Fierce Wind Bandits, Shangguan Family

Amidst the flying dust, a woman rode at the front, with more than a dozen cavalrymen following closely behind her.

Behind this group came another band of men. Their clothing was a motley mess—some wore coarse linen, others long coats of animal hide. Every one of them had a rough, savage face, waving weapons as they roared in pursuit.

"Pick up the pace, boys! Our Third Boss has taken a fancy to that little lady up ahead! Catch her and bring her back for Third Boss!"

"Charge! Follow Third Boss!"

"Hahahahaha! Third Boss, that woman's wild as a fiery colt. Want us to tame her first?"

Filthy words spilled from their mouths, making the faces of the cavalrymen ahead turn exceedingly grim.

"Damn it! They dare humiliate the young lady like this—they truly deserve death!"

One guard rose with an angry roar, reaching for his bow and arrow, only to be stopped by someone beside him. "Don't fall for their trap. They outnumber us. We'll only have a chance once we enter the mountains."

Once they entered the mountains, they could use the thick fog and treacherous terrain to contend with their pursuers.

But at that moment, the fiery horse beneath the leading woman suddenly stepped into empty ground and crashed to the earth with its rider.

"Young Lady!"

The cavalrymen paled in alarm and hurriedly pulled their reins, changing direction just in time to keep their horses from trampling the woman.

Very quickly, the riders turned their horses around and shielded the woman behind them. One of them dismounted to check on her.

"Young Lady, are you all right?"

The woman shook her head, but as she looked at the horse foaming at the mouth, sorrow filled her face.

Her father had given her this horse ten years ago. She had loved it dearly, yet she had never imagined it would die here today from exhaustion.

They had been pursued by the people behind them for an entire day and night. The enemy had overwhelming numbers, outnumbering them ten to one. If this continued, their fate would not be much better than that horse's.

"Young Lady, quickly get on my horse. As long as we enter the mountains, we'll have a chance to escape alive."

Seeing the woman lost in thought, the guard hurriedly spoke.

"Can we... really escape?"

"Young Lady, do not despair. You are the eldest daughter of the Shangguan Family, of noble status. Even if we must all die, we will keep you safe!"

"Zhu Han, stop wasting time! Take the young lady and leave at once! We'll delay them for you!"

In that brief moment, the bandits had already caught up. If they could not halt the enemy's momentum, they would never escape.

Clearly, the other guards had already prepared themselves to die.

Hearing this, the guard hesitated no longer. He helped his young lady onto the horse, then swung himself up behind her. After giving the guards a deep look, a trace of unwillingness flashed through his eyes.

They were guards of the Shangguan Family. To lay down their lives for their masters was what they were supposed to do.

They simply had never expected to lose their lives to such lowly bandits.

Throughout the Great Wu Dynasty, there was only one Shangguan Family—the Shangguan Family of the Flying Flower Scattered Hands.

The family head, Shangguan Huang, had traveled far and wide for many years, making quite a name for himself with his Flying Flower Scattered Hands. In ordinary times, he was also quick to aid those in need and generous with his wealth, earning no small reputation in Great Wu's martial world.

Recently, his youngest daughter, Shangguan Xiyun, had answered an invitation from her mother's family and returned in her mother's stead to see her grandfather, who had just passed away, off on his final journey.

Who could have expected that she would encounter bandits on her way home?

If they had been ordinary bandits, the Shangguan Family's guards would have been more than enough to deal with them. But this band of bandits was different—they were the notorious Fierce Wind Bandits.

The Fierce Wind Bandits had risen to prominence over the past two years. Rumor had it that they were a gang of utterly vicious bandits.

They had no fixed abode. Their entire band was made up of strong, able-bodied young men. Wherever they passed, they would plunder everything clean, whether wealth, goods, or people.

They left no male survivors, while women suffered endless torment before dying miserably in agony.

In the past, these fellows only targeted merchants and ordinary people, keeping respectfully away from the imperial court and martial forces.

But for some reason, they actually dared to strike at the Shangguan Family today!

At that moment, the Fierce Wind Bandits had also arrived.

"Damn it! You vile bandits, do you know who we are? How dare you attack us?!"

A guard spoke to the people before him. Hearing this, the bandits looked at one another, then burst into loud laughter.

"Hahahahahahaha! We know, of course we know. The Shangguan Family, right? Ahahahahaha!"

Seeing the bandits' expressions, the guard immediately sensed that something was wrong. Still, he said, "Since you know our family's name, you still dare to..."

"Hehehe, we've long heard that the Shangguan Family is righteous and loyal. The brothers are short on money, so we came to borrow a little—and to see whether the Shangguan Family truly has feeling and loyalty."

"That's right. You're so rich, what's wrong with lending us a little?"

"I heard Shangguan Huang dotes tremendously on his youngest daughter. I wonder how much your family's Third Young Lady is worth?"

"Hehehe, if you ask me, send this little slut to Third Boss and have her marry him and consummate the marriage tonight. Once the raw rice is cooked into cooked rice, Third Boss will be Shangguan Huang's son-in-law!"

"Damn it! You dare insult the young lady and the master! Brothers, kill them!"

When had the guards ever suffered such humiliation? At this moment, they ignored the vast disparity in numbers, drawing blades, nocking arrows, and charging toward the bandits.

"Young Lady, let's go!"

Zhu Han was no fool. He immediately realized that his brothers were using their lives to buy time for them.

The two rode one horse and continued racing toward the mountain forest.

Over here, Li Yan watched the group of people charging toward him, vicious light flickering in his eyes.

He had not wanted any contact with these people in the first place, but since they insisted on throwing themselves at him, they could not blame him.

As he thought this, Li Yan swept his gaze over the surroundings: lush bushes and weeds, jagged scattered rocks, a muddy mountain path difficult to travel, and fog that lingered unbroken through the forest.

Heh, got it!

Zhu Han had already brought Shangguan Xiyun to the foot of the mountain. As long as they entered the mountains, they might still have a chance to escape alive.

Just as the two dismounted, a howling gust of force suddenly tore through the air from behind them, faintly carrying the sound of a dragon's roar.

Before Zhu Han could even turn around, a wet pfft sounded. A silver spear directly lifted him into the air, pinning his body aloft. He coughed up mouthful after mouthful of blood, clearly beyond saving!

"Ah!"

Shangguan Xiyun cried out in alarm. When she turned around, she saw a man riding slowly toward her from not far away.

Behind him, the dozen or so guards had already died with their eyes unclosed beneath the bandits' chaotic blades. Of them all, only she, a helpless woman, remained.

"Young Lady, run... You must never... fall into these people's... hands..."

"Young Lady... run... run..."

Zhu Han's words came to an abrupt end. He too died with his eyes unclosed, but he also pulled Shangguan Xiyun back from her terror. Gathering up her skirts, Shangguan Xiyun endured her tears and plunged headlong into the thick fog.

When the man behind her saw Shangguan Xiyun rush into the fog, a sinister smile appeared on his face. "Go. Bring that little slut back. Whoever catches her, I, the boss, will take first pick, and he can drink the soup."

At those words, the eyes of the bandits all lit up.

They had all seen that woman's figure and face. A woman like that—even getting a taste of her fragrance would be enough, let alone taking second place.

"Hahahahaha! Third Boss, that bowl of soup is mine!"

"Bullshit! Did you ask me first?"

A group of bandits howled as they charged forward, entering the mountain forest in no time.