The Hatless Mountain God

Early the next morning, Pan Long and the others continued south.

The next stretch of road was calm. Three days passed without a single bandit in sight, leaving Han Feng itching for a fight.

"Old Li, why haven't we run into any bandits lately?" he asked Li Qiang, bored out of his mind. "Has it gotten so cold that Yong Province's bandits are hibernating like bears in Winter?"

Li Qiang, who was driving the carriage, couldn't help laughing. "Bears hibernate on the fat they put on in autumn. Bandits would starve to death if they tried it."

"Then why aren't they out robbing people?"

"We just haven't come across any," Li Qiang said. "There are plenty of bandits in Yong Province, but you don't run into them every other day. If they were everywhere, would we dare leave home?"

Han Feng thought it over. It seemed to make sense. He sighed, went back inside the carriage, and sprawled on the carpet, boredom written all over his face.

He looked like a dog cooped up at home, unable to go out for a walk.

Pan Long shook his head but made no attempt to console him. Instead, he asked Li Qiang, "Are there really that many bandits in Yong Province?"

"There are. Far too many." Li Qiang sighed. "Yong Province lies in the northwest, and it was never rich in resources to begin with. Yet every year, the Imperial Court levies a hefty Jin City Tax to stockpile supplies for the Golden City Defense Line. The common people have been suffering under it for years!"

Pan Long nodded slightly and sighed too.

"If it were only the tax, we could bear it. When you truly have no money, there's nothing the tax collectors can do. At worst, you lie down on