Chapter 38: The Clash

Laitou was just responding when he suddenly noticed a group of people appearing not far away. They looked familiar, as if he had seen them before.

"Boss, look, it's that group," Laitou suddenly recalled. Weren't these the same people who passed by after midday, the ones who clearly looked like they were not to be trifled with?

Wait, it had been several hours; why were they still here? Had they finished their business and were returning, or something else? The leader felt a jolt of alarm as he witnessed this.

"Boss, what do we do? Should we retreat?" Qu Ba’s voice had changed.

"Useless coward," the leader cursed internally, though he remained calm on the surface. "What are you panicking about?" He then watched as the six men on horseback slowly made their way toward them.

The leader was cursing under his breath, but he began to analyze the situation. Observing the six men on horseback, they seemed to have nothing to do with the donkey cart. However, that did not mean they wouldn't meddle in others' affairs and decide to be "knights errant" who stand up against injustice. He thought that if that were the case, he and his two underlings would just have to admit their bad luck and retreat. But perhaps they didn't want any trouble either?

When Hong Xiaoduo saw the six men, she truly felt a sense of relief. The man might be narcissistic and unlikeable, but in this situation, he shouldn't just stand by idly, should he? Not to mention that she wasn't sure if Brother Dong had told this man that they were acquaintances, she had at least once treated him to a meat bun!

Tianshu, after seeing the people over there, was also unsure whether they would offer help, as the way his mistress had treated that man earlier was not exactly welcoming.

Mu Zitao, riding slowly toward them, focused his attention entirely on the young woman who had made him look foolish and repeatedly ignored him afterward. He could see the reaction on her face when she spotted him and his men; it was clear she was confident he wouldn't stand by and watch.

*Heh, so confident? Dreaming, are we? If you don't beg me, I certainly won't intervene!*

When he was dozens of meters away from Hong Xiaoduo and the others, Mu Zitao reined in his horse, and his five subordinates had no choice but to stop as well. At that moment, the scene became somewhat—not eerie exactly—but rather strange.

"Laitou, what are you still standing there for? Do it!" the bandit leader cursed his underling in a fit of rage, while also swearing internally.

Ever since he started this profession, it wasn't as if he hadn't encountered people while working. Passersby usually fell into two categories: first, those terrified of being implicated who fled immediately; second, those who looked straight ahead, feigning ignorance, and continued on their way. He had never encountered a situation like this where someone was actually watching the spectacle. It truly left this experienced old bandit at a loss.

"Yes." Seeing his boss give the order, Laitou realized this group wasn't going to intervene—which made sense; any smart person who encountered such a situation would naturally mind their own business. While there were such things as righteous heroes who stood up against injustice, they were extremely rare!

Hong Xiaoduo looked at the narcissist among the six men. He sat calmly on his horse with a half-smile, showing no intention of helping.

*Seriously? How could Brother Dong be friends with such a person?* Hong Xiaoduo was speechless. *Fine, if that’s how it is, I’ll just show you. If you’re so capable, don’t you dare step in later.* She wasn't just being stubborn regardless of the situation; she knew that if they truly wanted to help, they would do so even if she didn't ask. After all, in a situation like this, human lives were at stake.

She didn't have time to dwell on it. Seeing the man called Laitou walking toward the donkey cart with a blade in hand, she shouted in a rush, "You bastard, how dare you!" She flicked her hand toward the man's leg, and a pebble the size of a fingernail flew out.

"Laitou, look out!" the bandit leader warned, but it was too late.

Laitou let out a miserable scream and fell to one knee. He tried to use his blade to prop himself up, but after struggling a few times without success, he collapsed to the ground, clutching his knee.

The bandit leader hadn't expected this young woman, who showed no signs of being a martial artist, to disable his man with a single move. Realizing she was formidable, he immediately became cautious. He gripped his blade and swirled his wrist, creating a whistling sound, then charged at Hong Xiaoduo with fierce stabbing and slashing motions.

Upon seeing the bandit's technique, Mu Zitao and his men realized his blade skills were actually quite high; they had underestimated him! A wave of shock passed through them, including Mu Zitao, who had already lifted his feet from the stirrups, ready to intervene at any moment.

However, what happened next surprised them.

Hong Xiaoduo watched the bandit leader rushing toward her with his blade, filled with murderous intent. At that moment, she thought she would be trembling with fear, but she wasn't. A thought popped into her head: *Why be afraid? If I die, I die. Maybe this whole time-travel experience will end here, and I'll be able to return to where I belong.*

She drew the sword from her waist and stepped forward to meet him.

The bandit leader didn't care that his opponent was a woman or if it was improper to kill her; he was a bandit, not a good person, so he didn't concern himself with such trifles. If he were a man of principle who couldn't bring himself to harm the weak or women, he wouldn't be a bandit, would he?

As he closed the distance, he raised his blade and hacked diagonally at the young woman, intending to split her in two. This situation was special; he had waited a long time for a suitable target, only to miscalculate and have his subordinate crippled, all while being watched by spectators. He would rather be mocked for being ruthless toward a young woman than be defeated by her and become the laughingstock of those onlookers—that would be a supreme humiliation.

Watching the young woman calmly face her opponent, Mu Zitao and his men all thought the same thing: *Could she really be hiding her true strength?*

The two were now engaged: the bandit with his blade, she with her sword. The attacker was the one with the blade, so she, with the sword, was on the defensive. She would either have to dodge or demonstrate such exquisite swordsmanship that she could find a flaw in his attack at the critical moment and break his technique.

Hong Xiaoduo, seeing the massive blade descending toward her, instinctively gripped her sword with both hands and swung it directly against the blade.

*Oh no.* Mu Zitao and his men were stunned by this move. Sword techniques included chopping, slashing, blocking, lifting, parrying, and thrusting—but they certainly did not include the move she had just used. It didn't look like a proper technique at all; it was as if she didn't consider the sword in her hand to be a sword at all.

Tianshu, still holding the reins, was tense beyond belief.

Just then, a loud *clang* rang out, and the blade flew away—knocked off course by the sword.

Well, both the sword-user and the blade-user were left speechless!

The bandit couldn't believe it either. He looked at his hand, which was aching and numb, then pointed at Tianshu and shouted at the stunned Qu Ba, "Grab that brat driving the cart!"

After shouting, he noticed the young woman was distracted, so he immediately threw a punch at her.

*I’ve kicked a steel plate today,* he thought. He had originally intended to retreat and save his own life, hoping to fight another day.

*Hmm? Is my martial arts power really this high?* Hong Xiaoduo, also in shock, snapped back to reality when she heard him shout, only to see a large, dark fist thrusting toward her chest...