"Report—!"
"Five li to the left, a merchant caravan has been attacked!"
"Report!"
"..."
Just as Han Mo was immersed in sensing the qi and blood within his body, a scout surveying conditions along the official highway came galloping in on horseback.
"Rally the troops, we move out!"
"Huang Zihang, lead thirty elite soldiers five li to the left. Pursue and eliminate the bandits there."
"Ma Fan, lead fifty elite soldiers to guard the camp. If any enemies invade, show no mercy!"
"Huang Jun, pick twenty elite soldiers and accompany me to eradicate the bandits three li away."
Han Mo methodically issued his military orders. His forces were only sufficient to reinforce two locations at once.
Still, any caravan that dared come this way possessed some skill and strength of their own, so Han Mo was not overly worried about their safety.
They were stationed here merely to keep the bandits from growing even bolder.
Given Songyi City's military strength, there was simply no way to comb the mountains and wipe out the outlaws; they could only hunt down and eliminate those who dared ambush the merchant caravans.
Kill them whenever they showed themselves, serving as a deterrent so the bandits would not linger along the official highway or wage prolonged battles.
With fear in their hearts, the bandits would loot and flee immediately, keeping casualties and cargo losses among the caravans to a minimum.
...
"Halt! This is a military outpost. Unauthorized persons, keep away!"
Upon reaching the garrison where Senior Brother Han Mo was stationed, Lin Zheyu was stopped by a soldier.
"I am Lin Zheyu. Lord Han Mo is my senior martial brother. Could you please announce me?" Lin Zheyu said.
"Lord Han's junior martial brother?"
"Please wait outside for a moment, sir. Lord Han has gone out to suppress bandits and will return shortly. Until Lord Han returns, no one is permitted inside the camp."
The soldier's tone softened, but he still refused to let Lin Zheyu enter.
The camp was where they stored provisions, weapons, and other vital supplies; it was not a place just anyone could enter casually.
Without any proof that the young man before them truly was Lord Han's junior martial brother, they dared not let him in.
"Senior Brother Han went to fight bandits? Which direction did he go?" Lin Zheyu asked curiously.
He was quite interested in bandits right now. Although he hadn't looted any silver from them earlier, the life-saving medicines, lethal concoctions, and poison powders on them were all fine goods that could fetch a handsome price.
"That is military intelligence and cannot be disclosed. My apologies," the soldier replied.
"What a pity. I wanted to see my senior brother's bravery as he led his troops into battle."
"Little brother, what's your name?" Lin Zheyu asked.
The armored soldier remained expressionless. Even when Lin Zheyu claimed to be Han Mo's junior martial brother, he maintained a cold demeanor.
"Apologies, but that cannot be disclosed," the soldier said expressionlessly, resting a hand on his weapon with a face full of vigilance.
The surrounding soldiers were the same, full of guarded wariness toward this unfamiliar young man, showing no laxity just because he claimed to be Lord Han's junior martial brother.
It was clear how strictly Han Mo disciplined his men.
"Brother, if you can't tell me your name, and you can't reveal where Senior Brother went to fight bandits, could you at least tell me where bandits frequently appear around here?"
"I've always detested evil. I loathe these bloodthirsty bandits to the bone, and I want to do my part to wipe out as many of them as possible."
Lin Zheyu took out his map and asked the soldier.
The soldier pondered for a moment. This didn't involve military secrets, though he still didn't want to say too much.
Remembering another spot where bandits were attacking and where they lacked sufficient troops to dispatch reinforcements, he said, "Follow the official highway in this direction for about eight li. A band of bandits is attacking a caravan there. If you go now, you might be able to help."
"Now isn't that convenient! Thanks, brother, I'll go have a look."
Lin Zheyu grinned and tossed his bundle over. "Keep this bundle safe for me. There's good stuff inside—don't lose it."
With that, he dashed forward, sprinting toward the location the soldier had mentioned at extreme speed.
"Gangzi, that young man really seemed to be Lord Han's junior martial brother. You pointed him right to a battlefield where bandits and a caravan are clashing. If something happens to him, watch out—the lord won't let you off easy when he returns," another soldier leaned in and whispered.
Holding the bundle Lin Zheyu had thrown him, Zhao Gang felt a jolt of panic. "N-no way, right?"
"That guy just now was so fast, and since he's Lord Han's junior martial brother, he shouldn't be weak. Nothing will really happen to him, will it?"
Zhao Gang swallowed hard, speaking with unease.
The young man had trusted them so completely, tossing the bundle directly into their care. He was almost certainly Lord Han's junior martial brother.
"Who knows? The kid is so young. His strength might indeed be decent, but how much difference can one person's strength make in a battlefield?"
"It's not like you don't know what those bandits are like. Stupor smoke, poison powder, and poisoned hidden weapons—they've got endless tricks. If a hothead like him charges in, he'll be dead within a few rounds," the soldier remarked.
The more Zhao Gang listened, the more panicked he became. Terrified, he stammered, "Th-then should we take a few brothers to reinforce him?"
"Do you want to die?!"
"If something happens to Lord Han's junior martial brother, at worst you'll take a beating with the paddle and hurt for a few days. But if you violate military orders and lead troops out without authorization, you'll lose your life," the soldier said, rolling his eyes.
"Ah!"
"Th-then what..."
Zhao Gang's youthful face flushed red, on the verge of tears from panic.
...
Eight li was roughly four thousand meters.
Running at full tilt, Lin Zheyu reached the area in less than five minutes.
As soon as he drew near, a thick stench of blood assailed his nostrils, mixed with faint traces of other scents that seemed like stupor smoke and poisonous fog.
Advancing another hundred paces, he finally spotted the caravan.
It was a merchant caravan of nearly three hundred people. The caravan guards were all burly and robust, a small number bearing wounds.
Several dead horses and over a dozen corpses lay on the ground, along with many unconscious figures, severed limbs, and discarded weapons scattered across the earth.
Of the guards still able to move, a dozen or so were cleaning up the aftermath while the rest stood with weapons drawn, keeping watch in every direction.
"Brother Bin, cargo losses are minimal, but two hundred and thirty taels of silver were taken," a steward reported after taking inventory.
"Mm. Pass the word to remain on alert. Bandits are numerous around here; there might be a next wave," Zhao Bin said.
"Understood!"
The steward stepped away, methodically handling the cleanup.
Along the journey, they had weathered multiple bandit attacks and survived them all.
In times like these, anyone who dared venture out to trade possessed formidable strength; those without skill had long since turned into piles of dried bones.
As long as they could safely reach Songyi City, the profit from this single shipment would rival that of several past journeys combined.
*It's over already?*
Lin Zheyu observed the caravan from a distance. They were already cleaning up the aftermath, and not a bandit was in sight.
After a brief thought, he walked over.
He planned to ask directly where the bandits had fled and gauge how strong they were. If their strength was mediocre, he intended to see if he could intercept them halfway.
His newfound prowess and the absence of urban restraints outside the city walls had made him considerably bolder.
*Clang!*
As Lin Zheyu drew near, the guard on watch drew his saber with a sharp ring, leveling the tip toward him with eyes full of vigilance.
"Halt! Who goes there?" the guard barked.
At the front of the caravan, Zhao Bin, mounted on horseback, looked over and appraised Lin Zheyu from head to toe.
He was a middle-aged man in his forties with a profound aura and formidable strength.
From him, Lin Zheyu sensed faint wisps of qi and blood energy. He was a Qi and Blood Realm powerhouse, though not exceedingly strong—a few notches weaker than himself.
"Pardon the intrusion. I bear no ill will; I came to hunt down the bandits. Did you just encounter mountain bandits?" Lin Zheyu cupped his hands toward the guard before him.
"Your origin is unknown, sir. Please withdraw. Otherwise, do not blame our blades for having no eyes," the guard replied bluntly.
"I merely wish to ask which way those bandits fled. Truly, I mean no harm," Lin Zheyu said.
"The bandits fled in that direction."
"However, they're quite capable. Even after losing a dozen men, they still have over sixty hands left. I advise you not to overestimate yourself, lest you throw your life away." The guard pointed toward the mountain forest.
"Many thanks."
Lin Zheyu cupped his hands toward the guard and Zhao Bin watching in the distance, then turned and dashed off in the direction indicated.
"He actually went after them. How reckless," a man in his thirties beside Zhao Bin said with a scoff and a chuckle.
He had seen plenty of people pursuing bandits with cries of slaughter like Lin Zheyu.
Some set their sights on the bandits' plunder—while bandits treated others as prey, they too became prey in the eyes of others.
Some held grudges against bandits and fought them purely to vent their indignation and find satisfaction.
People had all sorts of motives, but someone this young was a first for him.
"His lightness skill is quite good," Zhao Bin remarked.
"Brother, can you tell how strong he is?" the man asked.
"Not sure. I can't sense any qi and blood fluctuations from him. Judging by his youth, his speed has reached the Viscera Tempering Realm, but his overall strength is likely slightly weaker, around the Bone Tempering Realm."
"Zhao Qiang, never underestimate people. Raw cultivation isn't everything. If he dares pursue them, he might have something to rely on," Zhao Bin said, not paying it much more mind.
To him, the most important matter was the safety of this cargo, which was worth a fortune.
"Mm."
Zhao Qiang nodded, not particularly concerned either.
Lin Zheyu's appearance was merely an amusing interlude in their hauling journey.
...
Lin Zheyu advanced at full speed in the direction the guard had pointed. Along the way, he discovered numerous tracks, proving that the guard had not lied to him.
*They're right ahead.*
Following the lingering tracks in the woods, Lin Zheyu gave chase at blazing speed.
In the forest, over sixty burly men rushed through the trees, holding cold weapons and warily scanning their surroundings.
Not only did ordinary people need to watch out for bandits, but bandits had to watch out for other bandits as well.
Dog-eat-dog ambushes were exceedingly common in this chaotic, lawless wilderness, where the cruel and bloody law of the jungle held sway.
"Damn it, another Qi and Blood Realm powerhouse! Since when was the Qi and Blood Realm so cheap?" a burly man cursed.
"Nothing we can do. Caravans aren't stupid. Any caravan daring to come here right now has deep pockets."
"With prices soaring, the profit from a single transport is enough to hire several Qi and Blood Realm experts," the lead man said.
It wasn't just ordinary folk who had a rough time; bandits didn't have it easy either.
Despite their notorious reputation and fearsome name, bandits lived lives barely more comfortable than commoners.
If they could make a decent living, who would willingly take to the hills as outlaws and live each day with their heads tied to their waistbands?
"We lost several more brothers, and what we looted this run isn't even enough to split among us."
"Brother, why not agree to that guy's offer? If we join the City Guard, the boys can at least eat full meals," the burly man said.
"Don't talk such nonsense."
"The Xing clan is vicious. Joining the City Guard requires taking an oath of allegiance to Great Wei, and defecting after that oath means certain death."
"When the rebel army attacks, late additions like us will be the cannon fodder thrown to the very front."
"If you don't want to die, stay far away from the Xing clan's people. Cooperating with them is fine, but don't ever think about joining them," the leader reprimanded.
"But if we go on like this, we might not even survive until the day the rebel army attacks," the man retorted.
The leader fell silent, indecision stirring in his heart as well.
Chapter 56