Wandering Swordsman |

Before long, the three thieves stopped abruptly in a slightly more spacious area in the woods.

Far behind the three thieves, Shen Mo, who was secretly following them, felt a pang of unease. Could it be that the three were about to attack the girl? He tightened his grip on the branch, his mind racing, trying to think of a quick way to rescue the girl.

Just then, Shen Mo vaguely heard the bandit carrying the girl complain, "Brother, why did you suddenly stop?"

The bandit at the front said, "The smell is so strong, can't you smell it? Come over and take a look, and you'll see."

The bandit carrying the girl walked ahead and took a look. His face twisted in disgust. He quickly covered his nose and complained, "Whose excrement is this? It stinks like hell!"

The bandit with the knife had a serious expression and his eyes were full of vigilance: "Be careful, this excrement is still steaming, there are probably people around here."

Before the bandit could finish speaking, a boy of about twelve or thirteen years old walked out from the side. The boy was dressed simply, like a child from an ordinary family.

The bandit carrying the girl yelled at the boy, "Hey~ where did this brat come from? If you want to live, get out of our way and stop blocking our path."

The boy, unfazed by the bandits' words, complained with a troubled expression, "Sigh~ the martial arts world these days is really chaotic. Even taking a dump in this desolate forest gets me disturbed."

Seeing that his words were ignored, the bandit with the knife roared, "Kid, if you don't want to die, get lost. Otherwise, I'll take your dog's life!"

Seeing the bandits' anger, the boy said with a relaxed expression, "Hey~ I was interrupted while I was taking a dump, and instead of apologizing, you just told me to get lost. Judging from your appearance, you must be bandits from around here. So that girl was probably kidnapped by you too."

The boy paused for a moment, then his expression turned serious, and he said in a commanding tone, "Now I'll count down from three. You leave the girl behind and get out!"

The bandit with the knife roared, "You brat, you haven't even grown your hair yet, and you dare to spout such nonsense! Take this!"

After saying that, he swung his knife at the boy.

Seeing this, the boy swayed his body, easily dodging the bandit's first strike. He then slapped the bandit's wrist with his palm, forcing him to release his grip on the hilt of his sword. The bandit, caught off guard by the boy's unexpected skill, was momentarily taken aback.

The two had barely exchanged blows when the boy and the knife-wielding bandit were locked in a fierce battle, with the boy even gaining a slight advantage. Seeing this, a second bandit joined the fray. He threw a punch from the side, which the boy dodged, then followed up with a kick to the second man's abdomen.

At this moment, the bandit with the knife seized the opportunity to swing his knife again, but the boy was agile and dodged the attack with a backflip. Seeing that the two-on-one fight was still deadlocked and both sides had their share of victories and defeats, the bandit who was carrying the girl put her down and joined the fight, attempting to break the deadlock with a three-on-one battle.

Despite being surrounded by three adult bandits, the boy remained composed. He used his speed and agility to dodge and weave between them. Whenever one attacked, he could quickly anticipate the movements of the other two and react accordingly.

The bandits attacked in waves, but the boy always found an opening, striking back with lightning speed, each blow hitting his opponent's vitals. Despite the trio's superior strength, they were unable to gain the upper hand thanks to the boy's skillful maneuvering.

The boy suddenly sidestepped the bandit's horizontal slash, simultaneously kicking the second bandit in the knee. The second bandit cried out in pain and fell to his knees. Taking advantage of the moment, the boy struck the third bandit in the chest, forcing him to stumble back a few steps.

Seeing this, the bandit with the knife roared angrily, "You brat, who are you?"

The boy chuckled and said, "I'm your father!"

Upon hearing this, the bandits were enraged, gritting their teeth and wishing they could defeat the boy with all their might. In the ensuing fight, they seemed to lose their minds, attacking the boy indiscriminately.

The bandit wielded his broadsword, hacking wildly at the boy. But the boy, like a ghost, moved swiftly from left to right, easily dodging each attack.

Shen Mo noticed that the three bandits were focused entirely on fighting the boy and not paying attention to the girl. Suddenly, an idea to quietly go up and rescue the girl came to Shen Mo's mind.

At this moment, Shen Mo was filled with conflicting emotions. He knew he didn't know martial arts, and if the bandits discovered him, he wouldn't be able to save the girl, and he himself might be in danger. But on the other hand, he couldn't just watch the girl fall into the tiger's den. In the end, Shen Mo gritted his teeth and decided to take the risk.

Shen Mo moved cautiously from his hiding place, each step extremely careful, afraid of making any noise. He peeked out from behind a tree to make sure no one was watching, then crouched low and slowly approached the girl's location. Sunlight filtered through the treetops, dappling the ground and adding to the tranquility of the grove.

But at this moment, Shen Mo was extremely nervous. His heart was racing, and sweat was streaming down his forehead. Every step felt like walking on the edge of a cliff. He kept reminding himself to stay calm and steady his steps.

The girl, who was still unconscious, seemed to realize something and slightly opened her eyes. Seeing Shen Mo sneaking closer, a flicker of surprise and hope flashed in her eyes.

When Shen Mo saw that the girl had woken up, he immediately made a hand gesture to signal her to keep quiet.

Seeing Shen Mo's gesture to silence her, the girl nodded in understanding, and then Shen Mo continued to quietly approach.

Finally, Shen Mo reached the girl's side. He crouched down and quickly checked the ropes binding her. The ropes were tied very tightly, but Shen Mo still found the knots and carefully untied them.

After being untied, the girl immediately removed the cloth from her mouth and gasped, "Who are you?"

Shen Mo lowered his voice and replied, "I'm here to save you. Don't make a sound, come with me."

The girl nodded slightly, her eyes filled with gratitude and trust. The two began to quietly move towards the other side of the woods. Shen Mo held the girl's hand tightly, carefully making their way through the dense foliage, trying not to make a sound.

Just then, a furious shout came from behind: "Stop!"

One of the bandits spotted Shen Mo rescuing the girl and shouted angrily.

Upon hearing this voice, Shen Mo's heart tightened, and without turning his head, he immediately grabbed the girl and ran.

At this moment, the three bandits, as if their beloved treasure had been stolen, immediately stopped fighting with the boy and turned to chase after Shen Mo and his companion.

Shen Mo and the girl hurried through the woods, the footsteps of the bandits growing ever closer. Shen Mo was filled with anxiety; he knew that the only thing they could do now was to pull the girl along and run with all their might, hoping for a chance at survival.