Chapter 26: If We Had Come Even a Moment Later, All the Villagers Would Have Been Slaughtered

Inside the house, timid women and children began to cry out loud.

“What should we do? What should we do? Are we… going to die?”

“That Ning family is truly despicable. How could someone like that deserve to pass the imperial exams? How could they deserve to be officials?”

“Ha ha ha…” Outside, the bandit leader’s arrogant laughter rang out. As the laughter faded, several men leapt onto the wall. Seeing the yard surrounded by villagers, their laughter grew even louder and more reckless.

“Ha ha ha, you all really came together, huh? That saves us from having to search house by house.”

“You probably don’t even know — a few days ago, we sent men disguised as beggars into the village to gather intelligence. Otherwise, how do you think we’d dare strike tonight? Ha ha ha…”

“Big brother, why waste words on them? We have so many of us here, just kill them all.”

The villagers kept stepping backward, watching about twenty or thirty bandits surge into the yard. Not to mention the dozen or so standing atop the walls.

“Y-you’re sent by the Ning family?” Zhu Li was about to confirm.

The leader was momentarily stunned by the question, then laughed, “Today, you’re all going to die. But before that, I might as well tell you—we were indeed hired by someone to wipe out Qinghe Village. As for who’s behind it, how would I know?”

Zhu Li’s face turned ashen. He hugged Zhu Wa tightly and whispered tremblingly in his ear, “Child, if you can escape, then run. Run with all your might. As long as the green mountains remain, there’ll be firewood to burn. Understand?”

Feeling his father’s trembling body, Zhu Wa couldn’t bear to leave alone. “No, father. I won’t run. I want to fight my way out with you. I want to protect you and mother.”

He still wanted to become a great general—he couldn’t die now.

Nearby, Su Mingshan said to Su Shanyu, “Shanyu, soon, your mother, your uncle, and I will hold off the bandits. You take your younger brothers and sisters and escape to the back mountain. Whoever escapes, escapes.”

Xia Xian was holding her parents and crying bitterly, “Father, mother, it’s your daughter who brought this upon you.”

Everyone’s face was pale, knowing there was no escape from disaster today. Their crying was filled with despair.

At that moment, an ill-timed cold sneer interrupted the villagers’ sobbing—and the bandits’ arrogant laughter.

“Pfft, you all are far too confident. You sent scouts in advance, but did you think this general wouldn’t have noticed your intentions?”

The words “this general” stunned everyone into silence.

“That’s right. My master is a great general. None of you will leave alive today,” Su Wan’s clear and confident childlike voice rang out.

The bandits were first stunned, then burst into loud laughter. “A general? One general? Do you really think one general can protect all of Qinghe Village? Hoho, just because you claim to be a general, you think I’ll be afraid of you? Let me tell you—we’ve killed more than one general before. Ha ha ha…”

They were all desperate outlaws—what fear did they have of a general?

The villagers, who had just begun to kindle a flicker of hope, were plunged back into despair upon hearing this.

Ji Sang was the general who brought them joy, but he was only one man. As the saying goes, “Two fists cannot fight four hands.”

Su Wan grinned, “You don’t think we came unprepared, do you? I believe the Pavilion Chief is already on his way here with reinforcements.”

“What?” Everyone’s faces turned pale with shock. Su Fu stared at her daughter in disbelief. “Wanwan, is what you say true?”

Su Wan turned back, smiling confidently at her mother and the women and children inside the house. “Everyone, don’t worry. My master sensed something was wrong with that beggar the other day. A few days ago, he informed the Pavilion Chief about it. He’s probably bringing people here now.”

These words sparked a surge of hope and fighting spirit in the previously hopeless villagers.

Zhu Li then shouted loudly, “Fellow villagers, do not fear! We must hold out! Once the Pavilion Chief arrives, our families and children will live.”

“For our families and children, we fight to the end!”

At those words, the crowd was fired up. The bandits, however, grew somewhat timid, but they arrogantly assumed Su Wan was bluffing.

“Attack! Don’t hesitate anymore. Even if the Pavilion Chief comes, he won’t bring many men,” the bandit leader ordered.

Ji Sang shouted, “Those without martial skills, retreat indoors! Those who can fight, follow this general!”

Su Fu tried to pull Su Wan back into the house, but she was already ahead of everyone, leaping up like a signal flare, charging toward the bandit leader.

“Wanwan…” The Su family turned pale with fear.

Smack—

The strike caused little injury but was deeply humiliating.

“Heh, trying to be bandits with moves like that? You can’t even touch the hem of a five-year-old’s clothes. Pathetic!” A cunning smile flashed in Su Wan’s eyes.

“Kill that little brat first!” The bandit leader roared in fury, raising his large broadsword and chasing after the fleeing Su Wan.

With a slight curl of her lips, Su Wan whipped out the Phantom Vine and wrapped it tightly around the man’s neck, pulling hard.

Blood splattered on the spot.

Two henchmen who had followed were dumbfounded, unable to even shout before they felt a sharp pain in their chests. Something had pierced through them.

Bang bang bang… Ji Sang and Su Mingshan fought fiercely against the bandits in the yard.

Su Shanyu and Zhu Wa followed behind, rushing forward to land heavy punches on any bandit who fell, forcing them to spit blood without mercy.

The men were thrilled, hoisting up their hoes and swinging them down on the heads of the fallen bandits.

Su Mingshan felt terrifyingly strong at this moment. He put all the killing techniques his master Ji San had taught him to use—getting more skilled and powerful with each strike.

“Ha! Die!” he shouted fiercely.

Just as a bandit tried to rush into the house, Su Mingshan grabbed him with one big hand and threw him backward.

Whoosh…

Like a kite cut loose, the bandit flew out of the courtyard.

The villagers watched with burning enthusiasm.

So strong! They had never known Su Mingshan was this powerful.

But the villagers noticed something odd: fewer and fewer bandits were left inside the courtyard, yet no one from outside was charging in.

When the fight was nearly over, the villagers surged outside and saw a shocking scene:

At Su Wan’s feet lay a pile of groaning bandits, several already dead.

Su Wan remained calm and composed, hands raised in a shrug.

“Don’t look at me, I didn’t kill them. They killed each other.”

The villagers: …

“Quick, quick, if we’re any later the bandits will all be dead!”

At this moment, the villagers spotted Wang Shun arriving with a group, and the fat police captain panting heavily beside him.

The fat captain didn’t understand Wang Shun’s words — if they were late, shouldn’t it be the weak villagers who were dead?

When he arrived, he finally understood: there was a martial arts master in the village. Had they come one step later, not a single bandit would have survived.

“Brother Zhu, your village did a great deed this time,” the fat captain smiled, his jowls shaking together.

But Zhu Lizheng’s expression grew serious as he pulled the captain aside.

“Captain, these bandits were deliberately lured here by someone.”

“Oh? Who’s so reckless as to endanger the people like this?” The fat captain felt this was more than just a great achievement — it might mean promotion and wealth for him.

However, the next moment, his smile froze on his face.