From the perspective of Hongshupo, the bandits were quite bewildering.
Were these bandits not here to rob? Why were they dressed like this?
Aside from the dozen or so men on horseback carrying weapons, everyone behind them, regardless of gender, was carrying large bags and parcels. Two people were even carrying two large iron pots. A cart was loaded with grain, with several large water vats placed on top of the grain, each vat containing several children. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Yang Ming and the others quickly discovered the Pang family, mother and daughter, mixed in with a group of women. At this moment, the truth was clear: this calamity that befell Hongshupo today was the doing of this mother and daughter pair.
Yang Ming and a few others exchanged glances, their eyes flashing with cold light. No matter what, they had to capture this mother and daughter today and hand them over to the eldest madam for disposal.
Qian Cheng Tuo couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Are they here to rob, or are they moving house?"
Wang Xiao Ma said, "Both. They robbed us, and then they're casually moving into Hongshupo and not leaving."
Gui Er snorted, "They're really confident, don't they even know their own strength?"
"Exactly, today they're here to deliver food to us!" Yang Ming said with ambition.
As several youths were talking in hushed tones, the bandit horsemen opposite looked back at the group of women in their own ranks. Some even shot furious glances at the Pang mother and daughter.
Those wretched creatures had said that the people in Hongshupo were just a dozen or so, all common folk who couldn't make it to the stage, and easy to capture.
Seeing them with their own eyes now, they were actually very distinguished, and it was they themselves who were truly not presentable. Compared to them, they looked like refugees fleeing a famine.
In fact, they had set out last night. They heard that Hongshupo was a place without jurisdiction, with a well, houses, and many fruit trees that had been cultivated. They thought they would kill the original owners and then occupy the place, which was why they brought all the belongings from the stockade.
Now, it seemed, they had fallen into someone else's trap and become lambs to the slaughter.
The thin-faced man beside the bearded leader asked, "What should we do, big brother? Should we still fight?"
The bearded leader was also in a difficult position. If they fought, they definitely couldn't win. But as the bandit chief for so many years, he absolutely couldn't lose face, nor could his dignity be compromised, otherwise, how could he command respect in the future?
Moreover, the other party only seemed to be imposing in their aura, and whether they had real skills was still unknown. They had traveled for a day and a night, so they couldn't just return empty-handed. Even if they failed, it would be the useless people in the stockade who died. The dozen or so brothers with horses could escape at any time.
At this moment, the stunningly handsome man opposite spoke, "Are you going to fight, or surrender directly?"
Damn it, even their voices were so pleasant to hear! The bandits instantly felt they were several heads shorter than the others.
But the bearded leader's imposing manner must not be lost. He didn't answer the stunningly handsome man's question. Instead, he turned around and said loudly to everyone, "This Hongshupo has a well, houses, grain, and fruit trees. Today, if we kill everyone here, everything here will be ours! Brothers, kill!"
With a command, the bandits shouted and charged towards the Hongshupo team. The Hongshupo team also shouted and charged towards the bandits, and soon the two sides were in a chaotic battle.
Grandma Zhong and the other women, as well as Lu Yun and the children, had been hiding far behind. Seeing the vast disparity between the enemy and themselves, they also bravely rushed forward.
Lu Ye rode Black Wind, carrying a large saber, and charged directly at the dozen or so bandit horsemen.
As Black Wind ran, it raised its hooves and kicked the horses of others. Those horses were not angry when they were kicked, who told that big black horse to be a stallion? Being kicked by such a handsome male horse, they were reluctant to kick back! They would rather run after it.
Yang Ming led several youths to attack the other bandits holding weapons.
The others rushed into the crowd, each finding their own opponents.
The women and children in the bandit ranks all screamed in fear, dodging and fleeing the battle lines, trying to escape. As a result, Tian Guihua and Liu Shi, leading a group of women, intercepted them with large sabers.
Gui Er said to Tian Guihua and Liu Shi, "Sister Guihua, Sister Liu, Wang Donghua and her mother are over there. It's them who reported us, betrayed Hongshupo. Hurry, hurry and catch them!"
Upon hearing this, Tian Guihua and Liu Shi's blood surged, and they yelled "Ahhh!" and charged towards Wang Donghua and her mother.
The bandit women looked at these Hongshupo women and were somewhat disoriented. Were they sure they were country girls? Not female bandits?
Wang Donghua and her mother were quickly and securely bound by the Hongshupo women.
Tian Guihua and Liu Shi each slapped them several times.
The bearded leader had severely underestimated the abilities of that stunningly handsome man. After a few moves, he was left with no power to fight back. Not only was he seriously injured, but he also fell off his horse, and his beloved mount was already led away by another child who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
The other dozen or so brothers on horseback were also in a sorry state and were completely unable to escape.
This stunningly handsome man was simply not human!
They had never heard of or seen such a martial arts level. They were just robbers and bandits, and had not even crossed the threshold of the martial world. Where had they ever seen such peerless masters?
Alas, they were truly doomed by Wang Donghua and her mother today!
Grandma Zhong and the others dared not confront the enemy head-on, so they could only sneak attack from the shadows. Seeing which bandit was pushing their own people back a little, they immediately ran over and quietly stabbed them a few times from behind, then turned and ran, not engaging in prolonged combat.
Lu Yun, with the children, kept picking up the spoils.
They were used to picking up dung, so picking up good things was even easier.
Most of the dozen or so horses were picked up, as well as weapons, grain, pots, and pans dropped by the bandits. While picking up spoils, they also did not forget to kick the bandits from behind, or extend their little legs to trip them.
Many bandits were harmed by the children. Their own bandit children were not so wicked.
For Baoyu, this was simply its stage. It let out a "howl" and pounced on the bandits. Soon, several bandits were bitten to the point of bleeding profusely.
Lightning did not swallow people. Swallowing people was too slow. It either bit people with its sharp teeth, or slapped people with its tail, or coiled around people with its body. In fact, it did nothing at all, just slithered near those women and children, and it scared more than half of them unconscious.
This battle ended in less than an hour. On the Hongshupo side, apart from a few people sustaining minor injuries, no one died. Six bandits died, and countless were injured.
The people of Hongshupo now realized that in fact, the master alone could have defeated all these bandits, and letting them participate was just to give them a chance to play.
As for the youths, it was the first time they had witnessed the master's martial arts with their own eyes, and they were all filled with admiration. They were determined to become the master's disciples and vowed not to slack off in any training session from now on.
All the bandits, including the women and children, were tied up and brought back to Hongshupo.