Chapter 69: 69 is not about horse bandits

Chapter 69: Chapter 69 is not about horse bandits

Chen Yuan furrowed his brow, pacing back and forth in the room, his thoughts whirring madly as he tried to deduce the bandits’ hideout. The map of Ping’an County and the county annals were laid out together. Chen Yuan clearly remembered that when he had perused the county annals, he had noted the general terrain of Ping’an County.

Suddenly, Chen Yuan stopped in his tracks, turning his head sharply towards Wang Qian:

“How many bandits did you see in total?”

Wang Qian recalled for a moment, then replied:

“About thirty or more.”

“Was there any kind of distinguishing mark on them?”

...

Wang Qian’s brow knitted tightly:

“Their clothes were very disheveled, it was hard to make out any markings, but the weapons they held were well-ordered, standard cavalry sabers.”

“Standard cavalry sabers…”

Vaguely, Chen Yuan felt he was on to something and hastily asked:

“Anything else?”

“The leader of the bandits wore a mask, making it impossible to see his face…”

Wang Qian did not dare to hide anything and told Chen Yuan everything he knew.

“So that’s how it is!”

A gleam of realization flashed across Chen Yuan’s eyes.

“Take the family head of the Wang family and the young master of the Wang family to the prison, waiting for disposition!” Chen Yuan fixed his gaze on Wang Qian for a moment.

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

“Zhao Ning.”

Chen Yuan called out.

“At your service,” Zhao Ning, who had previously accompanied Chen Yuan to Ping’an Town, stepped forward.

Chen Yuan waved him over, and Zhao Ning bowed and walked up to Chen Yuan.

“Go to the County Government, find the county magistrate, and tell him…”

“Yes, I am on my way immediately.”

Chen Yuan’s gaze slowly swept over the crowd:

“Everyone, follow me!”

He pieced together Wang Qian’s words and his recollection of Ping’an County’s terrain, and made a judgment; those people were very likely not just bandits but military bandits!

Moreover, they were not intending to establish a foothold in Ping’an County but rather to pass through Ping’an County to reach other regions.

If they wanted to establish a foothold, they definitely would not conduct a one-time deceitful deal that would doom the Wang family.

…

…

Night fell, and all was silent.

In Ping’an County, ten miles west of the city.

Dozens of riders traveled down the sole path, cloths of various colors tied around the horses’ legs to dampen the sound of their hooves, with only a few torches lit.

The person in the lead wore a mask, his eyes fierce as he surveyed his surroundings as if on guard.

“Sir.”

One of the bandits urged his horse a bit closer.

The masked man scolded:

“How many times have I told you, my current identity is the bandit Han Feihu, if there’s a next time, it’s twenty lashes!”

The bandit hastily replied:

“Yes, big…big brother, I will remember.”

Han Feihu snorted coldly:

“What’s the matter?”

“Someone has already scouted ahead, and nothing unusual was found.”

Han Feihu nodded, and the eyes beneath his mask looked in the direction of the county seat, his lips slightly curling into a cold sneer.

Chen Yuan guessed correctly; he wasn’t really Han Feihu but a centurion from the frontier, who, due to his underestimation, led to the death of most of his soldiers.

He dared not return to his post, for returning was tantamount to death.

After much deliberation, he decided to leave the frontier and flee to a highly chaotic area in the heart of the Central Plains, seeking refuge with a brother with whom he had once worked.

As for the real “Han Feihu,” he had long been killed by his hand; to avoid the government, he had disguised himself as Han Feihu. He hadn’t intended to cause trouble when passing through Ping’an County this time.

However, his cultivation resources and other living supplies had been completely exhausted; he could only risk passing through the Wang Family’s territory to acquire several influential merchant routes and plunder their resources to sustain his own and his subordinates’ cultivation.

As for the Liu Family, he had unexpectedly interacted with Liu Shuanghe once before and had to yield due to fearing his strength. Yet, Liu Shuanghe shamelessly thought of winning him over with just two of his children.

If it weren’t for fearing that Liu Shuanghe might go mad, Han Feihu would have killed those two long ago, especially that girl called Ruoqing. The momentary disdain in her eyes made Han Feihu wish she could experience the fear of death.

Just two days ago, they had even sent someone to order him to kill the arrest officer of Ping’an County, which was utterly nonsensical. Did they really think that with the channels for cultivation resources, they could treat him as their hired thug?

He wasn’t that foolish!

What he sought was to safely leave Ping’an County, not to recklessly engage in combat.

Military law is as weighty as a mountain; his desertion had certainly triggered a manhunt by the court. If revealed, his life would be in grave danger.

With his mere peak Bone Refining strength, he couldn’t possibly withstand the pursuit of the Heavenly Patrol Bureau.

“Ping’an County, what a good name; I hope it truly can keep me safe…” Han Feihu murmured.

The reason he chose to leave at night was also that the path to the next county could only be accessed through this narrow road; otherwise, he would have to take a detour that would take nearly ten more days. Using the Wang Family as a pawn to mislead others was also part of Han Feihu’s plotting.

Otherwise, the goods he had plundered from the Wang Family that first time would not have escaped.

Han Feihu continued leading his horse team, and after a while, his brow furrowed; the surrounding area was unusually silent, devoid of any insect chirps or bird calls.

You should know, it was now summer.

Being very cautious, Han Feihu raised his right hand, and the horse team behind him immediately reined in their horses to a stop.

“Big brother.. what’s wrong?”

“Are you sure you’ve already scouted ahead?” Han Feihu asked with a stern tone.

“I’ve really already checked.”

Han Feihu’s gaze flickered uncertainly, and he said in a low voice:

“Go and scout ahead one more time, something feels off, it’s too quiet here.”

For some reason, a deep unease lingered in his heart. He had experienced this feeling during his previous underestimate and recklessness. Han Feihu reassured himself, perhaps it was just an overthought.

All along his journey, he intentionally spread some news that he was going to settle in Ping’an County; he even rested nearby the county for several days.

No one could possibly guess his real intention was simply to pass through as a feint.

Thus, not only would the officials of Ping’an County search for him within the county,

but also the potential court experts who might pursue him would stay in Ping’an County for a while.

The vast expanse of Ping’an County territory was enough to exhaust their efforts to search, and he, after plundering those cultivation resources, wouldn’t need to stop for rest mid-way and could directly reach his destination.

“Yes.”

The bandit dismounted and, holding a torch in his hand, slowly approached the dense forest ahead.

And within the forest, about forty steps away from them, lay numerous government officials, breathing quietly and daring not to make a sound.

The bandit stepped closer to the forest with each step, the torch illuminating a few yards around him. Though his heart felt hairy, he dared not defy Han Feihu’s command.

The bandit who had previously defied him was already dead.

“Big brother, there’s nothing here…”

The bandit quickly scanned the area and shouted back loudly.

But before he could finish his sentence, he looked up and saw a flash of Qing light.