Chapter Nine, Mountain Bandits

Once they had walked far away, Li Qing immediately rode closer to the carriage and coldly said through the curtain: "Have you seen enough? I had thought that as a great scholar of this era, the daughter I raised would be exceptional. Yet it turns out she is nothing more than a common woman! Completely lacking in dignity!"

At this point, he smiled broadly with pride. Just then, an object was suddenly thrown into his open mouth with lightning speed. The big man, caught off guard, actually swallowed it whole. He awkwardly swallowed and immediately opened his mouth wide, gagging violently. Yet, he could not bring anything up.

Li Qing snorted heavily and muttered, "How can one be so shameless!" Huan Er, upon hearing this, became even more furious. She forcefully let down the curtain of the carriage, clearing the view in front of He Ying a little more.

His face was pale, and he glared at Li Qing, shouting angrily: "What have you fed me, you?"

Li Qing looked into the car and saw He Ying quietly leaning against the car wall, appearing to be in a state between sleeping and waking, her expression calm. It seemed that the words spoken earlier had no effect on her at all. This caused Li Qing to be slightly taken aback

Li Qing's horse trotted ahead, his back straight and proud, exuding an air of authority and menace that comes from holding a high position, along with a certain arrogance that could make a woman's heart flutter. Yun'er looked at him with tear-filled eyes, appearing extremely sorrowful. Her pitiful expression had already softened the hearts of the two young men in white who surrounded her. Their gazes towards Li Qing also carried a hint of resentment. Her pitiful expression had already softened the hearts of the two young men in white who surrounded her. Their gazes towards Li Qing also carried a hint of resentment.

He Ying found it somewhat amusing. At that moment, Xiao Huan had already spread a cloth under the shade of a tree and called out, "Miss, please have a seat." He Ying responded and slowly walked towards her. The dry rations in her hand were not only unappetizing to her, but even Xiao Huan found them tasteless. In contrast, the knights, including Li Qing, were eating heartily as if it were a delicacy.

He Ying had only dry rations to eat. She and Huan Er also got off the carriage. When they got down, those knights lowered their heads one by one, not even glancing at them.

The team continued to advance towards the ravine without making a sound. When they had walked halfway, suddenly, a cacophony of noises and commotion came from the hillside above. At that moment, a furious shout rang out: "Brothers, charge! Kill these men. The treasures of these women are all ours!" The voice thundered in their ears. Following this, dozens of uneven shouts echoed from halfway up the mountain. Accompanying this were the sounds of large stones falling.

He thought to himself: I fear I will never be able to understand this woman!

He Ying casually took a couple of bites and then stopped. She gazed at the distant green mountains, thinking to herself: judging by Li Qing's behavior, even if I reach the capital, I will most likely be ignored. At that time, I can find an opportunity to fake my death and escape. This world is so vast, I must travel and explore everywhere.

Li Qing did not move; he coldly said, "Who sent you to rob us here?"

The bandit leader's expression shifted between shades of green and white. At that moment, he gestured with his hand, and a slender, scholarly-looking short bandit approached him from behind. The bandit leader whispered a few words in his ear

Li Qing laughed heartily, but suddenly her expression darkened, and she said coldly: "Do you think that with your trash, you can deal with me?"

He Ying found it extremely interesting. Especially watching the clouds, which resembled abandoned puppies and kittens, with their little faces full of grievance. That rich expression even made He Ying feel a twinge of compassion. However, that Li Qing seemed completely indifferent, as if he had no feelings about it at all

Li Qing quietly looked at him and said softly, "What else could it be? Of course, it is poison"

Before long, the bandits surrounded Li Qing and his companions. The leader, who had two scars on his face and bulging frog-like eyes, laughed heartily and said, "Pretty boy, you might as well hand over all the silver and women to me, and I will make it easy for you."

There are only five or six people on Li Qing's side, while those bandits rushing down the mountain number at least fifty or sixty. The stones they pushed down have also injured two horses. The situation is indeed unfavorable for Li Qing and his companions

Xiao Huan's face turned pale with fear, tightly gripping He Ying's hand, her body trembling incessantly. He Ying gently patted the back of her hand to comfort her while peering through the gap in the car curtain to observe the situation outside.

After walking for a while, it was noon, the designated time for meals. The knights all halted their horses and sat down one by one under the shade of the trees to eat their rations

She was lost in thought, envisioning the beauty of a life filled with freedom, and a smile involuntarily appeared at the corners of her mouth. Li Qing found himself unable to resist glancing at her a few times. At this moment, seeing her expression, he couldn't help but be taken aback again

However, the party involved, Li Qing, clearly did not possess this awareness. On his extremely masculine face, there was still a casual smile as he conversed with the similarly thick-skinned man in blue.

The bandit leader was taken aback, stepping back a pace to scrutinize him for a moment. Then he slapped his thigh and laughed, "Good lad, daring to intimidate your elder! With just a few of you pretty boys, you think you can handle my elite troops? Don't dream. Come, kneel down and bow to me twice. Considering your delicate skin, I will have someone take good care of you."

After walking for a while, a fork in the road appeared ahead. The four men in blue attire exchanged polite words with Li Qing, and as Yun'er turned back to look three times, they rode off into the distance.

At that moment, Huan'er also noticed her young lady's behavior. She couldn't help but exclaim, "Miss!" with a hint of annoyance in her tone. He Ying opened her eyes, her gaze bright and clear, showing no trace of sadness. She smiled and said, "What's wrong?"

After resting for a while, everyone prepared to continue their journey. The carriage was quite uncomfortable, jostling the passengers to the point of dizziness. He Ying had practiced internal martial arts for many years and did not find it particularly arduous. As for Huan'er, upon hearing that they were to set off again, she could not help but grimace.

As evening approached, a chasm appeared ahead. Towering peaks flanked the sides of this chasm, and a narrow path ran straight through from north to south. Li Qing squinted at the path, exchanged a silent glance with the young man beside him, nodded slightly, and continued to move forward with an air of composure.

His cold words cut like a knife, wounding one side of the ring. In a fit of anger, she lifted the curtain of the carriage and exclaimed, "Young master, how can you say such things about the young lady? You, you are truly too much!"

The bandit leader was taken aback, then laughed heartily and said: "With death looming, you still want to know who is after your lives? Unfortunately, I find your tone rather displeasing, so I don't wish to say!"