Upon hearing the words "bandits," Lin Feng visibly recoiled. She gently bit her lip, her brows furrowed with an unshakeable worry. She hesitated, "But... the bandits are numerous and formidable, and the number of warriors among them is unknown. Why should the lord risk himself? Wouldn't it be better to descend the mountain under cover of night and reconsider tomorrow?"
The young lord before her was indeed quite young.
Judging by appearances, he was only about two years older than herself.
The other gentleman was somewhat older, but upon closer inspection, he too bore the mark of youthful innocence, likely a young scion of a wealthy family who had not yet reached maturity.
Lin Feng had hidden in the boxes earlier, her view limited by the small holes. She hadn't seen much, but she knew that each guard had been injured, and the two gentlemen had taken advantage of the situation unexpectedly.
Standing alongside those fierce and vicious bandits, the two gentlemen resembled two rabbits among a pack of snarling, drooling dogs. The vast disparity was enough to make one sweat in nervous anticipation.
Shen Tang did not directly dismiss Lin Feng's concerns, but instead asked, "Why do you say that?"
With her head bowed, Lin Feng replied, "I... I was sleeping inside the box earlier, unaware of how many bandits had arrived. But for the Lin family guards to break through the siege with each one sustaining injuries, it's clear that those bandits are quite formidable. If they regroup and return, they will surely bring a larger force, perhaps even emptying their nest."
Though she possessed a youthful and adorable appearance, her words carried a maturity beyond her years, with a clarity and substance uncommon for her age.
Shen Tang smiled and said, "I'll take your words as a good omen."
Lin Feng blinked in confusion, "Take... my words as a good omen?"
"Yes, indeed. Let's hope they truly empty their nest, sparing us the trouble of climbing and digging out their lair."
Lin Feng grew increasingly astonished as she listened, even forgetting to close her mouth.
"But, my lord..."
"In the face of absolute strength, numbers and power are irrelevant."
Lin Feng, upon hearing this, no longer worried. Instead, her gaze subconsciously fell to Shen Tang's waist, as if searching for something, but after scanning several times, she found nothing. Shen Tang amusingly picked up the jade pendant, saying, "Are you looking for this? It's not easy to find in the dark."
Shen Tang's jade pendant was exquisite and delicate, while Zhai Le's martial token was a dark jade piece shaped like a tiger's head. Today, he was also dressed in black, and combined with the dim light of night, even those with perfect vision would struggle to find them.
Lin Feng immediately felt relieved.
"Get some rest early. There will be plenty to do in a few hours."
What were they busy with?
Naturally, it was the task of inventorying the spoils of the bandit's lair.
To truly embody the phrase "empty-handed departure, wealthy return."
Lin Feng obediently replied, "Yes."
As the carriage curtain fell, the ruffians buried the bodies and found a place to sleep. Only Shen Tang and Zhai Le remained on night duty.
In order to gain an advantage, they both chose to stay in the trees, hiding among the branches to observe the enemy's movements, ready to strike preemptively if necessary. However, Zhai Le had a question, "What if they don't come in the second half of the night?"
Squatting on a tree branch, Shen Tang enjoyed her meal, left hand holding a cake, right hand holding a flask of wine, relishing the late-night snack and even sharing with her companion.
"What if they don't come? We'll go up tomorrow morning!"
Leaving her to feed mosquitoes all night? Unforgivable.
"Why aren't the mosquitoes biting you?"
Shen Tang swatted two mosquitoes, then turned around to see Zhai Le completely unperturbed, squatting motionless.
"They are biting me, why wouldn't they?"
He seemed to attract mosquitoes, getting bitten all summer long. Eventually, his elder brother told him that if he mastered the dispersal of martial energy outside his body, mosquitoes couldn't harm him. Despite not yet mastering archery, he spent two years refining this technique, forming a thin layer of energy around his body to repel insects.
Since then, he remained unaffected by the changing seasons, impervious to cold and heat. Mosquitoes couldn't even find a way to pierce his skin. His elder brother hadn't lied to him after all.
"...Damn it!"
Another exclusive skill of martial practitioners.
Damn it, was literary talent being discriminated against?
When would literary scholars rise up?
While Shen Tang maintained a poker face, Zhai Le, a couple of trees away, felt a slight chill down his spine, rubbing his arms to suppress the goosebumps that had risen. This feeding mosquitoes bit... no, after waiting for an hour, it was almost dawn.
Under the trees, the ruffians snored rhythmically.
Above, Shen Tang's patience wore thin. Her face remained impassive, but her sword gleamed brightly, the intent to kill barely contained in her eyes.
Just then, a faint rustling sound broke the silence. Initially resembling the rustling of night wind through the trees, upon closer inspection, it revealed a faint, eerie breathing.
Zhai Le's eyes sharpened, signaling to Shen Tang with a northwest gesture— the bandits were slowly closing in from that direction.
After a moment of concentration, he gestured "hundred."
Meaning there were at least a hundred people. Some footsteps were heavy, likely ordinary men, while others were light and agile, clearly trained in martial arts, perhaps even warriors who had condensed martial energy. Even if they were just low-level martial artists, they were not opponents that ordinary people could withstand.
They were still some distance away.
Shen Tang whispered, "We can't be sure if they have bows and arrows. We can't let them get too close. It's better to take the initiative."
Though she didn't care about the lives of the ruffians under the tree, since she had recruited them, they should die with some value, rather than sleeping soundly only to be hacked into mincemeat.
Zhai Le chuckled, "They probably don't have bows and arrows."
Shen Tang asked, "How can you be so sure?"
"Because they have extinguished the campfire."
Shen Tang nodded in understanding.
With the campfire extinguished, visibility was poor, and the enemy couldn't even find them. To launch a surprise attack with bows and arrows and cause significant casualties would require several hundred archers firing volley after volley, wiping out at least half the camp. Otherwise, with just a dozen or so bows and arrows, hitting anyone would be a matter of luck.
Could the bandits muster several hundred archers?
Clearly impossible.
They had only brought a little over a hundred men in total.
Arrows were consumables, and a bow wasn't cheap. Instead of spending money on bows and arrows, they might as well have brought a few more large machetes.
"Just in case, we should strike first!" Zhai Le conjured a longbow in his left hand, drew the string with his right hand
, slowly pulling it taut, relying on his ears to judge the approximate location of the enemy. "Do we leave any survivors?"
Shen Tang replied, "Let their luck decide."
Was that a way of weighing their options?
Zhai Le suddenly understood.
The bandits had never expected that the hidden Black Star would be sharpening her blade in secret, targeting their vulnerable necks.
Silent shadows crept closer.
If Shen Tang were here, she would be surprised to find several familiar faces among them— the lead escort of the Gong clan on their way to Xiaocheng, with the chief official at the forefront!
"Are you sure about this place?"
"Boss, I'm sure."
In no time, the scout returned with news, "Boss, they all sound asleep, snoring away like logs."
The leader frowned upon hearing this.
Sleeping so soundly, and no one posted on night watch?