Chapter 199: Old Friends from the Green Woods

Chapter 199: Old Friends from the Green Woods

"This is Tuniu Mountain."

Wei Ziyi, riding in one of the carriages, gave a mysterious smile and said, "I'm quite familiar with this place."

"Mm-hmm."

Su Mo nodded, glancing at the dense forest lining both sides of the road. The shadows in the woods were thick, making it hard to see much.

The road was too narrow for two carriages to travel side by side.

"This would be a perfect spot for an ambush," Su Mo remarked.

Wei Ziyi looked disappointed by his reaction. "Don't you want to ask why I'm familiar with this place?"

Su Mo gave Wei Ziyi a strange sideways glance and shook his head with a smile.

"You clearly have something on your mind. If I don’t ask, will you just keep it to yourself?"

Wei Ziyi let out a long breath, her enthusiasm dampened.

Meanwhile, Little Situ Taoist, who had been brought up to the front by the four girls, perked up with curiosity.

"Wei, why do you know this place so well?"

"Ha ha ha."

This comment struck a chord with Wei Ziyi, and she immediately said:

"You don't know this, but there is a group of bandits on Tuniu Mountain who operate with extreme ruthlessness.

"This area is desolate, and not many people travel through it, so these bandits don't get much loot.

"When they occasionally come across passing merchants, they leave no one unscathed, taking whatever they can get, showing no mercy.

"Their ruthless reputation soon spread far and wide.

"Although this place is far from Cold Moon Palace, it’s a lawless area, and the world belongs to everyone.

"So, after my master heard about this situation, he called me to his side and told me that my martial skills had matured.

"It was time for me to descend the mountain to gain practical experience, and he directed me to Tuniu Mountain.

"He said that the bandit problem on the mountain was severe and that their methods were cruel, and that I couldn’t ignore the situation after mastering these skills.

"So, he tasked me with eliminating the bandits.

Wei Ziyi sighed softly, recalling those days: "Back then, I was..."

She then launched into a vivid account of her early adventures in the martial world.

Of course, in her narrative, she portrayed herself as sharp-eyed, emotionless, and efficient—a true lady of the martial world.

Once she reached Tuniu Mountain, she faced the bandits with unmatched bravery, handling every challenge with precision and skill.

Little Situ listened with a sense of longing, while Su Mo was torn between crying and laughing.

The conversation between the two by the boat that night did not affect Wei Ziyi's actions in the least.

Instead, she became more and more true to her nature, occasionally flaring up, which was quite startling.

Su Mo gestured for Fu Hanyuan to come over and asked him to go ahead and scout the area.

Wei Ziyi said,

"I'm familiar with this place. This time, I'll be your scout.

"I've been here several times, and every time I go to the mountain stronghold, there hasn't been anyone there for a long time.

"The area around Tuniu Mountain is desolate, and after I dealt with those bandits, unless someone wants to starve to death...

"Otherwise, who would want to be king of this mountain?"

"We still need to be careful," Su Mo sighed. "After all, people often die because of their overconfidence."

"That's true," Wei Ziyi nodded. "Then I'll go."

As she spoke, she leapt into the air.

Fu Hanyuan was stunned, thinking to himself that someone was actually volunteering for the scout's job.

Su Mo, torn between crying and laughing, said to Fu Hanyuan, "You go too."

"Yes," Fu Hanyuan immediately moved and followed her.

Within moments, the two of them vanished from sight.

The convoy continued to move forward, but without Wei Ziyi telling her stories of roaming the jianghu, it became somewhat quiet.

After a while, Fu Hanyuan and Wei Ziyi returned.

Wei Ziyi's eyes widened. "Chief Escort Su, there's a bandit ambush ahead."

This escort mission had certainly taught Wei Ziyi a lot.

She learned what a roadblock was, what ambushes and various martial arts techniques like 'dao,' 'qie,' 'yang,' and 'mi' were.

At the moment, however, she felt her face redden.

Just now, she had boasted to Su Mo that no one would want this place, but now, there was a bandit ambush.

She felt inexplicably embarrassed and ashamed.

Su Mo nodded and asked Fu Hanyuan, "Did you find any traces?"

"Someone fled, and there should be people hiding halfway up the mountain."

"Alright."

Su Mo said to everyone, "Keep your eyes peeled and get ready to meet and talk terms."

Without the roadblock, Su Mo could have just barged through.

Now that they'd set up a roadblock, if he ignored it and pushed through, he'd be the one breaking the rules.

He immediately had the two carriages move closer together. The escorts stayed close to the carriages, hands on their weapons, ready to draw at a moment's notice.

After moving forward a bit, they spotted two thorny branches blocking the path.

At the same time, hurried footsteps approached, clearly someone running through the mountain forest.

But it felt like they were in a rush.

Su Mo had been about to shout but decided to wait silently as they approached.

Before they even showed up, their voices rang out first:

"This mountain's mine, these trees are mine. Want to pass? Pay up!"

The voice boomed like thunder, reverberating through the forest.

For some reason, Su Mo felt this voice seemed somewhat familiar, but he couldn't place where he'd heard it before.

With that sound, the person rushed out of the woods.

The first one was a burly man, holding a large ring-bladed sword. As he ran, the sword clattered.

As the sword clattered, he finished his threat:

"Say 'no,' and I'll cut you down without a second thought!"

After the final word, the large ring-bladed sword fell to the ground with a clatter.

Only then did the bandit leader lift his head, his sharp gaze locking onto Su Mo's group.

Behind him, disheveled bandits looked around the convoy.

But as their eyes met, both Su Mo and the bandit leader were startled.

The next moment, Su Mo had a sudden realization. "It's you."

The bandit leader sucked in a breath, the sharpness in his eyes vanishing instantly.

Shaking his head vigorously, he said, "It's not me!"

"It is you."

Su Mo said with a smile, "We met briefly before, and I learned much from your three sword techniques. Those techniques were extraordinary, and I haven't forgotten them.

"But at that time, I had urgent matters and possessed nothing of value, so I had to leave first."

"Afterward, I went up the mountain with gifts to visit, but found the place deserted."

"I wonder why the Boss is here?"

The Boss stared at Su Mo, his eyes welling up with what looked like tears.

At that time, Su Mo had taken a job from the Wanxin Trading Company to escort a shipment to Wufangji.

They had barely left Sunset City when they ran into a group of bandits.

The Boss had heard of Su Mo's formidable reputation from Profound Theory Valley but didn’t believe it, so he challenged Su Mo to a fight.

Needless to say, the outcome was predictable.

Su Mo, sticking to the code, didn't offend him, merely saying that he would visit with a gift in the future.

But the Boss misinterpreted Su Mo’s words as a threat of revenge.

After exchanging moves, the Boss realized that Su Mo's martial prowess was indeed as legendary as rumored.

If this were about revenge, not a single bandit on the mountain would have survived.

In a panic, he bolted under cover of night with the entire bandit gang, rushing all the way towards East City.

This escape was not only grueling, but they also faced one unexpected setback after another.

Originally, they were a formidable group of over a hundred bandits.

By the time they reached East City, their numbers had dwindled to less than half.

Under the Boss’s leadership, they cautiously navigated through rival territories, and by the time they found refuge at Tuniu Mountain, their numbers had been cut in half once more.

However, this Boss was determined to leave his mark in the bandit trade.

Even after such a significant setback, he was not discouraged in the slightest.

His only thought was to rest and rebuild at Tuniu Mountain, with the goal of rising once more to the top of the outlaw world.

But Tuniu Mountain was a godforsaken place.

They waited for several days, but no travelers passed by, and the stronghold was struggling to make ends meet.

Finally, when an easy target appeared, they were excited.

But when they looked up... it was Su Mo again!?

The Boss looked at Su Mo and felt that all the hardships and struggles he had endured were about to break his resolve.

He looked at the banner of the Ziyang Escort Agency on the escort wagon.

Then he turned to look at the young bandit and couldn't help but nod repeatedly, pulling him over for a beating.

"I told you to learn to read... I told you to learn to read!"

His fists rained down as the young bandit wailed in agony.

However, it was clear that no internal energy was used. Otherwise, although the Boss's internal energy wasn't profound, he was still no ordinary man.

With such a beating, a couple of punches could have killed the young bandit.

The people around quickly tried to stop the fight.

"That's enough, Boss, calm down!"

"He can't read, and it's not like this just started today."

"You can teach him later."

But this last comment really hit a nerve with the Boss:

"Teach? Haven't I taught you enough?

"I've taught you to read and write, I've taught you how to eat and dress, I've taught you how to get on the kang and tell the difference between a woman and a shoe..."

"But you, you bunch of thieves, why aren't you learning?"

Furious, the Boss grabbed one of them and started swinging.

At this point, even Wei Ziyi was stunned, and Li the lead escort couldn't believe his eyes.

In all his years as an escort, he'd never seen bandits turn on each other like this.

"What the hell is going on?"

Wei Ziyi looked at Su Mo and asked in a low voice, "Is this an internal fight?"

"..."

Su Mo didn't know how to respond for a moment. He couldn't exactly say that maybe the Boss was having a rough morning.

Realizing this wasn't going to end well, Su Mo told Li the lead escort to stay with the convoy and dashed forward:

"Boss, calm down, please calm down..."

And then things got even weirder.

The bandits, who were supposed to be robbing them, were fighting among themselves.

The escort leader, who was supposed to be the victim, actually joined in to break up the fight.

And as Su Mo held the Boss back, the bandits thanked him one after another:

"Thank you, thank you."

"Boss is really fierce."

"Oh my, you're beating me to death... We haven't eaten for days, now I have even less strength."

Su Mo's mouth twitched. These guys aren't bandits; they're practically refugees.

And after being held back by Su Mo, the Boss was very obedient.

He didn't dare move a muscle.

He just looked at Su Mo cautiously.

Su Mo was left speechless: "Boss, why would you abandon a perfectly good establishment to come and make a living here?"

"..."

The Boss stared at Su Mo with wide eyes and took a deep breath: "You... How are you haunting me like this?"

"???"

Su Mo was puzzled. The last time I saw you was a long time ago.

This time, passing through this area and heading to Cold Moon Palace was purely a coincidence.

It had nothing to do with being haunted or pursued.

"Fine, if you want to kill me, just do it!"

The leader casually placed the golden-threaded broadsword to the side. "Have it your way!"

"Is that what you really want?"

Anyone who didn’t know better might think I was trying to force my way in.

"Leader... Why would you say something like that?"

Su Mo asked, "The last time we met, it was relatively peaceful. Though there were some tensions, we eventually became acquainted through our encounter. What’s going on? Why the sudden hostility?"

"Hmph... Chief Escort Su, with your formidable martial skills, of course, you can kill at will.

"You said you would come to visit again, but who knows what your true intentions were?

"It's obvious that I offended you, and now you're here for revenge."

At this point, the leader was fully prepared to face the consequences. He straightened his neck and said, "Don’t waste your time. Just kill me.

"But there is one thing, you can kill me, but please spare my brothers.

"We are all unfortunate souls. If we had any other options, who would choose to become outlaws?"

"..."

Su Mo was speechless. When did I ever say I wanted to kill him?

Wei Ziyi couldn’t stand it and said to Su Mo,

"Chief Escort Su, I see this man as an honorable fellow. What did he do to you that you feel the need to kill him?"

"Who said I wanted to kill him?"

Su Mo glared at Wei Ziyi, then turned to the leader and said,

"Leader, there might be some misunderstanding between us. There’s no reason for us to talk about killing."

"???"

Hearing Su Mo say this and seeing the expression on his face, it didn’t seem like he was lying.

For a moment, the leader was a bit confused. "You're not going to kill me?"

"Why would I kill you?"

Su Mo was the one who became puzzled.

"Then why did you say you would come visit with gifts?"

"...Bringing gifts just means I’m coming to visit."

Su Mo said, "We travel the world as convoy guards, relying on our reputation to make a living. We had a fight and now we know each other; it’s only right to keep in touch and visit from time to time. When I pass by your territory in the future, it'll be easier to communicate... How did this turn into some kind of planned retaliation?"

"..."

The Boss wasn’t comforted by this at all.

Instead, he froze, like a statue.

He stood there, staring at Su Mo for a moment, before slapping his thigh hard:

"Damn!!!"

He jumped up, "Why didn’t you tell me that sooner?"

"Tell you what?"

Su Mo looked confused.

"That you were just visiting."

"Isn't that what I said?"

"You said it was a visit... Damn!!!"

The Boss was both angry and frustrated, standing up and pacing in place.

"What the hell happened? Everything was going fine just a minute ago."

Wei Ziyi and the others got the picture and exchanged glances, all feeling a bit amused and exasperated.

Su Mo quickly caught on to what the Boss was thinking and felt a bit embarrassed:

"Sorry, I should’ve been clearer. I didn’t mean to cause you unnecessary trouble."

"What trouble?"

The Boss’s eyes welled up with tears, "I, I... Oh, never mind, it's my own fault."

"Well..."

Su Mo thought about it and figured they couldn't continue chatting on the road, so he clasped his fists and said, "Boss, are you going to rob this convoy or not?"

The Boss was taken aback by the question, looking at the convoy behind him and then back at Su Mo.

Rob the convoy?

Isn't it nice to be alive?

A single Su Mo could easily take them all out.

But not robbing...

The gang was already starving, reduced to eating tree bark.

Up until now, they hadn't looted any villages, thanks to the Boss’s strict control.

If a person is truly starving and has no way out,

even the words of the leader might not be effective.

After much hesitation, the leader glanced at Su Mo:

"Um... Do you have any dry rations?"

"..."

Su Mo felt he had never been more speechless in his life, and immediately nodded: "There's still plenty of dry rations, and some silver as well. The escort fees you can't touch, but I can give you some silver to get by for a few days.

"When I pass through here next time, I'll bring gifts and visit...

"It will really just be a visit, not to kill anyone."

He quickly added this last part to prevent the leader from fleeing at the first sign of trouble.

The leader looked at Su Mo with a complex expression: "Thank you, Chief Escort Su."

"No need to be so formal."

Su Mo shook his head: "In the world of martial arts, it's inevitable to encounter ups and downs. If I can help, I should."

As he spoke, he turned and beckoned Li the lead escort.

Li the lead escort had heard their conversation and immediately took a cloth bag from one of his men, which contained corn cakes.

These were their provisions for the day. Li the lead escort took out half and also brought some silver, handing them over to the leader.

The leader, a man of seven feet tall, could not help but shed tears.

But this was not purely out of gratitude; his emotions were too complex to describe with words.

After dividing the corn cakes, the leader hesitated for a long time before finally asking Su Mo:

"Chief Escort Su, I have another request... May I ask if there is anyone in your caravan who is skilled in medicine?"