Black Bear

There was no need to go up the mountain today. Yang Yi was going to the city with Yang Yong to sell the furs they had accumulated recently.

Most were rabbit and squirrel pelts. The most valuable among them were two sable pelts.

The noblewomen in the city loved garments made from sable fur, so they should fetch a good price. Tracing their origins, Yue Jian deserved much of the credit for those two sable pelts.

The two set out early, each carrying a bundle on his back, and headed toward Greenstone City. Although Willow Creek Town was closer, it had fewer shops and would not offer much of a price.

Yang Yong was somewhat dull by nature as well, and the two brothers walked the official road in silence.

Suddenly, two figures sprang out from beside the road ahead.

This is bad! Yang Yi silently cried. He grabbed Yang Yong and turned to flee, only for two more figures to dart out from hiding behind them and block their path.

One broad-shouldered, thick-waisted man carried a gleaming saber and shouted, "Stop!"

Yang Yi stood still with a grim face. Beside him, Yang Yong's legs had already begun to shake, his eyes brimming with terror.

These were troubled times, and bandits often appeared in the mountains. The brothers had deliberately set out early to sell their pelts. Yet although dawn had only just broken, they had still been blocked here.

What rotten luck!

Bandits blocking the road was not uncommon, but it was not actually so easy to run into them—especially when the brothers were traveling on an official road.

"Where are you from?" The saber-wielding man strolled up to them and cocked his head as he sized them up.

Yang Yong opened his mouth, but immense fear had seized his mind. Only a hoarse sound emerged from his throat; he could not utter a single word.

Yang Yi could only answer, "From Yang Family Hollow."

At the same time, he looked around. There were four of them and only two brothers. If they truly fought, Yang Yong was in no state to be relied on. That meant he would have to fight alone.

One against four—barehanded against four bandits carrying blades. Their chances of survival were slim.

But the other side had only blocked their way and had not attacked. They seemed to have something else to say. Otherwise, Yang Yi would have turned tail and run long ago.

"May I ask, are you four heroes from Black Wind Stronghold?" Yang Yi cupped his fists.

The saber-wielding man looked surprised. "You brat have sharp eyes. How did you know your grandpas came down from Black Wind Stronghold?"

The largest den of thieves in these parts was Black Wind Stronghold, fifty li away. Yang Yi had merely asked casually.

But after receiving confirmation, he relaxed somewhat. As far as he knew, the thieves of Black Wind Stronghold rarely killed everyone in their path. They usually sought wealth, not lives.

And even when they robbed people, they would not strip them clean. They would leave behind at least some belongings.

Compared with others, the mountain bandits of Black Wind Stronghold had a reputation that was praised by every mouth in their line of work.

"So it is four elder brothers from Black Wind Stronghold." Yang Yi became even more courteous. "I have long admired you, long admired you."

The man pointed his saber at Yang Yi and laughed as he cursed, "Cut the nonsense. Since you know your grandpas are here, follow the rules. By the look of you, you're going to sell furs, right? What have you got? Open them up and let us see."

"Just some worthless things..."

"Less nonsense." Before Yang Yi could finish, the man cut him off.

Left with no choice, Yang Yi opened his bundle and tugged at Yang Yong at the same time.

Only then did Yang Yong seem to wake from a dream. In a fluster, he opened his bundle as well.

Two large bundles of pelts contained nothing that caught the eye. The saber-wielding man poked through them a few times with his blade, his face full of disdain.

"What's that bulging thing in your chest?" Another bandit holding an axe suddenly looked at Yang Yong. This bandit was extremely muscular, with a dark, cold face and the ferocious appearance of a demon.

"N-No..." Yang Yong was so frightened that his words came out in a jumble.

Impatient, the bandit stepped forward, seized Yang Yong by the collar, and rummaged through his clothes. His eyes immediately lit up. "Sable! Fine pelts!"

Yang Yong's eyes turned red. He had been counting on the money from selling those two pelts to arrange his betrothal. How could he bear to have them taken? No one knew where he found the courage, but he reached out to snatch them back. The bandit swung his axe and kicked him to the ground.

"You two aren't honest, are you?" The saber-wielding bandit stared coldly at Yang Yi. "Do you think your grandpa's blade isn't sharp?"

As he spoke, he viciously swung his long saber.

Yang Yi's expression tightened.

The bandit stepped forward and patted Yang Yi's chest, making sure he had not concealed anything valuable. Only then did he wave a hand. "Get lost!"

Yang Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had left that cloth bag at home before coming out.

He hurriedly gathered the two scattered bundles, helped Yang Yong up from the ground, and quickly departed.

Only then did he notice an additional wound on Yang Yong's face. It must have been cut when the axe-wielding bandit had shoved him. The bloody gash was more than a finger's length long, and the pain twisted Yang Yong's face.

Only after they had left that band of bandits' sight did Yang Yong let out a wail and burst into tears.

After all, he was only eighteen. It was his first time encountering such a terrifying scene. His family's two most valuable pelts had been stolen, while the rest were hardly worth selling. He still had a betrothal to arrange afterward—what hope was there left?

Now that he had been injured as well, his heart shattered, he could no longer hold it in.

"Let's go to Willow Creek Town!" Yang Yi decided at once. Given their current situation, Yang Yong needed treatment immediately. Besides, with the sable pelts gone, selling the rest in Willow Creek Town would only lose them a few copper coins.

Willow Creek Town was only four or five li away. The brothers hurried there. Yang Yi first sold the pelts at a shop he knew well, and only then did they have the money to take Yang Yong to the clinic.

After all that trouble, the brothers stared at the ten copper coins remaining in their hands, neither looking pleased.

If they had sold the pelts at a good price, they could have bought some food in the city to fill their stomachs. Now, that was impossible.

"Let's head back." Yang Yi handed the ten copper coins to Yang Yong.

On the way home, as they neared the spot where they had encountered the bandits earlier, Yang Yong suddenly grabbed Yang Yi. "Second Brother, let's take the small path."

Yang Yi nodded. He had been thinking the same thing.

What if they ran into those bandits again and got robbed a second time? They might not even be able to keep those ten copper coins.

Having grown up in the mountains since childhood, they were naturally familiar with its paths.

After walking for a while, Yang Yi suddenly stopped. Yang Yong was still immersed in sorrow of heart and pain of body. Seeing this, he halted and looked at Yang Yi. "What is it?"

Yang Yi jerked his chin in one direction.

Yang Yong followed his gaze and saw two horses tethered beneath a tree there, one black and one white.

He froze for a moment, then realized. "They belong to those bandits."

Black Wind Stronghold was fifty li from here. The bandits had come down early to block the official road, so they certainly had not come on foot. They had ridden here.

The two horses had been left here.

"Hurry, hurry!" Yang Yong had not expected that even after taking the small path, he would still run into such rotten luck.

If those bandits came over now, there would be no good outcome for them.

Yang Yi also felt this was a place where they should not linger.

But before they could continue onward, a loud laugh drifted over from afar. "We finally got our hands on something good! Never thought these mud-legged peasants had treasures like this. Black Bear, take them back to the stronghold first. The chief is preparing a congratulatory gift for Old Master Liu's seventieth birthday. He'll definitely be delighted when he sees them."

"Got it!" Another voice answered.

Yang Yi heard clearly. The first speaker was precisely the saber-wielding man. As for the other, Black Bear, he should be the dark-skinned, powerfully built bandit—the very one who had struck Yang Yong with an axe.

Then came a rustling sound from that direction. Clearly, Black Bear was approaching.

Yang Yi's face darkened. He quickly ran off to the side, but after only a few steps, he turned back and called softly, "Big Brother!"

Yang Yong stood there with a mournful face, his legs shaking violently and his crotch soaked through.

He had been scared so badly that he could not move at all.

The footsteps drew closer and closer. Gritting his teeth, Yang Yi stepped forward and shoved Yang Yong into a nearby mountain ditch.

Yang Yong tumbled down, his body concealed from view. Unless someone searched carefully, he truly would not be discovered.

Then Yang Yi's figure flickered, and he hid in a clump of bushes on the other side.

The two had barely settled into hiding when Black Bear arrived.

So long as he mounted his horse and left, the brothers would be safe and sound.

Who would have thought that instead of heading straight for the horses, the fellow walked to the side while unfastening his belt?

He wanted to relieve himself.

Black Bear was heading directly toward where Yang Yong was hiding. He only needed to take a few more steps to see Yang Yong. And once Yang Yong was discovered, no explanation would be able to clear them.

One could see Black Bear's brutality simply from the axe blow he had dealt Yang Yong head-on earlier.

What should he do?

What should he do?

Before Yang Yi's mind could come up with a plan, his body had already moved first.

Black Bear had just undone his belt when he suddenly sensed something strange behind him.

Before he could turn his head, the back of his skull took a heavy blow. His head spun and the world swayed. He opened his mouth to shout, but a large hand covered it with perfect precision. Then an arm cinched around his neck.

Yang Yi knew Black Bear absolutely could not be allowed to make a sound. Otherwise, the other three bandits would rush over, and he and Yang Yong would surely die.

So after using a mountain rock to launch his sneak attack, he immediately covered the other man's mouth.

It was his first time doing something like this. The rock had already flown from his hand when he struck, so he simply wrapped his own arm tightly around the man's neck. With a push from his feet, he directly brought him down to the ground.

This was thanks to Black Bear having undone his belt, making him inconvenient to move. Otherwise, it would not have been so easy.

In such a situation, so long as Yang Yi kept applying force and did not let Black Bear break free, he could send him to his death.

But he had ultimately underestimated the bandit's ferocity. Black Bear had spent years licking blood from the edge of a blade and had abundant experience in such fights. Yang Yi, on the other hand, had lived two lives, yet this was still his first time facing such an ordeal. He had little experience.

After several rounds of this silent struggle, Yang Yi discovered in horror that he was actually beginning to lose his hold on Black Bear.

After all, he had suffered from malnutrition for years. There was a considerable gap between his strength and Black Bear's, and the difference in their builds was impossible to make up. Moreover, he had not eaten breakfast today, and his last meal had been roasted rabbit in the mountains yesterday.

Black Bear struggled ever more fiercely. Yang Yi felt as though he was not restraining a man, but an actual black bear, one that was about to break free.

Then his vision darkened. He saw someone trembling as he walked to his side, his face full of terror and helplessness, both hands holding a huge stone raised high overhead.

When Black Bear, who was about to break free of Yang Yi's restraint, saw this, his eyes instantly filled with terror.