บท 30: 30. Dangerous Region (II)
A few days later, the caravan stopped by a wide river and set up camp for the night. The carts were lined around the camp in a half-circle next to the river bank as protection. Dinner was once again hard bread and nothing else. Amin Baba was the only one that had anything good to eat, which the servant girls cooked for him.
Gray looked on enviously as he swallowed the last of his bread. The trip had been promised as one of comfort and luxury but a merchant's words were worth nothing. He wished he had wrangled a lower price out of the deal. Five percent of his gold ore was too good for that fat scoundrel.
With nothing else to do, he found a soft patch of dirt and fell asleep. He was dreaming of eating red braised pork with Xueling when he was awakened by yells around the camp.
"Help!"
"Put out that fire!"
Gray jumped up to a scene of chaos. It was a moonless, cloudy night that was illuminated by a brightly burning wooden contraption…
One of the carts had caught fire!
The men were running in every direction. The camp was a mess of activity. Some pulled the carts nearby aside to safety. Others used whatever they could find to gather water from the river and pour it on the fire.
"My stuff!" Gray yelled and rushed to the blaze.
It was the carriage he rode in. His spare bags of food were inside and they were currently serving as excellent fuel.
"Stay back!" Two guards blocked his way.
Amin Baba also arrived, screaming, "Save my goods! Save my goods!"
One of the guards found Amin Baba and spoke to him, who then ran up to Gray.
"Where is he? Tell me!" Amin Baba yelled.
"Who?"
"Who the fuck… Tang, the guy who was with you in that carriage! Where is he?"
Gray threw his hands up. "How the hell should I know?"
No one else knew either. The camp was searched again but there was no sign of him. The guy had truly disappeared and nobody had seen him leave.
"Tang is gone!" The guards yelled.
"No… not good! Guards, prepare for bandits!"
As soon as Amin Baba said this, a series out loud rustling noises came from the grass all around them. They couldn't see anything but it sounded like a large number of beasts… or people... moving in their direction.
This was followed by a faint but distinctive whistling in the air. Gray instinctively dropped low and leaped to the side, finding cover beside a cart.
"Ahhhh!"
Screams rang out.
Where he stood before, an arrow was embedded in the ground. Another arrow had been aimed at Amin Baba but the crafty man had also escaped. Two of the guards were hit and one collapsed to the ground.
"Get ready!"
"They are coming!"
The first bandit leaped through the opening left by the burning cart, wearing black rags that were almost as worn and dirty as Gray's clothes.
He didn't get very far and was met with a ruthless spear thrust.
"Nooo!"
The ragged bandit had only had a short machete and stood no chance. He collapsed on the ground as the spear was pulled out of his stomach, wailing like a dying animal.
Nobody cared about him as more bandits assaulted the camp. They came from every direction, crawling underneath the carriages, squeezing between gaps, and even swimming across the fast-flowing river from the opposite side.
"Kill!"
"Fight!"
A brutal battle erupted.
Screams of pain and yells of fury mixed with the clash of blades and sounds of battle. The bandits were more numerous but the guards weren't pushovers.
"Hahaha, so weak!" One of the guards yelled as he cut down a bandit, "You think you can attack us with such trashy cultivation!"
"Hahaha, well said brother! I, Bai Wuyi, am a head guard of Jade Hill Town. Which one of you trash dares to fight me!"
The loud challenge echoed across the camp, bringing things to a momentary standstill. Bai Wuyi was a large man, not as big as Gray but just as distinctive. He was the one who threw the spears that killed the wolf a few days prior. Now, he carried a thick war spear and wore a metal breastplate that shined dimly under the light from the flames.
He swung his weapon in a wide arc, crushing the nearest bandit like a ragdoll.
"Die!"
"Kill him!"
Bai Wuyi laughed, "Give me your doggy life!"
Five or six bandits surrounded him. Spiritual energy gathered within their limbs. Blades went every which way haphazardly. Their attacks were furious but there was no coordination between them.
Bai Wuyi's spear swung again and again. His strength was unmatched, his skill was far beyond theirs. In short order, all the bandits were knocked away. Bones cracked, bodies punctured, they fell and didn't get up.
More bandits followed but they encountered the same fate. Although the guards were strong in general, the head guard's power was head and shoulders above. The caravan guards were at the third or fourth level while the bandits were merely at the second or third level. This Bai Wuyi was even stronger, probably at the fifth level at least or even the sixth level.
The battle continued to rage but the guards started pushing the bandits back, led by the unyielding head guard. Nobody could contend with him. All the while, Gray remained in the back, silently observing. He thought about helping but their side was doing well so he didn't volunteer himself.
The bandits could not bear more losses and finally reacted. There was a shout and those in the frontline retreated several steps. A new bandit emerged and walked calmly towards Bai Wuyi. He wore full length yellow robes which seemed out of place. He carried a gleaming sword in one hand that was unique and distinctive. From the deference the bandits gave him, it was clear he was their leader.
Bai Wuyi eyes widened in recognition, "It's you! Tang or whatever your name is. I should have known…"
Gray was shocked too. It was actually Tang, the man that had sat next to him for so many days. They had shared a few meals and although they did not get along that well, Gray considered him almost an acquaintance.
"You'll pay for the lives you people have ruined and the lands you have destroyed. I will slice your flesh bit by bit until you beg for death." Tang, now the bandit leader, said.
"Hahaha, another crazy person that wants to die. Come here!"
"Kill!" Tang charged.
Their spiritual energies clashed together as sword met spear, mixing together to produce a dazzling light. Both were blown back around the same distance. They seemed equally matched.
"Don't watch me!" Tang yelled at his bandits, "Search the caravan, look for the gold ore!"
"Yes, sir!"
Tang launched towards Bai Wuyi again.
"Stop them!" Amin Baba's howled.
The guards surged forward but the bandits pushed back with equal ferocity. With the appearance of Tang, their morale recovered. In addition, even more bandits appeared from the darkness, bringing their number to well over a hundred.
The bandits not engaged in battle swarmed the carts like black ants. They didn't know where the gold ore was but it had to be somewhere. Besides gold ore, there were other good stuff that they could take away as well.
Gray could no longer sit still. He saw people approach the cart that held his gold, disguised under a thin layer of ordinary iron ore. This scheme by Amin Baba would impede the them for a short while but it was impossible to fool them forever.
He had to act. His livelihood was on the line. He could not let these dirty bandits steal his hard-earned wealth.
He charged out from his hiding place.
"Hey! You bastards, get away from my stuff!"
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