Ambush in the Mountains

"What more could a man ask for, with such a virtuous wife?"

After Li Chengfeng woke, he looked at Yuniang bustling inside and out, having already put everything in perfect order, and sighed with feeling inwardly.

His gaze fell on Liu Yuniang's face, which had grown fairer and more lustrous over these days, on her skin, and on her soft, willowy figure. As he rose and ate, he breathed in the natural fragrance drifting from her body.

Looking at this sister-in-law of his, nourished until she grew more beautiful by the day, Li Chengfeng could not help thinking of Master Zheng.

To be able to claim such a vast lake in this enormous city as private property, along with mountains and forests, and to have so many servants besides—Master Zheng's status as a martial artist was absolutely no simple thing.

Li Chengfeng surmised that even among martial artists, this Master Zheng should count as a strong hand, no ordinary martial artist at all.

For such a person to have set his eyes on his sister-in-law—even if he had never personally shown any sign of making a move—there had always been a layer of worry in Li Chengfeng's heart.

"Whew~"

All sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind, and before he knew it, Li Chengfeng had eaten his fill. He let out a breath, set down his bowl and chopsticks, and told Liu Yuniang to lock the door properly at home and wait for him.

Then, carrying two bows on his back and enough arrows, with a woodcutting knife at his waist and all the things needed for entering the mountains, he strode out the door beneath Liu Yuniang's worried gaze, facing the newly risen sunlight.

"Be careful and watch yourself in the mountains. Come back early."

Liu Yuniang called softly in worry toward Li Chengfeng's retreating back from the courtyard gate. Only after she saw his figure vanish into the alley did she sigh and silently close the courtyard gate, locking it from the inside.

Then she returned to her own room, remembered to bolt the door, and stayed inside, waiting for the man of the house to come back.

As Liu Yuniang turned back, at the corner of the courtyard wall, a furtive, shifty-eyed figure withdrew his gaze from Li Chengfeng's disappearing back. Then he turned and hurried away.

"..."

A country road outside the city.

After Li Chengfeng left the city, he looked back and saw three figures behind him, seemingly chatting and laughing as they followed him. One of them was none other than the potbellied, thick-waisted Liu Yong.

A cold smile flashed through his eyes. Without showing anything on his face, he quickened his steps and strode along the country road into the mountain forest.

"Heh, Brother Yong, that kid's speeding up. Is he scared in his heart?"

Behind Li Chengfeng, among the two men following beside Liu Yong, one of them watched Li Chengfeng's quickening figure, gave a heh, and turned his head to chuckle with Liu Yong.

"Scared? Hmph. Even if he's scared, it's useless."

Liu Yong sneered. "A cheap bastard with a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks, who can't even guarantee he'll see tomorrow, dares bare thorns at me? I originally thought I'd leave him his life, but now I won't even leave him that."

As Liu Yong spoke, a gleam appeared in his eyes. "We'll go into the mountains at noon and kill him, then come back in the afternoon and send that sister-in-law of his to Master Zheng's estate. Let Master Zheng have a taste of the wonders of that beauty with the fragrant body. When the time comes, those ten taels of reward silver will all be ours!"

"Heh heh, another fine piece of business. Ever since we started following Brother Yong, our days have only been getting better and better."

On Liu Yong's other side, a man with a black mole at the corner of his mouth chuckled. "Brother Yong's business is growing better and better."

"Follow me, and there'll only be good, no bad."

Seeing the two men's reactions, Liu Yong showed a satisfied smile. Thinking of how he had bustled about making a living all these years, doing business in lending money, robbery, and finding concubines for rich men, the smile on his face grew even more high-spirited.

But then, looking at Li Chengfeng's back, a cold light flashed in his eyes. "Walk faster. Hurry up and finish this deal with him, so we can go do other business."

"Brother Yong is right. Let's go, let's go. Today in these mountains, who knows—maybe someone'll get dragged off and eaten by a blind bear again!"

The other man echoed him repeatedly. Then the three quickened their steps, cold gleams in their eyes as they chased in the direction Li Chengfeng had gone.

"..."

"..."

"..."

The mountain range outside the city.

"Swish~"

His soles stepped onto the bluestone, and Li Chengfeng turned back to glance at the private mountain forest behind him. A trace of coldness flashed in his eyes. At last, his figure suddenly lunged forward, and he abruptly sped up, heading deeper into the mountain forest.

Before entering the mountain forest, he had always kept Liu Yong and the other two dangling behind him at a relatively slow pace.

Now that he had entered ownerless mountain woods, he naturally no longer concealed anything. With his fastest speed, he moved nimbly deeper past the private forest and into the unclaimed depths.

"He's trying to run! Move faster, all of you!"

Behind him, because they had deliberately kept a greater distance earlier, Liu Yong and the other two had remained a mountain ridge behind Li Chengfeng the whole time. Seeing Li Chengfeng suddenly speed up, their faces changed at once. They let out low cries of alarm and quickened their steps to chase after him.

"Damn it, let's see where you think you're running!"

"Boy, stop right there!"

The two helpers beside Liu Yong saw the silver for this deal running away, and their faces changed as well. They shouted impatiently, then broke into a run, chasing after Li Chengfeng together with Liu Yong.

Hearing the shouts from behind, a cold smile flashed in Li Chengfeng's eyes. Not only did he not stop, he instead quickened his pace, rapidly turning right within their field of vision and disappearing into the depths of the mountain forest.

"The woods in the mountains are dense. Don't let him really get away! Chase him!"

Liu Yong's anxious shout came faintly from behind.

"The closer they chase, the better."

Li Chengfeng sneered under his breath and swiftly ran forward for over a hundred paces in one breath. Then he abruptly stopped.

"Creak~"

Li Chengfeng swiftly drew his bow and nocked an arrow. Turning around, he narrowed his eyes and aimed at the entrance of the mountain bend.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~"

Before long, faint footsteps came from up ahead. The next moment, Liu Yong, broad in the belly and thick in the waist, clearly possessing some strength, was the first to appear in view.

"Thunk~"

Seeing that the three of them had indeed pulled apart while chasing him, Li Chengfeng hooked the corner of his mouth. In an instant, he released the arrow in his grip. The bowstring trembled, and the arrow shot out.

"Whoosh~"

Liu Yong walked into the mountain path and saw Li Chengfeng standing motionless ahead, bow drawn and arrow nocked. He froze, then burst into laughter.

"You little brat who's never touched a bow and arrow in your life—do you think just because you got lucky and hunted a few beasts in the mountains, you can shoot me from this far away?"

"Don't say your grandpa didn't give you the chance. I'll stand right here and not move. If you've got the guts, shoot me dead. Otherwise..."

"Pff..."

Watching Li Chengfeng release the arrow at him from over a hundred paces away, Liu Yong laughed loudly. Before he could finish speaking, the arrow streaking toward him instantly pierced straight through his chest.

"Urgh..."

Liu Yong's eyes widened in disbelief, and he crashed to the ground. By then, Li Chengfeng had already nocked another arrow onto the bowstring and drawn the bow into a full moon.

"Thunk~"

The second arrow flew over and lodged in the other side of Liu Yong's chest where he lay on the ground. His eyes widened again, his lips wriggled for a moment, and then he lost all breath.

Li Chengfeng smiled at the corner of his mouth and continued nocking an arrow as he waited.

"Creak~"

"..."

"Hey, Brother Yong, why are you lying there sleeping?"

A moment after Liu Yong fell to the ground, the man with the black mole, who had been more than fifty paces behind him, chased over. Seeing Liu Yong's figure ahead fallen in the grass, indistinct and hard to make out, he spoke in surprise.

The moment his words fell.

"Pff~"

An arrow tore through the air, coincidentally striking his cheek. The iron arrowhead instantly pierced straight through his skull.

The man with the black mole did not make a sound. He died on the spot and toppled to the ground.

Another moment passed.

"Huff, huff~"

The other idler of a man finally reached the bend as well.

"Huh? What's going on with you two?"

The man spoke while panting, before he could even clearly see the people on the ground.

"Hiss~"

An arrow flew over and pierced straight through his neck.

"Thud~~"

The man's eyes widened. He abruptly collapsed to the ground, his body twitching twice before going still.

The three corpses lay by the side of the mountain path, amid weeds half as tall as a man. For a time, all was silent.

Whoosh, whoosh~ ""

After a moment, Li Chengfeng's footsteps approached. He drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and put another shot into Liu Yong's head and then the head of the man behind him.

"Hiss~ hiss~"

The arrows pierced through their skulls with fierce force. Only after Li Chengfeng saw that the two of them had taken an arrow squarely to the head and still made no sound did he approach in satisfaction.

"To deal with you lot, I even prepared an extra bow. What a waste."

Li Chengfeng gave a light laugh, walked forward to look at Liu Yong's corpse lying on the ground, then raised the corner of his mouth and kicked his face, which still stared dead without closing its eyes.

"Weren't you so capable?"

"Get up and talk."