Chapter 3, Jungle

In front is a hall, and at the back are several connected rooms, with a flower bed in the middle. The flower bed has long been neglected, overgrown with shrubs that are half a person's height.

The middle-aged bandit was already awake when he was shouting outside. When this bandit fell to the ground, he was completely startled awake, instinctively reaching for his knife, grabbing it and rushing out.

"It is a tripwire!" The bandit immediately realized that this was a method often used by villagers to hunt animals. However, this thought barely crossed his mind when a flash of a blade appeared, and with a swift motion, it cut across his neck, blood gushing from the bandit's throat.

In the glow of the fire, the bandit appeared to be wearing clothes so dirty that they had turned black, yawning out of boredom. Suddenly, he seemed to need to urinate and walked over to the corner of the wall

There was no response, no sound, and her delicate face gradually lost its color

At that moment, a bandit who was sound asleep suddenly woke up in the middle of the night. He looked at the moonlight outside and estimated the time, realizing it was his turn to keep watch.

Pei Ziyun cast a sidelong glance at the middle-aged bandit from the Black Wind Thieves who had followed him. Without any hesitation, he rolled his body and passed through one end of the thicket. Within the thicket, there were only thorns, and some fallen leaves had turned yellow, which subsequently fell upon them.

Listening to the fear of the distant wolf howls, as the morning light begins to brighten, a boy lies in a trap, his voice somewhat hoarse. She later learned that due to the passage of a wolf pack, the adults had all given up, leaving only the boy still groping in the darkness. ... He, like her, listened to the same wolf howls and did not give up in finding her ...

Pei Ziyun clearly saw the bandit’s body suddenly spring up and then heavily crash down, his dead fish-like eyes bulging out, letting out a muffled groan as he fell to the ground

"Bastard, I possess Taoist skills!" Pei Ziyun said with a cold smile. The original owner had studied Taoism; although she had not specifically cultivated it herself, she had acquired some techniques that even an ordinary person could perform.

Pei Ziyun passed through the thicket, glanced at the pursuing Black Wind Bandits, and without looking back, fled into the mountains. The trees in the mountains stood tall, casting dense shadows; as long as he could create a distance of thirty steps, the dark forest at night would provide the best cover

He touched the knife, stood up to stretch his muscles, and was ready to change shifts. Upon reaching the door, he saw a bandit by the bonfire, who was sitting there with his head drooping, seemingly having fallen asleep while sitting.

... ...

Pei Ziyun remained silent; now this sound was unavoidable. Wiping the blood from his face, he had just killed a man. Before the act, he felt a surge of anger, but after the deed, he felt a bit nauseous

Seeing that Brother Pei was intentionally ignoring her, her color gradually returned, and she kept searching the room: "Where is he? He was just here!"

Upon entering the forest, Heifeng Thief immediately sensed something was amiss. The view was filled with underbrush, and it was somewhat difficult to see at night. He could only discern that the underbrush in front of him was not very tall. As soon as he brushed against the thorns, a sharp pain pierced through him, having been injured by the thorns hidden in the shadows of the underbrush

The middle-aged bandit, with a cold glint in his eyes, advanced with a swift strike, effortlessly cutting through the obstructing bushes and pursuing onward

This is called Wake Up the Third Master

Who

Now, is there no longer even this feeling

five steps, four steps, three steps

It is also due to such labor that there are frequent comings and goings in the mountains, which has led to a united effort to flee and attack. At this moment, although the blood courage still remains, it has become increasingly difficult to take a step forward

After speaking, he swaggered into the room, only to find that the bed had long been broken, with only some dry straw piled inside. He gathered some firewood, stacked it together, and lit a bonfire. Kicking aside the straw around the bonfire, he fell into a deep sleep.

This spell is deeply ingrained in memory; in fact, it is a kind of trick that only requires a bit of wisdom from an ordinary person to execute, which can ensnare this middle-aged bandit, allowing one to kill him.

Pei Ziyun turned around and noticed that the middle-aged bandit had followed him. Such speed was not comparable to that of the two ordinary bandits who had been killed earlier

In the next moment, Pei Ziyun's expression froze, and the withered vine showed no reaction whatsoever

Puff! This mountain bandit reacted swiftly, but with a quick turn of the hand, he struck at the bamboo spear, immediately severing it in half.

Bang! The corpse fell heavily to the ground, stirring up dust

First, wait for the two bandits inside to fall asleep; second, wait for the bandit on watch to become fatigued

The mountain bandit licked his lips, sidestepped to avoid the knife, and with a fierce grin, charged forward. Upon seeing the newcomer, he shouted: "Little brat, die for your grandpa!"

"Come closer, die!" With one step, two steps, the long knife in hand struck down, a cold light flashing.

Pei Ziyun gasped heavily, feeling that this body was truly weak. However, after a brief surge of violence and escape, his arm was already faintly aching, and his lungs felt fiery. Pei Ziyun was familiar with this place; in the mountain village, even though he had passed the examination to become a child scholar, due to his family's impoverished circumstances, he still needed to go up the mountain from time to time to help his family gather some mushrooms, firewood, or wild vegetables to supplement the household income

Under the moonlight, no one is asleep

A good opportunity; Pei Ziyun felt a surge of joy in his heart, quickly pressed his hand against the ground, sprang up, and fled away

At a glance, the two individuals I brought out were lying on the ground, drenched in blood

At that moment, a knife swung towards his neck, the blade's light so bright that it dazzled his eyes, and he could faintly see only a silhouette.

Certainly, this power is quite limited, but within this forest, any slight delay could result in the capture and killing of this middle-aged bandit.

Three people entered the temple, which was quite large, except for some dilapidated areas

Pei Ziyun did not look back even once, hastily fleeing away. At this moment, three breaths had passed, creating a distance of fifteen steps. Under the cover of the dense forest, his figure grew increasingly distant.

Puff!

"Brother Pei... where are you?" Ye Su'er entered the room, and the suddenly dim environment made her pause for a moment. Although she knew that her Brother Pei did not have the power to save her, she still held onto a glimmer of hope. Even if it was just to see him one more time, that would be enough.

Just a few breaths later, the person behind caught up.

"You little rabbit, you dare to kill my Black Wind Bandit and still think you can escape? Go to hell!" The middle-aged bandit took one look and immediately understood what had happened; his face twisted in rage, his eyes turned blood red, and he charged forward in an instant

Although the tip of the bamboo is not sharp, it can easily pierce through a person. The mountain bandit felt a sudden pain in his chest, looked down, and saw a bamboo spear piercing through his chest. He moved his mouth, about to shout loudly.

Pei Ziyun was panting, and at that moment, he rolled over and raised his knife to strike. Upon looking, he saw the middle-aged bandit glancing back at him, the knife in his hand moving slightly

Having taken only two steps, at that moment, the foot stumbled unexpectedly, and before there was time to react, one fell out.

"Ah, it's time to change shifts," he said as he walked over, but immediately felt something was amiss, the strong smell of blood.

In a previous life, due to the village's sacrifice of a young girl, I had never witnessed the strength of this middle-aged bandit. Now that I see him, it is indeed a fierce outlaw. This time, he has made a grave mistake and has been pursued here.

"Go to hell!" The middle-aged bandit behind him grinned menacingly and swung his knife. Without a moment's hesitation, Pei Ziyun rolled on the ground, a few strands of hair severed, and his body fell to the ground, rolling into the thicket

At that moment, a chopping knife sliced through the throat, producing a splashing sound as it severed the trachea, larynx, and carotid artery below, with blood gushing forth

Pei Ziyun did not take action, quietly waiting.

There are still two! Kill this person, Pei Ziyun's eyes flashed with a glimmer of light

In the distance, a figure is fleeing, having reached the woods outside the wall. The figure is not large, quite slender, holding a bamboo spear and a long knife, and has entered the forest

Just now, according to Pei Ziyun's plan, the intention was to trap this bandit leader, just like ambushing the mountain bandits in the ancient temple, and to slay him under the blade. However, this person wielded his knife with such ferocity and reacted so swiftly that when he attempted to counterattack, he was blinded by the flash of the blade. This individual is indeed an old bandit who has experienced numerous battles and cannot be dealt with using ordinary means

Breathing continuously, Pei Ziyun pointed at a withered vine that passed by.

The middle-aged bandit conducted a brief search and discovered that there were no signs of human presence at this ancient temple. He then instructed, "You keep watch tonight, and take over in the next half of the night. Be diligent."

She no longer hesitated, stumbling yet agile, rushing out of the village into the potential shadows.

After searching for a moment and staring at a spot, a thought suddenly struck her, and her face turned pale: "The axe is missing. No, could it be that Brother Pei has gone to..."

Pei Ziyun was taken aback, as he saw the bandit’s knife glinting to one side, the light reflecting off it and shining directly into his eyes, causing a sharp pain that blurred his vision. Startled, he rolled over and suddenly opened his eyes wide, only to find himself surrounded by severed bushes and trees. At that moment, several tree trunks, each the size of an arm, had fallen, blocking the path in front of the bandit.

Kill! Pei Ziyun thrust the bamboo spear forward.

At that moment, she opened her eyes, her trembling hand hesitated for a moment, and then she pushed against the door.

As night deepens, Woniu Village

The night is a bit cold, and the night watchman bandit is unwilling to endure the chill like this. Similarly, sitting by the campfire, he occasionally glances around out of boredom.

However, the boy was too foolish, jumping into the trap to crouch together, causing her to only remember shouting "fool" to vent her fear, as well as that sense of security

"Hey, Third Master, I didn't deceive you. In the past, when we collected supplies, we stayed here. This temple has guest rooms, and there is an open space of five meters all around. The guest rooms have several rooms, and we could sleep soundly at night. Early the next morning, we would be refreshed and ready to receive goods and women, hehe!" After saying this, he chuckled twice, appearing quite lewd.

Cunning! At first glance, it appears to be a horizontal beam, presumably kicked over without making a sound.

Pei Ziyun immediately took a deep breath, stealthily approached, and in an instant, struck.

The middle-aged bandit had already caught up, only seven or eight steps away. Although there were bushes in between, he did not dare to run wildly. He was closing in, and it would take at most two or three breaths to catch up. As he got closer, Pei Ziyun could hear his heavy breathing and felt a moment of great joy in his heart, thinking that this fellow was exhausted. With this thought, he raised his knife and lunged forward.

The voices gradually faded, but not far from the door, there were still a few people watching, clearly on guard against her escape. However, the two courtyards were connected, and after a moment, one person crept along the wall and slipped to the opposite side

He forcefully pulled out a wooden splinter embedded in his leg, letting out a soft gasp as he did so. Drawing out his knife, he made a few swift cuts, and the thicket was immediately severed, scattering to the ground. Some moonlight filtered through the trees, revealing the dense thorns hidden beneath the bushes, thick and numerous.

Tripping!

Suddenly, she recalled a similar scene from her childhood—a cold night when, in a fit of anger, she ran away from home and fell into a hunter's trap in the mountains. The trap was too secluded, and the adults searching for her at night missed it several times. She cried and cried

At that moment, the foot stumbled again, as if it had been tripped by something. The knife, which had been swung smoothly, suddenly veered off course. A tree nearby, as thick as an arm, was cleaved in two by the blow and fell down.