"You're courting death!"
A flicker of viciousness showed in Song Ji's eyes.
Since Jiang Che refused to take the bait, there was no need to waste any more time. With a sharp command, arrows whistled out one after another, streaking toward the convoy.
At the same time, the several dozen riders surrounding the rear of the convoy readied themselves for battle. The moment the arrows stopped, they would charge in for the kill.
This was not a robbery at all. It was an ambush meant to slaughter them!
"Everyone, use the convoy for cover! Today, we fight to the death to protect Madam Zhu!" Jiang Che raised his blade and knocked aside an arrow as he shouted to those around him.
The bandits' arrows were limp and weak, lacking any real force.
Now that his Savage Bull Strength had reached minor accomplishment, he possessed several hundred jin of strength. As long as he stayed alert, their arrows could not hit him. What truly worried him was the charge that would come once the arrows ceased.
The Zhu family's guards were basically farmers gathered together. They could put on a convincing show, but in a real fight, they were useless. Just like now, the disciplined regular soldiers nimbly dodged the arrows.
Yet most of those guards could not react in time. In the span of a few breaths, several had already been shot down.
The ones he could truly rely on were the twenty soldiers under his command.
Though they were merely manor soldiers, they were usually well trained. Quite a few had even begun practicing martial arts, making them somewhat stronger than the disorganized bandits facing them.
Arrows fell in a chaotic rain, making a charge impossible. Jiang Che immediately dismounted and gathered with several soldiers, using a wooden plank from one of the carts as a shield. Zhu Qingqing, who had been so haughty before, was now utterly at a loss, only daring to lower her head and hide behind them.
"Madam, are you all right?"
Blocking and retreating at the same time, Jiang Che and the others gradually withdrew to the carriage. Seeing Madam Zhu lying inside, too afraid to raise her head, Jiang Che hurriedly asked.
"Commander Jiang, if it proves too difficult... I beg you, please do not hold Qing'er's earlier rudeness against her. Take her and leave. There is no need to worry about me." Madam Zhu raised her head and pleaded.
"Rest assured, Madam."
Jiang Che nodded.
Around thirty breaths later, the bandits' rain of arrows gradually stopped. Jiang Che's side had also nearly exhausted their arrows. Their losses were not light; several soldiers had been wounded by arrows.
Half the guards lay on the ground without moving. Some had already thrown away their blades and swords and were lying prone on the ground. Those still holding weapons and daring to fight numbered fewer than the fingers on one hand.
"Kill them! Leave none alive!"
Song Ji roared, and the hundred-plus bandits finally launched their full assault.
Jiang Che grabbed the reins and vaulted onto his horse, then hauled Zhu Qingqing up behind him. In a low voice, he said, "Don't be afraid. Hold on tight to me."
"Th-thank you..."
Zhu Qingqing was overwhelmed with gratitude.
But she had no idea Jiang Che was using her as a human shield. This way, if a turn for the better came later, he would not be too much at fault. After all, he would have been breaking out of the encirclement with the young lady in tow.
"Kill!"
Jiang Che pointed with his long saber, and more than ten soldiers mounted their horses, preparing to charge.
Before this, most of them had not been convinced by Jiang Che, a man who had risen from auxiliary soldier to command them. But after his calm response just now, every soldier had come to regard him as their pillar.
"I'll clear the way!"
Geng Dabiao carried a massive wooden plank three chi long and took the lead at the front like a fiendish god.
"You want to break out? Dream on!"
Song Ji saw through Jiang Che's plan and sneered. If nearly a hundred elite bandits still allowed Jiang Che and the others to escape from within their encirclement, that would be looking down on him far too much.
Once the order was given, the hundred-plus bandits closed in, and the two sides officially began fighting at close quarters.
Song Ji directly set his sights on Jiang Che and Zhu Qingqing behind him. He leaped more than a zhang, arriving before them in an instant. His palm glowed green as it smashed down like a mountain.
"Clang!"
When flesh palm met long saber, the sound was like metal striking metal. The tremendous force sent Jiang Che's blood and qi churning, and even the warhorse beneath him staggered unsteadily.
His opponent's strength far surpassed his own!
"Die!"
Song Ji spun and borrowed force from a tree trunk before hurtling toward him once more. Jiang Che's expression hardened, and he was about to use Zhu Qingqing as a human shield when, from the corner of his eye, he saw dust billowing in the distance.
A banner bearing the character "Zhu" flickered in and out of sight.
His thoughts whirled in an instant. Jiang Che held Zhu Qingqing down with one hand and threw a punch at Song Ji.
"Bang!"
Fist and palm collided with a muffled boom. Song Ji was knocked back, while Jiang Che's warhorse was smashed to its knees. He himself rolled across the ground several times.
His arm throbbed painfully. It was clearly injured from the impact.
Yet in the time it took for the two to exchange blows, the reinforcements in the distance had already arrived. Arrows tore through the air, killing several bandits on the spot.
Song Ji's face abruptly changed. He had never expected such a turn of events. Casting an unwilling glance at Jiang Che, he decisively turned, seized a horse, and fled at high speed.
Of course, as he retreated, he also shouted:
"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"
In truth, Song Ji's command was unnecessary. The moment they saw a large force of soldiers approaching, many sharp-eyed bandits had already fled. Once one man ran, it was followed by a large-scale rout.
"Jiang Che! Jiang Che, are you all right?"
Zhu Qingqing had likewise fallen to the ground when the horse collapsed. Covered in dust and grime, she saw Jiang Che clutching his arm and hurried over to ask with concern.
"I'm fine."
"Just now... thank you so much."
Zhu Qingqing lowered her head as she thanked him.
The wind from Song Ji's punch had brushed against her cheek. She had been frightened out of her wits then. If Jiang Che had not pulled her away, she might already have been dead.
All her former disdain had vanished without a trace. After suffering such a harsh lesson, gratitude was now all she felt.
Jiang Che swept his gaze over the pursuing reinforcements, forcing a warm smile onto his face.
"It is enough that Miss Zhu is unharmed."
Inwardly, he also thought Zhu Qingqing was lucky to be alive. If he had not seen reinforcements rushing over, he would already have used her as a human shield. As long as she could block that blow, he would have had a strong chance of escaping.
But who could predict the twists and turns of fate?
While the reinforcements continued pursuing the bandits, Jiang Che immediately began counting the casualties.
Of the twenty soldiers who had escorted him here, more than half were dead or wounded. Only five of the Zhu family's guards remained alive; all the rest had died on the spot. Madam Zhu had also been lucky to survive.
Hidden inside the carriage, she had not drawn any attention. Aside from a fright, she was unharmed.
Geng Dabiao, however, had suffered an injury to his arm and was having it bandaged.
Before long, the reinforcements finally returned. Quite a few carried dripping bundles in their hands. There was no need to think hard to know what those were. What surprised Jiang Che was that
the one leading these reinforcements was not Liu Zhi.
It was Gou Buren.
He first paid his respects to Madam Zhu, then walked straight over to Jiang Che. His first words were:
"Meeting again, are we? You're Jiang Che, right?"
"Yes, Commander Gou."
Jiang Che looked up and smiled.
"You're quite quick-witted. You sent men ahead to call for reinforcements. I did not stop once along the way. If I had not been intercepted, I might have arrived much earlier. Also, this time I saved your life. How do you intend to thank me?"