On the mountain path halfway up Half Moon Cliff, a cart laden with goods slowly trundled over the dusty, dirt-packed ground, its axle groaning incessantly under the weight.
Sun Sanyuan's hands gripping the reins were slightly stiff, his eyes constantly darting to the side.
Song Jinzhao whispered a reminder, "Stop looking around. People are watching. Relax."
Sun Sanyuan suppressed the tension in his chest, trying to make his movements appear more natural.
The bandits lying in ambush on the earthen slope saw a woman on the cart and instantly let their guard down by seventy percent.
A bandit crouching nearby swallowed hard as he stared at Song Jinzhao.
"Brother Long, the boss thought the woman we caught last time was ugly. This one's fair and tender, looks like an unmarried maiden. The boss will definitely like her."
The bandit called Brother Long licked his lips, his eyes filled with lecherous desire.
"Don't hurt that girl when we strike. If her face gets marred, she won't be as fun to play with."
The bandits beside him quickly nodded.
Once the boss and Brother Long grew tired of her, they could have their turn.
Having been chased and fought by the authorities a few days ago, their pent-up frustrations hadn't been fully vented. This would be a perfect way to let off some steam.
Spotting a half-rotted tree trunk blocking the road ahead, Sun Sanyuan shot a discreet glance at Song Jinzhao.
Just as he climbed down from the cart to move the wood, twenty bandits charged out of the woods, blades in hand.
Ten of them surrounded the cart, their faces twisted into lewd, nauseating grins, drool dripping from their mouths like slops from a swill bucket.
Xiaolong's dark, rough hand clamped down on Song Jinzhao's arm like an iron vise, his tone so arrogant it was as if she were already their captive.
"A pretty little thing like you should come up the mountain with me, uncle, and have some real fun!"
The corners of Song Jinzhao's lips slowly curved upwards, a cold gleam gradually appearing in her eyes.
Her red lips parted, her voice sweet as honey but her words poisonous as arsenic.
"You're probably rushing to your next life. You won't have that fortune."
Her hand, previously concealed by her sleeve, emerged, gripping a sharp dagger.
With a swift backhand slash, the blade cut through Xiaolong's wrist, blood spurting out.
The nearby bandits were stunned by this sudden reversal.
How dare a woman attack them?
Song Jinzhao bent her knees, leaned down, and pulled out the Lingyun Spear hidden under the tarpaulin.
A flick of her wrist, and a whistling sound cut through the air as she swung it.
Clang!
The bandit who raised his blade to resist stared in horror at his scimitar, now broken in two.
His right hand trembled uncontrollably, the tiger's mouth of his palm torn open to reveal raw, red flesh.
"It's a trap."
Xiaolong hastily ducked and dodged, rolling under the cart axle to the ground.
Only to crash right into constables rushing from behind. A row of scimitars came chopping down, eager to hack him to pieces.
Meanwhile, Sun Sanyuan, the moment he saw the bandits charge down, had desperately sprinted towards the woods on the left. The other ten bandits immediately gave chase.
The constables hidden in the woods saw Sun Sanyuan running their way and promptly climbed out of the ditch.
The bandits' faces paled in shock, turning to flee.
But it was already too late.
Over twenty constables surrounded them and unleashed a chaotic slaughter.
The smell of blood permeated the official road and the woods, the chilly air adding a layer of solemnity and lethality.
The constable captain pinned Xiaolong under his foot. He had originally thought Song Jinzhao would be facing the bandit leader, but it seemed he hadn't come this time.
"Talk. How many more are up on the mountain?"
Xiaolong's face was pressed into the dirt, grinding out bloody scrapes under the pressure.
"Despicable and shameless! Government officials using a woman to trick us!"
A flash of silver light—the spear tip plunged into the arm that had just touched Song Jinzhao.
"All that talk, and you still couldn't even beat a woman."
Song Jinzhao pulled out the Lingyun Spear and stomped on the bloody hole.
"Ah—!" Xiaolong's face instantly contorted in a spasm, his features scrunched together like a demon crawled out of a cesspit.
His teeth gritted audibly, his entire skull seeming to crack under the strain.
The spear tip pressed against the area between the man's legs. "How many more are on the mountain? Where's your boss?"
After all this effort, the main target wasn't here. What a waste of time.
Xiaolong clenched his teeth, his lower body trembling uncontrollably. "If you have the guts, charge up there. Our boss won't let you get away."
"Thud!" The spearhead pierced through the fabric of his clothes and into flesh.
Instantly, every man present tightened their legs, feeling a shudder run through their lower bodies, cold sweat breaking out on their backs.
Xiaolong's mouth gaped open, his eyes bulging with rage as he roared, "I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"
The other bandits pinned to the ground turned pale with fright at the sight of their Brother Long's miserable state.
Song Jinzhao looked at the constable captain. "Stubborn to the end. Question the others."
The captain nodded, a drop of cold sweat falling from his chin.
Out of twenty bandits, seven were still alive, though injured. Surely one of them would talk.
But as soon as he started questioning, the bandits rushed to provide information, desperate to spill everything in their guts to save their own skins.
They were terrified of Song Jinzhao, afraid that if they didn't talk, they'd be the next Xiaolong.
Hearing his underlings betray him, Xiaolong roared, "You traitorous scum! Even if you talk, they won't let you go!"
Without hesitation, Song Jinzhao used the spear tip to slit Xiaolong's throat.
His eyes bulged grotesquely, wide open in death.
After a while, the captain approached Song Jinzhao, who was sitting on the cart cleaning her spear.
"The stronghold is on the other side of Half Moon Cliff, about half an hour's journey."
"There are still over twenty bandits inside. The leader is at the stronghold right now."
Song Jinzhao let the Lingyun Spear hang at her side. "Have one bandit lead the way. For the others, after we leave, sever their tendons in their hands and feet before sending them to the county jail."
Only when rendered useless would they not escape.
The captain nodded. They'd get the death penalty anyway back at the jail; severing tendons was nothing.
The reason they weren't killed now was for a public execution to appease the people and showcase the county magistrate's achievements.
Whether they were crippled or not was utterly irrelevant.
After Song Jinzhao led the team up the mountain, the three constables left behind immediately severed the bandits' hand and foot tendons.
They traversed the woods, following a mountain path that wound around Half Moon Cliff.
The bandit with his hands tied stopped and whispered, "There's a lookout post on the banyan tree ahead. Someone's on watch."
The constable captain asked, "How many?"
The bandit hunched over, not daring to raise his head for fear of being seen.
"Two. There's a bronze bell hanging up there. If anyone approaches the stronghold, they'll pull the rope and ring it."
There were only about twenty men in the stronghold. A direct assault could still win.
But the fear was that someone might escape, especially the bandit leader.
Song Jinzhao turned her head and asked, "Did you bring bows?"
The captain nodded and signaled for the constables behind to bring the bows over.
"There are two of them. We need to take them out with one shot each."
And they were up in a tree, not close either. It would test the accuracy of their archery.
