Chapter 2, Changsun Wuji

Little Fatty, your face is as swollen as a pineapple bun, I see you as the real bandit, your whole family are bandits. My young master is handsome and elegant, like a jade tree standing in the wind, his looks outshine your entire family by ten streets, spit! Gao Ren spat, when it comes to fighting he is timid, but he has never been afraid of anyone when it comes to arguing.

Little Fatty... cough, Master Changsun's archery skills are remarkable, why not shoot him?

Paddling forward for about 100 meters, the waterway ahead suddenly opened up, revealing a broad lake surface among the reeds, where five boats were divided into two opposing camps, currently in a standoff.

Gao Bufan wielded the fishing spear with a swift motion, effortlessly shooting down the arrow. The chubby boy across from him and the two servants both changed their expressions slightly.

Before the time travel, Gao Bufan naturally had no opportunity to encounter bandits and robbers. After the time travel, he similarly did not encounter them. It must be said that his luck is somewhat high, but sometimes having too much luck does not seem to be a good thing

Gao Shou and Gao Ren immediately picked up the oars and rowed away in the boat

The little chubby boy was furious, and as he released the bowstring, the sharp arrow shot towards Gao Bufan. Gao Shou and Gao Ren exclaimed, "Young Master, be careful"

Although the little fat boy did not understand what pineapple buns and looks were, how could he endure being insulted about his entire family? He angrily rebuked, "Thief, how dare you insult my family, die!"

Gao Bufan's eyes narrowed into two dangerous slits, and his aura suddenly became sharp. The two servants of the chubby boy felt a chill in their hearts and instinctively stood in front of their master, cupping their hands and saying: "Young Master, please calm your anger. This is all a misunderstanding. It is because our young lady was taken hostage by a group of strong bandits in Gaojibo that Young Master Wujie, in his eagerness to rescue her, caused this misunderstanding. We hope you can forgive us."

At this moment, the two companions of the chubby boy who had fallen into the water had clumsily climbed back onto the boat, drawing their waist knives and vigilantly staring at Gao Bufan and the others

"Are these the bandits in Gaojibo?" Gao Bufan turned around and glanced, noticing that the other party did not possess any ranged weapons such as bows and arrows, he immediately calmed down. However, Gao Shou and Gao Ren could not remain calm; the two of them exerted almost all their strength, rowing the fishing boat as if it were an arrow released from a bow, swiftly surpassing Changsun Wuji and the others.

At that moment, several screams came from a distance, and Gao Bufan and his two companions were slightly taken aback, while Changsun Wuji was overjoyed and said: "It must be that my father and uncle have intercepted the thieves, let's hurry and catch up."

The chubby boy was taken aback for a moment, then his expression turned to one of anger. His servant furrowed his brow and introduced, "My young master has the compound surname Changsun, and the head of the family is General Changsun Sheng of the Right Guard."

Gao Shou and Gao Ren burst into laughter, clearly realizing that the chubby young man before them was not a robber. Judging by his luxurious attire and the presence of two knife-wielding servants, he must be the son of a wealthy family.

Gao Bufan tapped the boat's hull with a harpoon and threatened, "It is impolite not to reciprocate; if you come again, I may have to retaliate"

Gao Bufan focused his gaze and nearly burst into laughter; it turned out that there was a little chubby man standing on the opposite boat. No wonder he had such a steady stance; it seems that his own weight had something to do with it. It appears that the bandits enjoy quite a good diet, as the little bandit is plump and looks quite robust!

What a surprise, is this the level of the bandits from the Sui Dynasty

The chubby boy, approximately twelve or thirteen years old, held a finely crafted soft bow. The arrow he had just shot was clearly his doing. However, despite his young age, this chubby boy displayed remarkable composure. He quickly nocked an arrow and aimed it at Gao Bufan, yet he did not release it, evidently providing cover for his companion who was getting onto the boat after falling into the water

However, just as they were about to turn around, the sound of urgent paddling came from the river behind them. Gao Shou and Gao Ren turned their heads to look and shouted in unison, "What the hell!" Without needing Gao Bufan's instructions, they frantically paddled forward with all their might.

Originally, there were three people standing on the boat; two fell into the water, leaving one remaining. This person's lower body strength is quite good, as he merely swayed a bit and then steadied himself.

A peculiar thought flashed through Gao Bufan's mind, and he asked with a smile, "Little Chubby, is your surname Zhang? Is your father Zhang Cuishan?"

The two servants of the little chubby boy clearly noticed that the black fellow opposite was not to be trifled with. One of them whispered, "Young Master Wuji, the other party does not seem to be the bandits from Gaojibo."

The two servants of Changsun Wuji exchanged suspicious glances, and one of them cautiously asked, "May I inquire about the esteemed name of this young gentleman?"

At last, the sound of hurried paddling came from the bend of the river, and a small boat swiftly emerged from behind the reeds. Whether it was due to haste or poor rowing skills, the bow of the boat unexpectedly collided with the opposite bank, nearly capsizing. The two individuals on board lost their balance and clumsily fell into the water.

Gao Bufan waved his hand and said: "A mere country boy, unworthy of a name, bids farewell!"

The chubby boy raised his chin proudly after the servant announced his father's name, but unfortunately, Gao Bufan's reaction left him greatly disappointed. Not only did the other party not immediately apologize, but he didn't even show the slightest shock. Could it be that this dark-skinned boy also has a significant background, thus disregarding his father? However, it seems that there is no one in Bohai County who can ignore his father.

Zhangsun Wuji's two servants immediately rowed with all their might, quickly surpassing Gao Bufan's boat. Gao Shou and Gao Ren exchanged glances and asked in unison: "Young Master, should we follow or not?"

Gao Bufan furrowed his sword-like brows and asked, "How old is the General of the Right Guard?"

Changsun Wuji and his three companions, upon seeing the two boats of fierce bandits behind them, also began to row with all their might

As the saying goes: "One learns from a loss and gains wisdom from experience"

The little chubby boy quickly drew his bow and aimed at Gao Lao Er, who immediately and rather flamboyantly withdrew his head below the ship's railing, making it impossible for the former to shoot him.

If it were someone else encountering bandits, they would have already turned around and fled for their lives. However, Gao Bufan, having never suffered a loss and being a former professional soldier in his past life, possessed a courage unlike that of ordinary people. Therefore, he did not even consider escaping; instead, he was eager to engage and prepare to confront the ancient robbers who killed and plundered.

Gao Bufan was covered in black lines, while Gao Shou and Gao Ren also widened their eyes in astonishment. Where did this foolish thief come from

Gao Bufan raised his sword-like eyebrows, yet he did not take the opportunity to strike. Instead, he stood up and looked at the little fat man in front of him with great interest

The military officer holds the rank of third grade, which is even higher than the governor of our Bohai Prefecture, not to mention the county magistrate of Cheng County

"Young Master..." Gao Ren, this fellow, had somehow climbed onto the boat and whispered, "The Changsun family is a prominent aristocratic family in Luoyang. This little fat... this young master's father, Changsun Sheng, is the General of the Right Xiaowei. We cannot afford to provoke them"

Looking again at Gao Shou and Gao Ren, who were hiding behind the ship, these two were pale with fear, trembling uncontrollably. They had witnessed firsthand the devastation of a village after being raided by bandits, and the horrific scenes were still vivid in their minds. Thus, they were acutely aware of the brutality of the bandits, especially the local ones, who, to avoid being recognized by acquaintances, never left any survivors during their operations and even went so far as to destroy the bodies afterward

The existence of bandits in modern China has nearly become extinct, with the likelihood of encountering one being lower than winning the lottery jackpot. The presence of bandits in groups is even more impossible. However, in the ancient times when transportation was isolated and underdeveloped, especially during the tumultuous end of dynasties, bandits were more numerous than lice on a mangy dog, and they roamed in groups. Most of them were inherently vicious, not only robbing wealth and virtue but also taking lives.

Gao Bufan could not help but recall the submissive demeanor of his father, Gao Kaishan, bowing and scraping before the county magistrate. He immediately gasped in shock, realizing that he had kicked a hard iron plate, and wondered what to do next

Gao Bufan smiled, revealing two rows of neat white teeth, and teased, "Little chubby, have you eaten too much meat, causing your eyesight to worsen? Have you ever seen such a handsome thief?"

The chubby boy frowned and said: "How do you know that the other party is not a robber? I see that this black fellow has a thieving look about him, he must undoubtedly be a robber."

"What a load of nonsense, turn around!" Gao Bufan said decisively, as he did not want to cause trouble for himself. After all, their family's horse farm also relied on the government for its livelihood, so it was better to slip away for now

At this moment, two flat-bottomed sand boats surged out from the waterway behind, carrying around ten people on board. Each of them was bare-chested and exuded a fierce aura, either grinning menacingly while picking their teeth or beating their chests and howling like gorillas. It was evident that they were not to be trifled with, perfectly embodying the image of bandits.

Gao Shou was furious: "Damn your mother and your ridiculous circular farts!"

At this moment, Gao Bufan was too preoccupied to pay attention to the performance of his two lackeys; otherwise, he would have been furious enough to kick these two cowards. He raised a plank as a shield with his left hand, tightly gripped a harpoon with his right, crouched down at the bow of the boat, and fixed his gaze on the river ahead. His muscles were taut, like a cannonball ready to be fired, prepared to deliver a fatal blow to any approaching enemy

As soon as these words were spoken, both Gao Shou and Gao Ren shivered slightly, while Gao Bufan appeared to be deep in thought. In his previous life, he graduated from a military engineering academy, and if the conversation turned to various modern weapons, he could speak about them with great familiarity and ease. However, when it came to historical figures from ancient times, his knowledge was quite limited. Therefore, he did not recognize Changsun Sheng, although the name Changsun Wuji sounded quite familiar, as if he were a rather formidable character.

Gao Bufan had no choice but to gesture for Gao Shou and Gao Ren to row the boat to a corner of the lake far away from the confrontation site, to avoid becoming collateral damage.

Changsun Wuji was momentarily taken aback by anger, but Gao Bufan's words served as a reminder. He immediately aimed his arrows at the group of bandits, successfully shooting one of them down on the spot. Upon seeing that their opponent had a bow and arrows, the bandits hesitated to pursue too closely. However, the bandits at the bow of the ship were not foolish; they quickly grabbed the planks of the ship to use as shields

Gao Bufan frowned upon seeing this. Although the surface of the lake here is relatively open, the waterway at the exit is blocked by a boat, and the two pirate ships behind are continuously closing in. He finds himself in a situation with no way forward and pursuers behind.

The thief possesses considerable skill; no wonder he is so arrogant. Do you dare to take two more arrows from me?" the chubby boy said in a low voice

"Thief, hand over the Guanyin maid, and I will spare your lives!" The chubby boy shouted sternly, his arrow aimed directly at Gao Bufan, his lips pressed into a thin line, and his gaze sharp, exuding a certain imposing presence.