Humiliation at Black Wind Pass

The carriage rattled along the potholed road for another hour. Outside the window, the sky gradually darkened, and the distant hills grew indistinct.

As they traveled, a sudden clunk sounded, and the carriage came to an abrupt halt, as though something had jammed a wheel. Xu Qingtong and his mother stumbled and nearly fell. The others were thrown this way and that as well. He hurriedly steadied his mother, lifted the window curtain, and looked outside.

Four men suddenly sprang out of the roadside bushes, all dressed in black, each gripping a steel saber. Their leader was of medium build, with a sinister face, an icy gaze, and short stubble that gave him an air of fierce decisiveness.

The man strode up to the carriage, kicked the door open, and barked, "Everyone out! Hand over your valuables, and I'll spare your lives!"

They had no choice but to climb out. Huang Yuanwai's wife and daughter clutched his clothes, their legs trembling with fear.

Li Changde's attendant, the dark-faced man with a thick, curling beard who had ridden with them, remained fairly composed and kept Li Changde firmly shielded behind him.

Xu Qingtong stood to one side, silently supporting his mother. The driver, however, had seen trouble coming and fled early on.

Huang Yuanwai forced himself to remain calm. Pointing at the leader, he declared loudly, "You bandits are outrageously bold! How dare you commit robbery in broad daylight! Do you know that my son-"

Before he could finish, the bandit leader lunged forward and cut Huang Yuanwai down, snarling, "Who wants to hear your damned nonsense? You dare try to scare me!"

Seeing Huang Yuanwai's head severed from his body, his wife screamed and fainted on the spot. His daughter shook like chaff in a sieve, trembling as she cradled her mother and wept without stopping.

Seeing how badly things had turned, the merchant Li Changde hastily removed a pouch from his waist and handed it to his attendant, Liu Er, signaling for him to give it to the bandits.

Liu Er took the cloth pouch and approached a nearby bandit, holding it in both hands.

When he was only one step away, Liu Er suddenly sprang into action and slammed the pouch into the bandit's face.

Before the bandit could react, he snatched the saber from his hand and drove it hard into his heart. Only when the man collapsed with a scream did the others come to their senses and charge at Liu Er with their sabers raised.

Liu Er swiftly pulled the saber from the fallen bandit and slashed at the one nearest him.

That man was no slouch either. After all, he lived by licking blood from the edge of a blade, and his reactions were quick. Seeing Liu Er's saber coming, he twisted aside, dodged its edge, and swung his own saber at Liu Er's waist.

But Liu Er's strike was a feint. Before the motion had run its course, he turned the downward slash into a sweeping cut straight at the man's neck. It was a desperate move that staked his life: if neither man dodged, both would surely suffer grievous wounds.

The man dared not hesitate and hurriedly drew his saber back to block. With a clang, the two blades collided. Liu Er's strength nearly knocked the saber from his opponent's hand. The man's grip faltered, and he staggered backward, tripped over a stone behind him, and fell onto his back.

Ignoring the bandit leader rushing up behind him, Liu Er lunged at the fallen man and drove his saber into his belly, pinning him firmly to the ground.

These exchanges unfolded as swiftly as a hare springing up and a falcon swooping down. Though they took time to recount, they happened in a flash of lightning. Just as Liu Er killed the second bandit, the leader reached him from behind and landed a solid slash across his back.

Liu Er spat out a mouthful of blood and threw himself to the ground, rolling like a lazy donkey to evade the leader's second strike. As soon as he scrambled up, the remaining bandit arrived, and the two trapped Liu Er between them.

By now, Li Changde was stunned with fear as well. He had never expected Liu Er to be so brave or so loyal. Although he had once saved Liu Er's life, surely there was no need to risk his neck over something money could settle. Even if you insist on risking your life, don't drag me into it!

Seeing that Liu Er was badly wounded and had little strength left to fight, the bandit leader judged that he could control the situation himself and sent the other bandit to seize Li Changde.

As the bandit approached, Li Changde wet himself in terror and pleaded incessantly, "Spare me, sir! This has nothing to do with me..."

Seizing the opportunity, Xu Qingtong whispered to his mother, "Mother, run!" He took her hand and fled to the side.

They ran nearly two li without stopping. His mother was already panting with exhaustion and said between gasps, "Qingtong, don't worry about me. You're faster. Run ahead." Xu Qingtong would never agree to that. He simply pulled her onward, constantly listening as they ran.

Xu Qingtong's hearing was exceptionally keen; he could clearly hear even faint sounds more than a li away. The moment he listened closely, his face changed dramatically. "This is bad! The bandit's coming after us!"

"Child, let go of me, or neither of us will escape!"

"Mother, I won't leave you behind! Father is already gone. If I lose you too, what meaning would my life have?"

While mother and son were speaking, the bandit leader caught up with them. Fixing the pair with a chilling stare, he snarled, "You worthless wretches! You've cost me two brothers dead and one wounded. None of you will escape today! I'll avenge my brothers!"

Seeing that all was lost and there was no longer any hope of escape, Xu Qingtong's mother dropped to her knees with a thud. "Sir, neither my son nor I were responsible for your brothers' deaths. We haven't a coin between us, nor even the strength to truss a chicken. We have nothing but our worthless lives. Please show mercy and let my son go. I'll toil like an ox or a horse, serve as your slave or maid, bring you tea and water, wash your clothes, and cook your meals. Would that do?" she pleaded sorrowfully, her eyes swimming with tears.

The bandit leader looked Chen Shi over and said with a lewd grin, "You little wench, you've got some wit, and a pretty face too. Very well, come over and attend to me. If you can give me some pleasure, I might just let that little brat go. Hahaha..."

Then he beckoned Xu Qingtong's mother closer. Still on her knees, she shuffled forward until she reached him. Grinning lewdly, the bandit leader undid his belt and lowered his trousers. Xu Qingtong's eyes blazed as he roared, "Mother, no!"

His mother gave a desolate smile and looked lovingly at her son. "Child, remember, go find your uncle! Run!" With that, she locked her arms around the bandit leader's thigh and sank her teeth into his crotch.

"Aah!" The bandit leader screamed and brought his saber down. In his panic, he had turned the blade the wrong way, and its blunt back struck Xu Qingtong's mother on the head.

Even so, blood streamed down her face. The bandit leader did not stop. He hacked at her again and again, cursing as he struck. "You bitch! You dare destroy the root of my descendants! I'll cut you into ten thousand pieces!"

Xu Qingtong's mother made no sound. She only held the bandit leader in a death grip.

Xu Qingtong was so furious that the corners of his eyes seemed about to split. Blood surged to his head, and he wanted to charge forward and fight the bandit to the death. But he knew that rushing in would only get him killed. His mother had traded her life and endured humiliation to buy him a chance to survive. He could not throw it away for nothing. He still had to avenge her!

With that thought, Xu Qingtong cast everything else aside, turned, and ran toward the woods by the distant hills. As he ran, he kept listening for sounds behind him. Before long, he keenly sensed someone pursuing him. His mother must already have met her end.

Forcing down the grief in his heart, Xu Qingtong kept weaving through the woods. He was small and nimble, and his sight and hearing far surpassed those of ordinary people. He could detect his pursuer's movements early and change course in time, gradually widening the distance between himself and the bandit leader.

Xu Qingtong dared not rest and could only keep running. Branches tore his clothes into strips and scratched bloody lines across his face and body. Soaked in sweat, the cuts burned fiercely, but compared with the pain in his heart, the pain in his body was insignificant.

He did not know how long he had run or how far he had traveled. Only when the eastern sky turned the pale white of a fish's belly did Xu Qingtong finally reach his limit. He plunged into a haystack at a farmhouse beside the road and fell unconscious.