Blind as Bats—They Even Dared Rob Court Yamen Runners?!

Bandits?

Lu Xuan still remembered what the City Gate Guard had said when they first left the County Town.

He had not expected to actually run into them.

But Lu Xuan was somewhat speechless. If he had still been alone, it would have made sense for these bandits to come out and block the road for plunder.

Why did these bandit refugees give him the feeling that they were a bunch of reckless fools? Couldn't they see that Lu Xuan's side had superior numbers?

How did they dare?

"Kill them!"

The Lead Escort at the front of the Merchant Caravan raised his broadsword and leaped straight off his horse.

There was nothing to say to bandits. Over all their years of escort work, they had killed who knew how many of them.

Bandits, brigands, notorious outlaws, and the like—every one of them was an evil man with the blood of common folk staining his hands, a butcher who killed as easily as breathing.

Even the Great Xia Court had once posted proclamations ordering local governments to immediately send troops to suppress and exterminate any bandits or brigands they discovered, showing absolutely no mercy.

"Damn it, you bunch of bandits! Looks like you don't want to live anymore, daring to provoke even me!"

Liang Cheng at the rear of the Merchant Caravan made his move as well. Without hesitation, he slashed out, cutting the throat of the bandit approaching him with a single stroke.

What the hell, brothers?

Were these bandits stupid, or were they blind?

Was there no justice left in this world? He was a fucking Court Yamen Runner, and they even dared to rob him? These bandits were truly lawless beyond measure.

Originally, exterminating bandits had little to do with a County Office Yamen Runner like him. That was the County Town guards' responsibility.

But the bandits' actions made Liang Cheng laugh in fury.

At that moment, he unleashed his Flesh Refining strength without holding anything back.

Before long, under Liang Cheng and the Merchant Caravan escorts' full assault, the bandits suffered grievous casualties.

Especially the Lead Escort at the front. As a Bone Refining Realm expert, more than half the bandits had died beneath his sword.

"Damn it, we ran into a hard nail!"

A Big Man at the very back of the bandits cursed under his breath, his eyes filled with fear.

He was Tiger Bro, the leader of these bandits. He was not faring well either; a clear bloody gash marked his abdomen, with threads of blood seeping from the wound.

If he had not run fast enough, that Lead Escort on the other side would have gutted him with a single sword strike.

Bone Refining Realm!

There was actually a Bone Refining Realm expert on the other side. In tiny Azure Cloud County, Bone Refining Realm experts could be counted on one hand, yet he had actually run into one!

Damn it, the boat had capsized in a gutter. Tiger Bro no longer had any will to fight. As a Flesh Refining martial artist, he was no match for a Bone Refining Realm expert.

If the other side had only one person, he could have relied on their superior numbers to kill him. But now, the other side had no fewer men than they did.

Run!

They were no match for the other side at all. If they did not run, staying here meant nothing but waiting to die.

That was the only thought in Tiger Bro's mind, and it was also why he had survived the government's repeated suppression campaigns.

But before Tiger Bro could prepare to flee, several bandits ahead of him began retreating, looking as though they were about to run.

Tiger Bro instantly flew into a rage. A vicious gleam flashed in his eyes as he looked at the few men trying to flee past him.

"Fuck, you useless trash dare to run? Get up there, all of you!"

These bastards. I haven't even run yet, and you already want to flee?

Tiger Bro stretched out his large hands and grabbed two men near him.

He then hurled them forcefully toward the front, followed by a kick that sent another man flying after them.

The movements flowed like drifting clouds and running water, completed within a few breaths.

After finishing all that, Tiger Bro turned and ran without looking back.

Seeing that their own boss had fled, the remaining dozen or so bandits all threw away their weapons and scattered in every direction.

Several bandits who had not managed to escape in time tried to beg for mercy and surrender, only to be ruthlessly cut down by the Merchant Caravan escorts.

Because from the moment they encountered bandits, it meant either you died or I lived. There had never been any talk of surrender.

After dealing with the last bandit begging for mercy, the Lead Escort silently glanced ahead, where a fleeing figure could be seen.

The Lead Escort did not pursue Tiger Bro, nor did anyone else.

As the saying went, do not chase a desperate foe. Everyone present understood that principle.

Who knew whether there might be some trap after giving chase, or whether other surviving bandits were lying in ambush there?

"Captain Liang, I shall take my leave first. Once I return to the County Town, I will certainly visit you in person to thank you for your assistance."

Seeing that all the bandits had been dealt with, the Lead Escort walked up to Liang Cheng and spoke politely.

"Not at all, not at all. Senior Liu is too courteous. Eliminating these lawless bandits is what we ought to do."

Liang Cheng had clearly recognized the identity of the escort leading the group. He did not dare put on airs and hurriedly returned the courtesy.

The other man was a Bone Refining Realm expert, a renowned martial arts master in the County Town. The reason he was being so polite was only out of regard for Liang Cheng's position as captain and for the sake of his father.

After speaking, the Lead Escort shouted to the Merchant Caravan escorts, "Bring the dead and wounded brothers with us. We're leaving!"

Blades and swords had no eyes. In a fierce fight against bandits, casualties were unavoidable.

Even Liang Cheng and the several Yamen Runners beside him had been wounded, their clothes soaked through with blood.

One Yamen Runner had nearly died beneath a bandit's blade. In the end, it was from within the carriage where Lu Xuan was.

A fruit pit shot out as fast as a bullet, instantly piercing through the bandit's chest and saving the Yamen Runner.

The escort Merchant Caravan ahead was clearly traveling several times faster than before.

In no time, they had left Lu Xuan's group far behind.

Clearly, they were worried—worried that those bandits would attack and ambush them again.

"Captain, what do we do with these bodies?"

A Yamen Runner wore the expression of someone who had survived a great calamity. His voice trembled slightly, as though he had yet to pull himself free from the scene of that life-and-death struggle.

Above all, they had never expected that, as County Office Yamen Runners, they would one day fight these vicious bandits to the death outside the County Town.

Liang Cheng glanced at the corpses strewn across the ground, waved a hand, and spoke in an indifferent tone.

"Leave them. Something will naturally clean up these bodies."

"Get ready, all of you. Return to the County Town immediately and report to County Magistrate Sir."

"Yes, Captain!"

The Official Road was surrounded by mountains, while the wilderness and deep forests teemed with countless wolves, tigers, leopards, and some mutated, ferocious beasts.

Once night fell, those savage beasts would smell the thick scent of blood here.

To put it bluntly, these corpses would not even be enough to fill the gaps between their teeth.

Under Liang Cheng's command, several Yamen Runners threw the corpses blocking the road to one side, then continued toward Azure Cloud County as if nothing had happened.

On the other side, the remaining five or six bandits followed closely behind a Big Man, and the man ahead of them was Tiger Bro, who had just escaped.