“Then what about you, husband?” Dong Chunhua looked at Lu Qing.
“I have to stay behind and deal with them,” Lu Qing said, gently pinching her cheek. This little girl wasn’t brought back from Sun Magan’s place for nothing—she truly cared about him at the crucial moment.
“That’s too dangerous,” Cheng Su’e said, her face pale.
“It’s fine. Just follow the plan exactly, and nothing will go wrong.”
“Okay.” Zheng Yulan nodded to show she understood.
Everyone quickly got dressed. Han Qiuniang nervously held the rope while Zheng Yulan, Cheng Su’e, and Dong Chunhua moved stools to the window, preparing to jump out at any moment.
Lu Qing hid the dagger in his sleeve and walked out from the inner room. He saw that one of the bolts had already been undone, and the other was slowly being unlocked.
“Sun Magan, hurry up!” Qian Mang urged.
“Just a moment, Second Chief! I’m almost there!” Sun Magan was working as fast as he could.
Lu Qing moved close to the door and heard Qian Mang and Sun Magan talking. It sounded like Sun Magan had brought others with him. Lu Qing quietly shifted to the side, watching as the bolt was slowly unlocked.
“Click!” A soft sound rang out.
The bolt finally opened. Sun Magan revealed a faint smile. “It’s done, Second Chief!”
He slowly opened the door, and moonlight spilled into the outer room, lighting it up. He looked at the bedding on the ground—it was bulging.
Just as Sun Magan was about to speak, a figure suddenly darted out from the side. Before he could react, a sharp pain struck his waist—Lu Qing had made his move. The dagger pierced into Sun Magan’s side, and without hesitation, Lu Qing shoved him outward.
“Ah!” Sun Magan screamed in agony, clutching his wound and rolling on the ground.
Qian Mang saw Sun Magan covered in blood and turned pale. He hadn’t expected them to be prepared.
“Kill him!” Since they had been exposed, they had to act quickly.
Qian Mang swung his broadsword and charged in like a raging tiger, aiming to tear Lu Qing apart in an instant.
“Now!” Lu Qing shouted as he retreated.
Han Qiuniang heard the signal and yanked the rope.
“Whoosh! Whoosh!” Several sharp sounds cut through the air. Arrows shot forward at incredible speed.
But Qian Mang was clearly a trained fighter—he dodged every arrow. However, the subordinate behind him wasn’t as lucky. An arrow struck him directly, killing him on the spot.
“You brat!” Qian Mang had already lost two men. His eyes filled with murderous rage.
“Sun Magan said you were just a Xiucai, but now I see you’re no ordinary scholar.”
Qian Mang no longer dared to treat Lu Qing as some weak bookworm. This story is hosted at novelping.com.
“Is that a compliment? Who are you?”
“Second Chief of Green Dragon Mountain—Qian Mang.”
“Never heard of you,” Lu Qing replied coldly.
“Go!” Lu Qing suddenly shouted.
Qian Mang immediately heard the sound of people jumping out the window.
“Help! Help!” Zheng Yulan, Cheng Su’e, and Dong Chunhua leapt from the window and shouted at the top of their lungs.
“Damn it!” Qian Mang’s face darkened. If the villagers were alerted, the three of them would be doomed.
“I’ll kill you right now!” Qian Mang roared, swinging his broadsword toward Lu Qing.
Lu Qing quickly backed away, but Qian Mang didn’t let up. As Lu Qing retreated, Qian Mang lunged, his blade thrusting straight toward him.
At the last possible moment, Lu Qing raised his left hand and flung out a handful of flour from his palm.
The powder hit Qian Mang square in the face.
“Huh?” Qian Mang’s vision instantly went dark. He never expected a Xiucai to kill, let alone use such dirty tricks. In the past, scholars would be scared witless at the sight of him. But today, he had met someone completely different.
Just as Qian Mang closed his eyes, Lu Qing rushed forward. Without hesitation, his dagger sliced across.
“Slash!” Blood splattered.
Hot blood sprayed onto Lu Qing’s face.
A lethal strike—he had slit Qian Mang’s throat cleanly. Lu Qing kicked Qian Mang’s body aside.
“Second Chief?” The remaining men were stunned.
“Come on!” Lu Qing roared.
His voice echoed like a war god’s.
At that moment, Lu Qing looked like a deity of slaughter. The last two bandits froze, too terrified to move. He had just killed three people in a row, including their Second Chief.
This wasn’t a scholar—he was a demon.
“Run!” Without thinking, the two turned and fled.
But Wu Facai and the others had already arrived outside. Wu He and Wu Hai, weapons in hand, were the first to charge. Seeing the fleeing bandits, they surged forward with fierce momentum.
In no time, the two bandits were subdued.
“Husband!” Han Qiuniang rushed out from the house. When she saw the corpses and Lu Qing’s bloodied face, she turned pale. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“I’m fine,” Lu Qing said with a comforting smile.
“Lu Qing!” Wu Facai burst in. He looked around at the bodies. The one killed by arrows didn’t shock him much, but when he saw Qian Mang’s corpse, his eyes gleamed.
His throat had been cleanly cut. The attack had shown no hesitation—swift, ruthless, and experienced. Wu Facai doubted even he could pull it off so cleanly.
He stared at Lu Qing. Everyone in Manglong Village knew him as a scholar who couldn’t even tie up a chicken. But now, Wu Facai was stunned.
Lu Qing knew how to kill. It turned out all those years of weakness were just an act.
“Are you hurt?” Wu Facai asked, steadying his voice.
“I’m fine. The bandits…” Lu Qing began, still worried.
“They’ve been subdued,” Wu Facai replied.
“Good.” Lu Qing nodded with satisfaction.
He stepped outside. The two captured bandits were tied up, while Sun Magan lay groaning and coughing up blood. Lu Qing’s strike had shown no mercy.
“He’s not going to make it,” Wu Facai said after checking the wound.
“He brought this on himself,” Wu He said coldly. For bringing bandits here, Sun Magan deserved to die.
Soon, Sun Magan stopped moving.
The villagers gathered the three corpses and laid them in the courtyard.
“Do we know where they’re from?”
“They said Green Dragon Mountain. That one was named Qian Mang.”
“Qian Mang?” Wu Facai was stunned. He hadn’t paid close attention earlier, but now that he looked carefully—it really was Qian Mang.
“Brother Qing, you’re incredible! You killed Qian Mang, Second Chief of Green Dragon Mountain. He was a skilled fighter. From now on, who would dare call you a weak scholar? You’re a hero who kills bandits!” Wu Hai gave him a big thumbs-up.
Qian Mang had a notorious reputation. He had done plenty of evil in Luliang County. The Magistrate Office had been hunting him for a long time but could never catch him. Who would’ve thought Lu Qing would be the one to kill him today?
“We’re doomed, we’re doomed. Lu Qing, you killed Green Dragon Stronghold’s Second Chief. Won’t they come after us for revenge?”
“Yeah, what if they retaliate?”
Some of the more timid villagers began to panic. This was no ordinary person—they had killed the Second Chief. Green Dragon Stronghold wouldn’t let this go.
“That’s nonsense,” Wu Facai barked. “Is this your first day dealing with bandits? Whether you provoke them or not, do you think they’ll show you mercy?” Wu Facai scolded him outright.