Yang Chengji, hearing his father’s words, wasted no time grabbing a hoe and leading his three younger brothers to help in the front.

Shen Qingwan was slightly surprised to see the brothers joining them, but she didn’t say anything.

She simply nodded at them, and the brothers, standing there, nodded back in response.

“Help! Don’t kill me! I’ll give you all my grain!”

“Please, spare me!”

“I have money! I’ll give you money! Just don’t kill me!”

The sounds of shouting, fighting, and desperate pleas for mercy grew closer.

Shen Qingwan, along with the strong young men of Dahe Village, stood armed with large knives, ready for battle.

Opposite them, the bandit leader, mounted on a tall horse, was somewhat surprised at the sight before him.

These people were clearly just ordinary refugees, yet their stance seemed even more resolute than his own men.

Shen Qingwan examined the bandit leader on horseback.

He wasn’t as fierce-looking as she had imagined.

Instead, he appeared somewhat comical—short in stature with one blind eye.

Though he looked sturdy, he didn’t seem particularly resilient. His dusty gray clothes made him look less like a bandit and more like a pirate leader.

She quickly counted the enemy numbers—around a hundred men, roughly equal to their own.

However, she wasn’t naive enough to think that the villagers’ combat abilities could compare to these battle-hardened outlaws.

“Oh? So we’ve come across some tough ones today!” The bandit leader sneered, riding forward.

His men, hearing his words, laughed heartily as they surrounded the villagers.

“We have no intention of going against you,” the village head stepped forward politely, cupping his hands. “We only ask that you show us mercy and let us leave peacefully.”

The bandit leader hadn’t expected such civility.

However, their journey so far hadn’t yielded much loot, and now that they had finally encountered a sizable group, he had no intention of letting them go easily.

“Leave all your silver and grain behind,” he said, scanning the crowd before his eyes landed on Shen Qingwan with great interest.

It had been a long time since he had seen such a beautiful woman.

No matter what, he wasn’t letting her go today.

Pointing at her, he declared with a smirk, “And this little lady—she’s mine!”

The village head’s expression darkened instantly.

He had already been displeased, but hearing these words filled him with rage. “Don’t even think about it! Even if we have to fight to the death, we won’t let you take her!”

At his words, the villagers stepped forward in unison, weapons in hand, making it clear they would not back down.

The bandit leader was taken aback.

He had encountered large groups before, but the moment his gang attacked, most villages would scatter in terror.

Yet, this village stood firm.

“Boss, there’s no need to waste words with them!” one of the bandits urged. “Let’s just take them down—it’s not like a bunch of peasants can stop us!”

He seemed to have forgotten that most of them were once peasants too, forced into banditry by hardship.

Seeing that a bloody fight was inevitable, Shen Qingwan quietly pulled out a small, exquisitely crafted crossbow from her sleeve.

The moment the bandit leader gave the order to attack, she swiftly fired an arrow.

“Hiss—!”

The bandit leader gasped in pain, clutching his chest as he tumbled off his horse.

“Boss!”

A nearby bandit quickly caught him, but when he saw the arrow lodged in his leader’s chest, he panicked.

“You b*tch! No matter what, capture her! I want her to suffer worse than death!” the bandit leader roared.

He hadn’t expected Shen Qingwan to shoot him, and now, before the battle had even begun, he was already seriously wounded.

Shen Qingwan’s aim had been deliberate—she hadn’t intended to kill him outright.

Instead, she wanted to injure him just enough to buy time for an escape.

Though she believed the villagers had a fighting chance, any battle would result in injuries and deaths. Their journey ahead was long.

If they were wounded now, it could slow them down or even cost lives if proper medical treatment wasn’t available. Avoiding a fight was the best outcome.

“You dare hurt our boss?! Get her!” one of the bandits yelled.

The outlaws, enraged, charged at Shen Qingwan.

The village head immediately ordered the men to protect her.

Lu Wenguang and the four Yang brothers stood tightly around Shen Qingwan, while Hunter Zhang and his son positioned themselves at the back, ready to provide cover fire with their bows.

Shen Qingwan, suddenly wielding a long sword, moved with deadly efficiency.

She didn’t use any fancy techniques—just clean, swift strikes that instantly took lives.

The bandits were clearly targeting her, trying to separate her from the villagers.

Seeing this, she made a quick decision.

“Stop!” she suddenly shouted.

The unexpected command startled the bandits, causing them to hesitate.

She turned to the bandit leader’s men. “Let the others go, and I will go with you. If you keep fighting, you’ll gain nothing. Your leader may even bleed to death.”

The bandits exchanged uncertain glances before looking at their leader.

Seeing him nod slightly, the one in charge of the attack agreed, “Fine, you stay, and we’ll let them go.”

“No! You can’t go with them!”

The village head’s eyes reddened with urgency.

Lu Wenguang also shouted anxiously, “Sister-in-law!”

Lu Dachuan stepped forward, his fists clenched. “We’ll fight to the death before we let them take you!”

Hunter Zhang and his son joined in. “Yes! We won’t hand you over!”

More and more villagers stepped forward in defiance.

“With us here, we won’t let them take you!”

“Don’t be afraid, Qingwan! We’re with you!”

A warm feeling surged in Shen Qingwan’s heart. It seemed that all her efforts had been worth it.

Leaning close to the village head, she whispered, “Take everyone and leave. Don’t worry about me—I will meet you in Ji City.”

The village head wanted to argue, but her determination was clear.

He had no choice. Seeing the resolve in her eyes, he gritted his teeth and led the villagers away.