usatvline Chapter 492 The Bandit's Den is Busted! Since we're roaming the martial world, let's
Chapter 492 The Bandit's Den is Busted! Since we're roaming the martial world, let's
Yun Suxin felt a chill run down her spine.
She dared not show any expression now, not even daring to move her lips, for fear that the man would notice again.
The group followed the trail left by the bandit leader.
Footprints pounded in the mud, broken branches clung to the bushes, and bloodstains dripped onto the stones, intermittent yet clearly visible, like a path drawn with blood.
Qin Mu walked at the front, unhurried, his gaze sweeping over the traces, a smile still playing on his lips, as if he were strolling in his own backyard.
After walking for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the mountain forest in front of us suddenly opened up.
A mountain stronghold appeared before everyone's eyes.
The stockade wall was made of thick round logs, about two zhang high, with sharpened wooden stakes on top, resembling rows of white fangs.
The gate to the village consisted of two heavy wooden planks with rusted iron nailed to them. Above the gate hung a crooked plaque with the three characters "Black Wind Village" written on it, the strokes rough like a child's scribbles.
Several bandits stood on the stockade wall, holding long spears and wearing variegated clothes. Some had their chests open, revealing the dark tufts of hair on their chests, while others were basking in the sun, chewing on straw sticks.
They were stunned when they saw Qin Mu and his group.
One of the bandits rubbed his eyes, thinking he was seeing things.
Another bandit opened his mouth wide, and the straw he was holding fell to the ground.
Another bandit suddenly stood up, grabbed the gong next to him, and started banging it hard.
"Clang clang clang—"
The sound of the gong echoed through the valley, startling a flock of birds.
A jumble of footsteps and shouts came from behind the gate of the village. A large group of bandits poured out, some carrying knives, some holding spears, and some not yet dressed, fastening their belts as they ran.
The leader was the one-eyed giant, with his ghost-headed broadsword still slung over his shoulder, and the pupil in his single eye slightly contracted.
When he saw Qin Mu, the five women behind Qin Mu, and the white-clad woman with her hand on the hilt of her sword and a cold expression, his face turned deathly pale.
Qin Mu reined in his horse and stopped three zhang outside the gate of the stronghold. He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the bandits, the smile still lingering on his lips.
The bandit leader's single pupil suddenly contracted, followed by a flash of ruthlessness.
He gritted his teeth, his cheeks puffed out, and his teeth clenched so hard they made a grinding sound.
This is his territory, what is he afraid of?
He suddenly raised his ghost-head broadsword, its blade gleaming coldly in the sunlight, his voice hoarse and fierce.
"Hold on! Anyone who retreats will die!"
The bandits exchanged glances, gripped their knives tightly, but did not move their feet.
Their legs were trembling, their palms were sweaty, and their eyes were fixed on the moon-white figure outside the village gate.
Yunluan dismounted and walked step by step toward the gate of the stockade.
Her steps were light, making a soft rustling sound on the gravel, like a silent cat.
She didn't draw her sword, nor did she even look at the bandits; she simply walked on quietly.
The bandits on the stockade wall panicked, and some of them raised their crossbows, firing arrows like locusts.
Yunluan didn't even look. With a slight sway, the arrows grazed her clothes and landed on the yellow earth behind her with muffled "thuds".
She didn't stop, she kept walking.
The bandits behind the village gate rushed out with strange cries, brandishing their knives, their eyes red, like a pack of enraged wolves.
Yunluan finally drew her sword.
The moment the dark silver slender sword was drawn, a silver-white light flashed, and the three bandits at the forefront collapsed, clutching their throats, blood gushing from between their fingers, staining the yellow earth red.
She didn't stop; wherever her sword flashed, the bandits fell like wheat being harvested.
The bandits on the stockade wall were terrified. They dropped their bows and crossbows and turned to run. They jumped off the stockade wall, broke their legs, but didn't care about the pain. They scrambled and crawled into the mountains to escape.
The gate to the village was opened, not by Yunluan, but by the people inside.
The bandits guarding the gate threw down their knives, knelt on the ground, their foreheads touching the yellow earth, trembling all over.
Qin Mu spurred his horse and slowly walked into the mountain stronghold.
He stepped across the threshold, his gaze sweeping over the bandits' lair, the smile still lingering on his lips, revealing no emotion.
The village was small, built against the mountainside, surrounded by simple wooden houses and thatched huts. The ground was covered with gravel and yellow soil, which made a rustling sound when stepped on.
In the very center was an open space with a wooden flagpole standing there. A tattered flag hung on the flagpole, bearing the three characters "Black Wind Village," fluttering in the wind.
Looted goods were piled up around the open space.
There were several large chests with their lids open, containing some cloth and grain, as well as a few rusty iron tools.
The bandit leader knelt on the ground, his ghost-headed broadsword lying to the side, his forehead touching the yellow earth, his whole body trembling like a leaf.
His single eye was filled with fear, and his lips trembled violently, unable to utter a single word.
Qin Mu lowered his head, looked at the bandit leader kneeling at his feet, his gaze sweeping over him and then over the simple mountain stronghold. He shook his head, his voice carrying a hint of disdain.
"Your makeshift shop is a bit rudimentary."
The bandit leader trembled, his forehead pounding against the yellow earth with a thud, and he said in a hoarse voice:
"Grandpa... Grandpa is right, my mountain stronghold is indeed very simple... Please... Please spare me..."
Qin Mu ignored him and rode his horse around the village.
He looked at their cafeteria.
Several large iron pots were placed on the stone stove, with half a pot of moldy porridge inside. Bowls and chopsticks were scattered all over the ground, and flies buzzed around.
He saw their meeting hall.
A slightly larger wooden cabin contained a rough, long table with several chipped wine bowls and a pile of gnawed bones on it.
In the very center is a chair covered with a tiger skin. The tiger skin has faded, the fur has fallen out, revealing patches of skin spots.
Qin Mu dismounted, walked to the tiger-skin chair, and sat down.
The chair creaked and wobbled, making it very uncomfortable to sit on.
He frowned, shook his head, and sighed.
"Ugh, this is so rudimentary. It completely shatters my illusions about a bandit's den."
Qin Mu originally thought that the bandits' strongholds should be like those described in Water Margin.
Nestled against the mountains and beside the water, with towering walls, the Hall of Gathering Righteousness is furnished with folding chairs, where people drink wine from large bowls and eat large chunks of meat, living a carefree life.
But this place doesn't even have a decent house, a decent chair, or a decent bowl.
He came with great interest, but now he's only disappointed.
The bandit leader knelt on the ground, watching Qin Mu sit in his chair shaking his head and sighing. He was so frightened that his soul almost left his body. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead, dripping onto the yellow earth and spreading out in a small dark patch.
"Grandpa...Grandpa, you're right...My mountain stronghold is indeed very simple...Please...Please have mercy..."
Qin Mu stood up, walked down the steps, his gaze falling on the bandit leader's face, his voice indifferent.
"How many people did you kill? How many did you rob?"
The bandit leader trembled violently, his lips shaking so badly he couldn't utter a single word.
Qin Mu smiled faintly, but it sent chills down the bandit leader's spine.
"You won't tell, huh? No problem. I—this young master—will see for myself."
He turned around and walked towards the wooden houses behind the village.
The door to the wooden cabin was ajar, and a pungent musty and fishy smell wafted out.
He pushed open the door, and the sight inside made him frown slightly.
Several ragged women huddled on a pile of straw in the corner, some with their heads down, some covering their faces, and some hugging their knees, trembling all over.
Their wrists and ankles were bound with ropes, causing their skin to chafe, scab over, and then chafe again.
Their eyes were empty and numb, like dry wells that had been drained.
Qin Mu didn't go in; he just stood at the doorway, speaking very softly.
"You are free. Come out."
The women were stunned. They looked up at the pale figure in the doorway.
The sunlight behind him was so bright that they couldn't open their eyes.
They thought they were dreaming.
A woman struggled to her feet, staggered to the door, leaned against the doorframe, looked at the sunlight outside, and tears silently welled up in her eyes.
She knelt on the ground, her forehead touching the yellow earth, her voice hoarse and trembling.
"Thank you... thank you so much, my benefactor..."
The women behind them followed suit, kneeling on the ground, crying, shouting, and kowtowing. Their foreheads were scraped and blood seeped out, but they were completely unaware.
Qin Mu looked at them, his voice indifferent.
"There is grain, cloth, and silver in the village. Divide it among yourselves and go home."
The women cried even harder, and some rushed forward to hug his legs, but Yunluan stepped forward and blocked them.
Qin Mu did not turn around, but walked back to the open space and looked at the bandit leader kneeling on the ground.
His voice was soft, yet sharp as a knife.
"You know in your heart how many people you have hurt. If I don't kill you, it would be against all reason."
The bandit leader suddenly raised his head, his pupils filled with fear and pleading.
"Grandpa—Grandpa, spare me—I—I'll give you all my treasure—I—"
Qin Mu didn't look at him again, turned around, and walked towards the gate of the village.
Yunluan drew her sword, and with a flash of light, the bandit leader's head flew off. Blood spurted more than ten feet high from his neck, splashing onto the tiger-skin chair and the tattered flag.
His body slowly fell to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Qin Mu mounted his horse, pulled on the reins, and rode out of the mountain stronghold.
The women followed behind him, the horse's hooves pounding the yellow earth, raising a fine cloud of dust.
In the village behind them, the rescued women were still kneeling on the ground, gazing at that pale white figure, their vision blurred with tears.
Jiang Zhaoyue rode alongside Qin Mu, turning her head to look at him with a hint of a smile in her eyes.
"Young master, you looked so disgusted when you sat on that tiger-skin chair just now."
Qin Mu smiled and gently circled his fingers around the reins.
"Can you not complain? That chair creaks and groans when you sit on it, it's not even as nice as a stone on the roadside."
Jiang Zhaoyue couldn't help but laugh out loud, and said:
"Young master, this precisely shows that the local government has done a good job, preventing the bandits from growing stronger. If the local government hadn't been effective in suppressing the bandits, their stronghold would have certainly grown and wouldn't be in such a dilapidated state now."
Qin Mu smiled and nodded: "That makes sense."
Suppressing bandits has been a task he has been instructing local officials to undertake since he ascended the throne.
It seems to be working quite well. Although there are still bandits, they have not formed a large-scale bandit group.
Banditry is something that can't be completely eradicated. After all, this is a world with powerful military forces, and there will always be people who take this path; it's just a matter of how many.
Therefore, all he could do was try his best to suppress bandits, reduce banditry, and protect the safety of the people.
Yunluan remained expressionless, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword, her gaze sweeping across the mountains and forests on either side.
Xu Fenghua lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought.
Yun Suxin lagged behind, remaining silent.
Han Xin'er sat in Qin Mu's lap, sideways, her face buried in his chest, her hands tightly gripping his clothes.
Her body was still trembling slightly, not from fear, but because of the women she had rescued.
She thought of her mother, she thought of herself, and she thought of the moon goddess who was tied up in the side hall.
Qin Mu lowered his head, looking at the girl in his arms, and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
Han Xin'er shook her head, buried her face even deeper, and remained silent.
Qin Mu didn't ask any further questions, but simply reached out and gently patted her back.
As the morning light grew brighter, it bathed the entire mountain road in a golden glow.
Five horses and six people walked north along the winding mountain road.
The mountain village behind us grew farther and farther away, smaller and smaller, until it finally disappeared into the layered mountains.
Qin Mu and his group turned back along the mountain path, their horses' hooves making soft, rustling sounds as they trod on the gravel.
After walking for about half an hour, the mountain slopes ahead gradually flattened out, the trees became sparse, and the official road reappeared in sight.
Qin Mu tightened the reins and spurred his horse onto the official road.
The sun was high overhead, its rays pouring down and making the dirt road gleam with a white light.
The bloodstains on the ground had long been blurred by the wheels and hooves, leaving only some dark brown marks, like dried ink stains.
Qin Mu looked up at the sun and squinted.
It's already noon.
His voice was soft, with a hint of languor.
Han Xin'er lifted her head slightly from his embrace, her cheeks flushed from the sun and her lips a little dry.
Qin Mu looked down at her, then glanced at the women behind him.
Jiang Zhaoyue's complexion remained normal, but fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
Xu Fenghua pursed her lips, a small patch of her collar damp with sweat.
Yun Suxin lowered her head, with stray hairs at her temples sticking to her cheeks, and her face was slightly pale.
Yunluan remained expressionless, her hand on the hilt of her sword, her gaze sweeping ahead as if she never tired.
Qin Mu withdrew his gaze, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Let's find a place to get something to eat up ahead.
As soon as he finished speaking, a gray building appeared at the end of the official road ahead.
It was a post station, with blue bricks and gray tiles, the courtyard walls were somewhat mottled, and a faded wooden plaque hung above the door.
A row of horse-drawn carriages were parked in the open space in front of the post station.
The carriages varied in size and had canopies or flat surfaces; seven or eight of them were crammed together, leaning precariously.
Several horses were tied to wooden stakes nearby, heads down, munching on hay, their tails swishing idly.
Qin Mu looked at the row of carriages and was slightly taken aback.
He then smiled, a smile tinged with amusement.
"Isn't that the same convoy from earlier?"