Chapter 42: Jungle Slaughter (1)
Chapter 42: Jungle Slaughter (1)
September 25, 2017
The bandits, eager to get their hands on Lu HaiKong, a potential goldmine, worked with remarkable efficiency. From the moment Lu HaiKong left the village to the time they finished their meal and set out in pursuit, only about ten minutes had passed.
In those ten minutes, Lu HaiKong hadn't gotten very far.
Seemingly agitated from his encounter with the bandits, Lu HaiKong recklessly slashed at the flowers and trees along the road with his longsword, as if trying to vent his anger.
Suddenly, the sound of galloping horses startled Lu HaiKong. He turned to see twelve bandits already on his tail, causing him to panic and flee from the village road into a nearby small forest.
"Hey, this little guy is pretty quick. He knows to run into the woods. Old Three, Old Four, you two stay here with the horses. The rest of you, follow me and give this little lamb a lesson in the ways of the Jianghu." The bandit chief chuckled lightly, his face relaxed as if Lu HaiKong was already in his grasp.
"Boss, that kid looks soft and tender. How about we have some fun with him before we kill him?" One of the bandits nearby revealed a lewd and twisted smile.
"Do as you please, just remember to finish him off afterward." The bandit chief responded nonchalantly, suggesting that this wasn't the first time the perverted bandit had made such a request.
The group of bandits dismounted at the spot where Lu HaiKong had entered the small forest and, led by their chief, began to chase after Lu HaiKong, who had fled into the woods in a panic.
Notably, the bandit chief seemed to possess exceptional tracking skills. Despite Lu HaiKong entering the forest first, by the time they arrived, they couldn't see him at all. Yet, the bandit chief effortlessly led his men along the path Lu HaiKong had taken.
Soon, the bandits caught sight of Lu HaiKong. Startled, Lu HaiKong turned and fired an arrow at them in a flustered manner. Then, he turned and ran.
"Look at him, he's so pathetic. And he dares to venture into the Jianghu?"
The bandits burst into laughter, finding Lu HaiKong's desperate struggle amusing. At this moment, no one suspected that Lu HaiKong could escape their grasp, and no one paid any attention to the arrow Lu HaiKong had fired in panic.
"Ah!"
It wasn't until they heard the sound of a blade piercing flesh and a muffled cry of agony that they realized Lu HaiKong's arrow had actually hit one of the bandits.
The injured bandit, standing at the edge of the group, had been laughing when the arrow flew towards him. He was hit in the right foot, not a fatal wound but one that would certainly hinder his movement.
This infuriated the bandit chief, who assigned a bandit to stay behind and care for the injured man while berating him harshly. However, he merely thought his man was foolish and didn't consider for a moment that Lu HaiKong might be feigning weakness.
The bandit group resumed their pursuit of Lu HaiKong, this time with increased seriousness. Although they still didn't consider Lu HaiKong a threat, no one wanted to become a laughingstock like the unfortunate bandit who had been injured.
As they intensified their pursuit, they expected an easy capture, but to their surprise, Lu HaiKong proved to be more cunning than they had anticipated.
Once again, Lu HaiKong was in a desperate situation, his head covered and frantically fleeing. Yet, he managed to escape their encirclement, an outcome that left the pursuers perplexed. After the third time, they realized that this young man was not as simple as they had initially thought.
Just as they came to this realization, Lu HaiKong seemed to transform. Gone was the previous panic and disarray, replaced by a sharp and bloodthirsty demeanor. In an instant, he morphed from prey into a hunter.
There were ten bandits in pursuit, but one had been shot by Lu HaiKong, and another was left behind to take care of the injured. Now, only eight, including the bandit chief, remained on his trail.
A piercing sound tore through the dense forest, and an arrow flew out from the thicket, precisely hitting one of the bandits in the back, instantly ending his life. Thus began Lu HaiKong's jungle hunting game.
"Retreat!" The bandit chief's face turned as dark as charcoal as he coldly commanded.
They realized they had fallen into Lu HaiKong's trap. In the forest, they were at a disadvantage, armed only with knives and lacking any long-range attack capabilities. Chasing a novice would have been one thing, but pursuing an archer expert was a death wish.
The bandits began to retreat, planning to leave the jungle and reconsider their strategy, all the while covering each other.
But these bandits were in for a rude awakening. Lu HaiKong was not an ordinary man. He usually had a cheerful and carefree demeanor, but when provoked, his dark and brutal side emerged, reaching a level of sociopathic intensity.
From the moment the bandit chief had touched Lu HaiKong's food at the dinner table, their fate was sealed. Never underestimate the fury of a foodie.
The bandits, who had been in high spirits while chasing Lu HaiKong, now found themselves deep in the forest, unable to easily escape, especially with Lu HaiKong on their tail, occasionally taking potshots at them. In just ten minutes of their retreat, three bandits had been permanently left behind in the small forest by Lu HaiKong's arrows.
At this point, the group of bandits realized that if they continued, they would be picked off one by one by Lu HaiKong's arrows. With no other choice, they stopped their retreat and sought a relatively safe spot where arrows couldn't easily reach, and from there, they tried to negotiate.
"Young Master, brave warrior, sir, please leave us a way out, and we can part ways amicably. We are bandits from the Black Wind Fort, and even if you kill us all, offending the Black Wind Fort will make your future difficult. How about this? We have 50 gold coins. We'll give you 50 gold coins, and we can consider today's matter settled. We'll part ways, and you can go your way, and we'll go ours. What do you say?"
The one negotiating was not the bandits was not the chief but the same bandit who had earlier mocked Lu HaiKong. As for the bandit chief, he had quietly slipped away from their hiding place.
It was just a jungle pursuit, and Lu HaiKong was no less capable than the bandit chief. If Lu HaiKong dared to speak, the bandit chief was confident he could track him down by following his voice and finish him off.
(End of Chapter)
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