Chapter 5, The Robber

Shang Yi shook his head and said, "No, this is too dangerous. You all cannot go; just wait for me here."

The third robber saw that in the blink of an eye, his two companions had been knocked down by Shang Yi. Aware that this opponent was formidable, he still gritted his teeth and swung his single knife fiercely at Shang Yi. Shang Yi raised his left arm and used his forearm to block the blade.

Lin Chengjin said: "Now I will go alone to pursue the bandits and retrieve this shipment."

Shang Yi, upon seeing this, could not help but nod; these few individuals were indeed passionate men. Lin Chengye was also quite moved and said, "Alright, we will go together." He then turned to Shang Yi and said, "Warrior Shang, if we can retrieve the cargo from the bandits this time, I, Lin, will sell you my life."

Shang Yi was about to say something when suddenly five or six people emerged from the side alley. One of them said, "Brother Shang, don't forget about us. We are here to help you too"

At this moment, after the opponent of the man in blue lost one person, the pressure was greatly reduced. He also killed another bandit. The remaining four bandits, upon seeing this, no longer dared to continue fighting and turned to flee. However, as they turned to escape, due to a lack of vigilance, two more were killed. Only two bandits ran away towards the outskirts of the town

Lin Chengjin let out a bitter smile and said, "I am the head of this escort mission. If the cargo is lost, how can I have the face to return alive? I can only pray to the heavens for protection. If I cannot retrieve the cargo, then I shall die at the hands of the bandits, which would also be a fitting end for the chief escort. You all wait for me in Yishui County for three days. If I have not arrived by then, you need not wait any longer. Go back and inform the chief escort that I, Lin Chengjin, have let him down by losing this cargo. Then, inform my wife and let her raise our son."

At this moment, the other three people gathered around, also expressing their gratitude to Shang Yi. Lin Chengjin sighed and said, "To be honest with you, Mr. Shang, we are bodyguards from the Fuwei Escort Agency in Southern Zhili. This trip was to protect a convoy of goods to Beijing, but unexpectedly, we encountered a group of bandits along the way. They were numerous and powerful, and we could not withstand them. As a result, all the vehicles, goods, and personnel were robbed by the bandits. Originally, there were twelve of us who set out, and now only four of us remain. I thought we could find help in this town, but it turns out that this town... I thought we could find help in this town, but it turns out that this town..."

Shang Yi's left leg kicked out, striking him squarely in the abdomen. The robber immediately let out a cry of pain, dropped the wooden stick in his hand, and fell to the ground, his body curling up almost like a large shrimp.

Zhang Zhan was taken aback and said, "Lin Biao, there are several hundred bandits. How can you manage alone?"

Shang Yi Zheng refused again. At this moment, Lao Cheng also approached and said: "Shang Yi, why not take them along? They can certainly be of some help. The situation here is too dire; if we can save a few people, we should save as many as we can."

Shang Yi was clear that although the few of them were quite capable, they all lacked experience, and this matter was indeed too dangerous; it was a life-threatening task. Lin Chengye and his three companions were bodyguards, responsible for retrieving the cargo, and before his crossing, he had always approached every mission with the determination to die, never planning to return alive. If he completed the task safely, it was considered a gain. Therefore, Shang Yi did not care about his own death at all; if he lost his life here, so be it. After all, he had crossed over, so it was as if he had picked up a new life.

Shang Yi was taken aback; the southern Zhili refers to the regions that would later become Anhui Province and Jiangsu Province. Where did they come from? At this moment, the other three also approached, and one of them said to Lin Chengjin: "Bounty head, what should we do now?"

At this moment, the bandits also discovered that Shang Yi had already killed several of his companions, which left them greatly astonished. One of the three who were besieging the man in the green immediately broke away and charged towards Shang Yi.

Another person said: "Indeed, we are all from the escort agency. If the cargo is lost, everyone shares the responsibility. How can we let you bear it alone? We should all go together, either to reclaim the cargo from the bandits and safely deliver it to Beijing, or we all die together."

Lin Chengjin said: "Zhang Zhan, it is only a little over 30 li from here to Yishui County. You three should go to Yishui County first and wait for me."

Shang Yi also fell silent for a moment, then looked at the few of them before saying: "Alright, but you all must ensure that you follow my arrangements and directives without fail."

In fact, Shang Yi thought that since he had decided to leave that small mountain village and venture out to create a world for himself, this time would serve as a test of whether he could accomplish something significant in this era. If he could not handle even a few hundred bandits with his modern equipment and knowledge that was centuries ahead, then what was there to talk about? Additionally, he could also make acquaintances with Lin Chengye, as bodyguards have extensive connections, which might prove useful. Therefore, he said: "Lin Biao Tou, I enjoy taking risks; the more dangerous, the better."

Then Qing and the book-clad person arrived before Shang Yi. Upon seeing Shang Yi in this camouflage outfit, he was momentarily taken aback, but immediately clasped his hands in a fist and performed a deep bow, saying: "I am Lin Chengjin. Thank you for the great kindness of your rescue. May I ask for your esteemed name?"

However, the few of them are different; this matter originally has nothing to do with them, so they cannot be allowed to accompany me in taking this risk. Especially since there is also Ye Yao Yao among them, who is a girl. Shang Yi is even less willing to involve her in danger

Shang Yi also brandished his knife, swinging the military saber in his hand. With two swift sounds of "swish, swish," he executed a horizontal and a vertical slash, delivering two strikes in quick succession. This technique is known as the Cross Knife, which has been derived from scientific analysis and testing, summarizing an extremely effective method of knife fighting. It involves delivering two rapid, alternating horizontal and vertical slashes. After the opponent blocks the first strike, they often become negligent in defending against the second, making them vulnerable to being hit.

The other three, upon seeing this, could not help but feel a surge of excitement. One of them said: "Captain Lin, I will go as well. You have looked after us quite a bit at the escort agency, and at this moment, how can we let you take the risk alone? If we are to go, we should all go together"

The robber, seeing Shang Yi use his arm to block the knife, could not help but feel delighted, just waiting for the blade to come down and sever Shang Yi's arm. However, when the blade struck Shang Yi's arm, there was a dull thud, and Shang Yi's arm remained unharmed, while the knife was instead deflected. This left the robber momentarily stunned. Seizing this brief moment, Shang Yi's right hand wielded the military knife horizontally, the blade flashed, and a spray of blood erupted as the robber's throat was slashed open. He let out a muffled groan and fell to the ground, lifeless.

With a single strike, he defeated the first opponent, but the second opponent had already charged in front of Shang Yi, swinging a wooden stick fiercely at him. Shang Yi bent down to evade, and the stick swept through the air.

Upon meeting, Shang Yi realized that Lin Chengjin was indeed a man of loyalty and courage. He pushed aside Lin's hand that was holding the money pouch and said, "Lin Biao-tou, I do not need you to repay anything. I will help you find the bandits and retrieve your belongings."

Shang Yi observed that this man had an above-average build, appeared to be around thirty years old, and seemed to possess considerable martial prowess. Having just seen him engage with the bandits, it was evident that he had some skills. Eager to emulate him, Shang Yi returned a salute and said: "I am unworthy of such praise. I am Shang Yi, and I intervened in a matter of injustice on the road, but it was merely a trivial act. May I ask how you, brave warrior Lin, came to encounter the bandits?"

Zhou Shaohuan said: "No, we must go with you. If you are not afraid of danger, what do we have to fear?" The others also agreed, insisting on following.

Lin Chengye felt a surge of joy in his heart. He had just witnessed Shang Yi's formidable martial skills. With his assistance, although he was still outnumbered, the chances of retrieving the cargo were certainly greater than if he were alone. However, upon further reflection, he thought about facing hundreds of bandits and questioned the usefulness of having one more person. He shook his head and said, "Hero Shang, thank you for your kindness, but this matter does not concern you. There is no need for you to take this risk with me. It could end badly, even with our lives at stake. I will go alone."

At that moment, a sound of "whoosh, whoosh" filled the air as a steel knife whirled and whistled past, striking the back of one of the robbers. The robber let out a cry of agony and finally fell face down to the ground. It turned out that Shang Yi, realizing he could not catch up, had thrown the military knife in his hand, successfully ensuring that none of the twelve robbers who had come escaped. Among them, Shang Yi alone had taken down eight.

The Qingyi person shouted, "Hurry and chase, do not let He, Tu, and Shu escape." Saying this, he led the other three in pursuit. After running for over ten zhang, they caught up with a bandit, and everyone raised their knives together, killing him. However, another one was running faster, and it was clear they would not catch up.

At this moment, Zhang Zhandao said: "Lin Biaotou, even the merchants and brave men are willing to risk their lives to help, so I will go with you as well. If it comes to death, so be it. After all, there is no one else in my family, so I might as well die alongside you"

Then he turned to Shang Yi and said: "Brave warrior Shang, I truly feel sorry for you. You saved us, yet I have no way to repay you." As he spoke, he took out a money pouch from his body and handed it to Shang Yi, saying: "There are still over ten taels of silver in here; I have no use for it anyway, so I will give it all to you. As for the rest, we can only wait for the next life."

Zhang Zhan then asked: "Lin Biao, what about you?"

It turned out to be five people: Zhou Shaohuan, Tong Dayong, Cheng Jin, Cheng Gang, and Duan Peng, along with Ye Yaotao. They had been waiting for a while for Shang Yi to return, and unable to contain their impatience, they all ran out to take a look. Although they did not witness the earlier fight between Shang Yi and the robber, they happened to overhear Shang Yi saying he would help Lin Chengye and the others to rescue someone, so they all stepped forward to join him.

There were a total of twelve bandits. Three were shot dead by Shang Yi, and three were knocked down. At this point, only six remained, engaged in battle with the four who were fleeing. Among them, the man in green was fighting three opponents alone, while the other three were engaged in one-on-one combat. The sound of clashing weapons echoed continuously as the ten fought fiercely. Upon seeing this, Shang Yi immediately rushed over to provide assistance

After the notorious bandit Guo Lie blocked the first strike, he immediately let out a terrible scream and fell backward. A streak of blood, starting from the center of his brow, flowed down through his nose and mouth, extending down to his chest, and was continuously widening. This was the result of Shang Yi's second strike.