Bandits

By the next morning, the grain intended for his aunts' families had already been packed. Each sack contained a letter home, a large piece of cured pork, and some loose silver.

Wenlong stretched out a hand and stored all the sacks of grain in his space. The clansmen were long past being surprised by the sight of grain vanishing before their eyes. Wenlong was someone blessed by their ancestors, after all.

Only his two uncles were left gaping in shock. Each new surprise Wenlong gave them startled them more than the last, leaving them utterly incredulous.

This nephew of theirs possessed godlike powers. If they followed him from now on, they would surely never have to fear going hungry or cold again.

The two carriages slowly rolled out of the village. Long'er's mother kept reminding them to stay safe and come back soon.

Wenlong, Daniu, Wenzhu, and Wenye waved goodbye to their family and climbed into the carriages. Even after they had traveled far beyond the village entrance, Long'er's mother's reminders still carried to them from the distance.

Wenlong and Daniu rode in the elder uncle's carriage, along with a great long saber weighing nearly a hundred jin.

In the younger uncle's carriage, Wenzhu and Wenye studied a sword manual, each with a longsword beside her.

Throughout the journey, Wenlong sat meditating with his eyes closed, rehearsing his martial skills in his mind one after another.

This had already become a habit. Whenever he had time, he repeatedly practiced his martial techniques in his mind, honing his mastery of all eighteen martial disciplines.

Suddenly, the carriage stopped, and a shout came from outside. "I opened this road, I planted these trees! If you want to pass this way, leave your toll with me!"

Wenlong chuckled inwardly. Why did that sound so familiar? Did people across every time and space all use the same routine?

Wenlong poked his head out and glanced ahead. Six burly men had blocked the carriages and refused to let them pass without paying.

Good thing you only want money, not lives. Otherwise, every last one of you would have to die. Daniu had already picked up his great long saber and stepped down from the carriage.

"Daniu, keep them alive. They're all yours." Wenlong smiled at him. After practicing martial arts for so long, it was time to test his ability in a real fight.

By then, Wenzhu and Wenye were also standing beside the carriage with longswords in hand, itching to have a go.

Daniu wasted no words. He swung his great long saber, whipping up wind like a spinning wheel. Before the bandits could even prepare to fight, he swept them to the ground, where they wailed like ghosts and howled like wolves.

Wenlong shook his head. With such pitiful strength, they had still come out to play at robbery. Weren't they courting death?

Had the bandits known what Wenlong was thinking, they would surely have protested, That kid was just too strong, all right? We're all sturdy, strapping men!

"Uncles, tie them up." Wenlong stepped forward as well, found some rope, and bound all six bandits securely. He paid no attention to whether they were clutching their hands or their feet and crying out in pain.

"Talk. How many more of you are there? Refuse, and you'll suffer for it. You could lose your lives." The bandits had only wanted to scrape together some money for the New Year; they had never intended to kill anyone.

Now every one of them was frightened pale as dirt. They had never expected these youngsters to be fiercer than the next, and could only scramble to explain themselves.

As it turned out, they were villagers from a small village some distance away. The New Year was approaching, yet their homes were utterly destitute, and they could not even put food on the table. After discussing it, the burly men had come out to rob travelers.

Unfortunately, they had waited for two days without seeing a single soul. Today, two carriages had finally appeared, only for them to kick one enormous iron plate.

If even such big, burly men had nothing to put in their cooking pots, it was easy to imagine how bitterly the farmers lived.

Holding a wickedly sharp dagger, Wenlong walked up to the bandits. The six burly men screamed in terror, sobbing and begging for mercy.

Wenlong sliced off their hair. "This is your warning. Next time, it'll be your heads I cut off."

He dropped a few sacks of grain beside them. "Divide this grain among yourselves and live honestly from now on. Go." Then Wenlong told the others to untie them.

The six burly men knelt on the ground, thanking him over and over and calling him their great benefactor, before leaving with tears streaming down their faces.

"Long'er, why did you let them go? We could've taken them back as slaves, but you even gave them grain!" Daniu asked, his face full of indignation.

"Daniu, they've all had it hard. You saw that they never meant to kill anyone. They only wanted money and goods, hoping to get their families a mouthful of food. Ah." They were all poor people. Wenlong could not help sighing.

"If we really killed them or captured them, six families would be ruined. If they were members of the Kai family, I wouldn't show any mercy," Wenlong said quietly.

His uncles, Wenzhu, and Wenye watched without saying anything. Only Daniu continued to grumble, still unconvinced.

"All right, let's go. Why should poor people make life difficult for other poor people?" With that, Wenlong told them to continue the journey.

The carriages continued toward Brightlight City. Wenlong asked his uncles to drop them off near the city gates, then deliver the grain themselves.

He wanted to take Daniu and the others around Brightlight City. Most of his aunts' families lived in villages outside the city.

Once they reached the villages, they would no longer have to worry about the grain being stolen. Besides, both uncles were villagers from outside the city and knew the area well.

Wenlong took the grain for his aunts' families out of his space, filling both carriages. Now that the Wen family no longer lacked food or clothing, they could send much more to his aunts' families as well.

Wenzhu and Wenye cradled their swords, while Daniu carried his great long saber over his shoulder. Wenlong led the way toward Brightlight City with empty hands.

In this age, when the country barely resembled a country, carrying weapons through the streets was perfectly normal. There was a distinct sense that strength reigned supreme.

The imperial court rarely interfered with the affairs of individual cities, as long as they did not rebel. City lords likewise paid little attention to the common people beneath them, as long as they paid their taxes.

So, as long as someone was strong enough, they could seize a city lord's position, and the imperial court would still recognize them as its lord. All they had to do was acknowledge the court's authority, and everyone would be happy.

Wasn't this just like the Warring States period back on our Earth? The strong became kings, while ordinary people everywhere lived amid deep waters and scorching flames.

People lived like lowly ants. If they happened to die, no one thought it was much of a matter.

With the New Year approaching, everyone entering the city had to pay an entrance fee of one copper coin. It was not much, but goods were charged separately, so the daily income was substantial.

The four entered the city. With the New Year so close, it was naturally bustling, with crowds surging everywhere. Patrols of city guards passed by from time to time.

Wenlong no longer lacked money, so his first order of business upon entering the city was to find somewhere to eat something delicious. The four found a table beside a window upstairs in a restaurant.

Looking out at the bustling streets, they saw that most of the people passing by wore ragged clothes. Countless beggars lined the streets as well. Apart from a few elderly people, most of them were children.

Wenlong felt as though something had tightened around his heart, making him ache. Having experienced modern civilization, he could not bear to see such a miserable world.

Had the four of them not been well dressed, they probably would not even have been allowed through the restaurant's doors before a waiter chased them away.

On the street, a boy was leading a younger little girl by the hand. The girl kept wiping away her tears.

After pulling the little girl aside, the boy glanced back and forth, then walked toward a roadside stall selling steamed buns.

While the stall owner was distracted, the boy reached out and took a bun. He was just turning to leave when the owner spotted him.

The stall owner was a fat man. Seeing someone steal his bun, he flew into a rage and kicked the boy so hard that he went flying.

When the boy hit the ground, he could not help coughing up a great mouthful of fresh blood. The fat stall owner still refused to let it go. He grabbed a stick and rained blows down on the boy.