Chapter 20: Bloodshed

As they passed through the narrow path wedged between the mountain crevices, the oppressive feeling from the steep mountain walls disappeared.

The officer’s tone became noticeably lighter, and he rarely gave such encouragement to the group, “Keep it up! There’s an inn less than ten miles outside of Yueheng Mountain. If you don’t want to stay in this desolate wilderness, then get yourselves together!”

However, just as his words fell,
Ahead, two large trees suddenly fell into the middle of the road.

The horse beneath Officer Xie was startled, its front hooves rising suddenly into the air. Officer Xie clung tightly to the horse’s back, gently patting its neck to calm it. After narrowly avoiding being thrown off, he saw dozens of figures suddenly dart out from the trees along both sides of the road.

“This is bad, it’s mountain bandits!”

“Defend yourselves!”

Over twenty constables were mostly gathered at the front of the group, with only two at the rear.
 The bandits, seemingly aware of this, charged straight towards the rear of the group, with most of them rushing to the back.

“Why bother with the mule carts? Look at those horse-drawn carriages up front, they’re much wealthier!”

“You don’t understand, those young women at the back are still virgins! Let’s capture them first!”

“Heh, you’re right.”

The group’s language was crude, clearly showing they had no regard for the constables in the team.

The two constables at the rear, aware they couldn’t handle so many of them, didn’t even dare step forward despite drawing their long knives. Faced with the oncoming bandits, they retreated, quickly clearing the path for the two mule carts at the back and the group of people from the Wei family standing beside them.

Wei Yunlan had long known these constables couldn’t be relied upon, but she hadn’t expected them to be so cowardly, lacking even the courage to make a stand.

At this critical moment, it seemed the only one she could rely on was herself!

Inside the mule cart, Cheng Yue’e tightly held Jiarong, with Jiayan curled up beside her. She still clutched the dagger Wei Yunlan had given her earlier, her grip firm.

Outside the cart, everyone quickly grabbed their weapons, positioning themselves defensively in front.

The masked leader of the bandits grinned widely, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth. “What’s the panic? We’re just after your valuables, we’re not here to kill. Hand over anything valuable you have, and the young women with you, and we’ll let you go!”

If they were only after money, there wouldn’t necessarily be any need to risk lives.

But these bandits also wanted to abduct the women in the group!

A lecherous gaze swept over, and the Wei family members couldn’t help but turn pale with anger. “Dream on!” they spat.

“Tch.” The smile vanished instantly from the large man’s face. “You refuse a toast and choose to drink a punishment instead. Brothers, charge!”

The battle was now inevitable. Dong Da and Liu Quan were the first to draw their long poles hidden beneath the oilcloth, swinging them powerfully to push back the bandits trying to approach the mule cart.

Wei Mingxuan and Wang Gui grabbed the sickle knives they had used for cutting grass earlier, swinging them wildly in front of them, managing to keep the bandits at bay for the moment.

However, the bandits’ target was never them. Seven or eight of them pinned down Dong Da, Liu Quan, and Wei Mingxuan, while the rest moved toward Wei Yunlan and Madam Gao.

Wei Yunlan tightened her grip on the dagger hidden in her sleeve, stepping protectively in front of Madam Gao.

Of the three daggers bought in the capital, one was on her person, one was with her sister-in-law, and the third was with Suihe.

At this moment, Suihe held the dagger firmly, standing next to Granny Wang, who was wielding a kitchen knife. Together, they protected Wei Yunlan and Madam Gao.

The bandits didn’t notice the dagger in Wei Yunlan’s sleeve but saw the gleaming blade in Suihe’s hand. One of them sneered, “Such a pretty little thing, don’t cut yourself.”

As he spoke, he reached out to pinch Suihe’s chin.

In a swift motion, Suihe kicked, sending the burly man—who was at least twice as wide as her—flying back.

“Oh, looks like this little lady is full of surprises!” one of the bandits laughed, clearly impressed.

“Damn it, tie this woman up for me!”

Three or five bandits immediately surrounded Suihe with swords drawn, while the others shifted their attention to Wei Yunlan’s face.

“There’s another beauty hiding here.”

“This one’s off-limits. Tie her up and send her to the Big Boss!”

Perhaps thinking that Wei Yunlan’s face could bring great fortune, the leading bandit’s eyes gleamed, and his tone softened slightly. “Miss, why not just come with us to the mountain? That way, we can avoid any unnecessary fighting, and we wouldn’t want to damage that delicate skin of yours.”

Wei Yunlan pressed her lips together tightly, her fingers gripping the dagger so hard her knuckles turned white.

“Why resist, Miss? If the Big Boss takes a liking to you, you’ll have all the gold and silver you could ever want. Jewelry will be at your disposal. Isn’t that much better than being exiled to the border?”

“If the Big Boss doesn’t like you, no worries, you’ll still live like royalty under my care!”

The bandit, whose face was pockmarked and displaying a crooked yellow grin, spoke with a twisted enthusiasm, but before he could finish, Tingxue, filled with rage, pointed a trembling finger at him and cursed, “Pah! You think you can dream of my young miss? Who do you think you are?”

The slap rang out loudly, and just as the words left her mouth, Tingxue was struck across the face. The one who hit her was the yellow-toothed bandit who had previously ogled Wei Yunlan.

Despite the sting of the slap, Tingxue didn’t cower. Instead, she turned the intensity of her fury up a notch and continued to taunt the bandit, showing no fear.

Wei Yunlan understood that Tingxue was trying to distract the bandits and draw their attention away from her so that they wouldn’t continue to torment her.

What a foolish girl!

“Be careful!”

As she watched, one of the bandits swung a large blade toward Tingxue’s arm. Wei Yunlan quickly drew the hidden dagger from her sleeve.

The clash of metal sounded with a sharp “ding,” and the blade of the large knife was unexpectedly dented by her dagger.

The bandit was momentarily stunned, and then his gaze toward Wei Yunlan grew even more intense.

“With a weapon like that in the hands of a little woman, it’d be a waste! Hand it over to me now!”

Despite having a divine weapon, Wei Yunlan wasn’t skilled in combat. She could only wave the dagger randomly in an attempt to defend herself. She could barely hold off one bandit, but if two more closed in, she’d immediately fall into disadvantage.

The maids and women around her were all surrounded by bandits, unable to help. Just as Wei Yunlan thought she was about to fall into the bandits’ hands, Madam Gao suddenly seized the kitchen knife from Granny Wang and swung it with all her strength toward the bandit in front of Wei Yunlan.

The bandit narrowly avoided having his ear sliced off. His playful demeanor immediately vanished, replaced with murderous intent. He raised his knife, his face twisted with rage. “You bitch, you’re asking for death!”

Madam Gao didn’t retreat. She stood her ground, the kitchen knife raised, her eyes constantly signaling to Wei Yunlan to run.

But how could Wei Yunlan run at this moment? She couldn’t abandon her companions.

Just as the bandit raised his blade to strike, Wei Yunlan suddenly spun around, swiftly dodging to the back of the bandit. Without hesitation, she thrust her dagger deep into his back, aiming straight for his heart.

A sharp “plop” echoed as the blade sank deep into flesh.

Wei Yunlan didn’t allow herself a moment of hesitation. She yanked the dagger out and immediately thrust it back in with brutal force.

The cold, gleaming blade moved in and out with precision, splattering blood across her face.

The vivid red of the blood contrasted sharply with Wei Yunlan’s pale face, the crimson stain highlighting her previously delicate and composed demeanor, transforming her into something far fiercer. In that moment, she no longer resembled a noblewoman raised in a prestigious family but rather a ruthless female warrior, capable of killing without a second thought.

Nearby, those who witnessed this scene were stunned, unable to move or react for a long moment.

Old Madam Feng, hiding under the wagon, couldn’t help but tremble, her body shaking in fear.

Good heavens! It turns out this Wei family girl wasn’t just bluffing—she really could kill!