Your Majesty, Please Stop!

Chapter 22: Halt! Robbery!

The autumn sun was still scorching in the afternoon, as it had been for the past few days. With two recent rain showers and the fierce and rarely seen bandits in the mountains, there were few people on the official road, and many late autumn shoots sprouted.

Six pairs of eyes peered out from the dense thicket of thorns, staring intently at the end of the road.

Xin Zhuo finally decided to go down the mountain to rob, not only to help the fierce Tiger Mountain, but also because the Fulong Mountain was running out of food. Moreover, he felt a strange impulse and small interest in the art of robbery.

Having watched too many TV dramas in his previous life, he often saw the righteous side and viewed the crude bandits robbing from the perspective of the male and female protagonists. Now, switching perspectives, the experience felt very novel.

"We can be sure that there are no constables around. The government probably thinks we don't have the guts to come down the mountain," said Bai Jianxi, making a judgment with a professional eye, scanning the surrounding trees and reed marshes.

"Our leader is too fierce. Leaving only a small number of constables won't be enough. The government is just giving up," Huang Dagui analyzed matter-of-factly.

"This is because our village has few people and poses little threat. The nearby mountain roads are also under martial law, so few people pass by. The government naturally doesn't care. Don't worry, they won't strike back. It's very likely that we won't even encounter a single passerby this time," said Cui Ying'er, changing into a tight-fitting outfit that accentuated her curvaceous figure. With her distinctive fox-like eyes and cold face, she had a unique charm.

"Don't be disappointed, Sister Ying'er," Han Qiniang blinked her bright peach blossom eyes. "If there are no passersby, won't we be waiting in vain? We won't be able to help the fierce Tiger Mountain. Should we attack Fufeng City instead? What do you think, Leader?"

"I'll just watch," Xin Zhuo said, feeling a sourness in his eyes. He sat in a shady spot nearby. "It would be best if we can help with the fire, but if we can't, we'll do our best with the utmost sincerity."

In fact, if the government was determined to wipe out the fierce Tiger Mountain, they probably wouldn't care about the small disturbances on their side, unless something big happened.

Thinking about it, Xin Zhuo curiously asked, "By the way, if we're going to rob, how should we do it? Should we charge in and attack, or should we shout to scare them?"

Xin Zhuo was full of curiosity. If it was all bloody slaughter, what would be the difference between them and the fierce Tiger Mountain?

"Leader, you've asked the right person," Huang Dagui shifted his buttocks and shook his head tsundere-style. "Robbery, you see, is quite a skill. It can be divided into three types: protecting the weak, targeting those with bulging backpacks, and those with carriages. And there are three types that we don't rob: messengers, who carry no extra wealth and deliver important government documents. Robbing them would easily invite a massive retaliation from the government, which is not interesting. The second type we don't rob is familiar escort agencies. The escorts usually give advance notice and gifts, so robbing them would be impolite. The third type... is those we can't defeat."

In the first stage, both sides have equal manpower, so we create a commotion to distract them and take some valuables without resorting to violence. In the second stage, we kill those who dare to resist to intimidate them and leave with a large sum of money. In the third stage, if they resist and harm our men, we will fight to the death and demand both money and people.

"What a bandit culture, I've learned something!" Xin Zhuo cupped his hands in admiration.

Huang Dagui laughed heartily, about to be modest and boast about his glorious past achievements, when he heard Han Jiulang's low shout from the bushes ahead: "Boss, a fat sheep is coming!"

"Sheep" is what the bandits call their victims, and "fat sheep" means the person is wealthy.

Xin Zhuo quickly looked through the bushes and saw a black dot slowly approaching at the end of the road facing away from the sun. It was vaguely visible that there was a carriage, six guards, and a coachman inside the carriage.

The carriage was a double-horse, double-wheel, silver-topped, with red velvet curtains; the guards were tall, strong men with straight backs and sturdy outfits.

This kind of lineup usually belonged to a wealthy family, and a six-horse carriage alone was worth a fortune.

"Indeed, very fat and promising! Second-in-command guessed wrong, hahaha..." Huang Dagui and Bai Jianxi burst into excited laughter.

"Don't be too happy!" Cui Ying'er pressed her hand on the hilt of her knife and said coldly, "First, let's assess the strength of the six knights, so we don't lose our lives for no reason."

"Then let's take another look."

The bandits held their breath and lay low in the bushes, staring intently.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter..."

The convoy approached slowly, the sound of horse hooves and carriage wheels rhythmically hitting the ground. The six knights on horseback had sharp gazes, but their expressions appeared relaxed, without any hint of caution as they approached the foot of the bandit stronghold.

Even the coachman driving the carriage had his eyes half-closed as if he was dozing off.

"We can take action now. Four of the guards are of low rank, and two are of ninth rank. I and Qiuniang will handle the two ninth-rank guards, the rest of you deal with the others. Boss, you'll be our backup and provide support!" Cui Ying'er, the calmest one, didn't even consult the boss and gave orders methodically.

"Kill!"

The five of them charged forward with great momentum, kicking aside the bushes, wielding their weapons, and rushing down.

Xin Zhuo hesitated for a moment, impressed by their decisiveness, and followed suit, holding his damaged Yanling knife.

"This mountain was created by me, this tree was planted by me. If you want to pass this road, leave behind some payment. If you dare to refuse, I'll grab your head. Die in the wilderness, I don't care if you're buried or not..."

Huang Dagui rushed to the front, already tall and imposing, with a full beard on his face. He swung his simple knife, exuding the aura of a formidable mountain king.

"Grab their heads, roar!" Bai Jianxi and Han Jiulang followed suit, swinging their blades and swords while shouting aimlessly.

This damn robbery scene, although the lines were a bit crude, was quite exciting.

Xin Zhuo couldn't help but blush, his heart surging. He then began to doubt his own nature, why was he getting excited? Could it be that he was naturally inclined to be a bad person?

"Hmm..."

The convoy suddenly stopped, the horses neighed. The six guards looked at each other, furrowing their brows. Without saying a word, they drew their sharp knives from their waists and charged on horseback.

They were all well-trained experts.

"Kill!"

"Ping pong..."

Two groups of people, step by step, instantly clashed together.

The five of them, including Cui Ying'er, seemed to have been trained by their grandfather frequently in the past. They fought with skill, except for being initially caught off guard by the cavalry charge, they quickly stabilized their positions.

Cui Ying'er and Han Qiniang each faced one of the ninth-grade guards. Huang Dagui, because of his provocative shout, was surrounded by two guards. Bai Jianxi and Han Jiulang each faced one. They fought back and forth, creating a lively scene.

Therefore, Xin Zhuo was left alone.

He was currently standing in front of the carriage, holding the damaged knife, feeling lost. They had agreed to a three-on-three fight, no ambush, no tricks. Why did they start fighting directly like this?

There was a kind of inexplicable embarrassment.

Just at this moment, the sleeping coachman opened his eyes, raised his head. With his sparse stubble and wolf-like eyes, he had a mocking smile on his lips. His body went from a lazy state to instantly tense. True Qi surged, his clothes moved without wind, and he became like a hungry wolf choosing its prey.

There was another hidden expert, as expected, the coachman wouldn't be too simple!

Although the coachman hadn't made a move, his entire body was already emanating Blood Qi, condensed and real, three points stronger than Li Qing and Chai Donghu.

He should be a seventh-grade expert!

Xin Zhuo set a standard and secretly rejoiced. A seventh-grade expert should be manageable, right? If the coachman was a third or fourth-rank expert, he could directly celebrate the end.

"You despicable thief, wasting my time!"

The coachman's voice was hoarse and unpleasant, as if cursing. But his naturally sinister eyes were calm like water. He glanced at everyone, finally landing on Cui Ying'er and Han Qiniang.

That's right! He ignored Xin Zhuo.

A naive and ignorant young man like Xin Zhuo simply couldn't arouse his interest.

At this moment, he suddenly stood up. The carriage didn't move at all, but his figure was like an arrow leaving the bow, pouncing towards Cui Ying'er, who was closer. He had a gleaming sword in his hand, which appeared out of nowhere, lightly swinging the sword flower.

"Crystal Spirit!" A piercing sword sound, the air around the sword twisted, with hidden sword shadows radiating in all directions.

This move of "True Qi condensing into Sword Qi and releasing it" was fortunate that Xin Zhuo and the other thieves hadn't seen it, otherwise they would have been frightened.

But just as the coachman was still in mid-air, he suddenly became alert. He felt a blade of light coming towards his lower back.

He quickly turned his head and saw that the young man was holding a crooked and ugly knife. He couldn't help but laugh lightly, not taking it seriously, and continued to attack Cui Ying'er.

"Pu, pu, pu..."

Three consecutive strikes hit his lower back, almost cutting his abdomen in half.

Intense pain struck him, and he involuntarily twisted his body in mid-air, landing on the ground with a series of thuds, leaving behind a pool of blood.

Only then did he look in astonishment at Xin Zhuo, who was still holding the knife crookedly, his face changing drastically.

(End of this chapter)