The uncle and nephew duo passed by Moon River, already enveloped in a blanket of night.
From Moon River to Yujing City, it was still quite a distance away, and they had to pass through a desolate graveyard in between.
At night, the entire graveyard looked eerily solemn.
Yun Sheng and Yun Canglang took a few steps, then almost simultaneously, they stopped in their tracks.
One was a veteran of many battles, the other possessed Shennong’s Eyes; both had senses far beyond that of an ordinary person.
"Uncle, there’s something in the graveyard," said Yun Sheng, referring to something other than dirt or filth.
She could clearly hear five or six suppressed breaths; there was an ambush in the graveyard.
"Probably just petty thieves trying to rob passersby. They don’t carry much evil Qi, we’ll just teach them a lesson," Yun Canglang sighed, his gaze intense as it fixed on several suspicious shadows ahead.
Although Great Zhou had been peaceful these years, with Blood Cloud Beasts and various Demon Beasts occasionally appearing, some regions remained unstable.
Displaced citizens, unable to find a way to make a living, were forced to turn to banditry.
"Watch me," Yun Sheng said calmly, chanting swiftly under her breath.
In the graveyard, a few crouching thieves planning to rob the two night travellers were pondering their next move.
The gang was young, ranging from fifteen to over twenty years old, led by a youth named Zhou Quan.
Most were proficient in hand-to-hand combat, with Zhou Quan, a martial master, being the strongest.
They had been lurking nearly a month in the graveyard and were lucky enough to encounter a few passersby from time to time.
Suddenly a scent of burning reached them from behind, making him suspicious.
"Brother Zhou, behind you," his companion cried out in terror.
Zhou Quan turned around and nearly died of fright when he saw a Fireball eerily floating behind his head.
With every move he made, the Fireball followed. As he walked a few steps, the Fireball matched his steps.
"Boom--" Suddenly, five or six Fireballs appeared above the graveyard.
Each Fireball, as if having eyes of its own, wildly chased after the thieves.
"Ghosts! There are ghosts!" The thieves, not caring that they were in a graveyard, scrambled and rushed forward.
As they reached the path ahead, they saw two figures, one tall and one short.
The tall man, having lost an arm, stared at them with a gaze that could kill.
The short girl smiled sweetly at them.
Under the light of the fire, the girl’s face was exquisitely beautiful, with dimples sweet enough to die for.
She held a Magic Wand in her hand, and with a wave, the five or six Fireballs automatically vanished.
"You! Well, well, it turns out you’re behind this. Don’t think I’m afraid of you just because you’re a Mage? Qiangzi, come out, shout the slogan," Zhou Quan then realized he had been tricked.
A small, dark, and thin boy of about fifteen or sixteen years old jumped out, smoothly reciting: "This tree is mine, this road I did make, if you wish to pass..."
"Yun Family Army, Zhou Quan, Wang Qiangzi!" Yun Canglang commanded in a cold voice.
Hearing the commanding question, Zhou Quan and Qiangzi reflexively stood at attention and saluted, without shifting their gaze.
"Yun Family Army Cheng Xu, Ni Kun!"
With a shout from Yun Canglang, those several bandits actually lined up separately.
After a moment, the bandits were all startled.
"Brother Zhou, something seems off, how would that person know our names? It was dark earlier, we didn’t see clearly what that man looked like, why don’t you go up and check?" Subdued by Yun Canglang’s imposing shout, the bandits were utterly disoriented.
Shoving each other around, they eventually pushed Zhou Quan to the front.
If it had not been dark, Yun Sheng would have definitely noticed that Yun Canglang’s face was as black as the bottom of a pot; a member of the prestigious Yun Family Army, he was actually engaged in roadside robbery, and worse, in front of his own niece.
Zhou Quan, hesitating and dragging his feet, walked up to Yun Canglang, this fellow still fearful of death, actually lit a Fire Stick and leaned in to take a closer look at Yun Canglang.
Those eyebrows, that expression, a bolt from the blue struck Zhou Quan’s mind, his legs weakened, and the Fire Stick almost burned his own eyebrows.
"General, it’s Young General Yun!"
Four or five burly men, each no less than one seventy-five in height, their knees went weak, and with a thud, all knelt on the ground.
"No need to feign death, speak - who allowed you to rob and plunder here, how many times, how much money did you rob, let me hear all of it, and if there’s a single lie, you will be dealt with by military law!"
The news of Yun Canglang’s return to the Yun Family Army had only spread among a few military officers and leaders.
The ones who robbed Yun Sheng and others tonight belonged to different squads of the Yun Family Army; they never expected that they would end up robbing their own general.
"General, we were really forced to do this," these soldiers reported everything about the robberies they committed over the past month, their faces red.
Ever since Yun Cangxue cut off their salaries, everyone in the Yun Family Army was too poor to open the pot, and Yun Canglang had been absent all along.
All these people were Yun Canglang’s former subordinates; they did not want to betray the Yun Family Army, nor did they wish to change professions.
But every soldier had elderly parents, wives, and young children; out of desperation, they had no choice but to engage in these illicit activities.
"Nonsense, this is a violation of imperial law," Yun Canglang said grimly upon learning the truth.
He ran a strict military, and what he most disapproved of was soldiers engaging in reckless behavior. His subordinates breaking the law knowingly was utterly unforgivable.
The several soldiers did not dare to utter a word; Yun Canglang had not been seen for years, but his imposing reputation still remained, no soldier dared to make a sound in his presence.
"Uncle, although these brothers committed a fault, they also said they only robbed some money and did not harm anyone’s life, please don’t blame them anymore," Yun Sheng felt moved by these soldiers’ persistence.
"Sheng’er, you don’t understand military discipline; knowingly breaking the law is a severe crime. Their actions, if reported to the court, would only lead to death," Yun Canglang disapproved of his niece’s leniency.
"Uncle, common people driven by hunger resort to breaking the law, and they are left with only the path to death. The Military Department ignores this, letting these soldiers’ families starve to death, isn’t that also against the law?" Yun Sheng disagreed with Yun Canglang’s outdated approach.
She walked over to the several soldiers; these solid men, standing in front of their own uncle, were like meek little wives, cowering, showing the status Yun Canglang held in their hearts.
"Uncle, you are called Zhou Quan, right? Let me ask you, when you were not receiving your salary, did you ever inquire at the Yun Residence?"
"Inquired, but we were chased out," Zhou Quan sighed.
"Then have you ever gone to the Military Department, searching for relief?"
According to the laws of Great Zhou, active soldiers unable to feed themselves could seek relief from the Military Department.
"Marquis Weiyuan from the Military Department said, we are a private army of the Yun Family, and not under the jurisdiction of the Military Department,"
"Neither the Military Department nor the Yun Residence cares, then it indeed is a situation where neither dad loves nor mom cares. Uncle, if it were you, what would you do?" Yun Sheng, with a stern face, looked at her uncle.
**Thanks to Yuluo, Cheng Shang, Yuan Zui, and others for their generous support.**