Chapter 139: Taking a Bold Chance

Fervently hoping that the bandits would return to Baiyue Village, Zhou Zhi had made preparations in advance, keeping an axe close at hand. A pair of sharp, starry eyes flashed with a chilling, steely glint as he silently slipped behind the door.

Zhou Zhi thought to himself, judging by the sounds just now, there aren't many of them this time. To capture the bandits, one must first capture their leader. I'll stick to the old plan and fight desperately against just one of them. If I can actually grab or slash one of them, things will be much easier to handle.

According to his expectations, the outlaws outside should be like Qi Yanwu last time—gently sliding the wooden door bolt or forcefully ramming the door open.

Yet, after Zhou Zhi waited quietly behind the door for the duration of a cup of tea, there was not a single sound from the door, nor any movement whatsoever outside. Zhou Zhi was utterly bewildered. What is this? Could it be that they've left?

As he was pondering this, he suddenly heard someone outside shouting, "Zhou Zhi, you little brat, come out! Today, we lords have come specifically to deal with you."

Though not loud, the voice was exceptionally deep and carried a formidable momentum.

Damn it! They have some real nerve, openly shouting right here in the courtyard. Do they really think they can come and go as they please in Baiyue Village? Do they really think I, Zhou Zhi, am afraid of them?

Blood surged to Zhou Zhi's head, and he moved to push the door open and step outside.

Yet the moment his hand touched the door latch, he stopped. He quickly thought to himself, although I resolved tonight not to let them escape easily and intended to capture one or two of them, there are too many people outside. Going out like this is still unwise—it would be no different from walking right into a trap.

Furthermore, once the door is opened, what if they rush in? What would happen to Dad, Mom, and little brother? I must not let them harm my family.

While Zhou Zhi hesitated, his father, Zhou Tie, clearly heard the noises outside as well. Terrified, he hurried out wearing only a single layer of clothing and said with a trembling voice, "Xiao Zhi, the bandits are back again. This time they're clearly targeting our Zhou family. What are we going to do?"

Zhou Tie was usually a robust and sturdy farmer, but at this moment he was trembling all over with fear, which tugged at Zhou Zhi's heartstrings. Putting on a confident and assured front, Zhou Zhi said, "Father, you don't need to worry. There are only three or five of them. Since they are shouting like that outside the house, the neighbors will surely come to help in a moment. Our Zhou family will be fine."

Despite saying those words, Zhou Zhi knew very well in his heart—rely on the neighbors for help? Ha! Right now, almost everyone in Baiyue Village believed he was in collusion with the bandits and that he was the one who had brought them to the village, plunging everyone into disaster.

The villagers had long loathed him to the bone and wished for his early demise. Even if he shouted his lungs out inside the house, not a single soul in Baiyue Village would ever step forward to rescue him.

At this very moment, the only thing he could rely on was his own strength to deal with them.

Seeing Zhou Zhi's nonchalant demeanor, Zhou Tie's inner anxiety calmed down slightly. His son was now the pillar of the household and their ultimate reliance; with Zhou Zhi around, it seemed there was no problem that could not be solved.

Zhou Zhi then lowered his voice and said, "Father, guard the doorway. No matter what happens outside, absolutely do not open the door. Xiao Zhi has his own ways of dealing with them."

Zhou Tie nodded gently in agreement.

Zhou Zhi turned from the outer room back to the bedroom.

His younger brother, Zhou Shaochuan, was already awake. Wide-eyed with fear, the little boy was curled up under the quilt, hardly daring to move a muscle. Seeing Zhou Zhi enter, Zhou Shaochuan was on the verge of tears as he whimpered, "Brother, the thieves have come to our house. Xiao Cheng is scared. What are we going to do?"

Gently patting Zhou Shaochuan's little head, Zhou Zhi comforted him in a low voice, "Xiao Cheng, with your brother here, they won't dare do anything to us."

With these words, Zhou Zhi picked up his axe and climbed onto the brick bed (kang).

The people in the courtyard seemed to have grown impatient, continuing their clamor: "Zhou Zhi, you little whelp, aren't you the 'Cold-Faced Butcher'? Do you only have this much courage? Are you going to be a coward hiding in his shell?

"We lords are telling you today, we aren't here to rob things; we're here to take you. If you still don't come out, we lords will set fire to the house and burn your entire family to ashes, dammit!"

The low, cursing voice from outside truly infuriated Zhou Zhi.

Dammit, you're here for me, and young master here was just looking to catch you anyway.

Without another thought, Zhou Zhi violently pushed open the window and sprang out with a powerful leap.

A fierce battle tonight was inevitable; it was either them or him. Right now, it boiled down to two words: life or death.

"Oh! The brat actually has some guts," said the same deep voice.

After leaping out, Zhou Zhi immediately steadied his footing and quickly looked around the courtyard.

There were four of them in total. Although there was no moonlight, Zhou Zhi could see clearly; one of them was none of other than Shrunken Monkey. The fellow was short and frail, and upon seeing Zhou Zhi, he had actually ducked behind a sturdy brute, peeking out nervously to watch him.

The other three were burly men holding broadswords, surrounding Zhou Zhi in a triangular formation. One of them said, "Little whelp, drop the axe in your hand and come with us. We lords won't make things difficult for you. If you remain stubbornly unrepentant, humph! These broadswords have no eyes!"

The more he listened to them, the more Zhou Zhi had a vague feeling that they did not harbor any intent to harm him at the moment. Feeling somewhat reassured, Zhou Zhi locked his eyes onto one of them, suddenly lunged forward, and swung his axe down with full force.

"Brothers, watch out!" Shrunken Monkey shrieked in alarm.

Having been thoroughly thrashed by Zhou Zhi last time, this fellow still harbored lingering fears and knew Zhou Zhi's tactic—fighting desperately and entangling a single opponent to the death. Fearing he might become the target again, he had already leaped far out of the way.

"Oh! This brat isn't weak at all!" Just as Zhou Zhi's axe descended, the man facing him raised his broadsword to block it.

Yet from this simple exchange alone, Zhou Zhi received a tremendous shock; the brute's strength was immense, and the axe in his own grip almost flew out of his hands.

The three burly men besieging Zhou Zhi were clearly trained, possessed martial arts skills, and moved with agility.

Even though Zhou Zhi's current vessel was robust and his movements were not slow, the three bustling brutes were clearly no ordinary hooligans. Had they not seemingly lacked the intent to harm him, Zhou Zhi would likely have already been slashed by their broadswords.

Sensing that they only wanted to capture him rather than hurt him, Zhou Zhi thought to himself, why shouldn't young master be bold for once today? Let them capture me, infiltrate their wolf's den, and find out their true origins once and for all. Besides, I truly cannot defeat all of them by force. With this thought, Zhou Zhi deliberately took two kicks to the body, lost his footing, and tumbled to the ground.

The three burly men stepped forward and immediately pinned Zhou Zhi down. Without a word of explanation, someone produced a rope and bound him tightly. At the same time, they deftly stuffed a rag into his mouth to silence him, while another pulled a hood over his head, plunging his vision into total darkness where he could see nothing at all.

Zhou Zhi inwardly cursed his fate—they were still putting him through all this trouble! I'll just have to see where they are taking me.

"Hump him over your shoulder and let's go! Let the boss deal with him once we get back!" the deep voice ordered one of the burly men nearby.

Without a moment's hesitation, the burly man grabbed Zhou Zhi, hoisted him onto his shoulder, and strode swiftly out of Baiyue Village.

Four horses waited outside the village. The burly man placed Zhou Zhi onto a horse, vaulted up into the saddle himself, and amid several shouts, four fast horses galloped wildly toward the southeast.