Chapter 140: Old Acquaintance

A brawny, fierce-looking man came riding up like a gust of wind to the front of the procession, while a rabble of petty thugs behind him hollered and shrieked, charging forward wildly in his wake. They formed themselves into an S-shape one moment, and then shifted into a B-shape the next, bellowing at the top of their lungs: "This mountain is mine, and this tree I have grown! If you wish to pass this way, leave the toll of your own!"

It was an incomparably familiar opening verse, and an incomparably familiar sight. To pull out a thousand-jin hammer for a robbery meant that the burly brute surely possessed the bloodline of a Transformer. The warhorse beneath him must have carried the bloodline of a dinosaur as well; how else could any ordinary steed possibly bear such a crushing weight?

The veteran killers of the Li family were left dumbfounded. Damn it all, they had truly never in their lives laid eyes on highwaymen bold enough to waylay the imperial army's caravan. Having licked blood from the blades of knives for years and survived countless brutal battles, they were accustomed to being the ones who preyed upon others. Being robbed themselves was an experience they sorely lacked.

Yet this lack of experience did not hinder their performance in the slightest. Before Chai Shao could even issue a command, the cavalry had already formed a wedge array. The warhorses were brought down to a trot; seasoned troopers as they were, they knew better than to suddenly accelerate their mounts to full speed, for running a horse like that twice would ruin the beast completely.

"Hold! Everyone hold!" Yun Hao shouted in a panic, fearing that if he was a moment too late, Qi Guoyuan opposite them would be turned into a human pincushion. The Li family cavalry had always specialized in mounted archery. Back in Huozhou, Yun Hao had witnessed with his own eyes how the Li family cavalry hunted down rebel forces—using arrows at a distance and sabers at close quarters. It was no exaggeration to say that the Li cavalry was one of the most efficient killing machines of that era.

"Qi Guoyuan, you damned bastard, halt! Take another step forward and you'll become a hedgehog!" The warhorses whinnied, and Yun Hao's voice was drowned out by the thunder of hooves. No matter how frantically he yelled, no one answered him.

"Do you know those bandits?" Chai Shao asked, glancing at Yun Hao. The bandits on the opposing side consisted of only a few horsemen, with the remainder being foot soldiers. Chai Shao could not even be bothered to don his armor, remaining leisurely by the window. For the Li family cavalry to deal with such bandits was simply using a sledgehammer to kill a chicken.

"Of course I know them! Hurry up and give the order. Oh, right, they're Uncle Qin's friends!" Yun Hao hastily brought up Qin Qiong, knowing that Qi Guoyuan and Wang Bodang were practically inseparable. He squinted at the man wielding the long spear behind Qi Guoyuan; who else could it be if not Wang Bodang? If Wang Bodang were to be killed here, Qin Qiong would fight Chai Shao to the death.

"You lot certainly have a wide circle of acquaintances. Very well, we'll let these bandits off. Someone, sound the gongs!" At Chai Shao's command, a copper gong was struck immediately. In this age, going to war placed supreme importance on beating drums to advance and sounding gongs to retreat. Yun Hao slapped his forehead—he had completely forgotten about this protocol, damn it all!

The Li family's fierce veterans had already begun to accelerate, many of them drawing arrows from their quivers and preparing to nock them. Suddenly hearing the sound of the gong, they all froze in surprise. Yet an army was an army, and its discipline was absolute. Without the slightest hesitation, the killers slowly reined in their horses, then formed a human wall that separated Qi Guoyuan, Wang Bodang, and their men from the caravan. Though the gongs had sounded, every last one of them kept their bowstrings taut and their sabers drawn from their scabbards, ready to charge into a bloody battle at the slightest sign of trouble.

"Qi Guoyuan, don't move! I am Yun Hao!" Yun Hao stood atop the ox cart, bouncing up and down and roaring at the top of his lungs. This time, Qi Guoyuan finally heard him. Pulling hard on the reins, he gazed into the distance and sure enough, caught sight of Yun Hao leaping about like a monkey!

"Big Brother Bodang, that looks like the little Yun lad." For Yun Hao, Qi Guoyuan felt a complex mix of affection and resentment. The scars on his body were still faintly aching to this day. Yet upon parting, Yun Hao had taught him this bluffing trick. And truth be told, during their robberies they often didn't even need to fight; they could simply scare the wits out of their victims' guards, which not only raised their success rate but also greatly increased their robbery efficiency.

Over the past two months, the stronghold's performance had climbed steadily, and Qi Guoyuan had been named the Advanced Individual in Active Robbery for two consecutive months. Furthermore, the Shaohua Mountain Stronghold had been commended by Shan Xiongxin as an Outstanding Collective for Innovative Robbery, and a circular had been issued across the thirty-six routes of the greenwood authorizing a collective commendation. The leaders attending the commendation ceremony included Shan Xiongxin, Wang Bodang, Wei Zheng, Li Mi... (names are not listed in order of surname stroke count), and those who sent letters of condolence during the ceremony included... (here eight thousand characters are omitted!).

"Little Yun lad, why is he riding in such a luxurious ox cart?" Wang Bodang, renowned as a divine archer, naturally possessed exceptional eyesight. He too spotted the leaping Yun Hao and asked with a puzzled expression. Their primary target today was precisely that opulent carriage. Anyone capable of riding in such a conveyance was likely a scion of some noble house. He had never expected to find Yun Hao sitting inside.

It was no easy feat to venture down the mountain for a robbery right around the New Year, and they had hoped to pull off a big score so they could spend a bountiful holiday. Never did they imagine they would run into an acquaintance, leaving Wang Bodang feeling somewhat vexed. Since Qin Qiong treated this boy like a nephew of his own, he still had to show some respect for Qin's face. It was just a pity to let such a fat sheep escape; Wang Bodang possessed absolute confidence in his own martial prowess.

After all, he had only ever served as a military officer in the capital and had never been tempered in the borderlands. He had no inkling of how terrifying these battle-hardened veterans truly were. If he fought them one-on-one, perhaps none of those killers could beat Wang Bodang in single combat. But if a hail of ten thousand arrows were unleashed simultaneously, even with three heads and six arms, Wang Bodang would end up looking like a hedgehog or a porcupine.

"Tell the brothers to hold their horses; we're calling off this transaction," Wang Bodang instructed with a discouraged sigh.

With a flourish of his great hammer, Qi Guoyuan signaled the petty thugs, who promptly came to a halt. Panting heavily and unable to straighten their backs, they stood behind Qi Guoyuan and Wang Bodang, striking a foolish formation. These fellows were only good for putting on a fright; relying on them to actually fight a war was completely out of the question.

"Little Yun lad, what are you doing here?" Wang Bodang shouted aloud.

Hearing that it really was Wang Bodang, Yun Hao patted his chest in relief. Thank goodness he had intervened; otherwise, that pair of close friends Qin Qiong and Chai Shao would surely have fought to the bitter end.

"Uncle Wang, Uncle Qin is in the procession right behind us! Don't make any rash moves; Uncle Qin will come over shortly to explain everything to you!" Yun Hao cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Big Brother Qin is here too?" Both Wang Bodang and Qi Guoyuan were stunned, unable to fathom why Qin Qiong and these people were still traveling around the New Year, and doing so with such flashiness. Little did they know that while Yun Hao and his companions had been living at ease these past few days, countless eyes had secretly been fixed upon them. It was simply because the military strength of this convoy was formidable to a terrifying degree that those petty scoundrels had never dared to strike.

"Uncle Qin is right in the rear contingent. Just wait, I've already sent someone to summon him!" As he spoke, Yun Hao kicked La Shun's backside for dear life. "Damn it, hurry up and deliver the message to Uncle Qin!"

La Shun had long since grown accustomed to Yun Hao's foul temper, and leaping onto his horse, he galloped away toward the rear guard.

By this time, Qin Qiong had also received the scouts' report that bandits were blocking the path of the Duke of Tang's estate caravan. Before La Shun had even covered half the distance, he spotted Qin Qiong galloping forward at the head of a dozen-odd horsemen.