usenovelgroup Chapter 21 Croak! Run!
Chapter 21 Croak! Run!
The Luoshui Bridge spans a dry river valley filled with jagged rocks and is a necessary pass to enter Yinyang City.
"Twelve carts, six for passengers in the front and six for cargo in the back. Look at the ruts; the last three are so heavy they could break the axles."
A bandit with a sharp, angular face lay prone behind a rock in the rocky hill, a dry blade of grass dangling from his mouth, his cold eyes fixed on the convoy slowly making its way towards the bridge below.
Beside him, a bald, scarred man was wiping his crossbow with an oilcloth.
The crossbow's body was a cold, hard bluish-gray, and the faint military inspection mark—"Divine Crossbow"—was engraved on its arm. This weapon, when fired in rapid succession within fifty paces, could pierce through internal energy protection, and within a hundred paces, taking a life was as easy as taking something out of a bag.
There are only about fifty such powerful crossbows in the entire Yinyang City, most of which are in the hands of the city's defense troops.
He went to great lengths to obtain this deadly weapon.
"How many of them are there?" the bald, scarred man asked in a deep voice, his hands still moving as he cut off a piece of meat with his long knife and tossed it to the black bear beside him.
The black bear stood upright as it took the strip of meat and began to eat it.
"Thirty guards." The man with the long face announced the number. "The leader is Lu Yong, the eldest son of the Lu family. He's riding in front and is an internal energy master who has opened his meridians, but he has few combat achievements, so we don't know his true strength. That old fox Lu Ye isn't in the carriage."
"Not here?" The scarred bald man paused, his thick eyebrows furrowing. "Lu Jiacheng is haunted. The Zhao and Hu families have suffered one after another. Isn't he going to escape and just stay there to die?"
"He surely doesn't think he can handle ghosts, does he?"
"Who knows, but Lu Ye is definitely not here." The man with the knife-like face spat out a blade of grass, his eyes sinister. "I've been watching for three days. The women of the Lu family, those two young masters, and that precious Nan Nan were all in the carriage, their valuables filling six whole carriages. But Lu Ye only saw them off at the city gate this morning before turning back to his residence. It seems he intends to perish with that city."
"Perhaps he has some kind of affection for that city. Lu Jiacheng, his surname is Lu, perhaps he really considers it his home."
The scarred bald man narrowed his eyes, a fierce glint in them: "Forget it, ignore him! His staying saves us a lot of trouble. If Lu Ye were in the car, these old bones of ours wouldn't be enough for him to tear apart."
"Even if he doesn't leave, he can't hold onto his legacy." The man with the long face sneered. "Once we seize this valuables, the Lu family will be completely wiped out in this chaotic world."
"Then why would he dare to let his family leave the city with lavish gifts?" a pale-faced deserter retorted.
"He probably thinks that the official road from Lujia City to Yinyang City has always been peaceful. After crossing the bridge, someone will probably meet him soon. It's only a day or two's journey. And this area is their territory. He might even know some of the bandits in the area."
The man with the long, thin face looked into the distance, his voice growing softer and softer: "Unfortunately, he underestimated us deserters."
"...Don't let me hear you call someone a deserter again." The scarred bald man spat out the food in his mouth, his eyes revealing a ferocity like that of a wild beast.
"Sending us to deal with those bizarre and indescribable things is a dead end! They want us dead, can't we just run away?" The scarred bald man sneered, stood up, and looked at the sky.
The sky was still quite bright.
Murder and robbery are always most likely to happen under cover of darkness, but that applies to ordinary robbers.
For these fugitives who had endured countless hardships in the military, daylight had its advantages—the crossbow bolts could hit them wherever they were aimed, and they couldn't escape.
They were already death row inmates.
Not killing someone is a capital offense, killing one person is also a capital offense, and killing a whole truckload of people is still a capital offense.
It would be better to kill everyone to avoid revealing our whereabouts.
As long as they kill all the survivors and then tear the corpses apart haphazardly like the Zhao family did, creating the illusion of evil spirits, these six carts of gold, silver, and valuables will become their safe haven before they disappear without a trace.
In this eerie and deadly world, who would bother to investigate a few dead passing merchants?
Unless someone identifies the perpetrator, after ten days or half a month, the bloodstains under the Luoshui Bridge will have dried by the wind, and the truth will be forever buried in the rocky beach.
"Get ready to move!" The scarred bald man rubbed his hands together, signaling the men to spread out and lie in wait.
He lay prone behind the ridge of the earthen slope, the crossbow firmly pressed against the crevice in the rock, the sight locked tightly on Lu Yong, the leader below.
With a cold snort, the mechanism of the steel crossbow was released, producing a dull thud.
collapse--!
collapse--!
Two sharp screeching sounds pierced the deathly silence of the afternoon.
At the Luoshui Bridgehead, two Lu family guards who were moving roadblocks with their heads down didn't even utter a sound before two blood flowers burst open in their chests. The huge impact sent them flying several meters away, directly pinning them to the pile of rubble in the dry riverbed below.
The warm, pungent smell of blood exploded in the sweltering air, startling the horses to their feet and neighing mournfully, throwing the entire caravan into chaos.
The bald man with a scarred face didn't look very good.
"Damn it, it missed!"
"This time, Lu Yong won't be easy to kill." The man with the long face also frowned and looked distressed.
With their defenses in place and their inner energy protecting them, they wouldn't have a second chance to kill an Inner Qi Realm cultivator in one strike. But no matter what, they were two Inner Qi Realm cultivators; they couldn't possibly fail to take down a greenhorn who had never actually fought.
……
"Enemy attack! Form ranks! Protect the carriages!"
Lu Yong reacted extremely quickly, drawing his longsword almost at the same time the bowstring was drawn. He dismounted, using the carriage to avoid any possible stray arrows, his eyes like those of a hawk, fixedly scanning the shadowy rock above him.
Damn!
How could there be an enemy attack here?
And they even have crossbows?
Where did they get those crossbows?!
Lu Yong was still in shock, but when he saw the several figures slowly approaching in the forest, especially the black bear, his heart sank completely.
one two three four……
Five people! Five people plus a bear!
And it was five people in full armor!
Although it's unclear how many Inner Qi Realm cultivators the other side has, given their posture and the presence of crossbows, it's impossible that they don't have a single Inner Qi Realm cultivator!
And that bear would require someone at the Inner Qi Realm to deal with it!
How could this happen?!
Who are these robbers?! I've never heard of such a group of people near Lujiacheng, by the Luo River!
Lu Yong's heart sank, but he still took a deep breath and used his inner energy to project his voice:
"Gentlemen! I am Lu Yong from Lujiacheng. I do not know where I have offended you. If you seek wealth, we will offer you the last three cartloads of silver and valuables! The Lu family swears not to report us to the authorities, we only ask that you spare our lives!"
Lu Yong shouted, his eyes gleaming. If the other party really wanted money, they could just leave all the gold and silver here. Even if the robbers really wanted to take the gold and silver, they wouldn't be able to get far.
Once they arrive in Yinyang City, we'll have plenty of time to deal with them!
Lu Yong's voice, filled with the vibrations of his inner energy, echoed through the valley, but received no response as he had expected.
His response was the chilling, sinister laugh of the striped-faced robber, like the straining of a broken bellows.
"Show you a way out?"
The man with the long sword slowly descended from behind the rock, twirling his long sword in a flourish.
"Let you go to Yinyang City to file a complaint? Dream on."
The man with the knife-like face spat, his saliva mixed with yellow phlegm landing on the ground.
"Young Master Lu, you're still too green. We can still get the money even if we kill you all."
Damn!
These people aren't just after money!
This group of people is definitely not your average robbers!
Even though Lu Yong realized this the moment he saw the crossbow, he didn't truly understand it until the other person said it to him.
His heart sank to the bottom!
These guys are suicidal! Aren't they afraid of fighting us to the death?!
There's no time left! And no chance left!
We'll give it our all.
A ruthless glint flashed in Lu Yong's eyes. Although he was usually kind and gentle to everyone, how could a martial artist not have a sense of pride?
"All teams, listen up! Do not form a line! Run in six groups!"
Lu Yong's roar exploded again, the sound like rolling thunder directly drowning out the neighing of the frightened horses.
"Each group of five guards, each with a carriage, will disperse into the rocky forest on either side! The foreman, you take Mother to the left; the second brother, you take Nannan directly to Yinyang City to report the news! Hurry!"
Lu Yong suddenly stepped forward, his long sword gleaming brightly red, and stood alone in the very center of the dried-up valley.
"Guards! Take the last three cartloads of heavy cargo and hold the bridgehead with me!"
He's making a tough decision.
He knew very well that there were only five robbers, and even with the black bear, they couldn't possibly chase in six directions at the same time.
As long as he guards the three heaviest and most conspicuous "treasures" in the carts, the enemy will not be able to pursue him too far!
If they can buy Nan Nan and her mother half an hour to get them into the territory of the Yin Yang City post station, they will be saved!
My father once said that the city lord of Yinyang City is his superior!
He was also the garrison commander of the entire Yingchuan army!
He couldn't possibly stand by and watch his old friend's family be robbed and killed on the road!
Lu Yong took a deep breath. He was gambling that the robbers were envious of the valuables that had broken the axles of the three carts.
They were also gambling, gambling that they could stop these robbers!
The caravan quickly split in the chaos. Though terrified, the guards' years of training made them instinctively carry out orders. Several carriages instantly turned around and fled frantically towards the rocky banks and low bushes on either side.
"Hey, trying to split your forces?"
The scarred bald man snorted coldly and charged forward, brandishing his long knife!
"I'll deal with this kid! Zhao Wu, you go after that girl, don't let them reach Yinyang City!"
"Li Si, take the blind man and chase after those guards! Don't let them run around!"
After giving his orders, the scarred bald man looked at Lu Yong with a hint of mockery. "Young master wants to be a hero? Then I'll send you to your grave first, and then I'll go catch those brats!"
……
Inside the rapidly swaying carriage, Nan Nan clung tightly to Fang Yuan, her face deathly pale. She felt the carriage shaking violently and heard the inhuman roars of beasts outside.
"Little Frog, don't be afraid! Second Brother will definitely protect us!"
"Little Frog... let me tell you, my older brother is incredibly skilled!... Do you remember the Tiger Roar Knife Technique he demonstrated for you last time? That was taught to you by my older brother. The Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound Technique is also..." Nan Nan murmured softly, her words broken, seemingly trying to comfort Little Frog.
"Nannan, forget about the frogs! Get out of the carriage! The horse is startled and out of control! We're going to have to run on our own from now on!" Suddenly, Lu Feng, Nannan's second brother, shouted, then kicked open the carriage door, grabbed Nannan by the collar and yanked her away. The next moment, Nannan cried out in surprise!
She took flight!
Fang Yuan gripped her clothes tightly, and Nan Nan also protected him closely.
Soon, Nan Nan landed on her second brother's back: "Hold on tight! I'm going to speed up!"
"Why are you still carrying that useless frog?! Throw it away! Do you expect the frog to kill someone?!" Lu Feng scolded Nan Nan angrily when he saw that she was still carrying the frog, but there was no time to continue disciplining her.
"Alright! Hold on tight! We're running away!"