Chapter 33: The Bandits

Hao Jingming canceled the martial arts tournament for a bride on the pretext that Xiao Bugui’s whereabouts were unknown, forcing Ma Ruyun and his brothers to head home. A troop of forty or fifty men, either mounted on fine steeds or driving carriages, made an imposing sight on the road.

Ma Ruyun sighed, "That Hao Jingming is a cunning fox; he made us brothers travel thousands of miles to Cangzhou only for a wasted trip."

Ma Yulang replied, "Eldest Brother, it will be yours sooner or later, why be in such a hurry?"

Originally, the trip was meant to find wives for his brothers, but upon seeing the beauty, Ma Ruyun wanted her for himself. Lost in fantasy, he muttered, "Women are like horses; when I see a good one, I want to tether her and mount her. It's a pity—if this fine mare were in the Western Regions, she would already be beneath me."

People often have grand dreams, yet they are met with misfortune. Ma Ruyun never imagined that in a reed-filled marshland, he would encounter a group of masked, black-clad bandits.

The leader was none other than Jia Renyi, who said to Wang Dafang, "One cannot get rich without ill-gotten gains. If we kidnap Ma Ruyun, we shall become immensely wealthy."

Wang Dafang, unsatisfied with being a mere clerk for Boss Jia, had joined the ranks of the bandits. He was nervous; even if the robbery succeeded, he feared he would likely die as a sacrificial pawn. Recalling his brief life—three years of studying literature only to find he had a poor memory, then turning to martial arts only to be weak and clumsy, always getting beaten, then failing in business due to being swindled, and finally turning to farming only to face a great drought—he felt he had no choice but to gamble his life. Seeing the threat, he voiced his concern: "They have so many experts; surely we cannot handle them?"

Jia Renyi, wearing a human-skin mask to disguise his face, instructed him, "Robbery requires brains and strategy. If we attack them head-on, we are merely marching to our deaths."

Jia Renyi and his dozen or so cohorts hid in the reeds. A companion named Shi Hu shared the same fear and asked, "Boss Jia, they have strength in numbers. They look like trouble. Let's just give up and let them pass; we can wait for the next wave."

Jia Renyi retorted, "Your grandfather was a bandit and your father was a bandit. Are you going to shame your ancestors just because they have more people? We only need to seize their wealth and hide in the marsh. I have a secret path; they will never find us."

Shi Hu raised his cudgel and said, "Big Brother is right! I'll take the lead; I'll go up and bash him to death."

Jia Renyi replied, "Then go ahead and greet them."

"Alright!" Shi Hu mustered his courage, hoisted his broadsword over his shoulder, stood in the middle of the road, and shouted, "Do not move another step! This is a robbery!"

Ma Ruyun saw Shi Hu and paused, looking around. Seeing no one else, he laughed and asked mockingly, "Brother, did you come alone?"

Shi Hu bluffed, "I would never have the guts to come alone. My hundreds of brothers have already surrounded you. If you don't want to die, leave a thousand taels of silver and we'll let you go."

Ma Ruyun laughed heartily, then his face turned fierce. "Hundreds of men splitting a thousand taels? What a pathetic ambition! If you don't want to die, get the hell out of my way!"

At Ma Ruyun’s command, his bandit brothers raised their scimitars. Seeing this, Shi Hu grew indignant. He raised his own club and declared, "I am not afraid of death! No need for you to do it; I'll do it myself!" With that, he smashed the club onto his own head, intentionally fainted, and rolled into the reeds by the roadside.

Shi Hu’s antics made the Ma brothers roar with laughter. Ma Ruyun even scoffed, "I thought I’d encountered bandits, but it turns out to be a coward!"

Jia Renyi grew angry. He decided to step out himself, running to the middle of the road and shouting, "You ruffians! Do you know whose territory this is?"

Ma Ruyun asked with a smile, "Just scared off one coward, and now another fool who doesn't fear death appears. Isn't this just a patch of reeds? Even though I come from the Western Regions, I recognize a reed stalk when I see one. Tell me, where exactly is this?"

Jia Renyi replied, "This is the Iron-Clad Village. We pluck the feathers from every goose that passes and take the wealth from every traveler. If you resist, you lose both your wealth and your life."

Driven by the need for money, the dozen or so young men armed with weapons steeled themselves and stood behind Jia Renyi.

The two groups were now less than ten meters apart. A single word from either Ma Ruyun or Jia Renyi would have ignited the fight.

Suddenly, a giant pig and ten crates of gold fell from the sky, crashing precisely onto Ma Ruyun’s troop. Ma Ruyun’s horses were spooked by the massive impact and bolted, leaping over Jia Renyi’s head and galloping away.

With their boss's horse spooked, the surviving Ma brothers, concerned for his safety and disregarding the injured or fallen, followed suit.

In the crater, Jia Renyi saw the scattered gold and the bloated pig carcass and immediately understood. He shouted, "Quick! Take it and run!" He directed the group to gather one crate of gold, then they scrambled down the slope to a small boat and rowed into the dense reeds.

Wang Dafang had his own agenda. Seeing everyone busy grabbing gold, he used a cloth bag to wrap a dozen gold bars, hid them in a secret spot, and tucked two more on his person. He took a separate, hidden path and, daring not to stop, fled straight home.

However, some greedy companions remained, frantically looting. They were completely unaware that Sect Leader Shi and the Six Fiends had descended upon them.

Shi Yuhuan said to the greedy thieves, "You dare take the Demon Sect's gold? Do you not want to live? Pack it all up for me; if a single gold bar is missing, I will kill you."

The thieves finally realized they had encountered the Great Demon. One greedy soul revealed a murderous look, trying to brandish his blade, but was reduced to ash by a single glance from Shi Yuhuan. The bloated Pig Fiend returned to life, devouring the head of one of the thieves in a single bite. The others, terrified, pleaded for mercy and obediently packed the scattered gold back into the crates.

Having observed from above, Shi Yuhuan knew one crate had been stolen. She ordered, "Xiao Bugui, Hu Jiao, Yu Datou, go and chase those fleeing thieves."

Perhaps fueled by self-reproach, the Pig Fiend grew more frantic, charging into the water, crushing reeds, and carving out a waterway. Yu Datou said, "My children are here; don't be anxious, I will whistle for them."

Yu Datou whistled, summoning many fat, red-aproned babies to search the water.

An hour passed, but they found nothing. Jia Renyi and his group had vanished without a trace.

Shi Yuhuan interrogated the remaining bandits about their leader’s identity, but they all claimed to be temporary workers, naming their boss "Master Zhen the Good-Hearted," but knowing nothing of his family, address, or age.

Facing such fools, Shi Yuhuan was enraged and incinerated the remaining thieves with her fiery gaze. Though some gold was missing, the burden was lighter, and the crates were loaded onto the Pig Fiend’s back. Shi Yuhuan commanded, "I will settle the score with him another day. Let us go; we must return to the Demon Mountain before dark."