Hmm? Wu Yuan's brow furrowed, his gaze instinctively turning towards the distant woods. Bandits? And not just a few either!
His soul sense had grown stronger in the past month, and nothing within a radius of nine li could escape his perception. He could vaguely sense the presence of thousands of vital auras gathering about seven li away. Leading them were several first-rate Adepts.
There’s no way to avoid them. Wu Yuan frowned.
There was only one trade route here, surrounded by thick forests. Take a detour? That would mean an additional 100 li!
Let's see how Chairman Zhang handles it. Wu Yuan closed his eyes.
During this journey, even though they were enemies, Wu Yuan had to admit that the security of the Great Jin Empire was quite impressive.
But on a journey through mountains and forests, spanning 3000 li, encountering land bandits and water thieves was inevitable. The majority of them were dealt with by the leader of the caravan, Chairman Zhang. However, this was the first time they had come across such a large group of bandits.
Soon, they were about to enter the Chu Continent. As a recently conquered territory of the Great Jin Empire, it had witnessed unceasing rebellions over just the past few decades and was naturally more chaotic than the heartland of Great Jin.
It took less than a quarter of an hour.
"Haha! Look at this fat sheep!"
"Close in on them quickly." From the dense forests on both sides of the official route, howls and shouts filled the air. A huge wave of bandits, clad in armor and brandishing swords, sabers, and crossbows, began converging from all directions.
"Quick!" The entire caravan was a flurry of movement as security personnel sprang into action, their expressions filled with utmost seriousness. Dealing with such a sizable group of bandits was no easy task.
Over a hundred merchants swiftly drew their weapons, their anxiousness outweighing that of the guards. Yet, remarkably few displayed fear. In this day and age, those who dared to travel across vast distances for trade were accustomed to risking their lives for profit; they were not lacking in strength.
Even Little Mao, his face tinged with fear, unsheathed a steel saber, his gaze unwaveringly fixed on the bandits concealed within the dense forest.
"Fellow gentlemen," Chairman Zhang called out at the forefront of the caravan, his voice amplified. "We have inadvertently disturbed you good folks on our journey through this blessed land. Here is a small sum of money to make up for the inconvenience. We hope you can grant us passage."
Inconvenience fees, tea money, road fare; different terms for different places. However, in most cases, ‘negotiation’ was possible when a caravan encountered land bandits: exchange money and be done with it. Most bandits, content with the monetary compensation, would not escalate matters too far. After all, indiscriminate killing only led to casualties among their own. Moreover, excessive bloodshed along a trade route would at best drive away traders and, at worst, draw the attention of a large army.
"Old man!" the one-eyed bandit at the front of the group sneered from atop his horse. "I’m just beginning my reign over this region. Originally, I planned on slaughtering all of you. But, due to the kindness in my heart, I’ll spare you."
"Leave behind the goods and women! If you do so, I’ll allow you to live!" the one-eyed man commanded coldly.
The caravan erupted in a chorus of shock and dismay. Chairman Zhang's expression shifted. How unfortunate he was to stumble upon a bandit boss on his maiden robbery with his new underlings. Significant chaos was bound to ensue.
"Boss," Chairman Zhang hastily changed his address. "Truly, it is a momentous occasion. We are prepared to offer 10,000 taels of silver as a gesture of our goodwill. Will Boss kindly show us mercy?"
The one-eyed man sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. "10,000 taels? Do you take me for a beggar? The contents of this cart alone are worth at least 100,000 taels of silver."
"I’ll say it again, leave the goods and the women," the one-eyed man declared coldly. “Failure to comply will not bode well for you."
"Leave the women!" echoed the bandits on either side, their voices laced with excitement.
The escort and merchants of the caravan grew increasingly tense, their grip on their weapons tightening. They knew that a battle could erupt at any moment.
Chairman Zhang gritted his teeth. Leaving behind the goods was simply not an option. As the caravan's organizer, the goods he transported were the most valuable, worth nearly 100,000 taels of silver. It was his entire fortune.
Caught in a moment of hesitation, Chairman Zhang deliberated. Should he yield to their demands?
Unwilling to wait any longer, the one-eyed man's single eye flickered with a hint of savagery as he growled, "Brothers, kill!"
The size of this caravan made it a challenging bite to swallow, and he was reluctant to sacrifice his fellow bandits. But if they persisted in their stubbornness, then they would face the consequences.
For a gang seeking to establish their presence and reputation, showcasing their might was imperative. A massacre was inevitable, if not this caravan, then the next. How else could they sow terror along the trade route and amass vast fortunes of silver?
"Kill them all!" bellowed the horde of bandits more than a thousand strong, their visages twisted in bloodthirsty grins as they surged forth from every direction, weapons poised.
Whoosh! A storm of arrows hurtled toward the caravan.
"Kill!" "Kill them all!" The guards of the merchant caravan roared back in response, their faces flushed red with fury as they held their weapons and shields high.
Whoosh! Whoosh! With piercing, ear-splitting whistles, streaks of blinding light sliced through the sky like meteors, aiming unerringly for the mounted leaders at the front of the bandit horde.
"Stealth weapons!" The three first-rate Adepts in the front paled. Some swung their sabers in a desperate attempt to parry, others displayed lightning-quick reflexes in a frantic bid to escape the lethal trajectory.
Yet, the three streaks of light defied all comprehension, miraculously altering their course to track the evasive maneuvers of their targets!
Stealth weapons capable of changing direction? Yet, there was no time for the three first-rate Adepts to ponder this mystery.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Blood sprayed forth, as the three streaks of light pierced their skulls with uncanny precision. Blood trickled from their foreheads, their faces eternally frozen in a macabre tableau: a manic grin, a flicker of terror, a vacant stare. Three lifeless bodies crumpled to the ground.
The three leaders of the bandits were all dead!
Following that, something invisible silently threaded through the air, severing the necks of the dozens of bandits charging at the front and releasing a gush of crimson blood.
Both the second-rate Adept guard captain and the other guards were frozen in shock, their mouths agape in disbelief.
Amongst the stunned onlookers stood Little Mao, his wide eyes fixed on Wu Yuan, “Big Brother Wan, you?”
Just now, he had seen Wu Yuan flick his wrist. Moments later, three streaks of light soared through the air and struck down the bandit leaders. He had taken them down with practically no effort, akin to swatting flies.
“Brother Wan is a Savant expert? Or a Grandmaster?” exclaimed the black-robed Brother Jia, his voice laced with astonishment and excitement.
At this moment, the thousands of bandits that once swaggered about confidently now stood paralyzed with fear, staring at the lifeless bodies scattered across the ground. Some saw Wu Yuan launch his attack, but the majority did not. Either way, the three leaders of their group were dead, as well as dozens of their brothers. Without a doubt, they had unwittingly provoked a force beyond their comprehension.
"Flee!" The group of bandits scattered like leaves in a hurricane, desperate to escape the mysterious expert.