88: Bandit (Please subscribe and support)

The sun blazed overhead, mountains encircled the land, and a winding road threaded through them. Weeds grew wild along its edges, ancient trees drooped low, and even the birds seemed too weary to sing. From far off, an old donkey ambled slowly nearer, and upon its back sat a young Taoist with a topknot, eyes closed in quiet repose.

Suddenly, there was a rustling in the forest beside the road. A dark shape burst forth, somersaulted through the air, and landed ahead of them. It was a silver-furred beast nearly as tall as a man. Over one shoulder it carried a length of old vine hung with more than a dozen wild fruits, and it held one fruit in its hand. At the sight of the young Taoist, it gave a few strange cries and offered the fruit to him.

The young Taoist opened his eyes, took the fruit, wiped it on his robe, and bit into it. It was sweet, with a faint bitterness beneath, but pleasant enough. There was not much flesh to it, however; in a few bites he had already reached the pit.

These two men and two beasts were Yifan, Yan Gui, and the old donkey. Since leaving Fuxiang Town, they had been traveling for nearly two months. They had run into a few bandits along the way, but those were dealt with casually. The rest of the journey had been peaceful enough.

Yifan glanced ahead, then took the waterskin hanging from the donkey’s side and shook it. There was not much clean water left. The road was long, and the last time they had left behind any sign of habitation had been two days before.

A few dozen li farther on, they should reach Changyu County. He looked up at the sky; the sun still hung high, and it did not seem likely to rain. He only hoped they would make it before sunset.

Just then, a patch of dark cloud drifted across the sky and hid the sun. From the far side of the mountains came a cool breeze. Yifan’s ear twitched as he turned toward a thicket of trees, and Yan Gui set down the fruit, took a robe from the bundle, and put on a wide-brimmed hat.

Clearly, someone was coming.

Sure enough, after a short while the grass ahead stirred gently, then went still again, as though some wild creature had passed through. Yifan gave no sign of concern; he merely rode the old donkey forward at an easy pace.

After a bend in the road, a dead tree happened to block the way. The donkey paused, uncertain whether to step over it, when four or five men suddenly rose from the grass. Their swords and sabers flashed coldly in their hands, and with a loud cry they surged forward in an imposing manner, startling the donkey so badly that it shuddered and was ready to bolt on all four legs.

Yifan lightly patted its neck, calming it. The old donkey, having experienced this kind of thing several times before, had learned a little. It stood where it was, shifting nervously from side to side, now and then casting sidelong glances at Yan Gui.

The men rushed down and leaped onto the road, brandishing their blades.

"This road is planted by us, this tree was opened by us. If you want to pass, leave your money behind."

Yifan stared at them, speechless. This was the first time he had ever seen bandits who were illiterate, yet somehow had a touch of literary flair.

One of the bandits felt something was off and nudged the speaker with the hilt of his knife. "Third Brother, I think you said it wrong. That was how Lady Jiao E taught us: 'This road is opened by us, this tree is planted by us. If you want to pass, leave your toll money.'"

The leader of the bandits immediately blushed, glaring at him. "Then I'll say it again. Hey, Daoist, listen carefully."

"This road is planted by us. No, this tree is opened by us. No, that's not right either..."

In the end he grew impatient, slashing the air with his great saber. "Enough nonsense. Damn it, after all this talking, all I want is your money. Hand it over, or don't blame me if my blade gets sharp."

Your intelligence is truly making me anxious.

Yifan could hardly bear to look at them. On closer inspection, their clothes were ragged but clean. Unlike the bandits he had met before, they were not filthy, unshaven, or reeking of grime. They looked like bandits with a certain amount of upbringing.

Seeing that Yifan still said nothing after a long while, the leader grew anxious and stepped forward, pointing his blade at him. "Hey, Daoist, what are you staring at? Hurry up and hand over the money. Don't keep me from going back in time for supper."

The bandit beside him reminded him, "Third Brother, Lady Jiao E said dinner tonight will be later. Coming back a little late is fine."

Dinner will be later? The bandit called Third Brother blinked, thought about it, and then said to Yifan, "Then you had better hurry up too. Stop dawdling. Just say whether you have money or not."

"Oh." Yifan nodded. "I don't have any."

"No money?" the bandit roared in anger. "Do you take me, Zhang Laosan, for such an easy mark? Hand over your bundle. I want to inspect it properly."

Yifan smiled faintly and glanced at the sky. He did not want to waste any more time here. With a light leap, he dismounted the donkey and in a few steps appeared beside Zhang Laosan. With a turn of his hand, he snatched the great saber and pressed it to the man’s throat.

"Do you still want to inspect it now?"

Zhang Laosan froze. He looked at his own empty hand, then tilted his head slightly to glance at the blade at his neck. He could hardly believe the saber had been taken from him so easily. His martial skill might not have been the strongest in the bandit camp, but it was not weak. In the usual brawls with his brothers, he won far more often than he lost.

Well then, he had met a real hard case.

Accepting his fate, he closed his eyes with a rough, reckless air. "Kill me. In eighteen years, I'll be a fine man again."

That time you did not say anything wrong.

Yifan rubbed his nose, unsure whether to laugh or cry. He was still debating whether to leave or teach these bandits a lesson when the others on the side grew furious.

"Daoist, let go of Third Brother right now! Otherwise don't blame us for being rude. We'll chop off your head and use it as a wine gourd!"

Zhang Laosan exploded in anger. "Do the two of you have brains at all? I've already lost, and you lot are worse than I am. How do you expect to fight him? Run, all of you! Go tell the boss so he can avenge me!"

When they heard that, the others thought it made sense. Panic set in at once, and they turned to flee.

Yifan could not be bothered to stop them. He simply kept the blade at Zhang Laosan’s throat and said, "Kneel."

"I won't kneel. Beat me to death and I still won't kneel!" Zhang Laosan shouted, face and neck flushed red with anger.

Yifan immediately raised the saber and pretended to strike. "Will you kneel or not?"

Zhang Laosan stared, then dropped straight to his knees with a thud, neck stiff with stubbornness. "Fine, I'll kneel. Do you really think I'm afraid of you?"

What could he say to that?

Yifan shook his head with a wry smile, gave the back of Zhang Laosan’s head a slap to knock him unconscious, and left him lying by the roadside. In about an hour, he would wake on his own. Yifan also placed the great saber beside him so he could find it again.

He could tell these bandits were not seasoned hands, but they were certainly not cruel-hearted. They had never killed anyone, nor had they any experience with real bloodshed or large-scale violence. They were merely hot-blooded and foolish.

In this world, bandits like that were sometimes more trustworthy than most people, and even a little endearing.

He mounted the donkey again, patted its neck lightly, and continued onward at the same unhurried pace. It was as though nothing had happened. Even the old donkey seemed to think those bandits were no threat at all. That was truly a disgrace to the bandit trade.

After crossing several mountains, the light gradually began to fade. Looking ahead, Yifan saw a city not far away. That was Changyu County.

The old donkey also sensed that it had been moving too slowly, afraid that it might be too late to make it to the gate before closing, so it quickened its pace. More than half an hour later, they finally reached the city gate.

By then night had fallen, and there were not many people entering the city. A few constables were idly picking at their toes. When they saw a Daoist riding over on a donkey, they could not be bothered to rise. One of them called out, "Daoist, it’s ten wen to enter the city."

Ten wen was nothing, only the extra cost of two steamed buns. Yifan took the coins from his pouch and casually flicked them over. They landed beside the constable in a perfectly neat stack, so neatly that the officers’ eyes nearly popped out of their heads.