The moment the words “Blackwind Stronghold” were spoken, several deputies standing beside the cart collectively sucked in a sharp breath.
They had worked this route for years.
How could they not know the notorious reputation of Blackwind Stronghold?
Every bandit there was a hardened criminal with blood on their hands.
They killed without blinking.
They plundered without mercy.
Anyone unlucky enough to fall into their hands rarely even left behind a complete corpse.
“T-The bandits… the bandits sent a message!”
Zhao Tieniu swallowed hard.
His teeth chattered so violently that they produced an audible clacking sound.
“They’re demanding a toll fee!”
“If we don’t pay, all the men will be killed and used as fertilizer!”
“As for the women…” His face turned even paler. “They’ll be dragged up the mountain and forced to become the bandits’ wives!”
The moment those words fell, the entire exile convoy sank into dead silence.
Then chaos erupted.
A chorus of heart-wrenching wails filled the air.
“AHHH! I can’t go on living!”
Dowager Consort Shen rolled her eyes back and collapsed onto the rocky ground.
She grabbed handfuls of her own hair and cried hysterically.
Her elegant dignity had completely vanished.
At this moment, she looked like a madwoman.
“What sin did we commit?!”
“Last night we were hunted by assassins!”
“And today we’re running into bandits!”
The elderly maids and concubines beside her were even more terrified.
They had spent their lives scheming inside noble estates.
When had they ever faced bloodthirsty outlaws?
Several timid concubines wet themselves on the spot.
Curling into balls on the ground, they trembled uncontrollably.
“It’s over!”
“We’re finished!”
“If we fall into their hands, death would be a mercy!”
At the height of her despair, Dowager Consort Shen once again found someone to blame.
“Sang Wanwan! This is all your fault, you disaster star!”
Pointing at her furiously, she launched into another tirade.
“If you hadn’t turned those assassins into cart-pullers yesterday, we’d never have traveled this fast!”
“If we hadn’t traveled so fast, we wouldn’t have arrived just in time to run into the bandits!”
“If you want to die, why drag the rest of us down with you?!”
Faced with such completely irrational logic, Sang Wanwan couldn’t even be bothered to respond.
She genuinely found the woman’s train of thought miraculous.
The terrified noblewomen weren’t the only ones losing their nerve.
At the front of the convoy, the group affectionately known as the “Underwear Brotherhood” had also lost all motivation.
The former Blood Blade Pavilion assassins stood frozen.
Each man wore nothing but a pair of oversized white underpants.
Ropes still hung around their necks.
The cold wind made them shiver miserably.
“Mother of Heaven…”
The assassin leader looked ready to cry.
“We sold ourselves into labor yesterday…”
“And today we’re going to be chopped into pieces by bandits?”
His legs gave out.
The rope slipped from his hands.
They were weaponless.
Shirtless.
Barefoot.
How were they supposed to fight heavily armed outlaws?
Even Dou E’s legendary injustice couldn’t compare to this.
The entire convoy was drowning in despair.
Only one place presented a completely different atmosphere.
The spacious cart.
“Mother, are those bad people coming to steal our meat?”
Little Yuanyuan nestled in Sang Wanwan’s arms.
Her large eyes blinked innocently.
Meanwhile, her tiny fingers quietly tightened around the purple spider she carried.
Tuantuan snorted.
The little boy stepped protectively forward and gripped his broken wooden sword.
“Anyone who dares steal Ninth Uncle’s food…”
“I’ll break their legs!”
Nearby, Zongzheng Zhan continued his act of being frightened.
Outwardly, he hugged his head and trembled.
Internally, however, his thoughts were completely different.
Blackwind Stronghold?
Just a bunch of rabble.
And they dared block his road?
Everyone assumed Sang Wanwan would either turn around and flee or prepare that terrifying electric weapon of hers.
Instead—
She suddenly sat upright.
Not only was she completely unafraid—
A dazzling light burst from her beautiful eyes.
“Pfft.”
Sang Wanwan spat out a sunflower seed shell.
The corners of her lips slowly curved upward.
“They’re charging toll fees?”
“They want to kill all the men, take all the women, and confiscate all the supplies?”
She rubbed her smooth chin thoughtfully.
As though calculating a major business opportunity.
“In the middle of nowhere…”
“There are actually people volunteering to deliver money to my doorstep?”
Zhao Tieniu nearly fainted.
Had Lady Master suffered a mental breakdown?
They were being robbed!
Who was delivering money?
“Lady Master!” Zhao Tieniu cried desperately.
“Did you hear me? These are bandits! Hundreds of murderous bandits!”
“I heard you.”
Sang Wanwan waved a dismissive hand.
Then she rose from the cart.
Her gaze swept over the horizon with absolute confidence.
“My pockets are feeling rather empty lately.”
She grinned.
“I don’t care if it’s Blackwind Stronghold.”
“Even if the Jade Emperor himself shows up today…”
“He’ll leave his underwear behind before he leaves.”
Just as her words landed—
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
The thunderous sound of hooves erupted from the canyon ahead.
War drums pounded.
Dust clouds surged into the sky.
The yellow haze blotted out the sun.
“KILL!”
“Take the money!”
“Take the grain!”
“Take the women!”
Accompanied by wild howls and savage roars, dozens of fierce-looking bandits poured down the slopes on both sides of the canyon.
Leading them was a burly man mounted atop a massive black horse.
A horrific scar stretched from his forehead to the corner of his mouth.
In his hand rested a monstrous executioner’s blade weighing dozens of pounds.
This man was none other than the infamous chief of Blackwind Stronghold—
One-Eyed Dragon.
“Brothers!”
“Surround them!”
“Don’t let a single one escape!”
With a furious roar, One-Eyed Dragon charged downhill like a hungry tiger descending upon prey.
The bandits followed close behind.
Within moments, the entire exile convoy was surrounded.
Blades flashed.
Spears gleamed.
Murderous intent filled the air.
The women from the prince’s residence screamed.
Many simply shut their eyes and waited for death.
The deputies threw down their clubs and crouched on the ground.
None dared resist.
Mounted atop his horse, One-Eyed Dragon looked every bit the mighty bandit king.
He was just about to deliver the classic line—
“This mountain belongs to me, this road belongs to me…”
Then he finally got a clear look at the convoy.
And froze.
The arrogant grin on his face vanished instantly.
The boastful words caught in his throat.
Ahead of him—
There were no terrified old people.
No nervous government escorts.
Instead—
There stood thirteen muscular men covered in bruises.
Every single one looked dangerous.
The truly bizarre part?
They were all wearing nothing but white underpants.
In the freezing wind.
With ropes around their necks.
Like livestock.
The ropes were attached to a large cart covered in soft blankets.
And reclining comfortably atop that cart—
Was an unbelievably beautiful young woman.
Not only was she not afraid—
She was casually eating sunflower seeds while examining the bandits as though watching a street performance.
Beside her sat a tall, handsome man.
Along with two adorable children.
At the very rear of the convoy, an old skinny mule calmly chewed weeds.
Completely indifferent to everything.
Silence.
An utterly bizarre silence settled over the canyon.
The wind howled.
One-Eyed Dragon and his dozens of bandits stared blankly.
Nobody knew what to do.
The scene was simply too strange.
A group of men who clearly looked dangerous had somehow been stripped naked and turned into draft animals.
What kind of terrifying figure traveled with an entourage like this?
Who exactly were these people?
Why did they seem more savage than Blackwind Stronghold itself?
For a brief moment, every bandit asked the same question.
Who are the real bandits here?
One-Eyed Dragon had seen plenty of strange things in his life.
After a moment of shock, anger quickly replaced confusion.
He felt deeply insulted.
He was the chief of Blackwind Stronghold.
How had a bunch of lunatics managed to confuse him?
“Stop playing tricks!”
His scar twisted violently as rage distorted his face.
Raising the massive executioner’s blade, he pointed directly at Sang Wanwan.
His roar shook the canyon.
“I don’t care what kind of monsters or demons you are!”
“Today, you’ve fallen into my hands!”
“If you can’t pay, you all die!”
“Brothers!”
“Prepare the bows!”
“Shoot those cart-pullers and that man full of holes first!”
At his command, the surrounding bandits immediately raised their crude bows.
Bowstrings were drawn taut.
Arrowheads pointed directly at the cart.
At that very moment—
The expression on Zongzheng Zhan’s face changed.
The foolishness vanished.
His eyes became colder than ancient ice.
Hidden from everyone else, his slender fingers silently pinched a single leaf.
A terrifying killing intent gathered around him.
He was ready to unleash a massacre.
And then—
Sang Wanwan suddenly reached out.
She grabbed his hand.