"My lord! Let go of our lord!"
Just as Jiang Yan was pondering how he could get this guy back, the gate of the small courtyard was kicked open again. Then, dozens of fully armed bandits, holding hunting bows, rushed in.
"Brother Gao, take down these scoundrels!"
Li Mao'er had just woken up and immediately saw Gao Shier, his face lighting up with joy.
This was also his trusted general. Although his mind wasn't the sharpest, his strength was extraordinary.
Among his subordinates, if one were to talk about combat effectiveness, this guy would definitely rank in the top three.
"Don't be nervous. We're just after money. How about we let him go immediately after we get the money?"
Hearing the sounds of fighting outside, Jiang Yan's eyes darted around, and he blurted out a lie.
"You dare to rob Li Family Village? I think you're all tired of living. Chop them up for me!"
After a thin man next to Gao Shier whispered something in his ear, Gao Shier immediately shouted.
"Whoever dares to move, I'll strike him down first!"
Without thinking, Jiang Yan pushed Li Mao'er in front of him, and casually took a dagger from his sleeve, holding it to Li Mao'er's neck.
"Don't be rash, don't be rash!"
Feeling the cold edge of the dagger against his neck, Li Mao'er quickly shouted.
With his command, the bandits finally stopped their actions, but their hunting bows were still aimed at Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan didn't feel anything, but Li Mao'er was trembling all over. Being pointed at by so many arrows, he was only wearing a rough linen robe.
If he were shot by an arrow, his life might be forfeit.
Seeing Gao Shier's eyes no longer pure, Li Mao'er suddenly shivered. Damn it, could this kid be having second thoughts?
"Gao Shier, what exactly do you want to do? Even if you kill me today, do you think these men of yours will obey you?"
Seeing the killing intent on Gao Shier's body becoming more intense, Li Mao'er quickly shouted.
The scene suddenly fell silent, and the archers around Gao Shier all looked at him.
"Brother, how about we make a deal? You take your men and retreat, clearing a path for us, and I'll deal with this scoundrel. What do you think?"
Jiang Yan chuckled sinisterly, his face full of mockery.
It was just a betrayal among thieves, nothing to be surprised about.
However, this guy named Gao Shier seemed to have chosen the timing rather poorly.
With the imperial army everywhere right now, could they really carry all this gold and silver out with just these men?
"Release our leader, and we'll let you go!"
This time, the thin man standing next to Gao Shier answered for him.
"Brother, didn't you hear the commotion outside? I advise you to leave quickly!"
As Jiang Yan spoke, he hid his right hand behind his back and made a gesture to his companions.
From the day they started training, these men had lived and eaten together. They were all too familiar with each other, and they understood Jiang Yan's intentions with just a single gesture.
Apart from Jiang Yan, the remaining men began to slowly retreat.
Strangely, Gao Shier and his men made no move at all, instead fixating on Li Mao'er.
A trace of struggle finally appeared on Gao Shier's face. It seemed this was his first time trying to kill his boss.
"We can't hesitate any longer. If we hesitate, the imperial army will be upon us!"
In the dark night, shouts of killing could be heard from all directions. The bandits had long since fallen into disarray, and everyone was fleeing towards the south.
Li Mao'er's courtyard was located in the center of the village. It was originally the residence of a wealthy family, but after Li Mao'er arrived, he sent the original owner underground.
Amidst the uniform thatched cottages, this house with blue bricks and grey tiles stood out conspicuously.
Both Gao Shier and Jiang Yan understood that this would be the imperial army's primary target. Time was indeed running out for him.
"Shoot this scoundrel to death!"
After gasping for breath, Gao Shier finally made up his mind.
Following his command, more than a dozen crossbow bolts shot towards Li Mao'er.
"You guys are too vicious!"
Seeing so many crossbow bolts flying towards him, Jiang Yan couldn't care anymore. He grabbed Li Mao'er and rolled to the side.
He could have ignored this scoundrel, but in that fleeting moment, a crazy plan suddenly popped into Jiang Yan's mind.
Although tonight would undoubtedly be a rare great victory, and these bandits would be severely weakened after this battle, unless Han Mo could borrow more troops, he would still have no good way to deal with them in the short term.
Han Mo needed time, and Li Mao'er, having suffered such a great loss, would not let it go.
Instead of killing this brat and taking the credit, wouldn't it be better to let him go back now and let them turn on each other?
"Attack!"
Seeing those guys nocking arrows again, Jiang Yan couldn't care anymore and shouted immediately.
To conceal their tracks, they had only brought a few broken knives when they sneaked in, at most a couple of daggers.
Now, those guys had bows and arrows, and their broken knives couldn't protect them. So, Jiang Yan quietly signaled them to retreat a few steps, looking for something to throw.
Following his command, more than a dozen white shadows flew out from the house behind him.
Only after those white shadows landed did Jiang Yan realize that what was thrown were all shiny silver pieces.
While silver was loved by everyone, the bandits, including Gao Shier, would never have expected to meet it in such a way.
Jiang Yan's companions were all burly, and they didn't hold back when they threw. Being hit by silver was no ordinary pain.
This small courtyard was only about twenty steps across. Being hit by these silver ingots was almost no different from being hit by stones.
The bandits were caught off guard and fell victim. A few unlucky ones were hit on the head and bled profusely...
Looking at the fallen unlucky souls who had lost consciousness, a strange thought suddenly occurred to Jiang Yan.
Being killed by silver, he wondered how they would explain themselves to the King of Hell after arriving in the underworld...