Chapter 52 : Look, the Huo Flag

The third shopkeeper eventually decided to take the southern route, as going north would have added another day to the journey.

But just as they arrived at the lake and were discussing whether to turn left to go straight to Wucheng or right to rejoin the official road, the bandits appeared.

There were quite a lot of them. Song Ying made a rough count, there were actually hundreds!

Even Chen Hong felt nervous and afraid. “Did we stumble into a bandit stronghold? It looks like they knew we were easy prey and were lying in wait for us on purpose.”

At that moment, Song Ying and the Chamber of Commerce staff were hiding inside the carriage, while the guards and soldiers gripped their weapons, forming a protective circle around the convoy.

Everyone was dressed in plain clothes, but the bandits didn’t attack immediately, even though they looked like easy targets. Instead, they stared them down with murderous intent.

Chen Hong peeked through a crack in the carriage window. “Strange… why aren’t the bandits charging in to kill us?”

Song Ying replied, “Maybe they don’t dare because we have so many people?”

Chen Hong: “Could it be that they saw the soldiers among us and are hesitant to act?”

Song Ying glanced outside at the fierce-looking bandits. “What are they waiting for?”

While she was wondering, Song Ying noticed two other rice shop owners inside the carriage.

They were calm and unafraid, completely lacking any trace of panic. It was… strange.

Maybe they had seen too much and become used to it? That was what Song Ying assumed, so she didn’t think much of it.

Chen Hong asked, “How long is this going to drag on?”

Song Ying replied, “You want to go out and fight them?”

Chen Hong: “Yes. Once it gets dark, it’ll be a disadvantage for us.”

That was true they had just arrived, were unfamiliar with the terrain, and visibility would be poor at night. The longer they waited, the worse off they’d be.

Could it be… the bandits were waiting for that?

Song Ying: “We have to strike first otherwise, we’ll be the ones to die.”

Chen Hong was stunned that this seemingly weak young man could speak with such decisiveness.

“But how do we attack them? No one’s even moved.”

Just then, Faer pointed toward the forest in the distance. “Young Master, what’s that shiny thing over there?”

Song Ying’s heart jolted. “It’s a bow and arrow! They’ve got archers lying in ambush in the woods!”

This was bad.

Clearly, the number of bandits was far more than what was visible.

Chen Hong couldn’t help but curse under his breath. “This is the most thrilling thing that’s ever happened on a business trip.”

“What do we do now?” Faer asked, clutching Song Ying’s hand in fear. She still had so much food to eat and so many new hairpins to use for the young lady.

“Are we going to die? I heard bandits eat people… one bite at a time. It’s terrifying.”

Chen Hong nearly burst out laughing at Faer’s words. He covered his mouth and replied seriously, “Bandits don’t eat people and definitely not one bite at a time.”

Faer: “Not one bite? Then three bites?”

Chen Hong: “There aren’t only three of them either. But no, they don’t eat people.”

Faer: “But I heard they’re cannibals.”

Chen Hong: “You’ve been lied to.”

Faer: “Huh? Sir, really? Bandits don’t eat people? Then what do they eat?”

The extremely tense atmosphere lightened a bit thanks to Faer’s questions.

Song Ying calmly answered, “They eat the same food we do.”

“Ohhh” Faer patted her chest in relief. “They don’t eat people. That’s good. That’s good.”

But then Chen Hong ruined the mood with a deadpan, “But they do kill people without blinking, one by one.”

Faer responded instinctively, “Then one at a time?”

Chen Hong was speechless. “Do you have to fixate on that cannibal nonsense?”

Faer’s eyes turned teary like poached eggs. She threw herself into Song Ying’s arms, crying, “Master, I promise I won’t be greedy anymore.”

Song Ying patted her back gently. “Why not?”

Faer: “Because I was greedy, and now I’m going to be eaten.”

Feeling the little girl’s back trembling, Song Ying knew she was recalling some bad memories. “Be good. Don’t cry. Bandits don’t eat people. don’t let your imagination run wild.”

Chen Hong smirked. “Xiao Fa, tell me what kind of boy cries this easily?”

Xiaomi was squatting nearby, and said to Chen Hong, “Boss Chen, come look, what’s going on outside?”

Chen Hong, distracted by Faer’s chatter, had forgotten the tension for a moment. Then he turned around again and peeked outside.

“Oh no, look … it’s about to rain.”

Sure enough, the bandits had been waiting for this exact moment.

The officers, soldiers, and guards outside also realized the bandits’ intentions.

Someone suddenly shouted, “Attack! Charge!”

“Get down!”

Almost simultaneously, arrows from the ambushers in the forest rained down on the carriage.

Three sharp arrows pierced exactly where Song Ying and Faer had been sitting moments ago.

Faer covered her mouth in terror, while Song Ying shook her head slightly, signaling that she was fine.

She looked over to Chen Hong, he was safe too. The only difference was that one of the two rice shop owners was now missing.

Where did he go?

Was he shot?

Shaking off those unrealistic thoughts, Song Ying asked the remaining rice shop owner, “Where’s your companion?”

The rice shop owner replied with a cold expression, “He’s fine.”

Since he said that, Song Ying didn’t press further.

Outside, the sounds of shouting and screaming filled the air. Their driver was probably dead, the carriage hadn’t moved at all.

The rice shop owner said in a deep voice, “Stay hidden.”

Then he reached under the seat, pulled out a longsword, and leapt out nimbly. With a crack of the reins, the carriage suddenly started moving again.

Chen Hong was stunned. “Since when did shopkeepers have to be this skilled?!”

Song Ying remained silent. A middle-aged rice shop owner with moves like that? Highly unlikely. But now wasn’t the time for questions.

The Chamber of Commerce’s carriages were built with the finest wood, thick and sturdy. The arrows couldn’t penetrate them easily.

Only the windows were a weak point.

Song Ying said, “Cover the windows.”

There were bowls and utensils in the carriage. Chen Hong and Xiaomi each grabbed one and pressed them against the window openings.

The carriage jolted violently, and the four of them bounced like balls off a board before crashing back down.

“Ow!” Chen Hong clutched his knee. “That really hurt!”

“Watch out!”

An arrow flew through a gap. Song Ying and Faer reacted quickly, pulling Chen Hong and Xiaomi down to lie flat.

Chen Hong stared at the arrow embedded in the wall. His hair stood on end, if Song Ying hadn’t pulled him down, that arrow would have gone straight through his head.

Bang!

Another heavy jolt sent them all sprawling, some flat on their backs, others facedown.

Then, the carriage came to a sudden stop.

Chen Hong smelled blood wafting in from outside.

After a moment, someone from outside flung the carriage door open.

“Hahaha, we’ve got a live one here!”

Before the man could say another word, Song Ying shot up, yanked the arrow from the carriage wall, and thrust it into the man’s neck then pulled it back out.

The man’s eyes widened in disbelief. Clutching his bleeding throat, he collapsed.

The rice shop owner, clutching his wounded abdomen, came over to check the situation inside.

Seeing that Song Ying and the others were safe, he let out a breath of relief.

But then, another wave of shouting and fighting erupted around them.

Chen Hong’s body went limp as despair filled his eyes. “It’s over… their reinforcements are here.”

But Faer, unafraid, clung to the door and pointed to the forest, shouting, “Look! There’s a flag, it says ‘Huo’ on it!”