As the tense standoff continued, a towering, scar-faced man spurred his horse forward from the group of bandits.
Seeing him, Gu Yun breathed a sigh of relief and cupped his hands in greeting, smiling warmly. "So, it's Chief Ma! This must be a misunderstanding. Why don't we have your men stand down, and we can discuss this properly?"
Chief Ma urged his horse closer as Gu Yun mounted one of his own and rode out to meet him halfway.
"Old Gu," Chief Ma said with a smirk, "personally leading the caravan today? Well then, I suppose I—"
Before he could finish his sentence, his eyes flashed coldly. In an instant, his blade arced through the air, gleaming in the sunlight. Gu Yun's head flew from his shoulders, blood spurting like a fountain as his lifeless body slumped to the ground.
The silence lasted but a moment before chaos erupted.
"Gu Yun's been killed!"
"Chief Ma knew him, and even then, he didn't hesitate. We're doomed!"
"Run! If we stay here, we'll all die!"
"Run for your lives!"
The caravan broke into panic. Those traveling solo turned and fled without hesitation, while the merchants and their guards, pale-faced but resolute, held their ground. They knew fleeing would only hasten their deaths.
"Ha! Brothers, charge!" Chief Ma's triumphant voice cut through the chaos. "The usual deal—three parts to the hoard, and the rest is yours to keep!"
The bandits erupted into wild cheers, their bloodlust palpable as they spurred their mounts forward.
"Scared, big brother?" Li Xiaoyi's mischievous voice piped up, his eyes sparkling with amusement despite the looming danger.
Xiao Chen raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Not at all. But since my little brother is so calm, how could I, as the elder, lose my composure?"
Li Xiaoyi chuckled. "Well said, big brother."
The two exchanged a knowing glance and burst out laughing, as though they were simply enjoying a casual day out.
The burly man riding in the same cart with them, however, looked as though his soul had already fled. Pale as a sheet, he cowered inside the wagon. Seeing Xiao Chen and Li Xiaoyi laughing, he could only manage a bitter smile. Do these two fools think they're in a storybook? Those bandits' blades are real—they'll kill us without a second thought!
In another part of the caravan, a white-haired, richly dressed elder named Xuan Zhen sat surrounded by several disciples. One of the younger ones, no older than seventeen, looked uneasy. "Martial Uncle, should we step in to help? The bandits are attacking the caravan."
Several of the disciples nodded, their expressions conflicted. However, a few, including Wang Ziyang, sneered in disdain.
"Silence!" Xuan Zhen snapped, his tone icy and his expression grim. "Have you all forgotten why we're here? If we expose ourselves by helping these mortals, we risk alerting the demon girl and letting her escape. Not only will our plan fail, but the Ten Thousand Demons Sect will hunt us down to the ends of the earth!"
The young disciples shivered at his words, lowering their heads in silence.
Seeing their compliance, Xuan Zhen's expression softened slightly. His thoughts turned inward. Our hidden benefactor provided us with the means to track that demon girl. Even this device to suppress our spiritual energy came from them. It may well be a trap to use us as pawns, but for the sake of avenging our sect, I'll gladly play along. Once she's dead, and I've secured the promised treasures, I'll disappear forever. Let the Ten Thousand Demons Sect search for me—they won't find a ghost.
A cruel smile played on his lips as he turned his gaze toward Xiao Chen's cart.
"Help! Mercy!"
"Please, take everything I have! Just don't kill me!"
The bandits swept through like wolves among sheep, methodically chasing down the fleeing travelers. Those who begged for their lives were met with swift and merciless death, their blood pooling on the dusty ground. The smell of iron filled the air, choking the remaining survivors.
Back at the caravan, one of the merchant leaders stepped forward, his face ashen. "Chief Ma, we're willing to give up half of our goods and two thousand silver taels. Please, spare our lives."
Chief Ma sneered, his greed unabated. "Half? No, no, no. I want it all—your goods, your silver, and your women. Leave everything, and I might let you crawl away with your lives. Refuse, and you'll all die here."
The merchant's face turned white as a sheet. Everything? If they lost their goods, they'd be ruined. And handing over their women? Many were their wives or daughters. It was unthinkable.
"We're not leaving it to them!" someone roared. "They're going to kill us no matter what. Take one down with you, and it's worth it!"
"Fight back! If we die, we die fighting!"
The merchants' guards and workers, their backs against the wall, gripped their weapons with trembling hands. Their fear was replaced by a fierce, desperate resolve.
Even Chief Ma hesitated for a moment under their feral glares. But then, he turned and barked, "What are you afraid of? We have the Grand Patron. Let's show them what true power is!"
At his words, a hush fell over the bandits, replaced by reverent murmurs. "Welcome the Grand Patron!"
The bandits parted, revealing a small black sedan chair carried by two towering men clad in dark robes. From the sedan came muffled cries of a woman in pain.
"Almost done," a calm, youthful voice drawled from within. The chair rocked harder, the cries growing louder.
Even the bandits seemed unnerved, their eyes filled with fear as they averted their gazes.
Moments later, the chair stilled. A final scream echoed before silence fell. The curtain parted, and a body was thrown unceremoniously to the ground—a young woman, her pale body covered in bruises and blood, her lifeless eyes bulging in agony.
From the chair stepped a man in his twenties, his sharp features marred by a lazy, chilling smile. The sight of him sent shivers through the onlookers.
The Grand Patron's gaze swept across the caravan, lingering on a few women. "Good work," he said, nodding in approval. "You've done well. When we return, I'll officially take you as my disciple."
"Thank you, Master! Thank you!" Chief Ma dropped to his knees, kowtowing fervently.
Smiling faintly, the Grand Patron raised a small black banner. "Since you refuse to submit, I'll take your souls instead."
The banner expanded, its fabric writhing with the tormented faces of countless women, their anguished wails filling the air. A wave of dark energy surged forward, suffocating all in its path.