Chapter 14: Deadly Struggle

Zhao Mu fixed his gaze intently on the man with the horse-faced countenance, swallowing involuntarily. Facing four bandits, it was impossible for him to claim he felt no fear. Yet he understood all too well that even if he kowtowed and begged for mercy as they demanded, they would never spare him.

Although Huang Wan stood beside him clutching a firewood knife, she was, after all, a frail woman. Alone against four bandits, his best chance was to strike down one of them while they were off guard. Then, riding that momentum, he could take down the remaining three.

He had considered picking them off one by one, but the bandits wouldn’t give him such an opportunity. Only by killing the horse-faced man first could he intimidate the others and seek further chances.

The horse-faced man sneered at Zhao Mu and casually took two steps forward, raising his blade to strike. Zhao Mu’s pupils contracted sharply; he raised his wooden staff to block and then thrust toward the man’s throat.

Blood erupted instantly. The horse-faced man dropped his knife, clutching his own throat with both hands, eyes wide with disbelief. Since becoming a bandit, he had killed at least six or seven men, yet today he fell to an inconspicuous man’s hand. He collapsed directly to the ground, his eyes filled with unwillingness in his final moment.

“Number Three!” The other bandits’ eyes glinted with rage as they glared at Zhao Mu. One raised his knife recklessly, charging forward to avenge the fallen comrade.

Zhao Mu’s eyes flared; he jabbed his wooden staff toward the oncoming attacker. The man hadn’t expected Zhao Mu to still have strength; though he tried to block with his blade, the staff was longer and stronger. Before he could break the staff, the bloodstained weapon had already pierced his throat.

Zhao Mu swiftly killed two men in succession, then swept the staff in a wide arc. “Who’s next? If you’re not afraid of death, come on! Today, I’ll send each of you straight to the afterlife!”

The remaining two bandits hesitated abruptly, exchanging a glance that sparked a sudden urge to retreat. The bald elder said, “This guy’s deadly. Let’s fall back!”

As the two withdrew from the courtyard, Zhao Mu exhaled heavily and collapsed to the ground. Although he appeared to have slain two men with ease, inwardly he was terrified. If not for his prior training in bayonet techniques and his extreme focus born of sheer panic, he would never have managed to kill two men so swiftly and frighten the others away.

Huang Wan looked at Zhao Mu in amazement. She had been ready to fight to the death and even considered surrendering herself to beg for Zhao Mu’s life. Yet unexpectedly, Zhao Mu had fought so fiercely and killed two men in such a short span.

Before she could praise him, Zhao Mu collapsed onto the ground. Huang Wan’s eyes flickered as understanding dawned. Zhao Mu swallowed hard, feeling his palms trembling. This kill was different from the last; before, it had been a sneak attack, but this time it was a direct confrontation, with a single spear-like thrust.

The tension and adrenaline surged through him, leaving him in an unusually heightened state. But as the two bandits fled, the adrenaline subsided, and he immediately felt weak and dizzy. If the bandits returned, he would have no strength left to resist.

Yet often, what one fears most is precisely what will come.

Zhao Mu had barely caught his breath and was about to ask Huang Wan to help him up when the two bandits returned.

“Kid, you were faking it just now!” The bald bandit stared coldly at Zhao Mu, his eyes filled with murderous intent. Though the four were sworn brothers, their bond was shallow at best. Their ‘brotherhood’ was merely for show, to bolster their image and intimidate others in the bandit den.

His earlier retreat had been a ruse to test Zhao Mu. Sure enough, as soon as they walked away, Zhao Mu’s true nature revealed itself.

Another bandit sneered, “You dare to cheat us? I’ll skin you alive!”

Zhao Mu’s heart jolted, surprised at the bandits’ cunning. His own inexperience had made him careless. But the stubborn defiance within him flared up again. If he surrendered, he would surely meet a cruel death. Better to fight for it all now.

He grabbed his wooden staff and shakily rose to his feet. “Come on!”

Knowing he could no longer intimidate them, Zhao Mu brandished his staff and shouted fiercely. The two bandits sneered cruelly, knives drawn as they advanced.

Just as Zhao Mu prepared to meet them head-on, Huang Wan stepped in front, holding her firewood knife defensively.

Everyone froze. The bald bandit glanced at Huang Wan with a mocking gleam. “Little lady, you’re really unwilling to let your lover die, huh? Don’t worry, I’m not killing him right away. I want him to watch as I toy with you first.”

Huang Wan’s body trembled visibly but she held her ground. She felt responsible for bringing these bandits here; if she were to die, it would be in front of Zhao Mu.

“Run! I’ll hold them off!” Her voice quivered but held no hesitation. Even a moment’s delay would give Zhao Mu a chance to escape over the wall.

Zhao Mu sighed and pushed her aside. “I’m still a man. When has a woman ever stepped forward to face danger for me?”

Though his words carried a hint of machismo, he felt no shame. A real man would never let a woman die in his place. If he did, he wasn’t truly brave.

The bald bandit hoisted his knife onto his shoulder and sneered, “Who would’ve thought, such a deeply devoted wild pair of lovers.”

Zhao Mu took a breath and raised his staff. “Enough talk. If you want to die, come at me now!”

The bald bandit sized up Zhao Mu’s stance and snorted. “How many times do you think that stick will last? I’m going to snap your pathetic staff right now!”

With that, he charged at Zhao Mu.

Zhao Mu gripped his staff tightly and thrust forward quickly. Yet the bald bandit was prepared and dodged the sharpened tip Zhao Mu had carved into the staff.

Without the point, the staff lost much of its power. The thought of beating the bandit to death with the blunt staff didn’t even cross Zhao Mu’s mind.

Instinctively, he tried to pull back the staff and regroup for another attack.

But the bald bandit showed no mercy. Suddenly, he grabbed the staff with one hand.

“Let go!”

With one hand clutching the staff, the other swung down toward Zhao Mu.

Zhao Mu had no choice but to release the staff and stagger away to evade the blow.

The bald bandit smirked and tossed the staff aside. “Kid, now I want to see what else you’ve got!”

All of Zhao Mu’s power came from the sharpened staff tip. Without it, even if he tried to carve another spearhead, there was no time left.