"This is a military secret, I cannot disclose it. Apologies," the soldier said.
"What a pity, I wanted to witness my brother’s bravery in battle."
"Little brother, what is your name?"
Lin Zheyu asked.
The armored soldier remained expressionless, even though he claimed to be Han Mo’s junior brother, the soldier maintained a frosty demeanor.
"Apologies, I cannot disclose it."
The soldier, expressionless, said as he placed his hand on his weapon, his face full of vigilance.
The surrounding soldiers were the same, full of wariness towards this unfamiliar young man, not relaxing because he claimed to be Mr. Han’s junior brother.
Clearly, Han Mo’s teachings to his subordinates were extremely strict.
"Brother, you can’t even tell your name, nor the location where my brother is fighting bandits. Can you at least tell me where there are bandits often appearing nearby?"
"I resent evil deeply and detest these murderous bandits. I want to do my best to eliminate as many bandits as I can."
Lin Zheyu pulled out a map and asked the soldier.
The soldier thought for a while. This did not involve military secrets, but he did not want to say too much.
Remembering there was just a place where bandits had assaulted, and they did not have enough soldiers to send aid, so he said:
"Proceed eight miles in this direction along the official road, there’s a group of bandits attacking a caravan there. If you go now, you might be able to help."
"How timely, thanks, brother. I’ll go take a look."
Lin Zheyu grinned and threw the package he was holding: "Take good care of this package, it’s full of good stuff, don’t lose it."
Upon finishing, he dashed towards the location mentioned by the soldier, his speed extremely fast.
"Gang, that young man seems to really be Mr. Han’s junior brother. You directed him to the battlefield between the bandits and the caravan; if anything happens, be careful that Mr. Han won’t spare you upon returning," the soldier whispered as he approached.
Zhao Gang held the package thrown by Lin Zheyu, hearing this made his heart uneasy: "No... it can’t be, right?"
"That guy was so fast just now, and being Mr. Han’s junior brother, his strength shouldn’t be weak. Nothing will probably happen, right?"
Zhao Gang swallowed hard, saying nervously.
Their trust in him was evident as he simply entrusted them with the package, proving he was highly likely Mr. Han’s junior brother.
"Who knows, that kid is so young, his strength is indeed good, but how much can one person’s strength accomplish on the battlefield?"
"You know the behavior of those bandits, poison smoke, poisonous powder, poisoned hidden weapons appear incessantly, if this hot-headed young man charges ahead, he won’t last a few rounds before he’s gone," said the soldier.
Zhao Gang became more frightened as he listened, growing increasingly apprehensive and said, trembling: "Then, then should we take some brothers over there to support?"
"Do you want to die!"
"If something really happens to Mr. Han’s junior brother, at most, we’ll get a beating, endure the pain for a few days. If we violate military orders, leading troops out arbitrarily, our lives would be forfeit," the soldier said, rolling his eyes.
"Ah!"
"Then, then, then..."
Zhao Gang’s young, immature face turned red, and he was so nervous that he almost cried.
...
Eight miles, approximately four kilometers.
If Lin Zheyu ran at full speed, it wouldn’t even take five minutes to get there.
Upon nearing, he caught a strong scent of blood in the air, mixed with a faint other smell, likely the scent of poisoned smoke.
After advancing another hundred meters, he finally saw the caravan.
This was nearly a three-hundred-man caravan, with each guard robust and only a few covered in wounds.
Several dead horses and more than ten corpses were lying on the ground, many people had fainted, with severed limbs and weapons scattered around.
The remaining active guards, about a dozen of them, were cleaning up, while the others held weapons and kept vigilant of the surroundings.
"Bin, the cargo loss isn’t much, only 230 taels of silver were stolen," a steward said after counting the goods.
"Alright, tell everyone to remain vigilant as there are many bandits around here; another attack may happen," Zhao Bin said.
"Yes!"
The steward efficiently went about handling the aftermath.
On this journey, they had experienced numerous mountain bandit attacks but had managed to withstand them.
At this point, those who dared to conduct business were formidable, while the less capable had long since become skeletons.
If they could safely reach Songyi City, the profit from this trip would surpass several trips of usual income.
"Is it over?"
Lin Zheyu looked from afar at the caravan, which was already organizing the aftermath, with no sign of bandits around.
After some thought, he approached.
Lin Zheyu planned to directly inquire about the bandits’ whereabouts, to gauge their strength, and if they were not formidable, he contemplated intercepting them midway.
His formidable strength and the lack of constant restrictions outside the city emboldened his actions significantly.
Clang—
As Lin Zheyu approached, the guards responsible for vigilance drew their knives with a clang, pointing the blades at him, their eyes filled with wariness.
"Stop, who goes there!" the guard shouted loudly.
At the head of the convoy, Zhao Bin, who sat on his horse, looked over, sizing up Lin Zheyu.
He was a middle-aged man in his forties, with a robust aura and formidable strength.
From him, Lin Zheyu sensed a wisp of Qi Blood power; he was a Qi Blood Realm expert, not overly strong, weaker than himself by measures.
"I mean no offense. I’m here to pursue bandits. Did you just encounter the mountain bandits?" Lin Zheyu cupped his hands towards the guard before him.