Chapter 17: An Unexpected Encounter

  The drizzle stopped at some point, and the forest was filled with a sense of decay and rotting leaves. The next day, the fiery sun reappeared in the sky, casting golden rays through the withered branches, illuminating the forest with a radiant glow.

  The sun was high in the sky, nearing noon, when Wang Can led a group of Yellow Turban soldiers back to Runan City at a slow pace.

  Because Bao Hong's four thousand soldiers were exhausted, after arriving at Ru'nan, they definitely could not directly attack Ru'nan.

  Furthermore, over a hundred people under Wang Can's command hastily returned to Runan, but they were of little use. Liu Bi and Gong Dou guarded the city of Runan, while Wang Can led his main army in a slow march. Originally, it would have taken only half a day to return to Runan, but Wang Can took two days with just over a hundred men and still had not returned to the city of Runan, having only marched as far as Fubei County.

  On the official road, Wang Can and his party moved forward slowly.

  Suddenly, a yellow turbaned soldier hastily ran to the front of Wang Can and answered with his hands clasped together: "Sir, ahead there are mountain bandits robbing travelers heading elsewhere. These people rob travelers while also blocking the army's path."

  Wang Can smiled and said: "This group of mountain bandits has not yet discovered us?"

  "None, these mountain bandits are robbing and abducting people, and among the abducted civilians, there are some young and beautiful women. I reckon those women will be taken to the bandit's lair as their concubines."

  In his tone, there was a hint of regret and pity, as if he couldn't help but wish that he himself could have taken those young and beautiful women away.

  Wang Can's eyes turned cold, and he glanced at the scout with a chilly snort.

  Na Ji Hou's body shook, and in an instant, he understood that Wang Can was unhappy. He hastily changed the subject, saying: "Sir, those mountain bandits are openly robbing people in broad daylight. How should we deal with them?"

  "Let's go!"

  "Alright!" Hou replied, and then turned around to lead the way forward. Wang Can looked back and beckoned to Pei Yuanshao and Zhou Cang, who quickly ran up to follow in his footsteps. Pei Yuanshao asked in a deep voice, "Master, is something happening ahead?"

  Zhou Cang also nodded, his eyes gazing at Wang Can with an inquiring expression.

  Wang Can smiled and nodded, patted Pei Yuanshao on the back, and joked: "Old Pei, you're twenty-four this year, right?"

  Bai Yuanshao nodded and made a sound of agreement, but his eyes showed confusion. Wang Can usually called him by his name, so why was he being so familiar today?

  "That's great!"

  Wang Cai burst out laughing and held up his longbow, shouting: "Let's go, let's watch the show!"

  After turning three bends and proceeding five hundred meters forward, Wang Can finally saw the mountain bandits robbing as described by Xi Hou. This group of mountain bandits had more than thirty people, each wearing tattered clothes, holding broken and old war knives, rusty iron forks, wooden clubs and other weapons. Among the mountain bandits, only a thin middle-aged man with a cloth wrapped around his head and a fan in his hand was wearing an intact sky-blue long gown. Standing among the mountain bandits, a robust man holding a shiny steel knife was shouting non-stop, and his attire was slightly better than the others.

  Judging from their attire, it's easy to tell that one is a Dog Head Military Advisor and the other is a Mountain Bandit Leader.

  "Women, take them all away; men, kill them all!"

  A thin, middle-aged man holding a fan sneered coldly, his small eyes fixed intently on several women with better figures, revealing a lustful and evil glint in his eyes. As he fanned himself, he loudly shouted: "Hurry up, hurry up! You're so stupid, you've finally come down the mountain, why are you being so slow? Take those women away, kill all the men and children, leave no one alive!"

  "Hehe~~ This time there are several beauties, it's worth the trip, it's worth the trip!"

  A thin, middle-aged man with small eyes stared fixedly at the breasts and buttocks of several slightly better-built women who were surrounded together, making admiring noises, his throat making gulping sounds nonstop.

  The leader of the mountain bandits gazed at the women huddled together, his eyes also revealing a fervent expression.

  Women, especially beautiful women, are just what these mountain bandits like.

  These villagers were all carrying their luggage, preparing to move with their families, but unexpectedly encountered mountain bandits coming down the mountain and were surrounded. At this time, one by one of the adult men among the villagers were killed, leaving only some women and children behind. The children hid in the women's arms, revealing a frightened look in their eyes. However, after the bandits killed the adult men, their gaze fell on the children again. These children had already begun to understand things, so the bandits would not let go of any child.

  The leader of the mountain bandits, holding a knife, walked slowly towards the woman with the best figure among them.

  The woman was about twenty-six years old, with a clear and beautiful face, an oval-shaped face that was suitable for both joy and anger, as if she had infinite charm. She held in her arms a boy of about twelve years old, who was tense all over, with a stubborn expression on his face, his bright eyes staring fixedly at the middle-aged man walking slowly towards them, a flash of fear appearing in his eyes, but instantly replaced by a fierce look.

  "Haha, didn't expect I'd run into a woman like you, what good luck!"

  He held the knife, laughing and staring at the woman's face, his eyes full of desire without any disguise. His wolf-like gaze seemed to want to push the woman to the ground and ravage her. However, when his gaze fell on the little boy in the woman's arms, he saw the boy's ferocious expression, and his heart skipped a beat. He sneered again, thinking: "This little brat is also going to die soon, yet still so arrogant. Ha! I'll send you to the afterlife."

  The woman saw the man's ferocious expression and the undisguised lust in his eyes, and she became even more frightened.

  She suddenly stood up and rushed towards the strong man in front of her, then shouted loudly at the boy in her arms: "Amon, run quickly, run faster!"

  Unfortunately, the woman's strength was too weak and didn't cause any harm to the strong man. Instead, she was caught by him with one hand grasping her wrist, then pulled into his arms. He stroked her smooth skin, clicked his tongue in admiration, and said: "After I kill that kid, I'll let you enjoy endless pleasure!"

  The man smiled and hugged the woman, walking towards the boy.

  The boy's face was twisted with a fierce expression, but he wasn't intimidated by the strong man and turned to run away. Instead, he picked up a stone from the ground, let out a loud cry, and rushed towards the strong man at lightning speed.

  The burly man let out a sigh of admiration, but raised the steel knife in his hand and chopped it down towards the boy. The woman in the burly man's arms shrieked, her pretty face turning pale in an instant, crystal tears streaming down her face. She closed her eyes, a resolute glint flashing across them.

  "Whoosh~~~~"

  Just as the robust man raised his steel knife, a faint bowstring vibration sound came, and in an instant, a black arrow flew out, rushing towards the robust man. The robust man had just raised the steel knife in his hand and hadn't even had time to bring it down when a black arrow had already pierced through his forehead.

  "Clang!"

  The strong man's steel knife fell to the ground with a clang, his eyes filled with shock. He struggled to turn around, only to see a young man with a longbow in hand and a scornful expression on his face. The young man let out two loud cries, seemingly venting his anger, but the waves of pain that shot through his mind made the strong man's vision go dark for a moment. After a brief pause, the strong man's eyes gradually lost their defiant look, and finally, he fell to the ground with a thud.

  The boy ran up and saw the strong man lying motionless on the ground, a thread of fear flashing in his eyes.

  But in an instant, his expression was replaced by a determined look. He threw away the stone in his hand, picked up the steel knife that the strong man had dropped on the ground, walked to the front of the strong man, and while shouting loudly, he hacked at the strong man's body with the knife. The steel knife was very heavy, and the boy had some difficulty lifting it, but the boy continued to shout loudly and hack at the strong man's body. After a good while, the boy finally threw away the steel knife in his hand and rushed into the woman's arms, wailing loudly.

  At this time, the strong man's body had been chopped by the boy and was no longer human.

  Wang Can walked slowly over and saw the boy's movements. A hint of appreciation flashed in his eyes, this boy was indeed quite bold.