Chapter 115: Chapter 110: Raid
The sky was heavy with dark clouds. A hazy, setting sun cast only a few slivers of red light through the clouds, dappling the mountainside.
Xu Mabang, Wang Mazi, Yang Dan, and Liu Huaying led sixty or seventy bandits, escorting nine horse-drawn carts along the lowlands deep within the Baitou Mountains.
Liu Huaying was the bandits’ lookout, originally operating on the outskirts of the Baitou Mountains, responsible for keeping watch and relaying messages.
After Drilling Mountain Leopard lost several key men in a row, he found himself short-handed and recalled Liu Huaying into the mountains.
After traveling for some time, the convoy arrived near a nameless mountain. At its foot lay a small lake, its surface as smooth as a mirror and veiled in a thin layer of mist.
Xu Mabang sat up straight on his horse and peered into the distance. He then laughed heartily. "Brothers! Just two more ridges to cross and we’ll be in Fuli Valley! We’ll make it tonight!"
The bandits’ spirits lifted at his words. A scar-faced bandit leader called out, "Second-in-Command, the men are hungry. How about we take a break, get a bite to eat, and then continue on?"
"Yeah, that mountain’s farther than it looks. Let’s rest a bit," a few other bandits chimed in.
Xu Mabang turned to look at Wang Mazi, Yang Dan, and Liu Huaying, seeking their opinions with a glance.
Wang Mazi nodded. "The road ahead is rough. It’ll probably take another two or three hours."
Yang Dan and Liu Huaying glanced at each other, then both nodded in agreement.
At that, Xu Mabang waved his hand. "Alright, we’ll eat first, then leave. No drinking!"
The bandits cheered in unison. They scrambled to pull the carts to a spot sheltered from the wind at the base of the mountain, arranging them in a semicircle. They unloaded rice, grain, and meat from the wagons, then sat down in clusters of threes and fives to eat.
Escort agencies usually prepared non-perishable foods like cured meats and coarse grain biscuits for their journeys. Since Xu Mabang and his men had just robbed a convoy, they had also acquired a great deal of food.
The bandits had been extremely cautious the entire way, keeping their horses saddled and their weapons on their person at all times, constantly on guard for "that person’s" appearance.
Now, so close to home, they finally relaxed. As they ate their fill, some took off their crossbows, unbuttoned their collars, and began to shout and jest. A few of the bolder ones even pulled out wineskins for a few sly sips.
Xu Mabang and the other leaders noticed, of course, but they chose to turn a blind eye.
Just then, a pale yellow figure suddenly shot down from the mountainside. The man was nearly perpendicular to the cliff face, but he sprinted down with great strides as if on level ground, reaching the base of the mountain in just a few breaths.
"Trouble!"
Liu Huaying was the first to react, leaping to his feet and shouting a warning.
"Zhao Lin!"
Xu Mabang’s pupils contracted. He snatched the iron rod beside him and roared, "To arms! Arrow formation!"
The bandits instantly dropped their food and scrambled to pick up their bows, crossbows, and other weapons from the ground.
Zhao Lin charged into the camp with lightning speed. His figure flashed about like a tiger let loose among sheep, the iron ruler in his hand a constant blur of motion.
Every strike felled a man. In the blink of an eye, he had killed more than a dozen of them.
The bandits were terrified. Most of them had witnessed Zhao Lin’s terrifying display at Black Wind Pass, and the memory of that ghostly figure now hung over them like a massive shadow.
Now, seeing Zhao Lin appear once more, some bandits panicked and ran about in chaos while others tried to mount their horses and flee. But any bandit who tried to break from the main group was immediately struck dead by Zhao Lin’s iron ruler.
Xu Mabang’s eyes were wide with fury as he watched. He shouted for Wang Mazi, Liu Huaying, and Yang Dan to help him corner Zhao Lin.
Unfortunately, the carts had been parked haphazardly—one here, another there—and now they only got in the way.
Zhao Lin didn’t engage Xu Mabang and the others directly. Instead, he raced around the carts, specifically targeting the bandits armed with crossbows. At this range, they were bludgeoned to death with his iron ruler before they could even draw their strings.
Xu Mabang and Wang Mazi were practically spitting blood. Yang Dan in particular was horrified—these were the archers and crossbowmen he had painstakingly trained. ’If they’re all wiped out, how am I going to explain this to the Chieftain?’
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Several arrows whistled down from the mountaintop. Caught completely by surprise, several bandits were hit and fell one after another.
"Where did those arrows come from? AGH!"
"Damn it, there’s someone on the mountain...!"
The bandits were terrified, scattering like rats. The formation they had just managed to assemble was instantly broken.
Sweat beaded on Xu Mabang’s brow from the stress. "Stop running around! Follow me!" he roared. He kicked over a cart, creating a gap, and led his men in a charge.
The bandits scrambled to flee through the opening, each terrified of being left behind.
Zhao Lin sidestepped the charge and dodged to the side of a cart. Gripping the bottom of the carriage with both hands, he heaved with all his might. CRASH! The entire cart flew into the air, flipping over before slamming down hard.
It created chaos among the bandits. Seven or eight of them were pinned beneath the wagon, their screams of agony piercing the air.
Xu Mabang and Wang Mazi had no time to spare for them. They quickly gathered their remaining forces and slowly retreated toward the lake.
Zhao Lin did not pursue. Instead, he killed all the bandits who had failed to escape, along with a dozen of their horses.
Liang Song descended from the mountain and walked over to the carts. He checked the fallen bandits, delivering a final, fatal cut to each one, dead or alive, before taking their heads.
Xu Mabang and his men could only watch helplessly as their comrades were executed one by one, and they roared curses in their fury.
"That was exhilarating! What’s the plan now?" Liang Song asked excitedly.
Zhao Lin glanced up at the sky. "It’s getting dark," he said in a low voice. "We’ll pin them down."
Liang Song hesitated. "Aren’t you worried they’ll escape under the cover of darkness?"
A glint appeared in Zhao Lin’s eyes as he sneered. "Don’t worry. Not a single one of them is getting away."
’Before this ambush, I didn’t have a clear plan. I just wanted to kill as many bandits as possible.’
’But now things are different. With the time and terrain in my favor, I have a chance to leave them all here for good.’
Xu Mabang and Wang Mazi led their remaining bandits in a retreat to the lakeshore, where they finally caught their breath. With the lake at their backs, they had one less direction to fear an ambush from, making their position relatively secure.
But as he looked around at his men, he was overcome with despair.
In that short clash, more than half of his men had been killed. Only thirty-odd remained, and some hadn’t even managed to grab their bows.
Yang Dan sighed, took a quick headcount, and stepped forward. "Second-in-Command, we have sixteen crossbowmen and ten archers left. Another five of our brothers left their weapons back by the carts. What do we do?"
"Those without weapons, hand over your quivers! Archers and crossbowmen, form up!"
Xu Mabang’s face was grim. "Yang Dan, you’re with me on the left flank. Mazi and Hua Yingzi, you take the right. We need to stop that bastard from charging our flanks."
Wang Mazi and Yang Dan nodded in agreement, but Liu Huaying remained standing where he was. He hesitated before asking, "Second-in-Command, are we really going to make a final stand here?"
This was Liu Huaying’s first encounter with Zhao Lin. While he had been startled by Zhao Lin’s lightning-fast movements, he didn’t see the need for them to be cooped up by the lake and was confused by Xu Mabang’s orders.
Xu Mabang frowned but answered with forced patience. "Hua Yingzi, listen to me. In a one-on-one fight, of course none of us would be afraid of that kid."
"But you saw his Body Technique just now. The moment we leave the safety of this lake, we’ll be exposed on all sides. Do you think we have enough men to defend ourselves then?"
"If he gets an opening, he’ll pick our men off one by one until none are left. Do you want the four of us to be the only ones to return and face the Chieftain?"
Liu Huaying had nothing to say to that. He reluctantly did as he was told and moved to the right side of the formation.
Xu Mabang turned back, his gaze sweeping over his men. "Listen to me! Without my order, no one moves a single step. Anyone who breaks formation will be killed!"
