In the courtyard of the inn.
The escorts from both sides had fully armed themselves upon hearing the commotion outside.
"I heard there are a lot of bandits, can we just kill them freely?"
Da Chui was brimming with excitement and eagerness. Seeing Xie Jiang descend from upstairs, he shook the chains wrapped around his waist and arms, the clanging sound like a challenge.
"Yes, kill them freely, no limit."
Xie Jiang's eyebrows and eyes exuded a wild, untamed aura. He strode forward with an arrogant gait, leading the way.
Upon hearing this, Da Chui felt as if he had received a release order. His laughter was more joyous than feasting on a table full of meat.
Except for Aunt He and the two young maids, everyone else also couldn't hide their excitement, their hands itching as if they were going to pick up money.
Guang Bai assigned two people to follow Xu Hengyan and led more than a dozen others to follow Xie Jiang.
Then, as he followed, he increasingly felt that Xie Jiang's followers were reacting abnormally.
Although the bandits of Huang Lanshan were cruel, wicked, and deserved death, was there any need for them to act as if it were New Year's?
They were going to confront over three hundred bandits head-on, not to have a bountiful harvest in the fields!
The west side of Gangshi Town was inhabited by wealthy families. When Xie Jiang led his men there, the scene that met their eyes was already a mess.
Cries, screams, sinister laughter...
It was as if they were emanating from hell.
Upon seeing the bandits, Da Chui couldn't wait and charged forward with a roar.
The thick iron chains, as thick as an adult man's arm, swung with a whoosh. One bandit's head separated from his neck, and the chain also struck down two of his companions a few steps away.
The rest followed closely, joining the fray and killing any bandit they saw.
Before Xie Jiang could make any deployment, her escorts had already scattered.
Even Tian Kangtai, who usually appeared refined and like a steward, rolled up his sleeves and charged into the fight with a knife.
Guang Bai was utterly bewildered.
Was it that casual?
Didn't they need to protect Young Master Xie?
But he couldn't afford to dwell on it now. Guang Bai waved his hand, and the guards behind him joined the battle.
The situation at this moment was very favorable to them.
The bandits had split up and entered several wealthy households, looting goods and grain.
Some were even busy insulting women, venting their bestial natures.
The bandits' advantage of superior numbers was gone.
Xie Jiang entered a nearby house with a short knife. Following a sharp, tragic sound, she arrived at a room and saw two bandits assaulting a woman.
The bandit, who had been grinning sinisterly, turned his head. Before he could react, he was stabbed in the lower back with a knife, and then a follow-up stab to the neck.
The commotion of his accomplice falling alerted the bandit who was in the act. Before he could even draw his weapon, he was kicked to the ground.
Xie Jiang stepped on his back and, with a blank expression, cut his throat.
Xie Jiang had no escorts by her side. Guang Bai dared not stay too far away. Since he had promised the Young Master, he couldn't let anything happen to Xie Jiang.
As he rushed over after dealing with the two bandits in the courtyard, he saw Xie Jiang calmly cut a bandit's throat. The coldness and efficiency of the act sent a chill down his spine.
He felt that Xie Jiang was not at all like a young master from a noble family, but rather a ruthless killer who lived by the blade.
However, he soon understood why Young Master Xie's expression was so chilling.
The rescued young woman, disregarding her disheveled state, immediately crawled over to pick up the swaddling clothes not far away.
"Dou Dou, Dou Dou..."
Guang Bai could see from the doorway that the infant, only a few months old, in the swaddling clothes had a bloody head and was already stone-dead.
There was no saving her.
Xie Jiang turned and came out of the house.
Guang Bai silently followed.
As soon as he stepped down the stairs, he heard a heart-wrenching scream from inside the house.
Then came the sound of a head hitting a hard object with a bang.
There was no more movement from inside.
Beasts!
More than a dozen bandits rushed out from various directions. Guang Bai's attacks became even more ruthless.
After he dealt with four or five people around him, he turned back to support Xie Jiang, only to find that the remaining people had already fallen at Xie Jiang's feet.
Guang Bai was astonished.
Young Master Xie's combat power far exceeded his expectations.
However, considering the heinous acts of these bandits, even if Young Master Xie usually only had sixty percent of his combat power, it had now been burned to one hundred and twenty percent by anger.
Most of the bandits, engrossed in looting, now realized what was happening. A group of people with not-weak martial arts had appeared from nowhere and caught them off guard, killing many of their brothers.
The bandits temporarily abandoned their loot and charged at any unfamiliar face they saw.
However, the bandits did not take these few people lightly.
To them, all struggles were futile; would they not ultimately become souls under their blades?
But they soon dared not think that way.
Xie Jiang's knife was swift, precise, and deadly. Suddenly, she leaped onto the rooftop.
Guang Bai was still marveling at her agility when he heard her shout loudly in all directions.
"Don't hold back your strength, kill as many as you can. One bandit head is one hundred taels of silver, a minor leader is two hundred and fifty taels, and a major leader is five hundred taels!"
The cheers of Xie family escorts echoed from all around.
Guang Bai could deeply understand this joyous feeling.
The vast majority of honest working people could truly understand the joy of making money so easily.
Guang Bai was genuinely envious.
Young Master Xie was truly wealthy and generous!
Although the Young Master would definitely reward them too, it certainly wouldn't be this much!
He wanted to ask his subordinates if they could also get paid for the heads they cut off.
Suddenly, a loud explosion sounded from outside the main gate, followed by screams.
Guang Bai was startled.
What was that noise?
When he ran outside, he saw a scorched mark on the ground with scattered limbs around it.
Not far away, another explosion and screams sounded.
This time, Guang Bai clearly saw what was happening.
What kind of hidden weapon was that? The lethality was too strong!
Guang Bai suddenly looked up at Xie Jiang on the rooftop.
Xie Jiang said dismissively, "Just a small thing."
With that, she leaped down from the rooftop and continued to reap heads.
At first glance, it really did look like a small thing.
But!
Several more explosions rang out on the street.
Guang Bai saw clearly.
They were all thrown out by Xie Jiang's escorts. These small, marble-like objects were thrown into areas with many bandits, and a nest of bandits would be turned into bloody messes, indistinguishable from each other.
Guang Bai's eyes almost bulged out.
From then on, he was multitasking.
On one hand, he mercilessly cut down bandits; on the other, he paid attention to Young Master Xie's safety. He also observed how Xie Jiang's escorts, fighting one against many, were able to defeat groups of bandits with little effort.
The more Guang Bai watched, the more shocked he became.
The combat power of Young Master Xie's escorts was simply outrageous!
It was no problem for one person to defeat a group of bandits.
Guang Bai saw clearly that it wasn't that their martial arts were exceptionally high, but rather their weapons!
Besides those small things that caused such a huge commotion, the weapons in everyone's hands were invincible!
When their weapons clashed with those of the bandits, the bandits' weapons instantly turned into paper, being cut and sliced as easily as vegetables and fruits by the monstrous weapons they held.
This... this, how could they even fight?