Chapter 136: Sudden Change (Part Two)

"Master, run!" shouted one of Cai Rongxue's bodyguards at the top of his lungs after he hacked down a charging bandit with his blade.

When Cai Rongxue came to Guizhou to pay her respects at her mother's grave, she had brought only three attendants: her maid Xiaoqin and two guards from the Cai household.

Shortly after Li Sanjian entered the woods, the two guards noticed the abnormality in the surroundings. Soon after, a band of thieves clad in motley garments and wielding various weapons burst out from the foliage, shouting and roaring as they charged forward with a clear and singular objective: to capture Cai Rongxue and her companions.

Cai Rongxue was a woman, and not a native of Lingnan; she had no grievances or enmities with the locals. Could these people perhaps be local mountain bandits attempting a kidnapping?

The two guards had no time to dwell on the thought. While shouting warnings to Cai Rongxue, they fought desperately to hold off the brigands.

*Swish, swish, swish!* The continuous sound of feathered arrows piercing the air echoed as a dozen or so shafts sped rapidly toward Cai Rongxue's guards, interspersed with flying stones. The arrows and stones fell like rain around the two guards, embedding themselves in the earth and splashing into the small stream beside the graveyard.

The two guards possessed decent martial arts skills, swirling their weapons into twin white crescents to deflect the volley. Yet, lacking shields or similar defensive gear, how could they possibly block such a dense storm of projectiles?

In an instant, an arrow broke through the blinding net of steel, sinking deeply into the leg of one guard. Blood immediately spurted from the wound, gushing over two feet away.

The guard groaned in agony and dropped to one knee.

At that moment, a bandit rushed forward, brandishing his saber to cleave down upon the kneeling man's head. Enduring the blinding pain, the guard seized the initiative, thrusting his blade directly into the attacker's ankle. The razor-sharp edge sliced through flesh like tofu, severing the brigand's shin in two.

The bandit shrieked and crashed to the ground, whereupon the guard smoothly plunged his blade straight into the wretch's heart. But by then, several more brigands had swarmed forward, thrusting their spears wildly and pinning the wounded guard fast to the earth.

Blood spattered everywhere, and the serene graveyard instantly transformed into a grisly, terrifying slaughterhouse.

Seeing this, the other guard let out a sorrowful, bone-chilling roar, hacking and slashing madly to beat back several of the ruffians. He turned and swept the blood-soaked body of his fallen comrade into his arms, gazing up at the sky with a furious bellow. Razor-sharp blades plunged into his back one after another, and the mist of blood rising from him reached over a zhang in height.

Witnessing this scene, Li Sanjian was utterly petrified... This was the very first time he had ever witnessed the bloody carnage of this world, the very first time he had beheld such a cruel and gruesome spectacle.

Flesh splattered in all directions, and the pulsing, gushing blood was still piping hot. Entrails and viscera spilled everywhere, crimson staining the entire graveyard, while an oppressive, nauseating stench instantly filled the air.

In his past life, not to mention bloody combat, Li Sanjian had never even witnessed a murder firsthand. He had only ever seen simulated scenes in certain places, but those simulations were absolute nonsense—how could they possibly compare to the reality of a real killing?

To slaughter hundreds or thousands of people single-handedly without sustaining a single wound, or even if wounded, bleeding not a drop; or even if bleeding, having the blood flow like a faucet that could never run dry...

Putting those stray thoughts aside and returning to the matter at hand... Li Sanjian's lips were dry and purple, his legs felt as though they were filled with lead, and his entire body lacked all strength. He stood frozen, staring blankly at the scene, utterly unable to move a single step.

"Run! Hurry up and run! What are you standing there for, dazed?" The two guards had fought to the death just to buy a brief moment and stall the bandits' advance. This was the absolute last chance at survival for Cai Rongxue and Li Sanjian, yet Li Sanjian stood there stupidly, showing no reaction whatsoever. It was Cai Rongxue who anxiously yanked at his sleeve and shouted at him.

Cai Rongxue was also gripped by extraordinary terror, her wits practically frightened out of her wits' end, yet she was still faring better than Li Sanjian. He was completely paralyzed by fright, and had nearly pissed his pants in sheer panic...

Only then was Li Sanjian jolted back to his senses. With a loud cry, he stumbled and tripped as he ran toward the stream alongside Cai Rongxue and Xiaoqin, completely forgetting even to fetch their horses.

*Utterly useless is the scholar,* Li Sanjian lamented inwardly as he fled. If he were a peerless martial arts master from the pugilistic world, would he fear these few petty thieves? He would just blast them to pieces with the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms...

The graveyard of Cai Rongxue's mother was surrounded by trees, with an open clearing at its center where the tombs lay. Not far below the burial mounds flowed a small stream, its banks overgrown with dense thickets of brushwood. If they could cross the stream now and use the shrubs as cover, might they still have a sliver of a chance at survival?

"Haha! Hurry up and chase them down! Don't let them get away!"

"After them! Those two little lasses are far too pretty; when we catch them, the Second Chieftain will surely offer a handsome reward!"

"Big brother, what should we do if we catch that scholar?"

"Kill him, obviously. The stronghold barely has enough grain for ourselves as it is; are we supposed to feed him?"

"No, wait, big brother! The First Chieftain loves pretty boys, you know. Wouldn't it be a waste to kill him? Why not present him to the First Chieftain? When the First Chieftain is pleased, will the rewards be small?"

"Right, right! That makes sense. Let's do that."

"Big brother, I like pretty boys too! Why don't you let me have a go first?"

"Get lost, you wretched, filthy scoundrel! Who doesn't know your routine of 'defile first, kill later, then defile the corpse'?"

By this point, the bandits were no longer in any particular rush. Brandishing various weapons, they closed in slowly on the three of them from the west, north, and east.

Two women plus a frail, delicate scholar—just how far could they possibly run?

Li Sanjian had spent several years jogging to keep fit. He had no other notable skills, but when it came to running speed, he was unmatched. However, this was the desolate wilderness with uneven terrain, compounded by the fact that he had just been scared out of his wits and had two women trailing behind him. No matter how lacking in chivalry Li Sanjian might be, he couldn't possibly abandon Cai Rongxue and Xiaoqin to flee for his life alone.

Consequently, just as Li Sanjian and the others leapt down into the stream bed, the bandits closed in, drawing ever closer until their ferocious, distorted grimaces were clearly visible.

"Hurry, move faster!" Sweat streaming down his face, Li Sanjian dragged Xiaoqin with one hand and steadied Cai Rongxue with the other, wading haphazardly through the water toward the opposite bank.

"I... I can't run anymore. You... you should just leave us and run on your own!" Cai Rongxue was also drenched in sweat as she gritted her teeth and spoke to Li Sanjian.

Though Song dynasty women did not bind their feet as severely as in later eras, small feet were still considered the epitome of beauty. How could they possibly endure such frantic, high-intensity running?

Therefore, Cai Rongxue urged Li Sanjian to abandon them and save himself.

"No! No matter how useless I am, I cannot commit such an unrighteous act!" Li Sanjian said through clenched teeth, his voice resolute.

A man's head might be severed and his blood might flow, but righteousness could never be forsaken, Li Sanjian thought to himself. Especially in front of a beauty, he had to maintain the appearance of a real man! Even if he were to be dragged back before the King of Hell like this, he would still die a true hero, wouldn't he?

At this thought, an expression of unyielding determination—a look of readiness to face death—bloomed across Li Sanjian's face.

"You... you really are... truly incorrigible!" Cai Rongxue was fit to burst with exasperation.

Just what time was it, and he was still trying to act the hero there? Playing the grand gentleman? If they were caught by the bandits, all three of them would die. Cai Rongxue knew her own appearance well; what kind of good end awaited her if she fell into the hands of the brigands? At worst, she would simply take her own life. After all, she was an orphan with no one to lean on, she thought bitterly, but there was no need to drag Li Sanjian down to his death along with her.

Besides, what use was a weak scholar staying behind? Aside from throwing away his own life, it was utterly useless. Did he really think he could use a tongue wagging with rhetoric to argue down a mob of fierce bandits?

A tempest of thoughts churned through Cai Rongxue's mind, yet her feet did not stop as she followed Li Sanjian wading toward the far bank of the stream. But their pace was simply too slow, and the mob of ruffians was pressing closer by the second.

Right at this hair-raising juncture, just as Li Sanjian was playing the grand hero, the canopy of a distant tree suddenly rustled violently. A white figure plummeted down from the branches, soaring like a giant bird directly above the heads of the bandits.

"What? Oh no, it's an ambush!"

"Ah..."

The white figure descended right atop the brigands, uttering a sharp, icy cry as she drew her sword and thrust forward.

Fast as lightning, her blade like a shooting star, the swordsman executed her strikes with astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, she had dropped three bandits, every single strike proving fatal.

The single sword in the white-clad figure's hand whipped up sheets of autumnal wind. Silver radiance erupted, nimble as a soaring dragon, rippling like water waves, sparkling like a tree in a sea of fire; slithering across the ground like a serpent, soaring and swooping through the air like an eagle. Wherever the sword light reached, it snapped dry wood and crushed decaying weeds; nothing could withstand its momentum. The bandits tumbled to the ground one after another with miserable shrieks, leaving the scene in utter disarray.

Not only was the white-clad swordsman's technique exceptionally sharp, but her form was also extraordinarily graceful, resembling a breathtaking sword dance.

The bandits were initially thrown into complete chaos, shouting and clamoring wildly. But once they recovered their wits, they leveled their various weapons and swarmed forward to entangle the white figure.

This sword-wielding figure in white appeared to be a woman.

"An opportunity not to be missed! Follow me quickly!" Li Sanjian was overjoyed at the sight and hurriedly urged Cai Rongxue.

Though her sword forms were graceful, did Li Sanjian dare to linger and observe closely? Besides, did he have a single second to spare to admire the martial arts of this white-clad woman?

The arrival of reinforcements was the absolute golden opportunity for escape.

If they didn't run now, when would they? Li Sanjian felt an overwhelming surge of elation in his heart.

Thanks to the obstruction provided by the white-clad woman, Li Sanjian and the others managed to cross the stream and plunge straight into a dense thicket of shrubs.

"You stay here." Just as Xiaoqin attempted to follow Li Sanjian and Cai Rongxue in continued flight, Li Sanjian forcefully shoved her back down into the bushes, his tone low but vicious.

The best method of escape right now was to scatter. If they fled huddled together, the moment they were caught, wouldn't it be a wholesale capture? Li Sanjian thought grimly. If that happened, they wouldn't even have a chance to send for help.

This place was not far from Guizhou, and Li Sanjian pinned his hopes on the official authorities of Guizhou, in case they failed to escape the peril on their own.

Although the white-clad woman possessed formidable sword techniques and peerless martial arts, she was ultimately a lone female. Outnumbered and isolated, how could she possibly stand against a horde of bandits? Li Sanjian was painfully clear-headed about this.

Xiaoqin was frightened by Li Sanjian's fierce tone and could only crouch aggrievedly in the brush, watching Li Sanjian and Cai Rongxue.

"You... how could you... be so cruel? She's still just a child..." Cai Rongxue muttered reproachfully as she kept pace with Li Sanjian's flight.

"Swish! Swish!" Just as Li Sanjian was about to retort, two feathered arrows suddenly whistled through the air, landing one after another right beside Li Sanjian and embedding themselves in the earth, their fletchings vibrating ceaselessly.

"Take another step and I'll take your lives!" A rough, booming voice suddenly rang out.