TRWSB – Chapter 108 Brother And Sister Mountain Bandits

The carriage trudged through the mountain forest.

Zhuang Hao approached Yi Fan and Mu Tingxuan, who were driving the carriage.

Yi Fan glanced at Zhuang Hao and asked, “Young Master Zhuang, is something wrong?”

“We can’t keep going,” Zhuang Hao replied.

“Why not?” Yi Fan asked in confusion.

Zhuang Hao furrowed his brows. “Something’s wrong with this forest. For over an hour, you’ve been circling around the same area.”

Yi Fan was stunned. “That can’t be.”

“I’m not mistaken,” Zhuang Hao said firmly.

Yi Fan eyed him skeptically. “Young Master Zhuang, are you suggesting someone tampered with this area?”

Zhuang Hao nodded. “It might be the work of the Phantom Fox. There are many forces opposed to Yuan Kingdom, and someone might want to stop us from reaching Feng Yuan to treat him.”

Yi Fan hesitated. “Really?”

Shen Yuan chimed in, “Zhuang Hao wouldn’t be wrong. Ah Hao is a Golden Beast Tamer with exceptional vision.”

Yi Fan thought: Based on how long Zhuang Hao spent with Qi Shaorong without realizing that the ‘Evil Doctor’ was Qi Shaorong and vice versa, Zhuang Hao’s so-called ‘vision’ was questionable at best.

Zhuang Hao waved his staff, and a large bolt of lightning struck a tree in the forest. The scene before Yi Fan and the others changed instantly.

Yi Fan frowned, startled. “So it really was tampered with.”

As the illusion dissipated, a man and a woman were revealed.

The man was burly, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, giving off a somewhat honest appearance.

The woman, dressed provocatively in a tight outfit that exposed much of her legs and chest, looked sultry and seductive. Their mismatched appearances made them look like a beauty paired with a beast.

A five-tailed fox demon lounged lazily beside the woman, swishing its tails.

“Sis, did we get the wrong people? That guy said the group accompanying Qi Shaorong were all handsome men!” the man muttered, scratching his head in confusion. “These guys are way too plain.”

The woman nodded in agreement, her face full of disdain. “Plain? That’s an understatement. They’re hideous. These two are just awful to look at!”

She glanced at Zhuang Hao and Yi Fan with disgust, then turned to Shen Yuan. “By comparison, this guy actually looks decent.”

Shen Yuan looked at Zhuang Hao and Yi Fan, thinking: Compared to them, he was “decent.” His shattered self-confidence was finally starting to recover a little.

The man nodded. “Yeah! Sis, didn’t you say you wanted to take Zhuang Hao as your captive husband? But these guys look so awful.”

Yi Fan turned to Zhuang Hao with a smirk and whispered, “Young Master Zhuang, your reputation truly precedes you! Even bandits have heard of you. Too bad they seem disappointed.”

Zhuang Hao: “…”

Qi Shaorong emerged from the carriage yawning and asked, “What’s going on? Why have we stopped?”

“Sis, this pretty boy is handsome! He must be Zhuang Hao,” the man said excitedly.

Qi Shaorong glanced at the enthusiastic fool.

The woman frowned, examining Qi Shaorong. “He doesn’t look like Zhuang Hao! They say Zhuang Hao has an ascetic appearance, but this one has such flirtatious eyes. Too seductive!”

Qi Shaorong: “…” What kind of eyes did this woman have? Seductive? Him? And Zhuang Hao—ascetic? With all the flings Zhuang Hao had, where did she get the idea he was ascetic?

“Hey, are you guys from Yuan Kingdom?” the burly man asked casually.

“And what if we are? And what if we aren’t?” Qi Shaorong asked lazily, fanning himself.

“If you are, you’re not going anywhere. We were paid 200,000 gold coins to stop you,” the man said matter-of-factly.

Qi Shaorong: “…” Was the bar for robbers in this world really this low? Even a fool like this could make a living from it.

“Which one of you is Zhuang Hao?” the man asked.

Qi Shaorong’s eyes flickered mischievously as he fanned himself. “Ah, actually, we’re not from Yuan Kingdom. We’re just passing merchants. You’ve got the wrong people. Since we’ve met by chance, why not let us go and avoid unnecessary conflict?”

The burly man widened his eyes and scratched his head, looking toward the female cultivator beside him with a troubled expression. “Sister, we’ve got the wrong people. What should we do?”

Qi Shaorong was momentarily stunned and thought: They’re actually this gullible? I assumed it would take more effort to fool them.

The female cultivator punched the man in the face and scolded, “Idiot, he’s lying to you!”

“But…” The burly man hesitated, only to shrink back under the icy glare of the female cultivator.

“You’re Qi Shaorong, aren’t you?” the female cultivator asked.

Qi Shaorong was a bit surprised and thought: Though the man’s foolish, the woman reacts quickly.

“Hey, you’ve disguised yourselves, haven’t you? I’ve heard Qi Shaorong is an expert in disguise. You must be wearing masks. So, which one of you is Zhuang Hao?” the woman pressed.

Qi Shaorong fanned himself nonchalantly and replied, “Actually, I’m Zhuang Hao.”

“It’s you? Zhuang Hao looks like this?” the woman said, her tone full of disbelief.

Qi Shaorong: “…” This woman has no taste. I’m obviously this handsome!

“Would you all be willing to stay here for a while?” the female cultivator asked.

“No,” Qi Shaorong replied flatly.

The woman glared at him. “Then I have no choice. We were paid to make sure you don’t leave. I’ll have to use force to keep you here.”

“Ah Zhuang, get to work!” she called.

The burly man let out a roar and grabbed two large axes.

Qi Shaorong closed his fan and tapped his forehead, feeling exasperated. Which idiot hired these two to block our way? This is ridiculous.

Shen Yuan, feeling emboldened, declared, “I’ll handle the big guy. The woman is yours to deal with.”

Excited at the prospect of finally proving himself, Shen Yuan raised his magic staff and began chanting a spell. However, the burly man charged at him, sending him flying before the spell was even halfway complete.

Shen Yuan felt like he’d been hit by a rampaging bull and hadn’t even had time to react before he was airborne. His plan to redeem himself was thwarted, leaving him with the urge to bury himself in shame.

The man’s body grew larger, and Qi Shaorong squinted, noting the transformation. This oaf is berserking. Looks like he’s not entirely useless after all. Whoever paid twenty thousand gold coins for their services might not have wasted their money entirely.

In this world, humans and beastfolk coexisted, leading to the birth of half-beast hybrids. These hybrids were outcasts, rejected by both humans and beastfolk, making their lives incredibly challenging.

Though often simple-minded, berserk-capable half-beast hybrids possessed exceptional strength. However, not all beastfolk hybrids could berserk—those who could were extraordinary.

The burly man swung his axe at Shen Yuan, but Yi Fan intervened, summoning three water dragons that slammed into the man, sending him sprawling. Mu Tingxuan followed up with wooden vines, tripping the man and causing him to roll several times.

“Are you okay?” Yi Fan asked Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan frowned, his face flushing in embarrassment. He had underestimated the burly man’s strength and overestimated his own opportunity.

“I’m fine,” Shen Yuan said weakly.

“Good to hear. Since you’re fine, he’s yours to deal with,” Yi Fan said with a teasing smile.

Shen Yuan chuckled awkwardly. “Maybe not…”

“In that case, I’ll take care of it.” Yi Fan summoned several fire dragons that chased after the burly man, who screamed in panic as the flames engulfed him.

“Sister! Sister! Fire! I’m on fire!”

Yi Fan: “…”

“Are you done yet?” Zhuang Hao called over to the group after knocking the female cultivator unconscious and stringing her up in a tree.

“All done,” Yi Fan said.

The burly man was left with his clothes burned off and his body covered in scorched marks. He lay on the ground, rolling around and wailing in pain.

Yi Fan shook his head at the sight. “I can’t bring myself to kill someone this pitifully stupid.”

“Let’s go,” Zhuang Hao said.

Qi Shaorong nodded. “Alright.”

After the group had been gone for a while, Ah Zhuang finally stopped rolling, clutching his burned backside as he freed the female cultivator from the tree.

“Sister, they escaped,” Ah Zhuang said dejectedly.

“I have eyes; I can see that myself!” the woman snapped.

“What do we do now? The client already paid us. If we fail the job, do we have to return the money?” Ah Zhuang asked, distressed.

The woman frowned. “I don’t know. They reacted too quickly. We were only supposed to hold them for three days. Normally, I could trap anyone for weeks, but they broke free in less than two hours.”

The fox beside her yipped twice.

“Sister, what did Five-Tails say?” Ah Zhuang asked.

“It said there’s someone terrifying among that group. Just one look from him made it tremble,” the woman replied.

“Was it the guy who hit you with lightning and strung you up with vines?” Ah Zhuang asked.

The woman glared at him furiously, making him scratch his head in embarrassment. “Sister, that lightning guy was so annoying.”

The woman nodded solemnly. “That guy seems to know multiple types of magic, and his strength matches the rumors about Zhuang Hao. But he’s too ugly—ugly people sure cause trouble. Then again, he might have been disguised.”

“Sister, let’s forget about them. What should we do with the money? This was the biggest job we’ve ever taken, and now it’s ruined,” Ah Zhuang said mournfully.

The woman gave him a withering look. “Have some ambition.”

“But Sister, it’s twenty thousand!” Ah Zhuang protested.

The woman gritted her teeth, her heart aching at the thought. “Twenty thousand… That’s a fortune! We might not make that much in a lifetime!”

“Sister, we probably won’t get the rest of the payment. Should we just run off with the ten thousand deposit?” Ah Zhuang suggested.

The woman: “…”