Chapter 52: Two?

From what the other man said, she also understood one more thing: the fact that they were so certain there were several children inside the donkey cart meant they had already been secretly observing them during the day.

The tension and fear she had initially felt were instantly washed away by a rising wave of fury. Despicable and shameless villains! Lacking the ability to engage in a fair and square fight, they actually resorted to such base tactics.

"There's also a pretty little piece. Let's the two of us tie her up and hide her first. Once we're done here, we'll break the fast and enjoy ourselves."

"Right, we can't let all of them know. Otherwise, how would it ever be our turn to taste something fresh?"

Standing this close to the donkey cart and speaking such filthy, obscene words without a shred of shame, coupled with those wretched, leering laughs, was like pouring a barrel of gasoline onto the fire already raging in Hong Xiaoduo's heart. She was on the verge of exploding with anger.

She raised her hand and gently patted the donkey's forehead, as if consulting it: *Little donkey, for the sake of the children who have taken such good care of you, please, no matter what happens next, do not get startled, run wild, and hurt the children!*

Then, regardless of whether the donkey could comprehend her intentions, she took two steps toward the back of the cart.

Right on cue, she came face-to-face with the two scoundrels.

The two men were momentarily taken aback. Hong Xiaoduo, however, paid them no mind. Acting as if they didn't exist at all, she walked in a circle around the donkey cart, vaguely spotting several dark figures rushing toward the front from different directions. Right around the donkey cart, the only ones she could confirm were these two bastards.

Just two? Good, she could handle them.

Seeing her behave this way, the two men in black were quite astonished. Clearly just a delicate young lady with no martial arts background, how could she be so unfazed?

"Little lady, we know you and that old man Wei weren't traveling together originally. So, be cooperative and let us borrow two of the children?" one of the men in black asked with a smirk.

"And then?" Hong Xiaoduo asked as she observed them. The two bastards had actually sheathed their respective swords! Just how arrogant were they, and how little did they take her for?

Hearing this, the two men in black exchanged glances. "And then? You take the other children and hide in the woods to wait. Once our brothers deal with that old man surnamed Wei, we'll come back to look for you. Serve the two of us well, and if you serve us well and satisfy your big brothers, we'll return the borrowed children to you. We won't make things difficult for you then, and we'll just let you go on your way."

"We're reasoning with you nicely. If you don't know what's good for you, tonight every single one of our brothers will take turns playing with you. Then, you and these little brats will all be leaving your lives right here," the other man in black laughed evilly.

Getting a close look at the young lady's appearance, the two men suddenly felt that taking on today's mission was truly worth it.

Otherwise, given their status within the gang, by the time ordinary women kidnapped by the gang were finally passed down to them, the poor things were practically at their last gasp.

Look at the dainty and charming young lady before them—she even had a sword at her waist, which somehow looked rather cute!

Hong Xiaoduo knew the old saying: strike first to gain the upper hand, strike last and suffer disaster.

Yet, even though she had already engaged in physical combat three times prior, those occasions had always started with the opponents making the first move. In her panic back then, she hadn't had the luxury of overthinking before retaliating.

As for scumbags like the two before her, who had been spewing filthy talk without making a move, she actually hadn't known how she should initiate the attack, which one to hit first, or how to deal with them.

If she hadn't been somewhat unaccustomed to handling such people and situations, she wouldn't have let them disgust her for this long.

The men were dressed in black, and the cloth masks around their necks hadn't even been pulled up to conceal their faces. The wretched smiles and leering looks on them sent a chill through Hong Xiaoduo, rendering her completely unable to endure it any longer. She raised the whip in her hand and lashed it straight across the face of the man closest to her.

"Wearing a human skin yet failing to speak human words," she cursed as the whip lashed out.

She struck so suddenly that by the time the opponent reacted, it was far too late to dodge. The whistling tip of the whip landed squarely across his face. The next moment, a miserable scream rang out. The man staggered back two steps, pressing one hand against his face while the other fumbled for the hilt of the sword at his waist.

*Huh? This thing packs such a powerful punch?*

The moment Hong Xiaoduo felt a flicker of disbelief, she flicked her wrist and lashed out once more at the arm with which the man was drawing his sword. The scream grew even shriller.

Equally incredulous was the second man in black, who had lagged a step behind his companion. He had watched with his own eyes as the young lady whipped his comrade, but he hadn't taken it seriously. Young ladies from wealthy families were naturally willful and arrogant; it was entirely normal for one to react and put up a fight when facing such a situation.

He had been waiting to see how his companion would toy with this young lady: would he catch the tip of the whip and pull her into his arms for a quick kiss, or would he nimbly dodge left and right while pinching her slim waist?

His comrade's wretched shrieks stunned him for a split second. When he realized that both he and his companion had miscalculated and severely underestimated the young lady before them, his first instinct wasn't to draw his weapon to defend himself, but rather to turn around and use lightweight kung fu to flee the scene as quickly as possible.

Although he hadn't seen the extent of his companion's injuries, based on his years of experience executing missions, he could tell from the first agonizing scream and the crisp sound of breaking bones during the second lash that Old Eighth was finished.

*Want to run?* Following the promptings of her heart, Hong Xiaoduo took a few strides forward, raised her whip, and lashed it toward the back of the airborne figure ahead of her.

The feedback from the whip against her palm told her she hadn't missed. The next instant, the man let out a muffled groan and plummeted heavily to the ground, face down.

Hong Xiaoduo wanted to step forward to check on him, but she couldn't set aside her worry for the children in the cart. Turning her head, she saw the man she had whipped first stumbling blindly toward the woods, holding one eye.

She didn't pursue him, but after a brief thought, she fished out a pebble and hurled it toward the back of the man's knee. With a heavy thud, the dark figure dropped to his knees, and harsh, miserable wails filled the air once more.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" Unable to suppress his worry, Tianshu had mustered the courage to climb down from the cart. Seeing the silhouette standing at the edge, he asked in a trembling voice.

"I'm fine. Didn't I tell you to stay inside the cart? Why didn't you listen and come out instead?" Hong Xiaoduo asked in a low voice, her eyes remaining vigilantly fixed on the surroundings.

Certain that she was indeed unharmed, Tianshu let out a breath of relief. "I... I was afraid that when you fought them, the donkey might get startled and you wouldn't be able to look after it, so..."

Listening to Tianshu's nervous explanation, Hong Xiaoduo actually felt quite comforted. The child was clearly terrified himself, yet he had still managed to take that into consideration—it was no small feat.

At that moment, the sound of approaching hoofbeats echoed. Griping her whip tightly, Hong Xiaoduo kept her gaze fixed ahead, wondering whether to whip the horse or greet the rider with the lash once they drew near.

"Little lady, are you both safe and sound?" Before the horse even reached them, a voice called out. She recognized the voice instantly—it belonged to the old man's bodyguard.

Specifically, he was one of the three bodyguards the old man had assigned to the rear to protect her and the children. He must have heard the miserable screams of the men in black and rushed over, fearing something had gone wrong.

"We're fine. Don't worry about us, go back to what you were doing," Hong Xiaoduo hurriedly replied.

"You're truly unhurt?" The bodyguard pulled back on the reins, still asking with evident concern.

In truth, the intruders on the side of the honorable old master had already been largely dealt with, which was the only reason he had been able to hear the commotion here and rush over...