C20 Complete Victory

Hu Cheng, with a hint of reluctance, helped Zhao Ruyu into the carriage and chuckled, "My dear, please bear with it a little longer. Once we reach the town, I'll make sure a doctor treats your leg injury."

Zhao Ruyu responded in a gentle tone, "My lord, your concern touches me. I shall find a way to thank you properly in due time."

Hu Cheng felt a wave of weakness wash over him upon hearing her voice, as if he were walking on air.

After remounting his horse, Hu Cheng's face still bore the look of someone lost in a pleasant reverie. Zhang Binchao, standing nearby, sighed heavily, his mind heavy with concern.

Despite the warnings, he wouldn't listen. One could only hope nothing would go wrong.

Inside the carriage, three songstresses eyed Zhao Ruyu with curiosity. They thought her attire rather bold, unlike that of a typical Central Plains woman.

Zhao Ruyu met their stares without flinching, her smile turning mysterious.

"Do you find me beautiful?" Zhao Ruyu asked with a playful laugh, pulling a finely crafted whistle from her bosom and blowing into it.

One songstress inquired, "Miss, what are you doing?"

Zhao Ruyu replied with a smile, "I'm summoning my precious one."

The singers exchanged puzzled glances, unable to grasp her meaning.

Soon after, alarmed shouts erupted from outside.

"There are so many snakes! They're slithering this way!"

Most women are naturally faint-hearted, especially when it comes to cold-blooded creatures like snakes. Yet, the news of snakes outside sparked a morbid curiosity.

As one songstress reached to draw back the curtain, Zhao Ruyu swiftly embraced her, cautioning, "Don't look. These snakes are venomous, and they're particularly fond of biting beautiful women."

With a startled yelp, the songstress found her mouth swiftly covered by Zhao Ruyu's hand. "Hush, don't fear. I'll protect you," Zhao Ruyu whispered, her fingers playfully tickling the songstress's nose.

It tickled so much. Was she flirting with me? How embarrassing!

The songstress's cheeks flushed with the thought.

Outside the carriage, a colorful array of venomous snakes flicked their tongues as they made their way toward the travelers.

"Prepare for battle!"

Zhang Binchao leapt from his horse and drew his sword. With a swift motion, he sliced through the air, severing two snakes in half.

Suddenly, a snake sprang up and sank its fangs into the hind leg of Hu Cheng's steed. The horse cried out in pain and stumbled forward before collapsing.

"Help!" Hu Cheng, paralyzed with fear, turned ashen. He was at a loss for what to do.

A guard dashed to his side, embraced him, and with a strong tug, pulled him from the horse, sparing him from a crushing fate.

They both tumbled to the ground, and a venomous snake approached, biting the guard on the neck.

"Snake!"

Hu Cheng scrambled to his feet, screaming for help, and without a second thought for the guard's welfare, he bolted towards the crowd, narrowly escaping death.

Before long, the combined efforts of the group left a scattering of dead snakes on the ground. Over a dozen men were bitten and killed, most of whom were Hu Cheng's guards.

Zhang Binchao's face was a mask of fury. Convinced that Zhao Ruyu was behind the snake attack, he was about to confront her when he noticed ten figures emerging from the woods.

Outside the forest, Three-Eyed stood before his men and commanded, "Loose your arrows!"

In a heartbeat, all ten archers, including him, drew and released their arrows toward Hu Cheng's party.

That volley took down four or five armed escorts and guards as some arrows found their marks.

Zhang Binchao clenched his sword hilt, his rage uncontainable, and bellowed, "Charge!"

He surged ahead, leading the charge. He deflected incoming arrows with his sword. Except for a few guards who remained to protect Hu Cheng, the rest charged with him towards the woods.

Two more volleys of arrows flew, yet this time, none struck their targets.

As they neared Three-Eyed and his men, a cry of alarm rose from their ranks.

"What's happening? I'm sinking!"

In their advance, the ground ahead suddenly gave way, turning into a swirling vortex of black sand. Caught off guard, two men were swallowed whole by the treacherous terrain.

As the others witnessed the scene, they instinctively gave it a wide berth, fixating on the swirling black sand with an involuntary intake of breath.

Lee Fei lowered his arm, revealing himself, and noted that the archery squad had switched to steel blades, ready for close-quarters combat with the enemy. He smiled and advised, "Hold off, let the black bear take the lead in the fight, and you provide support from behind."

Three-Eyed responded with deference, "Understood."

"O mighty Dark God, I call upon you in my name to summon your faithful guardian—the Skeleton Warrior."

Lee Fei chanted the spell, extended his palm, and pinpointed the summoning location for the Skeleton Warrior ahead of the enemy.

Zhang Binchao eyed Lee Fei, who was skulking behind the others, muttering to himself and trying to figure out his scheme. He was convinced that Lee Fei was the ringleader of these bandits.

"Seize the man in the hat!"

No sooner had he spoken than a black fog surged forth, obscuring their vision.

In that moment, the black bear hoisted his steel blade and bellowed, "First Squad, with me—charge!"

Seeing the black bear lead the charge from the woods, Three-Eyed promptly directed the archery squad to fall back, positioning themselves to assist the First Squad when needed.

Simultaneously, Yun Yan and Jiang Kun led their squads in a flank attack from the forest's edge, aiming to take the enemy by surprise.

As the black mist cleared and visibility was restored, Zhang Binchao was startled to find four skeletal figures standing before him.

It was then that the black bear, at the head of the First Squad, confronted him, his gaze locked onto Zhang Binchao.

With both hands gripping the blade, the black bear lifted it high above his head and brought it down viciously towards Zhang Binchao's skull.

In a panic, Zhang Binchao parried with his sword, the clash of metal ringing out. The force was so great that his legs buckled. At that critical moment, a skeleton soldier lunged, bone knife aimed at his chest.

With the bone knife a mere half-inch away, Zhang Binchao mustered his strength to parry upward, simultaneously rolling to the side to evade the lethal strike.

Before he could catch his breath, the black bear let out a sly chuckle, took a step forward, and delivered a powerful kick to his side.

With a resounding bang, the kick was so forceful it broke his bones, and he was sent tumbling away.

Blood spurted from his mouth as he lay there, covered in mud, his hair disheveled, and the screams of his fellow armed escorts and guards ringing in his ears.

Zhang Binchao looked up to see two more groups of bandits closing in from the sides, trapping them in a pincer attack.

First, there were poisonous snakes, then animated skeletons that joined the fray. The armed escorts and guards were in disarray, no match for the bandits.

"It's sorcery, the skeletons are killing people!"

The massacre was completely one-sided.

Zhang Binchao, leaning on his sword, got to his feet and made a beeline for Hu Cheng. Escape was the only option now.

The black bear yelled, dissatisfied, "Why are you running? I'm not done having my fun yet."

Zhang Binchao paid him no mind, focusing solely on his escape. Meanwhile, Zhao Ruyu descended from the carriage and began to approach Hu Cheng with measured steps.

"Watch out for the witch!"

His warning came too late. Zhao Ruyu fluttered her robe, and a swarm of black insects hurtled toward the guards.

The insects swarmed over them, biting viciously. After the ensuing screams, the guards collapsed. These venomous insects were single-use; having served their purpose, they died where they lay.

Hu Cheng, terrified by the sight, shrieked and pointed at Zhao Ruyu as he stumbled backward, "You... Don't... Come any closer."

Zhao Ruyu's smile bloomed as she advanced, "Young Master, what's the matter? Didn't you say you fancied me earlier? Hehehe."

"Ah!"

Hu Cheng tripped over a body and fell backward, pleading, "Mercy! I failed to recognize true beauty in Jin Xiangyu. Never again will I entertain such unworthy thoughts."

Zhao Ruyu bent down and tenderly lifted him up, soothingly saying, "Don't be scared, your sister cares for you."

Hu Cheng was petrified, his legs giving out as he slumped to the ground.

Zhao Ruyu scoffed, "Truly useless."

The three songstresses descended from the carriage, their eyes widening at the sight of the corpses strewn about, and they let out piercing screams.

Zhao Ruyu gestured to them and reassured, "Hurry over here; I'll protect you."

Zhang Binchao, sensing trouble, took off into the distance. After all, professional ethics pale in comparison to one's own life.

Black Bear was about to give chase when Lee Fei's voice rang out, "Don't pursue a desperate foe. Come back."

With a reluctant glance in the direction of Zhang Binchao's escape, Black Bear muttered a curse at his cowardice and returned, albeit unwillingly.

Jiang Kun and Yun Yan, leading their respective squads, approached Lee Fei and reported, "Head Honcho, we have fulfilled your expectations."

Lee Fei commended them, "Well done, everyone. We shall celebrate accordingly once we're back."

The bandits had emerged victorious in this clash, with no casualties on their side. Aside from the fleeing Zhang Binchao, all the other guards and armed escorts had been wiped out.

Lee Fei rallied his men and approached Zhao Ruyu, smiling, "Today, I've witnessed your exceptional Snake Controlling Technique, Miss Zhao."

Zhao Ruyu, pouting, retorted, "And yet, my precious creatures have nearly all perished. I'm claiming half of the loot this time."

Lee Fei, with a grand gesture, agreed, "Absolutely no issue with that."

"And another thing," Zhao Ruyu added, pointing to the three singers, "these three are now my maidservants, and you are not to mistreat them."

Lee Fei nodded in agreement, "If it pleases you, I have no objections."

At that moment, Black Bear and several bandits unloaded boxes filled with birthday gifts from the carriage, including three intricately crafted gift boxes.

Upon opening the boxes, a golden glow spilled out, dazzling everyone present.

Lee Fei opened the three gift boxes to find his items: the round rod, the wind-proof lighter, and a pair of white casual shoes.

The round rod was finally back in his possession, his efforts not in vain.

Securing the round rod and the wind-proof lighter, Lee Fei resolved to prevent such losses in the future by growing stronger.

Regarding the shoes, he had no intention of reclaiming them. The white shoes were simply too ostentatious and tended to attract unwanted attention. After a moment's thought, he announced, "Aside from allocating 50% of the gold to Miss Zhao, each of the brothers will receive one tael. The remainder will be stored in the warehouse."

Zhao Ruyu's face lit up with joy, and she reached out to ruffle Lee Fei's hair. Lee Fei quickly dodged, saying, "Uh, I'm not fond of having my head touched." Zhao Ruyu gave him a playful glare and mused, 'Head touching, huh? This kid sure has a cheeky side.'

The others were visibly elated as they cheered for Little White Dragon, their loyalty to Lee Fei growing even stronger.

Zhao Ruyu nudged Hu Cheng forward and inquired, "What should we do with this young fellow? He's taken his fair share of liberties in the past." Hu Cheng's knees buckled, and he fell to the ground, pleading, "Merciful heroes, please spare my life! My father is the Magistrate and he's quite wealthy. If you spare me, there will be plenty of silver."

"Raise your head and look at me," Lee Fei instructed calmly. Hu Cheng looked up, his expression one of bewilderment, not grasping Lee Fei's intent. Lee Fei pointed to his face and asked, "Don't you recognize me?"

Hu Cheng shook his head, replying, "I've never met such an honorable man before. How could I recognize you?"

Lee Fei's face darkened with anger as he removed his hat and said, "Your father, to curry favor with Cai Jing, took my possessions and falsely accused me of being a spy for the enemy nation. How do you propose we settle this account?"

Hu Cheng saw Lee Fei's short black hair and amiable countenance, not the look of a villain. Short hair... it seemed familiar. He then recalled the wanted poster from the city; the man depicted also had short hair, though the face didn't quite match.

Could it be that the man before him was here for vengeance? Oh, father, what have you done? It looks like this might be the end for me.

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