When the thieves realized they were still going to be executed, some fainted and others cursed loudly, but they were already bound and unable to resist, so they were taken away and disposed of.

The screams of the thieves echoed one after another. A moment later, the knights sent by Boss Li came over carrying a string of human heads. The heads were strung together with their hair, which was quite frightening.

Li Xuanba slowly lowered his head, his expression still somewhat unsettled.

He sighed deeply, "Alas."

Feng Li glanced at him, sensing that he felt guilty for ordering the killings, and was about to offer some words of advice when he heard Li Xuanba say:
"If only we had come sooner."

(End of this chapter)