Bandits on the Official Road!

The Lofty Mountain Range was a vast range near the Official Road to Azure Cloud County, with great mountains rising one after another, crisscrossing through its depths.

This stretch of Official Road cutting through the Lofty Mountain Range was an important route leading to Azure Cloud County.

It was also the only Official Road where carriages could travel normally, surrounded on all sides by towering mountains.

The rising sun hung high in the sky, the Scorching Sun baking the surrounding peaks and earth.

Not far from this stretch of Official Road, many people gathered beneath an enormous ancient tree, avoiding the blazing sun as they concealed themselves in ambush.

At that moment, a voice rang out as a man spoke to the Big Man at the center of the crowd.

"Tiger Bro, do you think anyone will pass by today? We haven't had any business for several days."

"Those lords are waiting for our haul. If we still don't get anything today, then we'll..."

The Tiger Bro the man spoke of was a tall, imposing brute. His upper body was wrapped only in a small piece of yellow hide marked with distinct patterns.

The black stripes on the hide lay amid yellow-and-white fur. It was a tiger skin.

Tiger Bro's eyes widened in fury as he glared viciously at the man who had spoken.

The man's entire body trembled involuntarily. It was impossible to tell whether he feared Tiger Bro before him or the few lords he had just mentioned.

Tiger Bro was frightened by the question as well, but he did not show it. Instead, he put on a face full of baleful intent and spoke as though nothing was wrong.

"Humph. You don't need to tell me. I already know."

Then Tiger Bro fixed a vicious gaze on the distant Official Road.

Seeing that, as always, no one was passing by, Tiger Bro began to grow anxious.

He cursed inwardly all the more. Damn it, if they got nothing today, he was finished.

At the thought of those few figures who filled him with dread, cold sweat instantly streamed down Tiger Bro's back.

They had originally been refugees from Lanshan County, the county closest to Azure Cloud County.

Unexpectedly, they had encountered three strangers of unknown origin on the road. Without caring who was right or wrong, those strangers had immediately tried to kill them to establish their authority.

Then they had taken all of them in as underlings, occupying this stretch of mountains and making them rob and plunder anyone who passed through.

Not one among them had dared disobey those fiends' orders, because all who did were already dead, with the grass on their graves three zhang high.

Tiger Bro had personally witnessed those fiends mercilessly torture dozens of people who resisted them to death while they were still alive.

Thus, everyone left understood that the three fiends were not joking. They had all submitted and risked their lives for them.

Some time ago, their banditry had drawn Azure Cloud County's attention, prompting the authorities to send out a large number of soldiers to scour the mountains and suppress the bandits.

Their numbers had fallen from nearly two hundred to little more than a scattering of stray cats and dogs. Fewer than a hundred remained.

Just then, a man came running down from a mountain across the way, hurrying toward them with all his strength.

"Tiger Bro, people are coming this way! It looks like there are several carriages."

"Oh! Is that so? Good, good, good!"

Tiger Bro's face lit up with joy. He praised repeatedly, "Brothers, did you hear that? People are coming. All of you, sharpen up!"

Someone had finally come. Damn it, if no one came today, the provisions on the mountain would nearly be eaten clean by those lords.

"Tiger Bro, there are quite a lot of them coming. Should we send someone back to inform the bosses?"

The man who had just run over spoke again, telling Tiger Bro what he had seen.

"A lot of people?"

Tiger Bro reached out with one large hand and grabbed the man who had brought the news, his face flashing with ferocity.

"Then what are you standing around for? Hurry back up the mountain and notify those lords!"

"Yes, yes, yes, Tiger Bro. I'll go notify the bosses right away."

The man answered fearfully and stammered before scrambling away on hands and knees.

Before long, waves of hoofbeats sounded in the distance as several carriages slowly approached.

Many horses traveled alongside the carriages, accompanied by people who looked like guards.

As they drew closer, Tiger Bro could clearly make out every person among them.

When he saw the people surrounding the last carriage, Tiger Bro's excited face immediately drooped like an eggplant struck by frost.

What had he just seen?

Why were there government Yamen Runners among them? They looked like County Office runners.

That was right. The Yamen Runners Tiger Bro had seen were Liang Cheng and his men, along with Lu Xuan sitting inside the carriage.

As for the carriages in front, they were merely an encounter by chance. They belonged to a Merchant Caravan returning to Azure Cloud County.

The Merchant Caravan's Lead Escort was a well-known figure in the County Town. His Martial Realm had reached the Bone Refining Realm, making him one of the County Town's foremost martial experts.

Damn it, forget it. So what if they were government Yamen Runners? They would do it anyway.

Thinking that the provisions on the mountain were nearly exhausted and could only support them for another day or two, Tiger Bro had no choice.

Without further consideration, Tiger Bro decisively drew his blade and snarled, "Brothers, there's no turning back now. Get them!"

On the Official Road, Lu Xuan, seated inside the carriage, twitched his ears slightly and heard sounds coming from the distance ahead.

Lu Xuan lifted the carriage's white cloth curtain and glanced expressionlessly into the distance before speaking to Liang Cheng, who rode beside the carriage.

"Liang Cheng, stop first. Be careful ahead. There's an ambush there."

The clamorous noise of hooves did not conceal Lu Xuan's voice in the slightest.

Upon hearing Lu Xuan, Liang Cheng immediately reacted and shouted without hesitation, "Everyone, stop!"

Liang Cheng's voice was so loud that even the escort caravan ahead heard it.

In an instant, at Liang Cheng's command, not only did the Yamen Runners beside him halt, but the escort caravan ahead stopped as well.

"There's an ambush ahead. Everyone, be careful!"

Liang Cheng offered no further explanation and stated the reason directly.

In Liang Cheng's mind, Lu Xuan's words had never been wrong.

"An ambush?"

The Lead Escort opening the way at the front was a middle-aged man around forty years old. He swept a puzzled glance across their surroundings.

Before he could react, many figures appeared in the distance along the Official Road and charged toward them at high speed, each carrying a battered weapon.

"Bandits!"

"Take up your guard!"

The moment he saw the distant figures, the Lead Escort reacted at once and hurriedly shouted to the dozens of guards behind him.

Seeing this, Liang Cheng also drew the weapon at his waist and warily watched the bandits charging toward them with fierce momentum.

Bandits?