A Good Country Wife-Chapter 662 - 655_1

The three words floated lightly from Huangfu Yi’s mouth, and in an instant, his sword was drawn from its scabbard. Before anyone could grasp what had happened, the Hidden Guard had already fallen to the ground, with not a single scratch anywhere on his body except for a red line across his neck — a classic example of severing the throat with a sword.

Huangfu Yi’s display of skill left all those in black stunned. They were sent to negotiate, which was merely a few hundred meters away; with their trained eyesight, it was easy to clearly see what had happened. No one expected that in this unremarkable place, there would be such an abundance of hidden talent, with dragons lying dormant amongst the tigers. First, the peasant woman from Zhao Family Village proved to be incredibly formidable, controlling the entire Zhao Family so tightly that not even a single infiltrator could find a way in. In Xin’an City, those servants had caught them off guard and forced them to flee in disarray. And now, the leader of the bandits from Longhu Mountain possessed such remarkable martial skills that not even the highest leader of the Hidden Guard could necessarily best him — a true eye-opener for them all.

Not only those in black were dumbfounded, but the brothers in the stronghold were also amazed at the sight of their leader’s skills. Although they had known he was skilled in martial arts — having surpassed the skill of the second-in-command, Chang Dabao, to become leader — seeing him in action was something else entirely. His movements were eerily unfathomable.

Huangfu Yi’s move struck terror into the black-clothed assailants but massively boosted the morale of his brothers from Longhu Mountain. Led by a leader with such formidable skills, they were fearless against these black-clad adversaries. Chang Dabao, though not the brightest, understood their leader’s intent perfectly and, sensing the moment, charged forward with his men.

"Brothers, follow me! Take down these arrogant fools who dare to talk big and intimidate us. Let’s show them not to mess with us ever again. Charge!"

Chang Dabao took the lead, and his brothers followed suit, recklessly advancing and aiming to kill as many as possible, with the thought of a greater reward from their leader in mind. Meanwhile, Huangfu Yi set his sights directly on the leader of the men in black, the most skilled among them.

But with Huangfu Yi’s ability, it took only a moment to capture him. Then, dislocating the jaw of the black-clothed leader, Huangfu Yi observed that the prisoner’s resolve wasn’t as unyielding as the man who had come to negotiate earlier. Being the leader, he surely knew far more about the Yin Family’s affairs. Huangfu Yi believed that with a little coercion, the man would divulge all the information he sought.

With the more skilled of the black-clothed enemies handpicked by Huangfu Yi, the remainder, despite possibly being superior to the bandits of Longhu Mountain, didn’t stand much of a chance. Outnumbered, the bandits fought two against one, three against one, or even ganged up on their opponents. It didn’t take long to end the battle, capturing and killing all of the remaining black-clothed foes.

Master Xue was also rescued. He had been tied up and stowed away in a carriage, bound at his hands and feet, with his mouth gagged so he could not make a sound. His condition, however, was far better than the Protectors who had been captured earlier; he only sustained minor bruises. Being an important person, the black-clothed kidnappers didn’t dare to be too ruthless, lest they would have to answer to their own superiors for his demise.

Although Master Xue couldn’t speak or move, he could still hear the commotion outside. Unaware that Lin Yue had enlisted the bandits, he was simply happy to know that someone was intervening against the assailants. Even if the bandits decided to kill him, he was resigned to his fate.

After all, he could not betray Madam; she held the address of his family. Rather than trust these black-clothed strangers, he preferred to believe in his mistress, who had already paid a hefty price to help them once. He despised the vile tactics of the men from the Capital City’s Yin Family, and knew they were unworthy of any loyalty. Even resorting to treachery would not guarantee a favorable outcome, so he kept the secret to himself.

Confronting the prospect of being taken to Capital City, where there would be no constraints on the methods used against him, was enough to send shivers down his spine. Once there, his will might not be his own to control any longer. He had already resolved to take his own life before reaching the city, trusting that Madam, considering his loyalty, would take good care of his family in his absence.

As soon as they had dealt with the black-clothed men, Chang Dabao immediately sought out Master Xue, fearing that the enemy might have harmed him earlier. He had not dared to ask before, worrying that any signs of interest could alert the black-clothed men to use Master Xue as a bargaining chip, potentially backfiring. Thus, finding Master Xue became their top priority once the skirmish was over — after all, his life was worth eighteen thousand taels of silver, the lifeblood of their recent sustenance. Fortunately, they quickly found Master Xue in a carriage; aside from the black-clothed assailants, he was the only one they had come across.

"Are you Master Xue, elder brother?" Chang Dabao bellowed urgently.

Hearing the bandits address him accurately and with such urgency, as if they had found a treasure, plus considering that the black-clothed men weren’t really after money, Master Xue might have envisioned, if the implausible were not so, that these bandits had come solely to save him. Of course, this was an illusion, impossible.

"Hey, our second-in-command is asking you. Are you Master Xue?" the bandits repeated, their impatience making their tone harsh. They were anxious about the silver within their grasp, their entire stronghold’s hope.

"I am Master Xue. How do you know who I am, and what are your intentions?" Master Xue responded, his voice steady despite the circumstances. These bandits were less fearsome than the men in black, and he was ready to face whatever came. He wondered if perhaps they had gathered information intending to obtain what he had, or if they were instructed by someone else. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

"Madam Lin Yue spent eighteen thousand taels of silver to ransom your life. We mobilized so many of our brothers just to rescue you. How could we not know?" A bandit, hearing Master Xue acknowledge his identity, broke into a naive grin and blurted out the truth without thinking.

Master Xue was taken aback, hardly believing what he heard. "What did you say? My mistress spent eighteen thousand taels of silver to have you rescue me? How is that possible? Why would she have dealings with bandits, especially when my life is not worth that much?"

Master Xue’s words clearly expressed disdain for the bandits of Longhu Mountain, but everyone was in high spirits thinking of the silver, so no one took his comment too seriously.