Chapter 140: Mountain Bandits

Four fast horses galloped like arrows shot from a bowed string, adding an extra layer of mystery and desolation to the quiet night.

The sound of rushing wind roared in Zhou Zhi’s ears. With the jolting of the horses, his internal organs felt as though they were churning in a boiling pot, and waves of sour and bitter bile surged into his mouth.

Ever since his transmigrated journey to the Great Ming Dynasty began, this was perhaps the first time he had felt so utterly humiliated and helpless. His original intention had been to capture one or two of them alive to interrogate them about their origins, but he had never imagined he would have to resort to such a life-risking gamble—intentionally letting himself be caught and tossed around like a helpless chick.

In this era of the Great Ming, scholars were held in high esteem while martial artists were looked down upon. His ambition was to pass the examinations to become a scholar or a provincial graduate, refusing to live a mediocre life and striving instead for a brilliant and extraordinary future. Therefore, even though his physique was robust and healthy, he had chosen not to pursue the path of martial arts.

Yet here in the northern territories of the Ming Dynasty, the northerners were fierce and bold; relying solely on ruthlessness without any martial skills to back it up was simply not viable.

Fortunately, it seemed they had no intention of harming him, which could be considered the greatest misfortune among the lesser evils. If he had truly been murdered like his neighbor Wang Ren, then the second lease on life granted to him by the heavens would have ended in vain mediocrity.

While his mind wandered wildly, his ears remained on high alert, desperate to glean any scrap of information from their conversation. To Zhou Zhi's disappointment, however, the four men acted as though they had turned mute along the way, not uttering a single word. Even Shifty Monkey kept his mouth shut, solely focused on whipping the sturdy horses relentlessly.

That fellow's horsemanship didn't seem half bad; who knew when he had learned to ride? It seemed truly as Liu Hui’s young subordinate had said: this punk was living quite prosperously and remarkably well nowadays.

The sensation of being hung upside down across a horse was truly agonizing. Zhou Zhi felt as if every bone in his body had turned to jelly, and his physical form felt ready to shatter into pieces at any moment. At that moment, he only prayed they would stop as soon as possible so he could put an end to this unspeakable and tormenting ordeal.

After the sturdy horses had run for who knew how long, their speed finally began to decrease, though Zhou Zhi felt the jolting grow even more intense. It seemed they had entered a mountainous path.

After traveling for an unknown duration longer, he finally heard all four of them shout "Whoa!" simultaneously and pull back on the reins.

Shortly after, someone shouted, "Third Master and the others are back! Third Master and the others are back!"

The burly man who had shared the horse with Zhou Zhi was the first to dismount. Reaching out, he grabbed Zhou Zhi by the belt. "Get down, brat!" His voice remained as deep as before, but carried an ominous, chilling undertone.

Yanked off the horse, Zhou Zhi immediately collapsed onto the ground like a pile of mud.

"Hehe! This punk is a total coward, and people even called him the 'Cold-Faced Butcher'! If Boss hadn't given specific orders, Third Master here would have finished him off long ago today!"

Clearly, the man who had shared the horse with Zhou Zhi was the one addressed as "Third Master."

"Third Master, you mustn't underestimate this whelp. He's full of tricks and ruthless with his hands. Don't look at how docile he is right now; he might snap out of it at any moment and get arrogant again!" Shifty Monkey said ingratiatingly, delivering a vicious kick to Zhou Zhi's body.

Enduring the pain, Zhou Zhi cursed inwardly. *Just wait, Shifty Monkey. If this young master doesn't die today, I will surely slaughter you in the future!*

"You're just terrified of him! Carry him on your back and take him down!" Third Master barked angrily, issuing an order to Shifty Monkey.

Shifty Monkey’s face twitched as he pointed at his own nose. "Me, Third Master?"

"You, exactly. You didn't accomplish a single thing this time except follow along and drag your feet!" Third Master snapped.

Left with no choice, Shifty Monkey obediently hoisted Zhou Zhi onto his back. Being short and slight of build, his strength was naturally limited. Carrying Zhou Zhi, he was soon huffing and puffing, struggling immensely.

Yet resting against Shifty Monkey's spine actually made Zhou Zhi feel somewhat more comfortable, though his entire body still lacked an ounce of strength.

After winding through numerous turns for about seven or eight minutes, Zhou Zhi began to feel continuous waves of damp, chilly air washing over him.

"Zhou Zhi, you little whelp, just wait here to die! Let's see if you can still be arrogant and bully me, Shifty Monkey!" Shifty Monkey dumped Zhou Zhi heavily onto the floor, then removed the hood from his head and pulled the rag out of his mouth.

Zhou Zhi slowly opened his eyes, taking several deep breaths of the cold, damp air until his body felt somewhat relieved.

By this time, the sky was already fully bright, and the first thing that came into his view was Shifty Monkey's ferocious, gloating face.

"You little bastard, you never thought you'd see this day, did you? Just wait, my boss will be coming for your life shortly!" Shifty Monkey glared viciously at Zhou Zhi before slamming the wooden door shut with a heavy thud.

Shifty Monkey cursed as he walked away, likely to go have his meal.

Only then did Zhou Zhi carefully examine his surroundings. It was a small wooden house, enclosed entirely by round logs as thick as a soup bowl, with a floor covered in rotting, moldy grass.

It was currently noon, and biting cold gusts of wind occasionally whistled through the gaps, producing mournful, wailing sounds that kicked up dust and sent it swirling through the air, instantly filling one's heart with dread.

Looking out through the log-piled barricade, he saw endless, rugged mountains stretching into the distance. Since it was the depths of winter, the trees on the mountains were bare, further heightening the bleak and desolate atmosphere.

Zhou Zhi gradually understood: this group of bandits must be a band of mountain outlaws.

Within a radius of tens of miles around Baiyue Village, the terrain was entirely flat, with the nearest mountains being the sprawling Taihang Mountains that extended for a thousand miles. The closest point from Baiyue Village to the Taihang Mountains was no less than seventy or eighty miles. No wonder they had captured him last night and only arrived at the destination by noon the next day. And no wonder Liu Hui's subordinates hadn't been able to track them down quickly.

Now that he understood their background, Zhou Zhi's immediate priority was figuring out how to escape. Finding their lair and escaping to bring back a force to capture them was the best strategy. Sitting here and waiting passively would only lead to an unpredictable and dangerous outcome.

The bandit called "Third Master" had made it clear: they were waiting for the bandit leader to decide his fate. These men murdered and set fires without blinking; falling into their hands could surely lead to no good end.

Rushing into danger alone and deep into a wolf's den was no simple feat.

Since he still lacked physical strength, Zhou Zhi simply closed his eyes to rest and recover his energy as quickly as possible.

Suddenly, the slow sound of footsteps approached from afar. Zhou Zhi hurriedly opened his eyes to see a ragged, disheveled figure carrying a food box walking toward him.

The man stood outside, glancing around cautiously before speaking in a low voice, "Brat, time to eat!"

What kind of game were these bandits playing? They were actually providing meals? Puzzling over this, Zhou Zhi didn't overthink it; he stood up and accepted the food box from the man.

No matter what, eating was essential to recover his strength. Zhou Zhi immediately opened the box to find two coarse cabbage buns and a bowl of stewed, thoroughly softened cabbage.

The food was naturally crude, but Zhou Zhi paid it no mind, devouring the meal in large bites.

"Kid, I know you. You're Zhou Zhi, the son of Zhou Tie from Baiyue Village, aren't you?" The man outside didn't leave immediately, instead asking in a lowered voice.

Startled, Zhou Zhi turned his head to examine the man closely. He appeared to be around forty years old, with a haggard face and sunken eye sockets. Zhou Zhi did not recognize him. Sensing no hostility from the man, Zhou Zhi asked in response, "Uncle, who are you? How do you know who I am?"