Chapter 283 - 279: Encountering Bandits_1

Translator: 549690339

The stagecoach raced on, gradually moving away from the bustling city, towards the rural countryside.

The sky slowly darkened, as if it was blanketed by dark clouds.

Without seeing the sun, it was hard to tell the time, but with this kind of weather, it felt like dusk was approaching.

Driving the stagecoach, Jiang Sanlang felt that something was not right the further they went.

On this official road during the New Year’s season, it was impossible for them to travel half a day and not meet a single person.

But turning back now wouldn’t be right either.

“Erquan, have your machete ready and tell your siblings not to draw the carriage curtains,” Jiang Sanlang said.

Ahead was a hilly path, where the stagecoach had to slow down each time, sometimes even needing to disembark and push to make it uphill.

Hearing what his third uncle said, Jiang Quan instantly turned alert and swiftly pulled out a machete from underneath his carriage.

This was something he’d prepared specifically for self-defense, but it hadn’t been necessary up until now.

Hopefully it wouldn’t need to be used this time either.

Yingbao also sensed something was wrong and quietly stowed some apples and cantaloupes from the bamboo basket into his den to lighten the coach’s load.

Jiang Yunniang also became nervous, pushing her children farther into the carriage and shielding them behind her.

The stagecoach went down a steep slope and as it started to ascend again, it was suddenly blocked by small rocks.

The rocks were not large, barely visible from afar, but if encountered while going uphill, they would certainly prevent the wooden wheels from making it past.

If they tried to force it, they might end up breaking the wheels.

Jiang Sanlang slowly stopped the coach, looked around, hopped off, and began to clear away the small rocks.

At this moment, several figures emerged from the far-off bushes. They were four men and a woman, brandishing clubs and rushing towards Jiang Sanlang.

“Leave your valuables!” they shouted, charging towards him.

Jiang Sanlang immediately moved back to the stagecoach, received the machete from Erquan, and pointing it at the incoming people, he shouted, “Who are you? Stand back!”

Jiang Yunniang almost screamed, frantically searching about for something to defend herself with.

Xiaohei barked loudly, repeatedly wanting to jump off the stagecoach.

Yingbao hurriedly calmed him down and quickly stuffed a sickle into her aunt’s hand, also passing one to her second cousin.

The fight hadn’t begun yet, and Xiaohei could not leave the carriage. The robbers numbered five, each carrying various weapons.

Wooden clubs, hoes, pickaxes, one even held a sharp-edged sickle.

Right now, it was three against five, even with Xiaohei’s help, victory didn’t seem likely.

Yingbao pulled out a small cowhide slingshot and held a pebble tightly in her hand.

She guessed the robbers must not just be these five; that there must be others hidden behind the bushes.

So she kept a close eye on the movements in the bushes.

As the robbers neared the stagecoach, their eyes greedily scanned the large horse.

“Leave behind the stagecoach! And we’ll let you live!” the leading man demanded harshly.

Jiang Sanlang pondered with furrowed brows, sweeping his gaze over the group and then towards the thicket.

If these bandits truly only wanted money, in consideration of the children, he could abandon the stagecoach.

But if these people reneged on their words and he lost his stagecoach here in the wilderness, wouldn’t his entire family be at others’ mercy?

“I can give you all the money, but not the stagecoach. We still have far to travel, and can’t do without a carriage,” Jiang Sanlang said cautiously, watching the five men ahead, while gripping his machete.

Hearing her father’s words, Yingbao gritted her teeth, pulled out several strings of copper coins, and handed them to Jiang Quan, whispering, “Throw them back, throw them as far as you can!”

Getting the hint, Jiang Quan took the copper coins and hurled them towards the road behind them.

A few sets of eyes looked towards Copper Coin, but no one moved. The leader of the men sneered, “Get off the carriage! Roll over to the side! Did you hear me? Otherwise I won’t be polite!”

Red Xiao and the young boy in the carriage had already started crying in fright, and twelve-year-old Zhang Yuying was trembling violently.

Jiang Sanlang didn’t say a word, he was just cautiously sizing up the other party.

All five men were in tattered clothes, two of them were even wearing straw sandals in such cold weather. If they were dressed like this, they were either refugees who had fled here, or they were a band of desperate outlaws.

No matter which type of people they were, his family would not be able to escape unscathed if they encountered them.

Jiang Sanlang suddenly spoke, “Release Dahei!”

Yingbao immediately understood her father’s intention and quickly released the rope around Xiaohei’s neck, patting it once, “Go bite the bad guys!”

Xiaohei shot out like an arrow, roaring as it rushed towards the five bandits.

At the same time, Jiang Sanlang lifted his machete and charged at the bandits, shouting loudly, “Hurry up and go!”

Jiang Quan understood his uncle’s intentions, jumped off the carriage, and ran to clear the path ahead.

Jiang Yunniang also jumped down, brandished her sickle to assist her younger brother.

Yingbao sat on the carriage shaft, flicked the reins, and urged the horse to pull the carriage forward.

With a sudden decrease in weight on the carriage, the horse pulled it with unusual ease, and the carriage quickly ascended the slope.

By this time, Jiang Quan had kicked away the stones on the road, sprinted back, and with the sickle in his hand, he charged towards the bandits, fighting shoulder to shoulder with his uncle.

However, two female bandits rushed out of the bushes, wielding clubs and beating Xiaohei, causing Xiaohei to cry out in pain.

Jiang Sanlang and his men were clearly outnumbered. Even with the machete in his hands, he could only deter them temporarily.

Meanwhile, two young bandits suddenly sprung out from the bushes and lunged directly at Yingbao.

They held wooden sticks in their hands and raised them high to strike down.

A bamboo basket suddenly appeared in Yingbao’s hands, just in time to block the heavy blow of the stick.

The young bandit was startled by the sudden turn of events. Before he could react, something struck his face.

“Aaaaah…” the young bandit fell to the ground screaming, his face covered in sharp spikes.

The other youth wielded his stick viciously and swung it at Yingbao again.

However, Yingbao had already lunged at him first, grabbing his hair and throwing him to the ground with a judo move.

She then choked him by the neck, pressing her thin dagger against his throat, shouting loudly, “Tell them to stop! Or I’ll kill you!”

She was certain that these two youths were the biological sons of the men below the slope. So long as they were restrained, those men could be deterred.

As expected, the adult bandits were shocked by this sudden development and retreated in a hurry, dragging their injured bodies. One of them shouted sharply, “Stop! If you dare to kill him! I will wipe out your whole family!”

Yingbao didn’t back down and loudly responded, “Let us leave safely then I’ll let him go! Otherwise we all die together!”

The leader of the bandits resentfully clenched his teeth and said, “Fine! I’ll let you leave! But you must let him go immediately!”

“Let us leave first, I swear I’ll spare his life!” Yingbao pressed the thin blade of her dagger tightly against the youth’s neck artery.

The boy felt humiliated and wanted to struggle, but each time he moved, a sharp pain shot through his throat, and blood began to trickle down.

Yingbao whispered, “I advise you not to move, oh, your death doesn’t matter, but your little brothers and sisters hiding in the bushes can’t escape! Remember, if one person in my family dies, none of you brats will live! Do you believe that before I die, I will send you to heaven first.”

Not far from them, in the bushes, a few young children were crying in whispers, obviously the children of this group of bandits.

Among them, one girl cried the hardest after watching Yingbao subdue the boy, she must be the boy’s biological sister.

The boy finally stopped struggling, his eyes were filled with murderous intent.

However, he couldn’t see the girl’s face, because the girl was choking him from behind and pressing a knee against his spine.

As the boy lay semi-recumbent on the ground, he retorted defiantly, “If you touch my brothers and sisters, I won’t spare you even if I become a ghost!”