Chapter 42: Truly Encountering Bandits

Yang Family Village was a large settlement with over three hundred households, and more than half of them bore the surname Yang. Because Yang Family Village was closest to Gushan Village, the local authorities had incorporated Gushan into Yang Family Village’s jurisdiction, appointing only a single village head to oversee both. This village head rarely concerned himself with the affairs of Gushan; only when there was a sale of farmland, wasteland, or when official documents were needed did his presence become apparent.

The three of them hurried along in their mule cart, eager to reach Yang Family Village as soon as possible. The first part of the journey went smoothly enough, but trouble arose when they passed through a deserted mountain pass.

They saw two masked men standing right in the middle of the road ahead—one tall and thin, the other short and fat. Fat Monk and Skinny Monk? Xu Mo, upon seeing their appearance, instantly thought of two classic characters from the novels he’d read.

Xu Tieshu’s face grew tense at once, and he whispered, “This is bad—we’ve really run into highwaymen!”

Qin Mutou immediately gripped his wooden staff, frowning. “Master, Uncle Xu, don’t be afraid. I’ll deal with them.” As he spoke, he prepared to leap from the cart.

Xu Mo grabbed Qin Mutou’s arm and shook his head. “Don’t rush. Let’s see what’s happening first.”

The mule cart continued forward and soon stopped just a dozen yards in front of the fat and thin men. Xu Mo got down, cupped his fists, and called out loudly, “May I ask, gentlemen, what are your names?”

“Heh!” the fat man sneered. “You see the two of us and don’t turn back, but dare to come forward instead. You’ve got guts!”

Xu Mo replied, “Turning back is useless. You both look like old hands at this. If I’m not mistaken, your men have already blocked the road behind us.”

The fat man burst out laughing. “Not bad, kid. You’re quite sharp! Our brothers always appreciate dealing with clever people!” he shouted.

With that, the fat man blew a sharp whistle. Xu Mo and his companions looked back to see five more men emerging from the roadside, armed with wooden clubs, hatchets, and axes, their faces fierce and arrogant.

“So many of them!” Xu Tieshu gasped.

Xu Mo hadn’t expected so many bandits either, and he frowned, whispering to Qin Mutou, “With this many, we can’t fight them head-on!”

Qin Mutou crouched on the cart, gripping his staff with confidence. “Master, these men are no match for me. I can handle them!” he declared.

Xu Tieshu thought Qin Mutou was just being reckless. In his eyes, Qin Mutou was still a boy. Even if he’d trained in martial arts from a young age, the other side was numerous and armed with weapons. No matter how skilled he was, he’d be overwhelmed.

“Mutou, don’t be rash! If you provoke them, you could lose your life for nothing,” Xu Tieshu warned.

Xu Mo also felt his uncle had a point and decided to take a softer approach, offering some money to buy their way through.

“Gentlemen, we’re in a hurry on business. Here’s some silver for you to enjoy a meal and some tea—just a token of friendship.”

As he spoke, Xu Mo produced a ten-tael silver ingot from his robe.

Qin Mutou grew anxious upon seeing Xu Mo offer money. “Master, don’t give them anything. I can deal with them!” he protested.

Xu Tieshu cut him off at once. “Mutou, be quiet—this is no joke!”

Xu Mo placed the silver ingot on a stone by the roadside. “Gentlemen, we’re truly pressed for time. May we pass?”

The fat man glanced at the thin man beside him. The thin man slowly shook his head and whispered a few words. The distance was too great for Xu Mo and Xu Tieshu to hear what was said.

Just then Qin Mutou spoke: “He thinks it’s too little. He won’t let us go.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the fat man called out, “Kid, you think you can send us away with so little silver? Aren’t you a bit too clever for your own good?”

Xu Mo looked at Qin Mutou in astonishment, marveling at his hearing—how could he catch such quiet words?

Xu Tieshu had no mind to ponder this. Upon hearing the fat man’s demand, his frown deepened. “Looks like if we don’t bleed a little more, we won’t get through,” he said grimly.

He produced another ten-tael silver ingot and placed it on the stone. “Brothers, will this be enough?” he called out.

The fat man was taken aback, shooting the thin man a look that seemed to say, “These two look ordinary, but who would’ve thought they’re so wealthy?”

The thin man thought the same and became even greedier. He leaned in and whispered, “Brother, if they’re handing out silver so readily, they must have more. This is a fat sheep ripe for shearing!”

The fat man knew this was true but replied cautiously, “Brother, twenty taels should be enough. If we take too much, they’ll report us to the authorities, and the magistrate’s men will come after us!”

Their gang had gotten away with highway robbery here for so long because the sums they stole were small. Most travelers passing through didn’t carry much, and those who did get robbed just accepted their bad luck and wouldn’t bother the authorities.

But today was different—a fat sheep had wandered into their path, and the thin man’s greed was out of control.

His eyes flashed with scorn as he said coldly, “Brother, when did you become so timid? The fat sheep is right in front of us, and you won’t take it? If we rob them, we can just move elsewhere. Do you really think the magistrate’s men could catch us?”

“But…” the fat man began.

The thin man stepped forward, shouting, “If you want to leave so easily, hand over all your money. Otherwise, don’t blame us for what happens next!”

With that, he drew a small axe from his belt.

“Hand it over!”

“Give us all your money!” the five bandits behind them shouted aggressively.

“Damn it, this is sheer greed!” Xu Mo cursed.

Xu Tieshu was just as furious, but with so many foes, what could they do? He whispered, “Xu Mo, a wise man knows when to yield. This is all we have on us anyway. Let’s just give it up—our lives come first!”

Xu Mo asked, “Uncle, how much did you bring?”

“Besides the ten taels, I have another ten or so. The rest is with Huihui and Ping’an,” Xu Tieshu replied.

Xu Mo rolled his eyes and whispered, “Uncle, I have over three hundred taels on me!”

“What?” Xu Tieshu exclaimed in a panic. “Are you mad? Why would you bring so much?”

Xu Mo sighed, “I just forgot to give it to Miao Yi, that’s all!”

As Xu Tieshu wrung his hands in anxiety, Qin Mutou suddenly leapt from the mule cart, gripping his long staff.

“Master, Uncle Xu, I’ll handle them. Be careful!” he called.

In the next instant, Qin Mutou strode up to the five bandits, taking a fighting stance.

The five took one look at the young boy approaching and burst out laughing.

The fat and thin men up front laughed as well.

The thin man thought to himself that he needed to teach these three a harsh lesson, or they’d never obey.

He shouted, “Brothers, teach this brat a lesson!”

“You got it, boss!” one of the bandits, wielding a hatchet, charged at Qin Mutou.

As the man approached, Qin Mutou struck swiftly, thrusting his staff forward.

“Ow!” the bandit howled, doubling over as he clutched his belly.

Without pause, Qin Mutou brought the staff down in a diagonal arc, landing a solid blow to the man’s neck.

The strike was so powerful that the bandit collapsed heavily to the ground, instantly knocked out cold.

The fat and thin men, along with the other four bandits, stood frozen in shock.

None of them had expected such ferocity from this mere boy’s staff technique!