The Slender Waist-Chapter 29 - 24 Unafraid and Confident

On the way back, Feng Yun was extra cautious.

In the face of starvation, people stop caring about propriety, integrity, shame, and honor—they’re capable of anything. Traveling the official road with five ox carts full of food was like carrying a lit firecracker, never knowing when it might explode...

Along the way, they ate a few cakes with their water skins, urging the horses on without stopping for even a moment. They were almost at Jieqiu Mountain when Xing Bing pointed ahead.

"Once we get around this mountain, it will be faster. Beyond Jieqiu Mountain is a Beiyong Army camp..."

Within the jurisdiction of Andu County, no one would dare to make trouble on the Beiyong Army’s turf, unless they were looking for death...

The grain-hauling team all breathed a sigh of relief.

But no more than a hundred steps further, a group of bandits sprang out from the woods, bare-chested and masked, riding horses and brandishing knives, looking fierce and malevolent.

"Leave the ox carts, and your lives will be spared!"

That day when Li Sangruo disguised as a bandit to rob Wang Dian, she had prepared before making her move and had captured his son as a hostage, acting with a plan.

The few dozen men that abruptly appeared outnumbered them by twice their number. The bulging veins on their arms and their posture on horseback clearly showed they were well-trained, murderous lunatics.

Xing Bing, who had been in charge of patrols and had led soldiers but had never been on the battlefield, had learned martial arts since childhood, yet had never killed a person. If this was the case for him, the rest of the retinue had even less experience confronting enemies. Facing real ferocious bandits, they couldn’t help feeling terrified, their complexions changing.

Xing Bing leaped down from the ox cart and walked to Feng Yun’s side.

They were no match in numbers and combat strength.

Compared to human life, grain was obviously less important.

"Master, I will cover for you while you take the others and flee to the Beiyong Army camp..."

Feng Yun looked towards Jieqiu Mountain, her voice turning slightly cold, "They are the Beiyong Army."

Xing Bing was shocked, and so was Li Sangruo.

Even those bare-chested, masked bandits showed a momentary hint of surprise.

Feng Yun sat on the ox cart, her face expressionless, "He doesn’t just want the grain; he wants my life as well."

"Tch!" The gang paused for a moment, then came over again carrying their big knives, the muscular leader strutting arrogantly with a brutal look in his eyes.

"Look at this tender skin, a fine lady, aren’t you? Little mouth sure knows how to talk. You say we are the Beiyong Army, then we are...the Beiyong Army. How about it? Want to come quietly with us up the mountain? Once we’ve had our fun, who knows, we might just spare your life?"

Feng Yun smiled, "Let’s see if you have what it takes."

Saying this, she took the small curved knife from her waist and glanced at her anxious and chaotic Meiling retinue.

"Cowards before the battle, it seems our training has been in vain."

She continued, "If you’re afraid to draw your sword and kill, you won’t last long in this world."

"Miss!" Xing Bing felt somewhat ashamed.

The lady’s voice was clear, her expression calm, delivering a blow to Li Sangruo’s composure. If Shi’er Niang could be this composed, how could they, as men, succumb to such fear?

Shi’er Niang was their support, and they had to be Shi’er Niang’s support as well.

Xing Bing’s face turned stern, standing like a tower in front of Feng Yun.

"As men, what is there to fear in death? Brothers, let’s vow to protect the lady with our lives."

A person’s will only becomes strong through trials. This group had not been through war or killing, hence naturally lacked courage in the face of ferocious bandits. But they had spirit, they had strength, and if they couldn’t even protect their own master, how could they face living on?

A sense of shared hatred and tragic courage surged within them. Provoked by the enemy’s foul language, Li Sangruo’s retinue’s morale was ignited, each one gripping their weapons tightly, forming a protective circle around Feng Yun.

"We will die in her service to repay Shi’er Niang’s life-saving grace."

"With us here, no one will touch Shi’er Niang."

"That’s right! Over my dead body!"

"I swear to fight to the death for Shi’er Niang!"

Feng Yun smiled brightly, "Remember, you’re not fighting for me; you’re fighting for survival, for dignity. If you want to live, to not be trampled upon, not to become the enemy’s food, then let the knives in your hands drink the enemy’s blood, let your bodies become an impenetrable wall!"

Nothing hones a person more than a real fight to the death.

Li Sangruo’s eyes reddened, blood boiling in his head.

No one had ever told them this before, nor had they ever wanted so badly to protect someone with all their might. They had never longed to become stronger like they did at this moment, to let their blades taste the flavor of fresh blood...

"Come on—"

"Scoundrels! Come on, we’re not afraid to die."

The masked bandits seemingly hadn’t expected the group, which had been so frightened moments before that they almost turned tail to flee, to suddenly draw their swords and guns.

"Impressive!"

The leader let out a cold laugh, brimming with hostility.

"Brothers, charge!"

"Capture that little lady alive, to present to our King as his fort-keeping bride!"

"Hahaha!"

The band of ferocious bandits charged like madmen.

Meiling’s boys cried out in battle, their counterattacks tinged with a kind of tragic bravery only found on battlefields.

However, the enemy held a clear advantage, first in their robust physiques, and second in their well-trained discipline. Their formation and combat styles betrayed the foundation of a regular army, whereas the Meiling boys had only begun training recently, most lacking proper technique. They might scare ordinary folk, but against a regular army, they paled in comparison.

Fortunately, Xing Bing had the absolute advantage of height and strength and was also highly skilled in martial arts. His fury reached a fever pitch as he drew a long spear from the cart and with a great roar charged ahead, displaying a fierce determination that made him seem invincible.

"Ge Guang, Ge Yi, hurry up and get the lady out of here."

The bandit leader let out a loud laugh, his gaze sinister as he eyed Feng Yun.

"Thinking of leaving? Didn’t ask for your daddy’s knife permission!"

The cold gleam of metal sliced through the air, and the clash of weapons sparked brilliantly. The man advanced to grapple with Xing Bing but recoiled in a cold sweat when Xing Bing wounded his arm, involuntarily stepping back.

The confidence of Meiling’s boys surged instantly.

"Kill!"

"Follow Master Xing!"

"Protect the lady!"

In such times, human life was worth less than grass; killing was nothing unusual.

Nevertheless, the resistance and protection from Meiling’s boys deeply moved Feng Yun.

Her heart had not felt such a lively beat in a long time...

Someone was fighting for her.

Someone was willing to risk their life for her.

"I’m not leaving." In a rush of adrenaline, Feng Yun put down her curved blade, drew a long knife from the cart, and stood on the ox cart. "Today, I share life and death with all of you!"

The morale of a troop hinges on its leader.

Her silhouette standing atop the ox cart became an indestructible fortress in the glow of the setting sun...

Blood soared high into the air.

The cries of battle were so tragic they pierced the heart.

In the distant woods, Pei Jue and Ao Qi, who were galloping over, witnessed this scene with their own eyes. The sight of blood splattering on the lady’s pale face created a striking, eerie beauty...

"Stop!" Ao Qi bellowed, spurring his horse to the fore.

A cavalry of iron knights approached, their overwhelming presence charging ahead of them.

"How dare you bandits act so brazenly on Beiyong Army’s territory?"

The bandits were already panicked upon hearing the sound of horse hooves.

Their leader turned his head for a glance, parried Xing Bing’s long spear, and shouted a command.

"Scram——"

The bandits scurried off in disarray, fleeing at breakneck speed.

Pei Jue pulled on the reins and ordered coldly, "Leave no survivors."

With a chilling breeze, his voice entered Feng Yun’s ears, light yet piercing. She slowly let go of the knife in her hand and looked through the crowd at General Pei mounted on his horse.

Almost at the same time, hundreds of armored soldiers burst forth from the woods. They surrounded the area from all sides, and under Ao Qi’s roaring command, charged at the bandits.

Xing Bing, having just gotten a taste of battle, felt a bit itchy for more.

"Lady, shall we also move forward to assist?" he asked.

Feng Yun stopped him. "No need."

Since General Pei had ordered to "leave no survivors," there was no hope of squeezing any valuable clues out of these people.

Indeed, her certainty that these men were from the Beiyong Army stemmed first from their location, and second, because... in her previous life, she had also encountered these fierce bandits. But back then, they had not used the excuse of raiding for supplies; instead, they had directly abducted her to the mountains and violated her.

That leader was a trusted man of the Li Family within the Beiyong Army, dressed no differently than before.

Only in her past life, they had arrived later, much later.

In her past life, she did not have Meiling’s troops, nor did anyone who was willing to risk their lives for her.

The fierce bandits had kidnapped her, and in the end, she was found by Pei Jue, dying by his hand.

However, Pei Jue did not abandon her as Li Sangruo had thought, despite her having been captured by a group of bandits. He had silently taken her back, cleaned her up, and continued to make use of her.

"Leave no survivors," Pei Jue had said the same thing this time.

Feng Yun could not help but smile, pondering the ruthlessness of Pei Jue and his love.

Leaving no survivors meant leaving no traces-

It protected the reputation of the Beiyong Army and Empress Dowager Li. What if it became known that the Empress Dowager who presides over court, out of jealousy, had people intercept the Great General’s concubine to insult her? Wouldn’t it be utterly embarrassing?

Those protected by Pei Jue are blissful, having nothing to fear.

The more Feng Yun thought about this, the brighter the smile on her face grew. And the colder her gaze when looking at Pei Jue became...