BSI Chapter 491 Encountering a caravan and bandits on the road, he draws his sword to help and becomes a
Chapter 491 Encountering a caravan and bandits on the road, he draws his sword to help and becomes a
Yunluan slowly sheathed her sword.
The first bandit who charged up was already dead, his upper and lower body separated, blood gushing from his waist, splattering onto the yellow earth and spreading out in a dark red stain.
His upper body was still convulsing, his mouth opened and closed, making a "hoarse" sound, and his eyes were wide open. He died without ever seeing how he died.
Everyone was immediately terrified.
The bandits who were charging ahead suddenly stopped in their tracks, their pupils contracted, and their mouths opened!
They stared at the still convulsing corpse, at the rapidly expanding pool of dark red blood on the ground, their legs trembling, their hands shaking, and they could barely hold their knives.
The caravan members were also shocked.
The middle-aged guard held his sword in mid-air, forgetting to bring it down.
His eyes widened, his gaze shifting from the corpse on the ground to Yun Luan, and then to the sheathed dark silver rapier.
He didn't even see when she drew her sword, how she drew it, or when she sheathed it.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye, as fast as an illusion.
Cold sweat seeped from his back, trickling down his spine and soaking his undershirt instantly.
He had traveled all over the country for many years and had seen many masters, but he had never seen such a fast, ruthless, and decisive sword.
The bandit leader stood on the hillside, carrying a large, ghost-headed sword, and the pupil in his single eye suddenly contracted.
His expression hardened, the fleshy part of his mouth twitched, and his teeth clenched so tightly they made a grinding sound.
"Attack! There are only a few of them, what are you afraid of! Whoever kills that woman will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver!"
Under the reward, there must be a brave man.
The bandits exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with greed.
A thousand taels of silver is enough for them to eat and drink for several years, and they can marry several wives and live a carefree life for half their lives!
They swallowed hard, gripped their knives tightly, and charged forward with strange cries, like a swarm of wasps whose nest had been disturbed, a dark mass rushing toward the main road.
The middle-aged guard of the caravan finally came to his senses, pointed his blade, and spoke in a loud voice.
"Protect the goods and wagons! Form ranks, don't panic!"
The caravan's guards quickly tightened their formation, surrounding the carriage in the middle, with their swords facing outwards, back to back, forming an impenetrable human wall.
Although their expressions were solemn, not one of them retreated.
The two collided with a loud crash.
Swords flashed and blood splattered everywhere.
The shouts of battle, screams, the clash of weapons, and the neighing of horses mingled together, like a pot of porridge boiling and bubbling.
Qin Mu reined in his horse, stopped in place, and watched this scene without moving.
The moon-white robe fluttered gently in the morning breeze, its hem swaying like a silent flag.
Jiang Zhaoyue sat on her horse, her hand on the hilt of her sword, her gaze sweeping over the bandits, her expression calm.
She didn't make a move because it wasn't necessary for her to.
Yunluan has already drawn her sword.
Her figure weaved through the crowd, as fast as a silver-white lightning bolt.
Wherever the sword flashed, blood splattered, and bandits fell in droves like wheat being harvested.
No one could stop her sword, no one could see her sword clearly, and no one could even catch a glimpse of her shadow.
Where she went, corpses littered the ground.
The yellow earth she trod was strewn with streams of blood.
Xu Fenghua sat on horseback, her gaze fixed on the bloody battlefield, her face slightly pale.
Her hands were trembling slightly, but she gritted her teeth and didn't look away.
To be honest, although she came from the North, she had been running a shop in Jiangnan for years and hadn't seen such a bloody scene in a long time.
So it's understandable that she feels uncomfortable seeing this scene now.
Yun Suxin lagged behind, watching Yun Luan slaughter the bandits, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside her.
Her fingers slowly clenched and unclenched inside her sleeve, then clenched again and unclenched again.
If she still possessed her cultivation level, she could crush these people with a single hand.
But she's gone.
She was now just an ordinary woman, powerless and helpless, who could only sit here and watch, like watching a play that had nothing to do with her.
Han Xin'er sat in Qin Mu's lap, sideways, her face buried in his chest, not daring to look.
Her body was trembling slightly, and her hands were tightly gripping Qin Mu's clothes.
She heard those sounds.
The dull thud of a blade cutting into flesh, the crisp crack of bones breaking, the screams and wails of the dying.
Qin Mu lowered his head, looked at her slightly trembling shoulders, and reached out to gently pat her back.
The pressure was very light and gentle, like soothing a frightened kitten. "Don't be afraid."
His voice was soft, coming down from above her head, with a hint of a smile. "I'm here."
Han Xin'er's body trembled slightly, the tremor was very light, as light as the flapping of a butterfly's wings.
She buried her face even deeper, clutching his clothes with both hands, like a drowning person grabbing onto the last piece of driftwood.
The pupil in the one eye of the bandit leader on the hillside contracted violently, reaching its limit, and then suddenly dilated.
He watched as his men were crushed like ants.
I saw the woman in white moving through the crowd as if she were in an empty place.
I saw the dark silver slender sword gleaming coldly in the sunlight, each slash bringing up a cloud of blood mist.
His hands were trembling, and the hemp rope on the knife handle was digging painfully into his palms.
He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.
He didn't rush down.
He dare not.
He turned his head, glanced at the dense forest on the other side of the hillside, gritted his teeth, and ran away.
He stumbled and crawled, like a mouse whose tail had been stepped on.
He ran into the dense forest and disappeared into the shadows.
When the bandits on the hillside saw their leader run away, their morale immediately collapsed.
Some dropped their knives and ran away, some knelt on the ground and raised their hands in surrender, and some still resisted stubbornly, only to have their heads chopped off by Yunluan's sword.
Cries for mercy, sobs, and curses mingled together, echoing across the official road.
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, hundreds of bandits were either dead, wounded, fled, or knelt down.
The loess soil was soaked in blood, sticky to the touch, and the air was filled with a strong stench of blood, mixed with the smell of sweat and dirt, making one want to vomit.
Yunluan sheathed her sword, walked back to Qin Mu's side, knelt on one knee, lowered her head, and spoke in a cold voice.
"Young master, it's resolved."
Qin Mu nodded, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic battlefield, a smile still playing on his lips.
He didn't speak, but gently squeezed the horse's belly.
The horse strode past the pool of blood, unhurried and leisurely, as if strolling in its own backyard.
Jiang Zhaoyue followed behind him, while Yun Luan stood up, mounted her horse, and followed.
Xu Fenghua glanced at the corpse that had been split in two, her face turned pale, and she pulled on the reins and followed.
Yun Suxin lagged behind, head bowed, passing by the kneeling bandits, her heart at peace.
The middle-aged guard of the caravan stood beside the carriage, watching the five horses gradually disappear into the distance, his knife still raised, forgotten to be lowered.
His lips trembled slightly; he wanted to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.
He had only one thought in his mind.
Who exactly are these people?
The soft voice from inside the carriage rang out again, tinged with curiosity and barely suppressed surprise.
"They...left?"
The middle-aged guard snapped out of his daze, put down his knife, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and bowed. "Reporting to Miss, we're leaving."
The carriage curtain was lifted slightly, revealing a pair of eyes.
His eyes were bright, like two stars washed clean, and his gaze lingered on the direction where the five horses had disappeared for a long time.
"So fast..." she whispered, unsure whether she meant the speed of the sword or the speed of the person walking.
The carriage curtain was drawn, obscuring those eyes.
The carriage started moving again, its wheels grinding against the blood-soaked yellow earth with a dull thud.
The caravan's guards cleared the battlefield, loaded the wounded onto the carts, dragged the dead to the roadside, and tied up the bandits who were kneeling and begging for mercy.
No one spoke, only heavy breathing and occasional suppressed groans.
The morning light grew brighter, bathing the entire official road in a golden glow.
On the distant mountain ridge, the five horses had become five almost invisible black dots, disappearing where the sky meets the earth.
.......
Qin Mu pulled on the reins, spurred his horse off the official road, and turned into a narrow mountain path.
The horse's hooves rustled softly on the gravel and fallen leaves. The trees on both sides grew denser, their branches and leaves cutting the sunlight into countless tiny spots that spilled onto his moon-white robe.
Jiang Zhaoyue rode behind him, her gaze sweeping over the deep forests on either side, and asked with some curiosity:
"Young master, why aren't we taking the official road?"
A thought flashed through her mind as she felt a slight stirring within her.
Does Your Majesty intend to spend the night in the mountains again, as you did yesterday?
She remembered the dilapidated temple from last night, the flickering light of the campfire, and the scene of that night.
Her ears turned slightly red, and she quickly suppressed the emotion that shouldn't have been there.
Qin Mu didn't turn around; his voice drifted from ahead, carrying a hint of a smile.
"The leader of that bandit gang just ran away. Let's follow him and see what his stronghold looks like."
Jiang Zhaoyue was slightly taken aback, then a look of realization flashed in her eyes, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.
"Young master, did you deliberately let that bandit leader go?"
Qin Mu smiled and gently circled his fingers around the reins.
"Aren't you curious about what a bandit's stronghold looks like? And since we're wandering the world with swords, we should naturally draw our swords to help those in need and rid the people of evil. That's what a true chivalrous person should do."
Jiang Zhaoyue smiled and nodded, then spurred her horse and followed.
"I am indeed quite curious."
Yun Suxin was at the very back of the group. When she heard what Qin Mu said, she couldn't help but purse her lips.
Her lips twitched slightly, and a hint of disdain flashed in her eyes.
This incompetent ruler, clearly an incompetent ruler, clearly a scoundrel, yet he insists on pretending to be a great hero, even ridding the people of evil. He really does whatever he wants.
She snorted inwardly, harboring resentment.
"Yun Suxin, is there something you want to say?"
Qin Mu didn't turn his head, his voice drifting from ahead, still very soft, but it made Yun Suxin's heart skip a beat.
Her pupils contracted slightly, and a fine layer of cold sweat appeared on her back.
She quickly lowered her head, her voice tinged with barely suppressed panic.
"Young master, I...I have nothing to say."
Qin Mu's voice was still very soft, but it carried a hint of amusement.
"That would be best."