Sarcasm

In just a few dozen breaths, several members of the Sea Shark Gang and county officials had been cut down. The rest were completely overwhelmed by the newcomers' ferocious momentum and fierce attacks.

"Run!" someone shouted. They all turned and fled for the village gates as if their lives depended on it!

"They... they ran? The Sea Shark Gang and the officials... they all ran?" The Pearl Divers watching from hiding could hardly believe their eyes.

After a brief moment of shock, boundless fear swept over them.

If even the Sea Shark Gang and the officials had fled at the first sign of trouble, what were they supposed to do?

What had this band of mountain bandits come to Pearl Village for?

As if answering the fear in the Pearl Divers' hearts, the bushy-bearded giant at the head of the band cleaved the village gate apart with one blow. His voice rang like a great bell, brimming with unquestionable arrogance:

"Brothers! Drive everyone in this village, men and women, young and old, into the open space in the middle! Search carefully—don't miss a single soul! Tie up all the young women and able-bodied men and take them away! Move!"

"Yes, Third Boss!" The bandits roared their assent, savage, excited grins on their faces. They immediately split into several groups, drew their blades, and began roughly kicking down the flimsy wooden doors one by one and charging into the Pearl Divers' homes.

"Get out! All of you, get out here!"

"Into the open space! Hurry!"

Curses, shouts, women's screams, children's wails... In an instant, they drowned out the earlier battle cries, echoing through every corner of Pearl Village. Firelight flickered, shadows darted about, and the entire village descended into chaos and panic.

Inside the Chen family's shack, Mother Chen had knocked over the oil lamp in her panic, extinguishing it.

In the darkness, Father Chen and Mother Chen huddled tightly together, their faces as pale as paper, their bodies trembling uncontrollably. Every scream from outside, every thud against a door, struck their hearts like a heavy hammer.

An immense, unprecedented fear seized them, leaving their minds blank and utterly robbing them of the ability to think.

Chen Yue stood behind the door, staring fixedly through a crack at the chaos outside.

His heart pounded heavily in his chest. As the shouts and pounding grew closer, his heart sank lower and lower.

"Rob from the rich to aid the poor?"

Recalling the talk he'd overheard that day in front of the county town's notice board, Chen Yue could only find it bitterly ironic. These people were nothing but bloodthirsty, merciless bandits who did as they pleased and spared no one—not even the lowliest Pearl Divers.

Even more troubling was what Chen Yue had glimpsed of the bandits' strength. He'd judged their abilities roughly at a glance.

Several of them were at the Skin Refining Realm, agile in their movements and ruthless in their attacks. And the bushy-bearded man giving the orders had a deep, steady breath. The force of the blow that had sent the Sea Shark Gang's underling flying was proof enough that he was a Muscle Refining Realm martial artist!

That realization instantly extinguished the faint self-satisfaction Chen Yue had felt as his strength rapidly improved.

He wasn't afraid to face someone at the Skin Refining Realm. But against a Muscle Refining Realm martial artist... Chen Yue wasn't sure he could win, especially with so many bandits surrounding them.

If he were alone, he could use his Roaming Mountains and Rivers movement technique and his familiarity with the terrain to escape through the back of the shack while everyone was distracted.

But his parents were here! They were ordinary Pearl Divers, old and frail. There was no way they could get away.

Abandon his parents and flee alone?

The quiet, profound love of Father Chen and Mother Chen had long been one of the few bonds and sources of warmth he had in this unfamiliar world. If he escaped alone and clung to life, would he spend the rest of it consumed by guilt and regret?

What could he do? Fighting head-on meant certain death! Take his parents and flee together? Their chances of success were minuscule with a Muscle Refining Realm martial artist and so many ruthless bandits all around them.

Just as Chen Yue was frantic with worry, still unable to think of any viable plan, a sudden change erupted near the entrance to Pearl Village!

"Wooo—"

"Attack! Don't let a single bandit escape!"

"The county yamen is on the case! Anyone who resists will be killed without mercy!"

Louder and more chaotic than before, battle cries thundered through the village, mingled with the distinct clatter of a large force's armor and the twang of drawn bowstrings.

The Sea Shark Gang members and county yamen runners who had just fled without a trace had returned! And judging by the noise, there were several times more of them than before!

"Ha ha ha ha! You rats from West Mountain, I've finally caught you showing your faces! I've been tracking you for days. Never thought you'd be so desperate you'd prey on Pearl Divers! You've really sunk to new lows!"

A booming laugh drowned out the din and rang clearly across half the village.

Before the words had even faded, a tide of firelight and figures surged in through the village gate.

At the head was not an official, but a lean, middle-aged man with a sinister expression. His aura was no weaker than that of the bushy-bearded bandit leader.

Behind him followed a sea of elite Sea Shark Gang members, along with county yamen constables and local militia carrying blades. At a rough count, there were a hundred of them!

"We've been tricked! Retreat!" The bushy-bearded man's face changed drastically as he roared.

But it was too late!

The returning forces of the Sea Shark Gang and the authorities had caught the bandits off guard, and the two sides clashed in an instant! Blades flashed, blood sprayed, and roars and screams once more rang through the night sky.

At that moment, roughly a third of the bandits were scattered across Pearl Village, driving the Pearl Divers out and capturing them. Caught completely off guard, they had no time to return and reinforce the main force at the gate.

The bandits were already outnumbered. Now their ranks had been split apart, and they were thrown onto the back foot, forced to retreat step by step as more of them fell.

Seeing the scene outside transform in an instant from the bandits' rampage into a bloody clash between two forces, Chen Yue acted without hesitation. He quickly shut the outer door, slid the flimsy wooden bolt into place, then dragged over the heaviest cabinet in the room and wedged it against the door as best he could.

Then Chen Yue pulled Father Chen and Mother Chen, whose legs had gone weak with fear, into the cramped inner room. He motioned for them to crouch beneath the bed in the darkest corner, while he stood guard behind the door, holding his breath and listening intently to every sound outside.

The fighting outside raged like a storm. Roars, screams, and the dull clang of clashing weapons blended together, punctuated by the desperate wails of Pearl Divers and the pounding footsteps of people fleeing.

The sounds continued for about the time it took an incense stick to burn, gradually fading from fierce clashes to scattered skirmishes. At last, aside from the groans of the wounded and the victors' shouts, the large-scale fighting fell silent.

About another quarter of an hour passed. Outside had grown completely quiet, save for the wind whistling through the cracks in the shack and the faint sounds of people moving things and speaking in low voices in the distance.

Chen Yue continued to wait patiently. Only after confirming there were no more battle cries or signs of anyone trying to break in did he signal to his parents to stay put, then silently make his way to the door of the outer room.

Chen Yue first listened carefully for a long while. Only then did he slowly pull the door open a narrow crack.

The heavy stench of blood instantly filled his nostrils. In the light of a few torches that had not yet gone out, Chen Yue narrowed his eyes and cautiously peered outside.