Bandits

A pale sliver of light broke across the eastern horizon, staining the dusky night sky a pale blue-gray. The air was filled with the damp chill of morning mist, making every breath refreshing.

The outlines of the mountains gradually grew distinct, while the distant, fog-shrouded peaks looked like a celestial fairyland.

Although the old farmer had not slept all night, he felt no fatigue. After driving the cart along the mountain paths through the night, they had finally arrived near the closest village.

Right at the foot of the mountain, smoke curled lazily from the village chimneys, accompanied by the crowing of roosters signaling the arrival of dawn. The old farmer woke the two sleeping on the straw stack.

“Hehe, young brother, we've arrived,” the old farmer chuckled. As he spoke, Jiang Moran cracked his eyes open a sliver, stretching his arms with a yawn.

“Thank you, old man,” Jiang Moran offered a quiet word of thanks. The young girl still resting against his chest had slightly messy hair and was breathing evenly, still deeply asleep after swaying through the night.

“Still sleeping, are we?”

Ning Qingzhu knitted her brows and tossed her head to shake off the fingers pinching her pretty face, opening her sleepy eyes.

The first thing she saw was Jiang Moran's handsome face, wearing a slightly teasing smirk.

Her mind went blank for a brief moment. A second later, a flush of red crept up her cheeks, unable to conceal the bashfulness in her eyes. Even so, she did not pull away. Instead, she stayed still, quiet and shy.

“G-Good morning, Young Master,” she stammered nervously, her voice trembling slightly.

“It's not early anymore. Time to head into the village.”

Jiang Moran casually patted her head and pulled her up, leading her off the ox cart's straw stack.

He waved a hand toward the old farmer in farewell, leading the young girl down toward the village at the base of the mountain without looking back.

Watching their departing figures, the old farmer smiled and shook his head, as if reminded of his own youth. He was just about to drive his ox away when his eye caught sight of a jar of wine left behind on the straw stack.

This was... left by that young brother just now.

The old farmer wanted to call out to them, but the two were already far away, their figures nowhere in sight. All that remained in the distance was the cooking smoke rising and dispersing above the village.

As Ning Qingzhu's mind gradually cleared from the grogginess of sleep, she looked down at her empty hands and froze.

“Young Master! The wine, we forgot the wine!” the girl cried out anxiously. That was the only jar of wine they had brought out!

Jiang Moran picked at his ear and said casually, “I know, I know. I left it for the old man on purpose. He did give us a ride, after all.”

“But...”

“There are no buts.”

Jiang Moran unfastened a wine gourd from his waist. With a gentle shake of his hand, the liquid inside sloshed audibly.

“I still have some here.”

...

An old tree slanted at the entrance of the village. The villagers taking shade beneath it looked curiously at the newcomers. The village was tiny and sparse, making the two of them stand out immensely.

Ning Qingzhu froze. A blush flooded her fair face, and she hurriedly buried her head low, not daring to look at Jiang Moran.

He found it somewhat amusing. The little girl didn't want others to know she was hungry, but unfortunately, her stomach had a mind of its own.

Nearby, an older woman was drying clothes. Jiang Moran stepped up to her. When the woman looked up, she saw a man clad in a black robe with his hood pulled back, revealing a handsome face, though his droopy eyelids gave him a rather lazy demeanor.

Jiang Moran spoke up, “Auntie, the two of us are passing through. Could we purchase some food from you?” As he spoke, he pulled a few copper coins from his robes.

Coming to her senses, the woman quickly waved off his money. “No need, no need! I happen to have a few leftover steamed buns from this morning. Take them.”

With that, she turned and went inside her house, returning shortly to stuff them into Jiang Moran's hands. A faint lingering warmth still radiated from the buns.

Seeing this, Jiang Moran knew he couldn't refuse, so he thanked her and accepted them. There were exactly two buns—just enough for one each.

The two found a shaded spot to sit down. The green grass beneath them was softer than expected. Jiang Moran took a bite of his bun; the taste was mediocre, carrying a faint hint of wood ash, but it was filling enough.

Ning Qingzhu chewed bite after bite with great relish, her mouth stuffed full, looking utterly adorable.

Swallowing the last bite of her bun, she asked curiously, “Um... Young Master, where are we heading?” It was just a casual question—now that she was following him, it didn't really matter where they went.

Leaning back against the tree with his arms crossed, Jiang Moran said lazily, “Back to my place. We'll pass through a city along the way, so we can stay and have some fun there for a few days.”

“Let's go, time to get back on the road.”

Having grabbed a quick bite, the two left the village and resumed their journey.

The afternoon sun was exceptionally scorching, heating the earth beneath their feet. The two had no choice but to make frequent stops along the way, resting in the shade whenever possible.

Fine beads of sweat beaded on Ning Qingzhu's fair forehead, and she looked thoroughly wilted and listless. Jiang Moran, on the other hand, showed no discomfort at all, occasionally humming a tune whenever he was in a good mood.

Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves echoed from behind, accompanied by faint bursts of loud laughter. The noise rapidly approached as five bandits on horseback caught up to them from behind.

Ning Qingzhu turned her head and caught sight of the glinting broadswords in the bandits' hands, faintly stained with flecks of blood.

“Hmm?” Jiang Moran's brows furrowed slightly. The young girl pressed her body behind him, shrinking into a ball timidly.

Reining in their horses as they drew near, the bandits looked down at them with a sneer. “Oho! Running into us today—consider it your bad luck, hahaha!”

“Hey, Boss, look at that little girl behind him. She's a real beauty!”

“Hahaha! Brother, as they say, finders keepers! Tell her to step out so we boys can have a taste~”

Ning Qingzhu rested her head against Jiang Moran's back. Naive and inexperienced in the ways of the world, she was terrified after all.

A heavy stench of blood hung in the air. Jiang Moran's gaze settled on their saddles, where several chickens, geese, and sacks of grain were tied. Hanging alongside them were a few severed human heads—one of which was strikingly familiar. It was the kindhearted auntie from this morning.

Her eyes were still wide open, blood spilling from the corners of her mouth to stain the mountain path they had traversed.

The bandits continued to snicker, their greedy eyes scanning the young girl hiding behind him as wicked thoughts ran rampant. Unfortunately for them, they had no idea that in Jiang Moran's eyes, they were already dead men...

Just as his fingers were about to move, he paused, his gaze passing through the bandits to look off in the distance. A carriage was slowly approaching. The body was lacquered in jet-black ebony, its edges inlaid with warm, luminous jade. Delicate withered-branch patterns twisted gracefully along the cabin, giving it an elegant yet noble aura.

A guard walked on either side of the carriage. Both possessed tall, resolute figures with heavy, restrained martial aura—clearly no ordinary men.

One guard swept his gaze over the crowd ahead before turning to speak respectfully toward the interior of the carriage: “Miss, five bandits are blocking the road ahead, along with a man and a woman.”

A delicate, fair finger pinched the soft curtain, pulling it open half an inch to reveal an exquisitely beautiful face. Her features were like a painting, her skin as pale as snow, exuding the undeniable grace of a noble lady.

She merely cast a nonchalant glance ahead, her brows knitting slightly. As her finger withdrew, the curtain fell back into place, and a pleasing voice sounded from within:

“Go save those two. As for the bandits, dispose of them at your discretion.”

“Understood!”

Receiving the lady's command, a chill glint flashed in the guards' eyes. The long sabres at their waists unsheathed, and their figures shot forward like arrows off a bowstring!

Noticing the shift in Jiang Moran's gaze, the bandits turned and spotted the luxurious carriage, greed flashing through their eyes.

Upon realizing the other party had only two guards, their greed flared even stronger!

“Brothers, we hit the jackpot this time...”

Before the bandit could finish his sentence, his head was instantly severed by a blade. Holding his long sabre, the guard had already arrived in front of them. The strike was so fast that the blade didn't even have time to catch a drop of blood, yet the biting cold reflection on its metal sent a shiver straight down their spines.

Only at this moment did they realize how laughable their thoughts had been...

Ten seconds later... all five bandits were dead. The bloody stench in the air grew even thicker, and the ground was a messy scene, the wounds on the five corpses clean and precise.

Ning Qingzhu buried her face even deeper into his back, not daring to look at the corpses on the ground.

The carriage pulled up in front of them, and the pleasing female voice sounded once more: “If you two are heading to Linchuan City, you may travel alongside our carriage. It will offer you some measure of protection.”

Jiang Moran raised an eyebrow, a slightly odd expression crossing his face, but in the end, he did not refuse the gesture of goodwill.

“Then many thanks, Miss.”

...