"Release the arrows! Release the arrows! Shoot them dead!"
Seeing that the siege had failed to break through, one of the bandits in the midst of the group screamed, and the sound of bowstrings filled the air as arrows flew like a curtain of rain.
The ruthless bandits were nearly driven to madness. They had not anticipated encountering such formidable opponents in this remote town, and not just one, but several of them.
"Retreat! Retreat! Quickly, retreat!"
Li Dahu's bulky body moved with remarkable agility as he caught the arrows aimed at the three Li brothers with his bare hands, then hurled them back with great force. Screams of agony echoed as the arrows struck their marks.
The chief steward, Li Fugui, skillfully deflected the incoming arrows, knocking them away one after another.
But the bloodthirsty bandits, seemingly unrelenting, kept charging forward, determined to slaughter their foes.
"Ugh!"
With a grunt, a burly servant wielding a long-handled sabre was struck by an arrow in his shoulder. His wild swings faltered, and in that moment, several more arrows found their way into his unguarded chest, with the most lethal one piercing from front to back.
"Xiao Wu!"
The second steward, his twin blades moving faster, roared in fury. With a swift slash, he severed a horse's leg, sending the falling bandit crashing to the ground. Before the man hit the earth, the servant swiftly decapitated him, and the severed head shot into the air, blood spurting from the neck as if propelled by a force beyond nature.
The ten or so servants wielding long-handled sabres had been raised from childhood by the Li family, and were like sons to the two stewards. The loss of any one of them would pain Li Fugui and Li Mancang deeply.
"Master, Father! Go! Don't worry about me! Kill them! Ahhh..."
A servant, struck by an arrow, spat blood and charged forward, braving the storm of arrows. A whirlwind of severed limbs and blood filled the air as he was pierced repeatedly. In his final moments, he even called out to the stewards as if they were his fathers.
Even in death, he sought to take a few of the bloodthirsty bandits with him.
The master had given them food and warmth, and the stewards had provided them with precious familial bonds. In this moment, these servants, driven to the brink, fought like mad tigers, completely disregarding their own lives.
In the narrow, treacherous path, only the brave could prevail, and the fearless bandits were met by those equally fearless. Through a bloody passage, they fought their way out of the encirclement.
Just as they were on the verge of breaking free, two more servants fell, their bodies torn apart by the bandits' blades.
In their dying breaths, their cries mirrored those of the first to fall, breaking the stewards' hearts.
"Master, Father! Go..."
None dared to look back, and none stopped. The servants gave their lives to clear the way for others.
"Eliminate the roots, and new shoots will sprout," thought the bandits. They dared not let this group escape alive.
Were it not for their numbers and the surprise advantage they held, a mere ambush or sudden attack would have worn down the group bit by bit. Now, with their superior numbers, if they did not annihilate these hardened foes, they would certainly pay the price in the future.
Wu Xiangjun, closely protected by her future husband, was surrounded by all, her teeth clenched, her hands gripping the golden hairpin so tightly that her knuckles turned white, unaware that her fingers had pierced her palm.
Sensing the trembling of her hand, Li Xiaobai turned to look at his little wife.
"Do not fear!"
The words, accompanied by his gentle smile, were like a warm current flowing into her anxious heart, silencing her fears. Her hands ceased trembling, and a sense of strength returned to her.
She nodded firmly, as if with Li Xiaobai by her side, there was nothing to fear, even if the heavens were to fall.
Having died once, Li Xiaobai now faced death with calm indifference. The brutal slaughter around him seemed like a distant scene from a movie, incapable of stirring any emotion within him.
Just as Li Dahu and the two stewards were about to carve their way through the encirclement, a fiery bird descended from the sky.
"Brother! Protect the young master!"
The second steward, Li Mancang, reacted swiftly, raising his twin blades to meet the fiery bird, which swooped down with the speed of lightning.
"Ahh!"
Boom!
The steel blades met the fiery bird, and in an instant, the creature exploded into a searing blaze, consuming Li Mancang and several nearby bandits in a flash, reducing them to ash.
"Mancang!"
The chief steward, Li Fugui, stabbed through several bandits, his voice a mournful roar. He had not expected a sorcerer to be hidden among the bandits.
Like a desperate wolf, he grieved for the loss of his closest brother.
"Curse you! I, Li Dahu, swear to the heavens that I will exterminate your entire family line, leaving not a single soul alive!"
Li Fugui and Li Mancang were not just stewards, but once trusted brothers to Li Laohu, who had retired from the underworld.
With this vow, he seemed to reclaim the ferocity of his past, like a tiger who had long been dormant.
"Do you think I am just a sick cat?"
"Did not expect such a hero in this Western Yan Town!"
A hoarse voice, like rusted iron scraping together, interrupted the moment, as dozens of riders once again blocked the path ahead. The leader's face was marred by a jagged scar, his armor stained with old and fresh blood, no longer recognizable.
"Old Knife Handle!"
Li Dahu's pupils constricted slightly. He hadn't expected the bandits' leader to be standing in their way, the distinct scar marking him.
The leader's eyes swept over Li Dahu, then scanned the others behind him. He chuckled coldly, saying, "I can offer you a chance to survive."
"Boss! Don't let them go!"
"They've killed many of our brothers!"
Nearby bandits shouted, their eyes burning with fury. To stop this group, over sixty of their comrades had perished. This was a grudge too deep to forgive.
The expressionless leader raised his hand, and the shouts abruptly ceased. He spoke again, "If this brave man is willing to serve me, I, Old Knife Handle, will keep my word. Not only will I guarantee your safety, but I will treat you with great honor."
He could see that the seemingly corpulent man, Li Dahu, had once been a ruthless killer, capable of slaughtering with cold detachment. It was clear that defeating such a person would cost many lives. Rather than continue the struggle, he saw the opportunity to take Li Dahu's family as leverage and gain a powerful ally.
As for the dead bandits, most of them had no family, no connections. They were mere pawns, and no one would shed a tear for them.
"Heh! Old Knife Handle, you should count yourself lucky. If I hadn't retired, this whole region would be under my rule. You think I would join you? Pfft! How dare you even ask!"
An overwhelming aura of dominance erupted from Li Dahu's portly frame.
"You killed my brothers and expect peace? Dream on!"
The three Li brothers stood in stunned silence, as if seeing their father in a new light for the first time.
Was this the same man who was always jovial or bullying others for petty gain? Now, he emanated an undeniable air of superiority that even Old Knife Handle couldn't match. They wondered what their father had been like in his prime—once a feared figure, now content to live in this remote town as a wealthy but aimless man.
"Brother!"
Li Fugui, the chief steward, called out, his voice filled with emotion. It was as if the legendary Li Laohu, the one who once dominated the underworld, had returned.
At this moment, Old Knife Handle's expression shifted, as he realized there was more to this town than he had first thought. He smiled coldly, "If that's the case, don't blame me for not giving you a chance!"
He signaled, and his men began to retreat.
"Prepare to charge with me! Even if it means death, we'll take a piece of them down! The Li family has never been easy to bully!"
Li Dahu's spirit flared, and he readied to lead his men out of Western Yan Town.
But just then, Old Knife Handle and his men did not advance. Instead, a solitary rider, disheveled with empty hands, blocked their path.
The surrounding bandits recoiled in fear, as if a venomous snake had appeared.
The rider casually flicked his long hair away, revealing a pale face and eyes gleaming with an eerie green light. Slowly, he spoke:
"Are you in such a hurry to leave? Why not stay?"
"Brother! This man is strange!"
Li Fugui stepped forward, his red-tassel spear at the ready, blocking Li Dahu's path.
"A sorcerer!"
Li Dahu's voice