Chapter 127
This group of mountain bandits were said to be bandits, yet they were not quite like them. On the roads between Yuanzhou and Fu'an Town, mountain bandits often appeared. Those bandits were not large in scale; sometimes there were seven or eight of them, sometimes five or six, operating in small groups.
Most of them were from the surrounding villages. They might have one or two older brothers above them and three or four younger siblings below. They had little land and relied entirely on the heavens for their food. If they encountered droughts or floods, they either had to tighten their belts or sell their children. When families were in difficulty and went to town to find work, there weren't many jobs they could do, and they dared not go to faraway places. Only when they truly could not survive did they take this desperate risk and start doing this work that lives on the knife's edge.
[勒紧裤腰带 (lēi jǐn kù yāo dài): lit. to tighten one's belt; fig. to endure hardship and live frugally, especially in times of poverty or financial difficulty.]
After all, they were villagers. Even if they had evil desires, they dared not act on them fully, fearing that robbing too harshly would provoke public outrage. Usually, they just stole some goods, robbed a little silver, and had never taken a life. When the authorities received reports and dispatched troops to suppress them, they would hide in their villages, all wearing honest faces. Plus, the villagers were all related in some way and would help cover for them, so investigations never turned up anything. Seeing that they had not committed any truly heinous acts, the authorities turned a blind eye.
But this current group of bandits was different.
Yang Mingyi had already given them all the silver he had on him, yet the other party surprisingly still did not want to let him go.
"What do you want to do?"
The mountain bandit laughed, his words lewd: "Of course, I want to do you!"
Yang Mingyi's face darkened. Upon hearing this, Master Wu, his voice hoarse, said, "Yi Ger, run, run quickly!"
"You old fool, looking for death!" The bandit kicked him hard.
"Grandfather!" Yang Mingyi refused to leave.
Leaving aside whether a ger could outrun several strong men, even if he could, he was incapable of abandoning his family and fleeing alone. But if he stayed...
He glanced at the stick by his feet, thinking of putting up a desperate fight, but before he could even make a move, the bandit charged at him.
"Little beauty~" The bandit pushed Yang Mingyi to the ground and then pressed down on him.
The surrounding bandits jeered and egged him on.
"Brother, hurry up! We're all waiting to have some fun!"
"This ger is so damn handsome! Even the top prostitute at Fangchunlou can't compare. Just looking at that face makes me itch."
"Even though he's a little ger and his body isn't as soft as a girl's, he looks pretty good. I guess he's still a virgin. We're so lucky today."
"Rumors say that the only ger of Boss Yang from Fu'an Town possesses peerless beauty, one that could topple cities and captivate a nation. Having seen him now, the reputation is indeed well-deserved."
Yang Mingyi's head struck the ground hard, making his vision swim. He resisted with all his might, his legs kicking and his arms flailing. As the bandit leaned down to kiss him, he landed a punch squarely on the bandit's face.
"Damn you, you dare hit me?" the bandit roared, raising his hand high and slapping Yang Mingyi viciously.
With a sharp crack, the slap landed solidly on Yang Mingyi's face.
The strength of a man accustomed to hard labor was formidable.
The blow was excruciating. Yang Mingyi's head snapped to the side, a ringing filled his ears, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
He had never been beaten like this before in his entire life, what he had mostly endured were sarcastic remarks and scorn.
Or rather, one could even say that before the age of nine, apart from his maternal grandparents who occasionally visited, he had always been an overlooked presence in the Yang household.
In the entire household, only an old nanny kept him company.
It wasn't until Yang Mutao gave up hope to have another child that he was brought out from the rear courtyard.
Stunned by the blow, the left side of his face swelled rapidly. The incessant ringing in his ears merged with the bandit's vulgar words pouring into his right ear, the two sounds mingling into an incomprehensible noise that threatened to split his head with pain.
He instinctively pushed against the man with both hands, but the other party remained immovable. Yang Mingyi, unable to control himself, began to plead, "Don't... please don't...".
"Yes, how can I not want it! I'll make you happy soon." Yang Mingyi had a cold and indifferent temperament. He looked noble, high and mighty and inviolable. But now his eyes were empty, and he showed a panic and helpless expression. The contrast was huge, but not inconsistent. Instead, it complemented each other. The fact that such a person could beg for mercy in a low voice made the bandit's blood boil.
"Yi Ger..." Master Wu's body trembled uncontrollably. He was forced to watch the scene unfold, utterly powerless to intervene, and could only scream until his voice grew hoarse. The rain of kicks and punches falling upon him intensified.
He tried desperately to crawl toward Yang Mingyi, but was swiftly dragged back by the bandits.
Even in his prime, he had been a scholar, a man without the strength to bind a chicken. After decades of a comfortable life, and now well advanced in years, facing these brutal mountain bandits, Master Wu stood no chance. He was completely helpless.
"Yi Ger~"
"Yi Ger~"
He could only call his grandson's name, over and over. He understood the ways of these mountain bandits. When they showed no interest in wealth, their target became life itself. If Yang Mingyi fell completely into their clutches, his fate would be too terrible to contemplate.
This journey had been undertaken without anticipating such danger; their group consisted only of a few maids, servants, and two guards.
Now, all of them lay defeated on the ground.
Master Wu no longer dared to look, terrified that witnessing his grandson's plight would be the final blow that stopped his own heart.
Seeing the bandit reach out to undo his clothes, Yang Mingyi—still just a child who had been confined to the inner courtyard and had never experienced such things—felt sheer terror, despite his usual calm and composure. His hands were already firmly pinned, and as the drug took effect, his whole body began to grow weak and limp. He bit his lip tightly, clenched his fists until his palms bled, and finally closed his eyes in despair.
Yet, a moment passed, and the bandit made no move. The weight on him lifted suddenly, and a startled cry from the bandit rang in his ears.
Yang Mingyi's eyes snapped open, then his pupils constricted sharply, clearly reflecting the figure of Fang Zichen.
Fang Zichen seized the bandit, hoisting him bodily into the air before hurling him down with immense force onto the hard ground. Before the man could even cry out, Fang Zichen planted his foot firmly upon the bandit's abdomen, pressing down with crushing weight.
"Ugh..." The bandit felt as if all his organs had been displaced from the impact. The foot on him felt like a thousand-pound weight, crushing his spine and sending numbness through his body. A dull, throbbing pain erupted in his chest, rendering him instantly immobile. He continuously vomited blood.
Gazing at the person who had suddenly appeared, Yang Mingyi, still prone on the ground, asked in disbelief, "...Brother Fang?"
"It's me!" Fang Zichen nodded and said.
Yang Mingyi's nose tingled with sourness. "Is it really you?"
"Could it be fake?" Fang Zichen clicked his tongue, swept his hair back, revealing his handsome and sharp features. "This brother's good looks haven't faded a bit since the old days. Has it only been a few days? You don't recognize me already?"
They had exchanged only a few words when noise came from behind.
"Big brother..."
Fang Zichen's appearance was too sudden, completely unexpected. The remaining bandits, now recovered from their shock, were furious. Just on the verge of success, a Cheng Yaojin had suddenly sprung out halfway.
[程咬金 (Chéng Yǎojīn): lit. Name of a Tang Dynasty general; fig. (Modern Slang) An uninvited person who suddenly interrupts a situation, derived from the general's legendary tactic of a sudden, overwhelming assault.]
In the eyes of the bandits, Yang Mingyi was now equivalent to gleaming gold. How could they tolerate the duck that was already in their mouth flying away?
Brandishing their knives, they cursed and charged forward. Among their shouts, some told Fang Zichen to be sensible and scram immediately, while others, utterly arrogant, declared they would kill whoever stood in their way, even the Buddha himself.
So insolent!
Fang Zichen remained calm and unafraid. He slowly picked up a large knife from the ground and, with one hand, helped Yang Mingyi up onto his back. "Don't be afraid. It's alright now."
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