In late spring, the sun gradually became fiery hot.
On the dried grass covered mountain trail, a carriage leisurely moved forward. Lu Cang, who was driving, occasionally let out unpleasant singing.
Lu Tianhu gradually let go of his restraint and joined in the conversation with Lu Yun.
"Lu Yun, how did you recover from your illness? My father said before that with your former condition, even normal life was difficult. How did you become a martial artist so quickly?"
"You have to ask such a simple question?" Lu Liangpeng spoke disdainfully, "Lu Yun became a martial artist so quickly, of course, because his talent far surpasses yours. As for the congenital deficiency, as long as the cultivation technique could make a slight breakthrough, it would improve the body."
Being ridiculed by Lu Liangpeng, Lu Tianhu had no good expression, he said coldly, "It's enough that you target me in the village. In the future, if we happen to pass the assessment and enter the Martial Academy, we will be fellow villagers who need to help each other. I suggest you change your previous temperament!"
"Hmph, even so, I still won't be your companion. My companions should be people I find pleasing to look at, like Lu Yun." Lu Liangpeng completely disregarded Lu Tianhu.
Seeing the two were not getting along, Lu Yun did not want to intervene. He sat in a corner and slowly opened his package to see what was inside.
From the start of their journey, he had always felt that there was something heavy inside, unlike just a piece of clothing.
Upon opening the package, the outermost layer was indeed a dress, dark black in color, with smooth fabric and a soft texture.
Lu Yun lifted the corner of the dress and saw a bundle wrapped in linen, which felt very hard.
"Is this what made the package so heavy?" Filled with curiosity, Lu Yun opened the linen, and a few shiny things appeared.
"Wow, so much silver." Lu Liangpeng happened to see the silver in Lu Yun's package.
"It looks like at least fifty taels. It seems your eldest brother and sister take good care of you." Lu Tianhu also commented, his face showing a hint of envy. This time, his father, the hunting team leader, had only given him twenty taels of silver.
"Yes! My brother and sister do take good care of me." Lu Yun nodded, wrapped the silver back in linen, and placed it in the package, holding it tightly. His heart felt warm.
He knew very well that fifty taels of silver might be all the family's belongings.
And now, all of it was given to him.
This love weighed heavily on him.
"Everyone, be careful and stay alert." At this time, Lu Cang, who was driving, shouted, "There are often bandits on this mountain road."
"Bandits?"
Hearing this, both Lu Liangpeng and Lu Tianhu became alert. As it was their first time traveling far from home, they were curious about the outside world and also fearful.
Lu Yun also tensed his nerves, looking at the slopes on both sides of the road.
He was unsure of the strength of the bandits in this world. If they were ordinary people, there would be no threat to them.
If they were martial artists, that might be troublesome.
As the carriage moved forward, the trees on both sides of the road gradually became more densely packed. If someone suddenly attacked from within them, it would be hard to react and respond.
"Be careful, there are people!"
At this moment, Lu Cang pulled the reins, and the horse neighed as the carriage suddenly stopped.
It turned out that, in front of the mountain road, under a big tree, there were more than a dozen figures dressed as bandits.
Among them, the leader was a bald man.
He wore a tattered coat, his arm muscles bulged, and his face had horizontal lines. At first glance, he looked like a practitioner with an explosive power.
Behind the bald man, there were twelve or thirteen men, each looking like no simple character, carrying broadswords with cold eyes staring at the carriage in front of them.
One of the bandits with a folding fan spoke with a smile and in a literary manner, "This mountain belongs to me, this tree is..."
Before he finished speaking, he was kicked in the butt by a man beside him, stumbled and almost fell.
"Robbery is robbery! Aren't you trying to show off your capabilities by adopting a literary manner!" The sneaky-looking bandit cursed while threatening to kick the earlier bandit again.
"I think it's quite good; this makes us look more imposing!" The leading bald man stopped him and instructed the bandit with the folding fan, "Continue with your previous words, louder, and show more spirit! There is a reward!"
"Alright, boss!" The bandit slapped the mark on his butt, reorganized his clothes, opened the folding fan, struck a pose, and looked at Lu Yun and the others, waving the fan and said:
"This mountain is mine, this tree is sown by me, if you want to pass here, leave the toll!"
His voice was deep and majestic, with an unspeakable confidence, seemingly in the guise of a scholar. However, paired with his rough appearance and disorderly clothing, it seemed mismatched.
"This scene... seems familiar!"
Seeing this situation, Lu Yun couldn't help but remember a scene from a TV show in his previous life. It looked exactly the same.
In fact, when he saw these bandits, Lu Yun's uneasiness quickly disappeared.
The most powerful among these bandits was the bald leader who looked strong and imposing but was actually just a martial artist in the middle stage of entering the Martial Realm.
As for the other bandits, only one or two of them were martial artists, while the rest were ordinary people. They posed no threat to Lu Yun and his companions.
Of course, that was only if Old Village Head Lu Cangsheng made a move.
"These are just some ordinary bandits without any strength; they're good practice for you."
At this time, the always meditative Lu Cangsheng finally spoke.
Lu Cang looked worried, "Village head, these are desperate men. Will it be too risky for these youngsters to face them alone?"
"No problem, I'll be watching from the side. There won't be any issues." Lu Cangsheng waved his hand.
Seeing that the village head had made up his mind, Lu Yun, Lu Liangpeng, and Lu Tianhu exchanged glances, leaped off the carriage, and walked in front of the bandits.
Lu Liangpeng spoke up first, threatening, "We are people of Spirit Creek Village, heading to the county town to participate in the Martial Academy's assessment. If you know what's good for you, get out of our way, or I'll cut off your heads."
Seeing Lu Liangpeng exposing his identity like that, Lu Yun frowned but said nothing. After all, these bandits were destined to die today.
"Haha, whose child is this? At such a young age, you dare to speak such wild words!"
The bald man rubbed his head and said to the people behind him, "Brothers, who wants to teach this brat a lesson and let him know the cruelty in people's hearts in this chaotic world?"
Upon hearing this, a sneaky-looking bandit sneered and charged forward, "Boss, let me, Ma Laosan, take care of these little ones."
After speaking, Ma Laosan swept his cold, sinister gaze over the three young men and menacingly stared at Lu Liangpeng. His figure moved, and his long knife came out of its sheath as he ferociously chopped it down.