Chapter 23: The Bandit, Wang Songhe
Yan City.
Old Huang and the soldiers, including the monk, were walking among the troops.
Military Officer Chu was brutally assassinated before the retreat, but these soldiers managed to safely return to Yan City without further incident.
This expedition against the bandits cannot be considered a complete victory since even their leader died, resulting in somewhat lowered morale.
Old Huang and the others were sad, but it had nothing to do with the success or failure of fighting the bandits. They were more concerned about the dead body they were carrying on their shoulders.
"We arrived in Yan City so quickly?"
"I haven't figured out how to talk to the boss's family yet..."
"Or maybe we should wait a little longer, until we receive the compensation money, and then go?"
Old Huang and the others quietly discussed and accidentally noticed a blind girl sitting in a noodle shop by the street, her eyes closed, facing the road.
They had a vague idea of what was going on, instinctively stayed silent, and continued carrying the body without saying a word.
Luckily, the blind girl couldn't see, and it seemed like she didn't notice their passing.
It wasn't until they reached the military camp that they finally felt relieved.
Each of them had their own skills when facing the bandits. Even Old Huang, who only knew the Iron Crotch Skill, knew how to hide and escape on the battlefield.
It was really difficult for them to face the families of their fallen comrades, especially those who died for them... This was much harder than facing robbers.
Just as he was relieved that there was no danger, Old Huang felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Thank you for handling the transportation of the bodies," said a centurion surnamed Chu.
He and Military Officer Chu were relatives, so he became his confidant and had been instructed by Military Officer Chu to take care of Qiao Mu's body.
"The burial of our comrades will be taken care of by the camp, so you don't need to bother."
Old Huang hesitated for a moment and nodded in agreement.
Although he wasn't directly under the command of the centurion, after all, the other was a 9th rank military officer. Rank determines power, especially since Old Huang and the others were just ordinary soldiers.
He could only bow and bid farewell.
After Old Huang left, the centurion looked at Qiao Mu's body and chuckled quietly.
He was not interested in Qiao Mu's body, but some other people were.
Even though Military Officer Chu had died, he might be able to take advantage of this situation to get involved with the City Lord's son.
...................
Outside the city, there was Mount Dong.
Qiao Mu didn't resist much, allowing the surrounding mountain bandits to escort him deeper into the forest.
First, he had just used the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method and now he felt weak and unable to break free. Second, he also wanted to see who the leader of these mountain bandits was.
After walking through the forest and reaching a small hill, Qiao Mu saw a group of mountain bandits guarding an elegant middle-aged scholar, who was waiting under a tree.
"You're the king of the bandits?" Qiao Mu was a bit surprised.
He had imagined that the leader of the bandits would have a rougher and more rugged appearance.
But to their surprise, this person had a refined temperament, a face as fair as jade, and was completely a well-mannered middle-aged scholar.
The scholar sighed helplessly.
"My surname is Wang, and my name is Songhe. The title 'Mountain Bandit King' is just a misunderstanding caused by people's ignorance and rumors." (Translator: Wang means king in Chinese)
As Wang Songhe said this, he suddenly covered his mouth with his hand and coughed a few times, with traces of blood in his cough.
"Is he also a sickly scholar? That can't be right," Qiao Mu furrowed his eyebrows slightly.
Even though this person appeared weak and pale, giving Qiao Mu the feeling that he was even weaker than when he had just used the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method, there was a faint sense of danger emanating from him.
Under stress, Qiao Mu instinctively positioned his body to the side of Wang Songhe and took a half step back, raising his hands slightly in a defensive posture.
Wang Songhe noticed Qiao Mu's reaction but only smiled lightly.
"I heard that your surname is Qiao, and you are the older brother of centurion Qiao Mu from the Yan City Army?"
"That centurion, Qiao Mu, was extremely brave and courageous. He truly was a good hero."
Wang Songhe's attitude was very kind and friendly, so much so that it surprised Qiao Mu. It seemed like they were not sworn enemies fighting for their lives.
He then said, "Qiao Lin, you have exceptional bravery and strength. You are truly a great hero. Are you interested in joining me on Mount Dong, and together we can accomplish great things in this turbulent world?"
Is he starting to recruit me?
Qiao Mu felt doubtful and suspicious.
"My younger brother, Qiao Mu, died at the hands of your bandits, and he also killed many of them..."
"You are Qiao Mu's brother, not Qiao Mu himself. Besides, Qiao Mu is already dead, so any grievances have naturally been resolved. You even killed Military Officer Chu, who was leading the soldiers. Consider it as ending the siege on Mount Dong." Wang Songhe spoke confidently.
"In today's world, it's like a cycle of killing - you kill me, I kill you. There's no right or wrong, is there?"
"Is it possible that neither of us is wrong, but rather it's the world that's wrong?"
Qiao Mu remained silent for a moment.
In the world of bandits, it seemed quite normal to recruit enemy generals.
But that's not important, anyway he would never become a bandit hiding in the mountains.
Qiao Mu said firmly:
"A true man born between heaven and earth should carry himself with pride and honor. How can he stoop to robbing homes and living in the mountains?"
As a ruthless point-scoring machine, Qiao Mu started to immerse himself in the role again. He deliberately provoked the other person, hoping to gain a good death.
Wang Songhe wasn't annoyed, but instead smiled slightly, thinking "It seems that Brother Qiao has some prejudices against us bandits."
"Brother Qiao, why don't you try guessing where these bandits came from?"
"How can a barren place like Mount Dong gather so many bandits? This is probably far beyond what the officials and soldiers expected, right?"
Qiao Mu remained silent.
Since he was not a local from Yan City, it was natural for him to be unable to guess.
Seeing Qiao Mu's silence, Wang Songhe explained to himself:
"Since the Martial Saint's tragic defeat in the war against the inhuman, the fortunes of Great Yan have been on the decline."
"Our emperor in this era is weak and incapable, only knowing how to exhaust the national strength to gain favor from those unhumans."
"As a result, taxes have become increasingly burdensome, causing the people to suffer, leading to decades of hardship."
"Do you know that just a month ago, there was a famine in Yan City? The outskirts of Yan City, to put it mildly, were left with only four or five households out of ten."
"Where do you think all those poor people who disappeared went?"
Qiao Mu was slightly taken aback and glanced at the surrounding bandits before asking again:
"Is this your reason for being mountain bandits?"
Wang Songhe explained:
"Neither you nor I are saints. It is almost impossible to survive in this chaotic world without getting blood on our hands. All we can do is try our best to avoid doing evil."
"Besides, the kind of bandits we want to be is not the type that robs and pillages on the roads."
"Oh? Are there other kinds of bandits?" Qiao Mu asked.
The middle-aged scholar said:
"The so-called bandits are outlaws who are not subject to the laws of Great Yan. They are wild rebels."
"And as for mountains..." Wang Songhe stood on top of the mountain, gazing far and wide at the rugged peaks.
"There are many mountains in this world."
"Some mountains are above the plains, massive enough to divide day and night."
"Some mountains reside in people's hearts, shapeless yet making people's journey difficult."
"Some mountains hover above people's heads, weightless yet able to break people's backs."
Wang Songhe turned around and stared at Qiao Mu, speaking slowly and deliberately.
"I, Wang Songhe, am willing to defeat the thieves that dwell within these mountains!"
