Nearly a hundred of the Cheng family's household troops split into two groups—one tightly encircling the carriages carrying Shao Shang, Sang Shi, and others, while the other brandished their blades forward, preparing for battle. In mere moments, the two sides clashed. Seeing the ferocious faces and bloodthirsty expressions of the bandits, Shao Shang couldn't help but feel a surge of fear. Especially when the bandits caught sight of the abundant supplies and the young, beautiful maidservants, their eyes glinted with wicked greed. Sang Shi covered Cheng Wei's eyes and retreated into the carriage, while the maidservants trembled in terror, the more timid ones already curling up and weeping softly.
After the initial shock and disgust at the bandits' vile appearance faded, Shao Shang finally mustered the courage to emerge from behind the carriage on horseback, drawing the short sword Cheng Song had given her and holding it across her chest. Silently calculating the numbers on both sides, she decided her bravery need only extend to putting on a show.
Unexpectedly, the bandits were exceptionally fierce. Despite the disparity in numbers, they charged forward without hesitation, clearly convinced that household troops lacked combat prowess. Unfortunately for them, these were no ordinary household troops. Before the journey, Old Man Cheng had deliberately assigned half of his long-serving guard to the convoy. Tempered in the fires of battle, these men could crush bandits as easily as swatting moths when fighting in equal numbers.
After a fierce skirmish, the Cheng family's household troops had slaughtered all twenty or thirty bandits. Yet even as they lay writhing on the ground, the dying bandits still snarled threats like, "Just you wait—our main force will come and slaughter every last one of you!"
"They're just scouts—light cavalry sent to scout for targets to plunder. A larger force is coming behind them," Li Taigong said, his back breaking into a cold sweat as he surveyed the corpses. After so many years of chaos and war, he was well-versed in the ways of bandits.
With this encounter, the group wasted no time and hurried toward Li Taigong's village. But misfortune never comes alone. In their haste, Sang Shi's carriage collided with a stone pit hidden beneath a mound of earth, snapping the left axle and causing the ammunition wagon to overturn sideways, trapping the women inside.
When they pulled everyone from the wrecked carriage, they discovered Sang Shi had suffered a severe injury to her left leg. Though no bones were broken, a deep gash had torn through her flesh. Shao Shang nearly gritted her teeth to dust. She quickly ordered the luggage boxes in a comfort carriage to be unloaded, making room for Sang Shi and the other women. Dozens of less essential baggage carts were abandoned to lighten the load, and the group pressed on with minimal encumbrance.
Li Taigong couldn't help but admire the young girl's decisiveness in such a crisis.
Yet before long, the sounds of battle cries erupted once more from behind, this time far more formidable than before. Everyone's faces paled. Shao Shang saw that they were still a considerable distance from Li Taigong's jurisdiction—clearly, they wouldn't make it in time. She glanced back at the western road they'd come from, silently acknowledging that she could probably escape alone.
A single rider could slip through the woods unnoticed while the bandits were preoccupied with looting the convoy. She knew the route well—once she reached Chenliu Commandery, she'd be safe. She could simply claim the convoy had been scattered and she'd been driven there alone.
But—Shao Shang's mind flashed to the pale, bloodied face of Sang Shi, and to Weiwei and the twins. She shook her head.
Noticing the familiar woods flanking the road, she urgently grabbed Li Taigong, who was riding alongside her, and asked, "I recall you mentioning on our way here that there are many abandoned hunting lodges in this area. Tell me, is there one here that backs against the mountains and is near an upstream water source?"She had never studied military theory, but she at least knew the idiom 'being attacked from both front and rear.' If the enemy outnumbered their guards and the convoy had many female members, continuing to defend in an open plain like before would inevitably lead to being overrun—a certain death. It was better to rely on terrain to delay the enemy. After all, they had brought enough dietary medicine, and with a water source, holding out for a few days wouldn’t be a problem. Perhaps they could outlast these opportunistic bandits.
Moreover, reinforcements would arrive in two or three days at the earliest, or five or six at the latest—whether from Hua County or Chenliu. But what if there was no such hunting lodge? Then they would have to make a desperate last stand and leave it to fate.
Li Taigong, who knew the area like the back of his hand, led the convoy deep into the mountains, twisting and turning until they found an excellent refuge—a hunting lodge built against a concave cliff covered in moss, with a mountain stream flowing down the rock face beside it. The original owner had fled conscription years ago, and Li Taigong, finding the place uniquely defensible, had renovated five or six large rooms for future hunting trips.
After scouting the terrain, the family generals agreed it was an ideal location. They swiftly cut down thick trees from the forest and arranged them into barricades, encircling the open ground in front of the lodge. They worked for nearly an hour before the main force of bandits finally broke through the dense woods.
The bandits numbered three to four hundred, their shouts shaking the heavens, their fighting fierce and terrifying. Yet they seemed hastily assembled—poorly coordinated, lacking unified commands, and ill-equipped. After the first dense volley of arrows, only sporadic shots followed.
The narrow open ground in front of the lodge prevented the bandits from overwhelming them with sheer numbers, forcing them to attack in waves. After the bandit leader’s customary rallying cry—"Charge, brothers! Take the women and loot as you please!"—the two sides clashed in a relentless stalemate. Night turned to day, yet the barricades held, and the bandits remained.
During the lulls, both sides, exhausted and hungry, glared at each other while eating, scheming how to break or defend against the other.
At the most critical moment, dozens of fierce bandits, mounted on tall horses, breached the barricades under cover of darkness, aiming to shatter the defenses. Fortunately, the experienced guards had laid multiple trip ropes in advance, toppling the horses and swarming the fallen bandits. Still, a dozen skilled riders leaped over the ropes, escaping after snatching seven or eight fleeing maidservants, slung over their horses as they retreated.
Shao Shang initially thought the bandits would use the maids as hostages to demand surrender. But after agonizing over it, she realized—no family in this era would surrender for "mere" servants. Even the bandits understood this "universal truth," so they never made such a "foolish" demand.
Standing behind the wall of guards, Shao Shang felt a bitter pang, unsure whether to be grateful for her luck in reincarnation.
Among the abducted maids was a dimple-cheeked girl, not yet fifteen, clever and charming, often favored by Sang Shi for her love of listening to Shao Shang play the flute.At that moment, a bandit charged toward her, reaching out to grab her. However, the two Martial Maids guarding her were skilled fighters. One swiftly stepped forward, her sword flashing as she severed the bandit's outstretched hand at the wrist. The other rolled on the ground, her twin blades slashing at the horse's legs. The wounded horse threw the bandit off, and he was immediately hacked to pieces by the guards.
"Would the bandits really kill them after assaulting them?" Shao Shang tried to stand straight. In these times, chastity wasn't as heavily emphasized—survival was all that mattered for the girls.
The two Martial Maids exchanged glances before one replied, "Young Lady, don't dwell on it. Only by surviving can you seek revenge."
A chill ran through Shao Shang's heart, and her grip on the sword hilt trembled violently.
These two formidable Martial Maids had been assigned to her by Madam Xiao—so had Director Xiao also faced such peril and bloodshed? Had she too struggled desperately to escape, forced to watch those around her die?
"Niao Niao, come back! Why are you standing so far forward? Be careful of stray arrows!" Sang Shi, supported by A Zhu, stood anxiously at the doorway of the large house, shouting with difficulty.
Shao Shang hurried over, only to notice fresh blood seeping from Sang Shi's left calf. Frowning, she said, "Aunt, you should lie down inside." With A Zhu's help, she firmly guided Sang Shi back into the house.
A fire burned in the center of the room, where Li Taigong sat tending to a blade wound on his arm with the help of a maid. Cheng Wei and the twins had already been taken elsewhere to rest. Shao Shang helped Sang Shi onto a makeshift bed and instructed the maid to rebandage the wound. A Zhu poured a bowl of sweet jujube soup from the copper pot hanging over the fire and fed it to Sang Shi slowly.
Turning to Li Taigong, Shao Shang bowed respectfully. "We've troubled you, Taigong. You should be at home enjoying time with your grandchildren, yet here you are suffering with us."
Li Taigong still smiled like the Maitreya Buddha. "Back when soldiers and bandits colluded to wreak havoc in the countryside, that was true suffering! Young Lady, don't worry. Yesterday, I sent servants through the mountain paths to our village to call for reinforcements. They'll arrive faster than any aid from Hua County or Chenliu. Once we pin the bandits from both sides, we'll escort you and Madam to safety first."
Shao Shang was no longer as naive as when she first arrived in this world. At best, Li Taigong's village could muster a hundred or so militiamen, and their combat effectiveness was questionable.
As if reading her thoughts, Li Taigong chuckled. "Young Lady, don't think I'm just offering empty comfort. For the past seven or eight years, the roads have been safe, and lost items are returned. I don't know what's happened this time, but with the provincial governor above and the commandery administrator below—both capable warriors in their own right—they won't let these bandits run amok in their territory. We just need to hold out for a few more days."
Shao Shang smiled but said nothing—but what if the provincial governor and commandery administrator were the ones at fault? Take the former owners of the Wan family estate, the Bu clan, who had surrendered only to rebel again.
With this in mind, Shao Shang asked, "Taigong, were the Governor of Yanzhou and the Administrator of Dong Commandery originally followers of Your Majesty, or did they submit later?"
Li Taigong paused, stroking his beard. "Well... I'm not too sure about the governor, but I've met the administrator a few times. He often boasts at banquets about how difficult it was to support Your Majesty's rise and how mighty His Majesty is. I suppose he must have been an early follower."Shao Shang breathed a slight sigh of relief. Over on the other side, Sang Shi, hearing this, set down her soup bowl and smiled, "Those who come to pledge allegiance are all heroes from various regions. His Majesty has never treated them lightly, mostly granting them official positions in the court."
The words carried deep meaning, and Shao Shang nodded in understanding. However, knowing that the governor of Dongjun was reliable was enough for now.
Sang Shi, seemingly struck by a thought, lamented sorrowfully, "This is how things are here. I wonder how your uncle is faring? Had we known earlier, we should have hurried on our journey. Now we’ve already reached Hua County." Having been a loving couple for over a decade, the thought of her husband possibly coming to harm felt like a piece of her heart had been gouged out.
"I think Uncle should be fine. It’s Hua County that might not be doing so well," Shao Shang murmured quietly.
Sang Shi, unsure whether to be alarmed or relieved, asked, "How do you know?"
Shao Shang sighed and explained, "When we left Chenliu three days ago, everything was still peaceful, and Li Taigong’s village was also tranquil. But Qing County seemed off. From this, we can deduce that if there’s trouble, it must have started from the east." She picked up a twig and began drawing on the ground, sketching a bird’s-eye view of the map: the capital region, Yanzhou, and Qingzhou lined up from west to east.
"His Majesty issued an edict to tour several eastern provinces. Calculating from the day the imperial procession set out, even at the slowest pace, they should have entered Qingzhou by now. Yet here we are in Yanzhou, and the imperial procession is still lingering within Dongjun. What does that tell us? Qing County is behaving strangely, while Chenliu remains oblivious. What does that imply?"
Li Taigong, drawn in by her reasoning, couldn’t help but ask, "What does it imply?"
Shao Shang replied, "It implies that someone is plotting treason—first delaying the imperial procession, then suddenly striking, ensuring that no one in the vicinity realizes what’s happening. Taigong mentioned that His Majesty passed through Qing County just a few days ago. I suspect the incident occurred within these past few days, which is why areas west of Qing County remain unaware. Moreover..."
She tapped the twig at a spot east of Qing County, drawing a small circle. "I suspect the trouble is either in Hua County or adjacent to it! That’s why County Magistrate Gongsun rushed off with his men upon hearing the news, leaving the county town poorly defended. When we first encountered the bandit scouts, I remember they were heading north from the southeast. Had they not spotted us, they likely would have gone to raid Qing County."
Sang Shi, trembling with emotion, asked hopefully, "So, according to you, your uncle is actually safe now?"
"Wouldn’t it have been better if they attacked Qing County instead? That town’s walls are so sturdy," Shao Shang grumbled irritably. "Aunt, you should worry about us first. Right now, there’s a group of gleeful bandits outside just waiting to make a feast out of us!"
She couldn’t help but curse Third Uncle inwardly for being such a colossal liability!
Back in Chenliu, he had insisted on hurrying their journey—would it have killed him to stay an extra two days so she could meet a potential suitor? In Qing County, he had acted all righteous, insisting on leaving his wife and children behind to enter the town alone. Was his head just for decoration? Couldn’t he have planned before acting? If only they had followed him into the town—it would have been better than being hunted in these desolate woods. And worrying about Cheng Zhi, that big fool? Worry about nothing! If Sang Shi didn’t end up a widow, Cheng Zhi might become a widower instead. Without Sang Shi’s handful of soybeans, there were still papayas aplenty in the world. Would he even bother making another pot of soup?
Li Taigong stroked his beard and laughed heartily beside them. "Truly the daughter of a military family, inheriting such wisdom! Young Lady, your insight is remarkable!"
Shao Shang could only smile wryly. At this moment, she missed Old Man Cheng and Director Xiao intensely. With that pair—one wise yet unassuming, the other brimming with schemes—she would never have ended up in such a predicament!Sang Shi was about to speak when suddenly the guards outside shouted excitedly, "—Reinforcements are here! Reinforcements have arrived!" Their voices brimmed with joy.
Everyone inside the room was both startled and delighted. Shao Shang and Li Taigong stood up simultaneously. Sang Shi also attempted to rise, but due to her leg injury and blood loss, she was already extremely weak. The slightest exertion caused her to faint. Shao Shang instructed A Zhu to take good care of Sang Shi before following Li Taigong outside.
Judging by the time it would take for reinforcements to arrive, this wave must have come from Li Taigong's hometown. Shao Shang had initially doubted the combat effectiveness of local militia, but as soon as she stepped outside, she found the sounds of battle roaring like thunder across the sky.
The forest, usually as still as deep water where any disturbance would vanish like a stone dropped into a pond, now trembled violently under the surging aura of slaughter.
Raising her eyes, Shao Shang saw a tide of soldiers clad in black armor and white feathers charging forward, their horses galloping like roaring tigers and wolves. In moments, they were upon them. Without bothering to form ranks or formations, they struck as soon as they arrived—first come, first fight; those who came later finished the job.
The bandits could no longer focus on the Cheng Residence and hastily turned their blades and horses to defend themselves. But the Black Armor Army was far superior, whether in individual combat skills or group coordination, easily outmatching this ragtag bunch. Moreover, more black-armored cavalry continued to pour in from behind.
Shao Shang was stunned. "Taigong, are these... from your hometown? They're incredibly fierce." Since when were local farmers armed so formidably?
Li Taigong was also dumbfounded and stammered, "Where... where..."
Shao Shang gave the old man a speechless look. So you're admitting it?
Suddenly, Li Taigong spotted a group of burly countrymen mixed among the later arrivals of the Black Armor Army. He immediately shouted toward a young man in a long robe at the front, "Fifth Son! My son! Your father is here! I'm here..."
Over a thousand black-cloaked, black-armored soldiers swiftly filled the pristine colors of the forest. While the first few hundred were busy slaughtering the bandits, the remaining several hundred reined in their horses and took up positions. Beneath a high-flying black war banner edged with gold, they gathered around a general astride a jet-black steed. The hundreds stood silently, like specters in the woods.
By then, the first few hundred Black Armor soldiers had already torn through the bandits like wolves devouring sheep, leaving little more than bloodied remnants. However, one particularly fierce bandit leader, seeing his comrades nearly wiped out with only a handful left weeping in surrender, rallied the last dozen or so loyal followers and fought his way out of the Black Armor Army's encirclement. With a howl, he charged toward the general, seemingly intent on a final, desperate strike.
The bandit leader swung a massive two-handed cavalry saber with terrifying force, cutting down several guards who stood in his way. The general raised his left hand, halting the guards who were about to intercept, while his right hand retrieved a long, golden weapon from his horse. Then he spurred his steed forward to meet the challenge. The bandit leader, bloodlust in his eyes, swung his blade wildly. With a single motion from the general, as if plucking the string of a golden crow, a radiant golden light instantly spread.
Shao Shang thought to herself that this general must possess astonishing strength. She watched as he raised the golden crow high, like a vermilion phoenix spreading its brilliant wings, then brought it down with a heavy, decisive strike. The bandit leader's massive saber and arm were severed cleanly in one blow."Bravo—!" Li Taigong shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice tearing through the air like an overly enthusiastic storyteller in a teahouse. "What a magnificent Crimson Phoenix Upholding Heaven Gilded Halberd! Truly unparalleled in this world!"
His beard quivered with excitement as he turned to Shao Shang with a grin. "This old man has two nephews serving in the Feather Forest Guard. They've long praised this weapon's extraordinary elegance, and today I finally witness it with my own eyes!" Then he cast a disdainful glance at the corpses of bandits littering the ground. "What a pity these worthless bandits were too incompetent to witness the divine might of the Beast-Patterned Cloud-Splitting Twin Axes!"
Shao Shang looked at the distant scene, then back at Li Taigong: So this old man was actually regretting that the bandits weren't more formidable?
A sudden thought occurred to her, and she asked the martial maid beside her, "Then what weapon does my father use?"
One of them replied, "The general wields a nine-ringed thick-spined longsword weighing over eighty catties."
Shao Shang decided to remain silent. With such an unimpressive name, even if it weighed 250 catties, it wouldn't help!
By now, the main battle ahead had concluded. The Cheng Residence guards were gradually removing the barricades and cheval de frise, while the black-cloaked troops slowly regrouped. Though daylight was bright, little sunlight penetrated the dense forest, leaving only faint golden threads filtering through.
The commander sheathed his crimson-gold gilded halberd and was escorted forward by his guards. As his horse approached, he suddenly lifted his gaze toward them. The pale golden light wove like threads into his jet-black armor, dancing across his fair complexion—a face so exquisitely handsome it defied description.
Seeing that face, half of Shao Shang's body instantly stiffened—Could they request different reinforcements? She felt their side could hold out a little longer.
Author's Note:
Once again, this story is set in a fictional universe, completely fictional!
Also, I might have set myself up with unrealistic expectations. Even by December, I can still only update every other day. My apologies, my apologies...
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