True to her second brother’s words, the rain shadow effect started to wear out on the second day after leaving the Eternal Night Valley. Although it was still rather brown and barren, thicker grass grew to half the horse’s height. Thanks to the little humidity, the weather was no longer as scorching as it was. However, they still had to ration their water until they could locate any streams or wells. Anji thought all would be well and that she would take a short nap after lunch.
When Bai Dajin, who was usually riding in the back, urged his horse forward ahead of Mingshen and halted it, Gu Ying and Anji’s older brother followed the White Tiger Sect Leader’s action. The sudden halt confused Anji, but she quickly realised something was wrong after noticing their reaction.
Before Anji could ask what was happening, the tall grass around them moved weirdly, and many men on horseback appeared. There were so many of them that Anji wondered how she had not realised them. All these men looked rugged with thick muscles, sunburned skin and scars. Unlike Bai Dajin’s rugged appearance, which gave off the vibes of a lofty tiger, these men who did not wear shirts reminded Anji of a pack of hyenas with their cunning grins.
The man who rode a black steed and carried a huge axe stepped up and pointed his weapon at the travelling group. He was missing an eye hidden behind an eye patch and had to be the leader of these criminals.
"This path was created by me; these trees were planted by me. If you wish to pass through here, leave behind some road money!"
Although Anji had never heard this phrase used by anyone in person, she immediately recognised the situation. However, it still felt like an unreal situation. Did these highway robbers not understand who they were dealing with? Unless they had a secret cultivator in their ranks, smarter folks would not dare to approach them with Bai Dajin around.
Truthfully, Mingshen thought this might happen. Even if he could dispatch this dumb group of bandits easily with Gu Ying, highway bandits in the grassland were known to be as cunning as they were bold. Anji might be taken as a hostage, or they could become ambushed by poisonous secret weapons that were difficult to guard against. Bai Dajin’s presence was both a deterrence and an insurance for such a scenario. Ideally, the scholarly teen wished they did not encounter any bandits. However, they should follow his second plan now that it has come to this.
Gu Ying prioritised Anji’s safety without needing instructions and drew her sword. She usually kept her sword sheathed as a sign of restraint and mercy when she fought. Not many cultivators were on Gu Ying’s level. Unsheathing her blade could only mean one thing, and reality finally sank in for the weak princess.
"Young mistress, please hold onto the reins tightly and close your eyes. Keep your head down until you don’t hear them anymore," the Manchurian bodyguard advised, pushing Anji’s head down so that she was breathing into the horse’s mane.
Following instructions, Anji wrapped the reins around both wrists and clutched the leather straps tightly. With Gu Ying behind her, Anji wasn’t afraid. They were probably going to engage in a rough battle.
Behind them, Mingshen tried to negotiate with the bandits in a relaxed voice.
"Brother, if I leave you four silver ingots, one for each person here, would you let us leave peacefully?"
Human greed was such a predictable thing. Anyone who saw Mingshen’s robes would know the garment he wore alone cost more than ten silver ingots. How could they be content with only four silver ingots from a golden goose who could afford at least four gold ingots worth of road money?
"We only accept whole money bags and their contents for each person," the leader laughed evilly. "No more, no less. If you value your life, stop negotiating."
With tension among the men increasing, even the horses became nervous. The horses that Anji and Mingshen rode were horses raised in a martial sect. They were not scared. However, Bai Dajin’s horse was a regular steed bought from the Hotel by a merchant. It was not battle-trained and whined a little.
Seeing there was no room for negotiation to get Anji away safely first, Mingshen flicked his fan open with the snap of his wrist as an indication to start his plan. Bai Dajin heard the signal and immediately pounced on the unsuspecting prey.
Leaping high into the air, startling his horse, the White Tiger Leader unsheathed his heavy sabres in the air and slashed it at the front of the bandits surrounding Anji and Gu Ying.
The cross-shaped slash produced a very strong gust of wind that swept horses and men away, resembling a little tornado. Anji felt the gust of wind and screamed. However, she continued to grip the reins tightly as instructed, even when her horse reared on its hind legs. With Gu Ying supporting her balance, Anji remained on her mount.
Seeing the opening Bai Dajin created for them, Gu Ying yelled at the horse to charge forward. She brandished her sword to parry anything in the horse’s way, including branches, grass and the occasional stray arrows.
Even after falling from their horses, the bandits remained unfazed. With two of their prey getting away, the leader barked orders in a foreign language for half of his men to pursue them. However, Bai Dajin was faster. Although he could not stop the archers from firing their arrows, with two heavy slashes of his sabres, he cut down all those who had their backs turned to him.
Meanwhile, Mingshen did not lose his composure. He targeted any bandit with hidden weapons on them, throwing his poisoned needles. They weren’t life-threatening poisons, but they would keep anyone who was affected by them bedridden for at least a month without the antidote.
With divided focus, the bandit leader stumbled and yelled at his subordinates to regroup, but Bai Dajin rushed up to him with his heavy sabre. Unable to care about others when his life was in danger, the leader blocked the blow with his huge axe.
Compared to the legendary twin sabres from the White Tiger’s Sect, a regular large axe could not withstand its weight on top of Bai Dajin’s swinging force. With widened eyes, the bandit leader watched as the axe he took pride in shattered into scrap metal.
Without his main weapon, the bandit leader was quickly killed. Mingshen wasted no time and took advantage of the confusion to escape.
"I’ll leave the clean up to you!" he yelled as he passed the fierce warrior on his horse. "Send a flare when it’s taken care of!" The source of thɪs content is novel✶fire.net
Grunting in agreement but grinning maniacally, Bai Dajin, who had gotten tired of sitting around, cracked his knuckles. Without the leader, he could play with the rest with his bare hands. It was a great opportunity for the White Tiger leader to stretch his muscles and vent his frustrations. Without the delicate princess to worry about, he could finally go all out without fear of scaring her.
"Hey, let’s play!" he barked before pouncing at the group of disoriented and terrified bandits.