Chapter 34
Chapter 34
The moment the two older ones and the little one left the alley, they scattered in three different directions.
The Horse Bandits gave chase. Seeing the three of them flee three ways, they split up without hesitation.
“You two go after the little one. The rest of you, split into two teams and chase those two bigger ones.”
Jin Bao was the youngest, and the Horse Bandits did not take her seriously at all. They only sent two men after her.
Seven men went after Xiao Che. Unhurried, Xiao Che led them into a dead-end alley.
“Run, then. Why aren’t you running anymore?”
The Horse Bandits pressed in step by step, vicious, triumphant smiles on their faces.
Xiao Che stood beneath the wall at the far end, his entire face hidden in the night. They could not see his expression. When they saw him standing still, they assumed he had been scared senseless and grew even more reckless. Several of them charged over, brandishing their broadswords.
The instant every last one of them had entered the alley, Xiao Che moved.
He drew in a sharp breath and sprang up, his body parallel to the ground. His feet struck the side wall, and he swept swiftly through the air, switching positions with the Horse Bandits in an instant.
Xiao Che’s goal was to trap these Horse Bandits in the dead-end alley. Not one of them was getting away.
He took a small jar of liquor from his bundle and tossed it with a crack into the middle of the still-stunned Horse Bandits.
The Horse Bandits caught the strong reek of alcohol and instantly went pale with fright.
One by one, they tried to flee the alley, but it was already too late. The fire striker in Xiao Che’s hand dropped after it.
He pulled the broadsword from his back. Flames erupted inside the alley. Those who had been splashed with liquor were instantly turned into human torches. In their desperation, they grabbed at the people beside them for help, setting them alight as well. In the blink of an eye, three men were engulfed in raging fire.
The remaining four staggered toward the exit, their faces ashen.
Xiao Che stood blocking the mouth of the alley. Each one who came out, he cut down. It took almost no effort at all before every one of those Horse Bandits had been slain.
He did not linger and immediately gave chase in Xiao Jingmo’s direction.
He had seen clearly that only two men had gone after Jin Bao. For Jin Bao, that would surely be no different from walking a dog. Xiao Jingmo, on the other hand, might not be able to hold out for too long.
Once Xiao Che made up his mind, he ran in the direction Xiao Jingmo had gone.
At that moment, the seven men chasing Xiao Jingmo had reached the main street.
Xiao Jingmo was not familiar with the layout of the town, so he did not dare lure them into an alley. If it turned out to be a dead end, he would not be able to handle them alone. All he could do was flee through terrain he knew.
The Horse Bandits pursued relentlessly. By now, they had split into two groups and cut diagonally out from the alleys, blocking Xiao Jingmo on the main street.
Xiao Jingmo tightened the bundle on his back. Panic showed on his face, but his eyes were unusually calm. At a time like this, he absolutely could not lose his head. Only by finding their weak point could he escape safely.
“Kid, you sure can run. Here’s some advice: hand over that bundle right now, and I might still leave you with an intact corpse.”
“Ergou, look at the clothes on this brat. Why’s he wearing prison garb? Don’t tell me he’s an exile?”
“When we were scouting across from the courier station today, we did see a group of exiles go in. It’s them.”
“Then I guess we’ve done a good deed. We killed the bailiffs, so now they’re trying to run.”
“Enough chatter. Who cares what kind of criminal he is? What we want is the money on him. I heard exiles are all high-ranking officials. They must have hidden plenty of money. Brothers, that bundle’s got to be full of gold beans. Take him down!”
Xiao Jingmo hurriedly untied the bundle from his back. Right now, the most important thing was to stall for time.
“Good sirs, there’s no need for you to do anything. I’ll hand it over myself.
“Money is just worldly goods. I beg you good sirs to spare this little one’s life.
“I’ll give you all this money. And not just this. I also know where the other exiles are hiding.
“They have even more money than I do. My family only held a minor post, but they were all big corrupt officials.”
Seeing Xiao Jingmo behave so sensibly, the Horse Bandits threw their heads back and laughed.
“Hahaha! Not bad, not bad. Little brother, I think you’ve got potential. If you can lead us to more money, we’ll consider sparing your life. We might even let you join us for the good life. I think you’d fit in just fine at Black Bear Ridge.”
Hearing this, Xiao Jingmo immediately replied like an eager lackey, “Big Brother, I’m an exile anyway. Just look at these skinny arms and legs of mine. Before I even reach the Northern Frontier, I’ll probably freeze to death or die of exhaustion.
“Since Big Brother is willing to promote me, this little brother is more than willing to serve at your beck and call. I can even help Black Bear Ridge expand its territory.”
Xiao Jingmo’s words struck Ergou right where it mattered. Everyone on Black Bear Ridge was an illiterate brute. If they could capture someone who knew how to read and write and make him their strategist, that really would be a fine idea.
“You. Go take that bundle from him first.”
Ergou kicked the lackey beside him.
Xiao Jingmo’s mind raced. Once that bundle fell into their hands, everything would be exposed. He had no idea how things were going on his father’s side.
The Horse Bandits gave Xiao Jingmo no time to think. One of them strode forward and snatched up the bundle with one hand.
The moment he picked it up, the Horse Bandit’s brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
“Why is it so light?”
Xiao Jingmo did not answer. As long as they opened the bundle, they would see that it held only a few pieces of clothing and no valuables. That would definitely enrage the Horse Bandits. Everything he had said earlier would fall apart, and they would realize he had been playing them for fools.
Xiao Jingmo’s hand had already slipped silently into his sleeve. Hidden there was the dagger he had taken from Wang the Rich. The moment the Horse Bandits turned on him, he would fight them to the death. If he could kill even one, it would be worth it.
The Horse Bandit carried the bundle back.
“Ergou, something’s wrong with this bundle. It’s way too light. This brat isn’t trying to trick us, is he?”
The Horse Bandit handed the bundle to Ergou.
The instant Ergou took it, he knew they had been fooled. With one slash, he cut the bundle in half, and the clothes inside spilled all over the ground.
“You little bastard, lighting a lamp in the latrine – looking for death!”
“Chop him into pieces!”
Xiao Jingmo immediately drew the dagger from his sleeve, ready to fight these men with his life. Just then, a blur of shadow shot out from the alley nearby.
“Second Brother, Baby’s here to save you!”
Xiao Jingmo, who had remained fairly calm until now, changed expression instantly. His little sister? Why had she come now?
Jin Bao ran at astonishing speed. The Horse Bandits thought Xiao Jingmo’s reinforcements had arrived, but when they looked closely, they saw it was only a little girl, not even as tall as a man’s thigh, shouting that she had come to save someone.
“Where did this little brat come from?”
“Ergou, isn’t she the one who ran off earlier? Two of our brothers went after her, and they haven’t come back.”
The Horse Bandits immediately sensed something was wrong. Everything about this little girl was strange. What child could run that fast?
What chilled them even more was the barking that followed.
A dark mass chased after Jin Bao, rushing out of the alley at full speed.
“Where did all these wild dogs come from?”
Every Horse Bandit went on high alert.
Jin Bao reached out and grabbed Xiao Jingmo’s robe.
“Second Brother, run! Those doggies are so fierce. Baby can’t beat them.”
Xiao Jingmo was completely baffled too. This many dogs? Where had they come from?
Hadn’t Jin Bao gone to lure those two Horse Bandits away? How had she ended up luring real dogs instead?
“Second Brother, run!”
The moment the dogs burst out, they went mad, lunging at anyone they saw. The Horse Bandits had blades in their hands, but they still could not fend off the frenzied dogs’ indiscriminate attacks.
Seizing the chance, Xiao Jingmo killed one Horse Bandit blocking their way, then escaped with Jin Bao amid the chaos.
The two had not run far before they bumped into Xiao Che, who was hurrying over from the end of the street.
“Mo’er, Jin Bao, are you hurt?”
Both of them shook their heads.
Xiao Che looked ahead at the Horse Bandits being chased everywhere by wild dogs and was just as confused. So many wild dogs?
Xiao Che had no time to ask more. He took the siblings and continued on to find the other group of Horse Bandits.
This time, Xiao Che did not use the same tactic as before. Instead, he planned to end the fight as quickly as possible.
“Mo’er, take your sister to the mouth of that alley. I left a rope on the ground. There are two osmanthus trees at the alley entrance. Tie the rope to the trees. In a moment, I’ll lure the Horse Bandits over. You must make sure the rope can trip their horses.”
“I understand, Father.”
In less than half an hour, Xiao Jingmo rode a horse over, drawing all dozen or so Horse Bandits after him.
Just as Xiao Jingmo’s horse neared the rope, he suddenly pulled hard on the reins and sprang up from the saddle, landing directly on the high walls on either side.
Then he reached back into his sleeve, took out several pebbles, and shattered the wine jars that had been placed on the horse’s back in advance.
When the Horse Bandits behind him surged forward, the horses at the front were tripped by the rope one after another. The ones behind tried to stop in a panic, only for flames to burst up all around them. The horses were all startled and began to bolt. The alley was dark and narrow, and the horses crashed wildly in every direction, throwing every Horse Bandit from the saddle.
Xiao Che and Xiao Jingmo slipped in during the confusion. Not a single one was spared; they cut them all down.