Wandering Swordsman |

Shen Mo, nestled by the window, had been asleep for an unknown amount of time when suddenly a few hushed voices came from below. He groggily opened his eyes; the hazy moonlight streamed in through the cracks in the window. He rubbed his eyes and looked down, seeing the bandits who had already been handed over to the authorities standing furtively at the inn's entrance, whispering amongst themselves. Shen Mo instantly became alert, holding his breath and listening intently, only managing to catch a few words of conversation.

"How did they end up here? Could it be..." Shen Mo's heart skipped a beat, and several keywords flashed through his mind: "Black Wind Stronghold," "spies," and "inn." The bandits' words revealed that they found this place based on clues provided by some source, but why did they leave the government office unharmed?

Shen Mo's heart clenched suddenly, a cold sweat broke out on his spine, and a chill rose from the depths of his heart. "Collusion between officials and bandits..." This thought flashed through Shen Mo's mind like lightning, and he immediately understood the seriousness of the situation. Anger and disappointment intertwined, causing his fists to clench involuntarily.

Shen Mo took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Now was not the time for resentment; the inn was clearly no longer a safe place. If the bandits were indeed seeking revenge, then the three of them were currently in extreme danger. Shen Mo turned to look at the table, confirming that Zhao Xue and He Yun were still fast asleep. He secretly rejoiced that he had woken up just in time; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Thinking of this, Shen Mo immediately got up and tiptoed towards Zhao Xue and He Yun, who were slumped over the table. He leaned down and softly called out, "Brother He, Miss Zhao, wake up."

He Yun groggily opened his eyes and, seeing Shen Mo's tense expression, immediately sensed something was wrong. His expression instantly sharpened: "Brother Shen, what happened?"

Shen Mo lowered his voice and quickly told He Yun what he had just seen: "I saw those bandits. They're right below the inn. They're probably here for revenge. We have to leave immediately."

Upon hearing this, He Yun's expression changed, and he immediately got up to wake Zhao Xue. Zhao Xue woke up with a start and, seeing the two of them looking tense, felt a sense of foreboding.

Shen Mo looked at the two of them, his eyes resolute: "The situation is critical now, we have to leave immediately. There might be problems with the government, we can't rely on them anymore."

Zhao Xue nodded, a flicker of fear crossing her eyes, but she tried her best to remain calm: "Then where should we go?"

Shen Mo looked around the room, pondering his next move: "Let's leave the inn first, then find a secluded place to discuss our strategy."

The three quickly gathered their belongings. Shen Mo walked in front, with He Yun bringing up the rear, and carefully opened the door. The corridor on the second floor of the inn was quiet; since it was the middle of the night, there was no one else in sight. Shen Mo peeked out, and after confirming that no one was in the corridor, he gently waved to indicate that they could pass. They tiptoed downstairs, trying not to make a sound with each step, afraid of disturbing anything.

Just as they were about to cross the hall and leave through the main entrance, a sound of metal scraping against metal suddenly came from outside, followed by the sound of the wooden door being pried open. Shen Mo, He Yun, and Zhao Xue's hearts jumped into their throats; they heard the bandits trying to pry open the inn's door.

At the same time, Shen Mo's gaze quickly swept across the entire hall, finally landing on the small door leading to the backyard. He immediately pointed towards the backyard of the inn, and the three of them tacitly changed direction, silently opened the small door to the backyard, and quickly left the inn.

They had barely stepped out of the back door of the inn when they heard the bandits shouting from the second floor: "Brother, the benches are still warm! They haven't gone far, let's chase after them!" Upon hearing this, Shen Mo quickened his pace, with He Yun and Zhao Xue close behind. The sound of their heartbeats seemed to be the loudest background music at that moment.

The deserted street was utterly silent under the moonlight. This silence contrasted sharply with the three people running through it. Shen Mo's breathing grew increasingly rapid; his heart felt like it was about to leap out of his chest, and each step he took reminded him of the urgency of time.

He Yun followed closely behind, constantly glancing back with anxiety and wariness in his eyes. Although Zhao Xue was not as physically strong as the two, she gritted her teeth and tried her best to keep up with them, not wanting to become a burden.

The bandits chased them into the street. One of them looked around in both directions and spotted the three figures already receding into the distance. He immediately shouted to the other two bandits, "They're over there!"

Shen Mo's heart tightened, and he quickened his pace. He Yun understood that the three bandits who had come seeking revenge were fully prepared, while he was unprepared. If they confronted them head-on, he would surely suffer losses.

Soon, Shen Mo and his companions reached the city gate of Yuancang County. From afar, they could see four soldiers guarding the city. As they ran, the three shouted for help to the four soldiers, their voices ringing out clearly in the quiet night.

Upon hearing this, the four soldiers responded and prepared to go forward to assist the three. At that moment, the figures of the bandits relentlessly pursuing them appeared behind them.

Upon seeing the bandits, the four soldiers' expressions changed slightly, and they immediately retreated, remaining motionless, as if they were ignoring Shen Mo and the other two's cries for help.

Seeing this, Shen Mo sighed deeply, a sense of powerlessness welling up inside him. He realized that the world had become like this, even the soldiers who guarded the peace of the region had bowed to evil forces. It seemed that he could only rely on himself to deal with the bandits pursuing him.

So Shen Mo and his two companions rushed past the soldiers and out of the city gate, leaving Yuancang County. The pursuing bandits also chased after them out through the main gate. The four soldiers guarding the city pretended not to see anything, as if nothing had happened.

Shortly after leaving Yuancang County, the three runners returned to the grove where they had encountered the bandits during the day. Due to the trees blocking out the moonlight, visibility within the grove was poor. The three stopped, panting heavily; the only sounds around them were the occasional chirping of insects and their rapid breathing.

Shen Mo stopped and looked around. In the darkness, the silhouettes of the trees stood before them like silent giants. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his heartbeat, while observing his surroundings. He knew this was a natural barrier, the only terrain they could utilize.

"Stop first," Shen Mo said softly, his voice particularly deep in the night. "We need to ambush them in the woods to catch them off guard and have a chance of victory. If we keep running, our stamina will definitely not be as good as those three adult bandits."

Shen Mo was right; they were just teenagers in their early teens. How could they possibly outmatch adult bandits in terms of physical strength?