The peasant girl has a private space, and her husband is handsome.

After Hu Pingfan left Shacheng, he encountered many refugees on the road the next evening.

These people brought their families, including chickens, ducks, and geese.

Hu Pingfan asked curiously, "Fellow villager, there's no longer fighting at the border, so why are you still fleeing with your families?"

The old man pushing the wheelbarrow explained, "We are people from Qinglong Town in the east. Our area is mountainous and plagued by bandits. Bandits often raided the town at night, causing countless civilian deaths and injuries. We all wanted to survive, so we fled."

Hu Pingfan dismounted and asked the old man, "Where do you plan to escape to?"

The old man looked bewildered. "I don't know either. Just stay away from Qinglong Town."

As for where to go, they had no idea. They had never left Qinglong Town before and knew nothing about the outside world, so they had no idea where to go.

When Mo Xiaobei delivered things to Shacheng earlier, Hu Pingfan heard Mo Xiaobei talk a lot about Miss Su.

Knowing that Miss Su's Qinghe County is actively recruiting talent, even though Miss Su is no longer in Qinghe County, Qinghe County is Miss Su's stronghold and the foundation of her family, so Miss Su will eventually take over Qinghe County again.

Hu Pingfan said to the crowd, "Fellow villagers, I'll give you directions. You can flee towards Huainan. There's a Qinghe County there, and Gu's Restaurant there is giving out free porridge. You'll definitely survive if you get there."

The fleeing crowd carefully examined Hu Pingfan, noticing that he rode a tall, fine horse and had eyes full of wisdom.

This person must have traveled to many places and knows more than ordinary people like us. So let's listen to him and head to Qinghe County.

Hu Pingfan planned to continue his journey.

A kind young woman leading two sheep stopped Hu Pingfan, saying, "Sir, you should turn back. Don't go any further. Qinglong Town, where we used to live, is just ahead. It's very dangerous."

The young man carrying the load glanced at the crossbow on Hu Pingfan's back and couldn't help but advise, "Sir, even if you are highly skilled in martial arts, a lone tiger cannot fight against a pack of wolves. Please cherish your life."

Hu Pingfan shook his head. "No, I won't back down."

He was determined to follow Miss Su, and he would never back down even if it meant going through fire and water.

For someone as remarkable as Miss Su to become a follower, one would certainly need to undergo numerous trials.

If he backs down at the slightest provocation, then he is not worthy to follow Miss Su.

The road to Qinglong Town is the most convenient route to the capital. If we were to take a different route, it would take several days to get there.

He didn't want to waste so much time; he wanted to get to the capital as soon as possible and help Miss Su.

Hu Pingfan rode his chestnut horse and arrived at Qinglong Town in less than the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn.

There were still many people queuing up at the town entrance to leave the town.

But many people in the town also live peacefully.

Some people are sweeping the streets, while others are setting up stalls and hawking their wares.

In the eyes of those who had no intention of fleeing, in a world of poverty, dying of starvation while fleeing was no different from being killed by bandits on the spot.

An innkeeper was soliciting customers when he encountered Hu Pingfan and quickly asked, "Sir, are you looking for a place to stay?"

"No need, I still have a long way to go."

Seeing that Hu Pingfan was heading towards the Qinglong Mountains, the waiter quickly stepped forward to stop the horses.

"Sir, you are from out of town and may not know that there is a group of bandits hiding in the Qinglong Mountains. It is getting dark soon, and it is most dangerous to go there at night. Why don't you stay at the inn for the night and leave when it is light tomorrow?"

Hu Pingfan thought about it and realized it made sense.

Although he was not afraid of difficulties, he also valued his life and wanted to keep it to help Miss Su.

Hu Pingfan led his horse and followed the waiter into the Qinglong Inn.

He was staying on the second floor of the inn and was woken up in the middle of the night by noise.

Looking out the window, I saw flames shooting into the sky.

A group of masked men dressed in black, wielding knives, chased and indiscriminately slaughtered civilians.

These people must be the bandits the common people are talking about, right?

That's incredibly cruel! Not only did they steal our valuables, they also tried to kill us.

Hu Pingfan recalled Mo Xiaobei mentioning that Miss Su had wiped out the Black Wind Mountain bandits. If Miss Su were in such a situation tonight, she would definitely lend a helping hand, right?

As Miss Su's subordinate, he naturally had to do the same things as her—kill the mountain bandits and protect the local people.

Hu Pingfan took out a crossbow that could fire three arrows at once. This was a gift from Mo Xiaobei when he donated all his wealth to Miss Su.

After obtaining the crossbow, he practiced diligently every day, and his accuracy became quite good.

Hu Pingfan activated the mechanism, and three arrows flew out simultaneously with a "whoosh".

Two shots hit the bandits.

Some bandits spotted the direction from which the arrow had been shot, pointing to the second floor of the inn and saying, "There are people there; the arrow came from there."

A group of men in black quickly surrounded Hu Pingfan's room, but after searching inside, they couldn't find him; the windows were open.

"Damn it, that archery expert must have escaped by jumping out of the window."

The man in black was right; Hu Pingfan had already jumped out of the window.

He is now outnumbered, so he should move as far as possible to avoid being discovered by the enemy.

Hu Pingfan hid in the city, and after shooting three arrows, he would move to a different place.

This made the enemy think that there were many experts in Qinglong Town.

Qinglong Town is not large, and Hu Pingfan quickly figured out the approximate total number of the enemy.

There were about one hundred people in total. More than fifty of them were wounded by his gunshots, but the remaining forty-odd people were still able to fight.

Hu Pingfan had spent many years in the northern border region, so he could tell that these hundred or so people were not ordinary bandits, but rather seemed to be soldiers.

These bandits were equipped with the same uniform knives as the ones provided to the government officials' constables.

The leader of the men in black was hit in the left leg by an arrow. He was very puzzled. Could it be that the government had discovered their presence and sent people to help them?

No, he just realized that the other party was using a crossbow that could fire three arrows at once, something only that Miss Su from Qinghe County possessed.

So, could it be that Miss Su sent people to surround and annihilate them?

But I heard that Miss Su has been stripped of her military power by the imperial court!

The leader of the men in black warned his men, "Everyone, stay on high alert. There may be many skilled fighters hiding in the town."

Hu Pingfan quickly ran out of arrows.

But the bandits fared no better; at least fifty of them were wounded by Hu Pingfan's arrows.

The men in black cornered Hu Pingfan in a dead end.

At this point, Hu Pingfan could only take down the broadsword at his waist and engage in close combat with the group of men in black.

Although Hu Pingfan's name is ordinary, his ancestral Hu family sword technique is extraordinary, as fast as lightning, and every strike draws blood.

In the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn, more than a dozen men in black fell to his broadsword.

General Mu once highly praised Hu Pingfan, saying that Hu Pingfan was clearly a general with the talent to be a general, but he insisted on being a strategist.

But no matter how skilled he was, he couldn't withstand the sheer number of opponents.