49: Chapter 49 Mountain Bandits, Sheng Hai's Talented Woman

Just as dawn broke, the outer courtyard of the Demon Suppression Division finished its shift.

Chen Ran tucked his waist token into his lapel and went to the supply warehouse to collect a few items.

Hemostatic powder, cold-repelling pills, two packets of dry rations, and an old water skin.

The minor official managing the warehouse clicked his abacus and looked up at him.

"Gathering so much, going on a long trip?"

Chen Ran rolled the items into a bundle.

"No duties during the day, just going out of the city for a stroll."

The official didn't ask further.

For someone in the Demon Suppression Division to be alive enough to have time off and go out of the city to catch a breath, it was nothing out of the ordinary.

Chen Ran returned to his residence, changed out of his jailer's uniform, put on a grey-blue martial outfit, covered it with an old cotton robe, and wore a bamboo hat, hiding most of his face.

This trip out was both to scout Wuyue Mountain and to find a place for his own Breakthrough.

...

...

Wuyue Mountain is outside the capital and not under the city's jurisdiction, so it is not very safe.

Especially after leaving the capital, the people on the official road quickly thinned out.

The snow had not yet fully melted, the frozen ground was hard, and the wind poured down from the mountain pass, blowing the withered grass on the roadside until it swayed.

Occasionally, a few cargo carriages passed by, all moving very quickly, unwilling to stop for long in this stretch.

Recently, this area has not been peaceful.

After Black Wind Fortress was suppressed, the mountains were not completely cleared.

The original bandits who had fled were gathered together by a new group that had emerged, changed their mountain stronghold, changed their leader, and continued to rob people on the side roads.

At the foot of the capital, they dared not be too blatant.

But if they really ran into a lone merchant, they would strike even more ruthlessly than before.

Before the mountain gate, a two-horse carriage was slowly moving over the snow.

The carriage cabin sat steadily, followed by more than ten guards, with swords at their waists and short crossbows hanging by their saddles. The middle-aged man in the lead pressed his hand on his sword hilt, scanning the forests on both sides from time to time.

"Stay alert."

"We'll rest after passing the fork in the mountain pass."

The people behind responded in low voices.

The carriage curtain was lifted a corner.

Inside sat a young woman.

Wearing a plain long dress, her hair tied with a jade hairpin, and a scroll of books on her lap.

The carriage had been bumpy the whole way, but her hem had not been ruffled much.

The stove fire was right beside her, but she did not lean towards it, only smoothing out the page she had opened.

The middle-aged man in front slowed his horse's pace.

"Young Miss, we will reach the capital in half a day."

Su Qinghe closed the scroll.

"Commander Zhao, tell everyone not to slack off."

"Once we reach the capital, give them an extra ten taels of silver for me."

"Then many thanks to you, Young Miss."

The leading man replied with a smile.

They could be considered to have escorted a good client this time, all the way from Shenghai to the capital.

This Young Miss of the Su Family was extremely polite to them, not at all like the slippery merchants of the past.

She was worthy of being a famous talented woman of Shenghai, with the air of a scholar about her; no wonder even the Emperor was very interested in the poems written by Miss Su.

Suddenly, a cold wind blew past.

Zhao Gang pulled on his reins violently.

"Stop!"

The words had just fallen.

Whoosh!

A cold arrow nailed into the carriage shaft, the tail of the arrow trembling wildly.

More than twenty figures rushed out from the forests on both sides, with swords, axes, and cudgels all drawn out.

The leader was a burly bald man wearing a wolf-skin vest, carrying a nine-ringed blade, standing in the middle of the mountain road without moving.

Zhao Gang's expression darkened.

"Which faction are you from?"

The burly bald man grinned.

"Black Wind Fortress has fallen, someone has to take over this territory."

"I am surnamed Peng. The brothers do me the honor of calling me Boss Peng."

He glanced at the carriage.

"Someone sent word that the Young Miss of the Su Family is entering the capital today."

"Commander Zhao, hand her over, and the brothers can save some effort."

Zhao Gang didn't waste a word and drew his sword directly.

"Form up!"

The blade light immediately clashed together.

Snow and mud splattered everywhere.

The guards hired by the Su Family this time were not ordinary servants; they were all Martial Artists who had entered a Realm. The two in the front row slashed down the fastest charging bandits in a single encounter.

But the opposing side had more people, and there were several archers hiding in the back shooting cold arrows.

After just a few rounds, the Su Family side could only shrink back.

Inside the carriage, Su Qinghe raised her hand to press down on the stove lid that was about to be overturned, her expression changing slightly.

Zhao Gang forced back the incoming attacker with a slash and shouted back: "Young Miss, don't come out!"

The two sides immediately engaged in battle, and the sounds of intense fighting echoed here.

...

On the outskirts of Wuyue Mountain, Chen Ran stood on tiptoes, looking towards the source of the sound.

On this trip, he had originally planned to look at the cold pool first, then find a leeward stone cave to confirm a location for his Breakthrough.

Who knew that as soon as he rounded a hillside, a clamor of weapons clashing came from ahead, interspersed with screams.

"Someone is fighting?"

Chen Ran stopped his feet, raised his hand to press down his bamboo hat, and crept towards the sound.

Passing through a patch of scattered rocks, the open space ahead was immediately revealed.

A carriage was blocked on the mountain road.

Several corpses were already lying on the ground, and the remaining few guards were still holding on, but the formation had scattered, and they could last at most another moment.

Chen Ran glanced towards the carriage.

The curtain was half-lifted.

Inside sat a young woman.

Plain dress, jade hairpin, no weapon in hand.

She did not look like a person of the Jianghu, but rather like the Young Miss of some noble family.

Chen Ran indeed did not perceive any martial Realm from her; instead, there was a very peculiar aura.

Somewhat familiar, yet somewhat strange.

"A scholar?"

Chen Ran raised his eyes slightly; only officials of Great Wei had this kind of aura.

However, at this moment, this Young Miss's face was slightly pale, her hands tightly clutching her sleeves.

Chen Ran scanned the bandits again, seeing that their Realm was only the seventh grade, and sneered.

"Only at this Realm, yet you dare to occupy the mountain as kings; truly you do not know life from death..."

His voice was not loud, but in the chaos, several bandits looked towards him.

After seeing this figure wearing a bamboo hat and grey martial outfit, the few bandits were all slightly stunned, seemingly not expecting that an ordinary person would dare to appear here.

"There's another living soul over there!"

"Don't let him run!"

Two bandits rushed over with swords in hand.

Su Qinghe by the carriage also saw Chen Ran.

Grey robe, bamboo hat, alone, carrying a rectangular cloth bag on his back.

No matter how you looked at it, he was just an ordinary passerby.

She paused, then spoke to the person beside her.

"Stop them!"

A guard beside her had just parried a sword, and upon hearing this, he forcibly pulled away and threw himself in front of Chen Ran.

"Retreat quickly!"

For a moment, the two bandits laughed out loud.

"You are about to die yourselves, and you're still protecting others?"

"I had long heard that the talented woman of the Su Family was quite kind-hearted; I didn't expect the rumors to be true."

Bang!

A huge metallic humming sound came.

Boss Peng slashed at Zhao Gang, forcing him to retreat three steps, still cursing.

"Talented woman of the Su Family, what's the use of reading so many books!"

"Someone bought your life today, and you still care about a passerby?"

Zhao Gang was struck on the shoulder, half-kneeling on the ground, still wanting to get up to stop them, but was struck by a cudgel from a bandit rushing from behind, sinking lower.

In an instant, the situation turned from a disadvantage into a desperate plight.

Su Qinghe saw this, put down the scripture in her hand, and looked at Chen Ran not far away.

"Their target is me. You should try your best to run away. If you can survive, please help me tell Wenxin Hall in the capital that Disciple Su Qinghe is afraid she cannot continue her research."

After Su Qinghe finished speaking, she said to the guards beside her:

"You go and escort this person to escape; you don't need to continue protecting me."

The several guards were stunned for a moment, not expecting that the person they were protecting would so calmly accept the outcome.

Chen Ran didn't answer, looking at the delicate woman in the carriage whose clothes were crumpled from nervousness.

"Interesting."

Chen Ran suddenly reached out a hand, and the long sword in the hand of the guard in front of him appeared in his own hand, who knew when.

Click.

Chen Ran pulled his bamboo hat, covering half his cheek, and said indifferently:

"Miss Su, it would be better if you said that yourself."

As the words fell, Chen Ran slowly raised the long sword in his hand, his thick Internal Energy surging like a tangible tsunami from within his body onto the blade.

Hum!

A crisp sword hum echoed in everyone's ears.