The seventh day of Gù Tiānháo's journey dawned with a pale mist clinging to the valleys and hollows, giving the landscape an ethereal quality in the early morning light. As he broke camp and resumed his eastward trek, he calculated that he had covered approximately half the distance to the examination city. His pace had been good despite the increased caution of the past two days, and if he maintained it, he would arrive with ample time to prepare for the examination.
The road had begun to show signs of increased traffic—wheel ruts were deeper, roadside vegetation more trampled, and the occasional way station appeared at major crossroads. Yet travelers remained sparse, confirming that something was indeed discouraging normal movement through the region. Tiānháo had spotted three more bandit markers since yesterday, each fresher than the last, suggesting he was approaching the heart of their territory.
As midday approached, the terrain changed subtly. The relatively open landscape gave way to rolling hills covered with scattered copses of trees—perfect territory for ambushes, offering numerous vantage points and hiding places overlooking the road. Tiānháo's senses remained on high alert as he navigated a particularly vulnerable stretch where the road passed through a narrow valley between two steep, wooded slopes.
It was there that he first heard it—the distant clash of metal on metal, followed by shouts and the unmistakable crack of energy techniques being discharged. The sounds echoed strangely in the valley, making it difficult to pinpoint their exact origin, but they were unmistakably the sounds of combat. Tiānháo paused, extending his senses to their limit, trying to determine the direction and distance of the conflict.
After a moment's concentration, he identified the source—approximately half a li ahead, where the road curved around the base of the larger hill. The combat was ongoing, with periodic surges in intensity suggesting a skirmish rather than a brief encounter. Tiānháo considered his options carefully. The prudent choice would be to leave the road and circumvent the area entirely, avoiding involvement in a conflict that was not his concern. Yet curiosity and the potential for useful information tugged at him. If bandits were attacking travelers, observing their tactics could provide valuable intelligence for his own continued journey.
Decision made, Tiānháo moved forward with extreme caution, activating the Shadow Steps technique to enhance his stealth. He left the road, climbing partway up the wooded slope to gain a better vantage point while remaining concealed among the trees. Moving from cover to cover, he approached the source of the commotion, his footfalls silent, his presence masked by careful Qi control.
When he reached a position overlooking the scene, Tiānháo crouched behind a large boulder and assessed the situation below. The road widened into a small clearing at this point, and in the center of this clearing stood a carriage under attack. But this was no ordinary merchant wagon—it was an elegant conveyance of obvious quality, its wooden body lacquered in deep crimson with gold and silver accents, drawn by four fine horses now stamping nervously as the battle raged around them. The carriage bore an unfamiliar crest on its door—a stylized mountain peak with three stars above it, worked in silver against the crimson background.
Surrounding the carriage were the bodies of several guards, some clearly dead, others wounded but still struggling to defend their charge. The remaining guards—four men in matching dark green uniforms—had formed a defensive perimeter around the carriage, fighting desperately against a larger force of attackers. These attackers, numbering around nine, wore mismatched armor and clothing but moved with the coordination of an experienced band. Their leader, a burly man with a distinctive scar across his left cheek, directed the assault from a slight distance, occasionally firing energy bolts from a crude but effective talisman.
Tiānháo's eyes narrowed as he analyzed the cultivation levels of the combatants. The remaining guards appeared to be at the 3rd or 4th Level of Body Refinement—decent for ordinary guards but clearly outmatched by their opponents. Among the bandits, he counted five at approximately the 3rd Level, three at the 4th Level, and their leader, who displayed the unmistakable Qi presence of the 5th Level. No wonder the guards were losing; they faced superior numbers and cultivation levels.
As he watched, one of the guards fell, a bandit's blade finding the gap between his armor plates. The defensive perimeter contracted further, the remaining three guards backing closer to the carriage, their movements showing signs of fatigue. It was clear the battle would soon be over unless something changed.
"Finish the men quickly," the scarred leader called out, his voice carrying clearly to Tiānháo's position. "But remember—the women are to be taken alive. The noble ones fetch a good price in the border markets, and this one's carriage suggests real wealth.
" His followers laughed, the sound ugly with anticipation. "And don't damage the goods too much when you search the carriage," the leader continued. "That craftsmanship means nobility or rich merchants—either way, there'll be valuables worth more than a year's raiding.
"Tiānháo's expression remained impassive, but his mind worked rapidly, processing this new information. The carriage clearly belonged to someone of significance—nobility or a wealthy merchant family, traveling with what had probably seemed like adequate protection before encountering this unusually strong bandit group. The crest was unfamiliar to him, but that wasn't surprising; his knowledge of this world's noble families was limited to what he had gleaned since his transmigration.
From within the carriage came the sound of frightened voices—at least two distinct speakers, both female, though their words were too muffled to make out clearly. One voice sounded younger, perhaps a noblewoman, while the other might be a servant or companion. They were clearly aware of their dire situation, trapped as the last of their protection was being overwhelmed.
Tiānháo weighed his options with cold calculation. Intervening would mean revealing himself and engaging in combat against superior numbers, including an opponent at the 5th Level of Body Refinement. The risk was significant. On the other hand, if the carriage's occupants were indeed heading to the examination city, as seemed likely given the timing and direction, they could provide faster transportation and potentially useful connections. Noble families often had ties to the major sects, including the Verdant Cloud Sect that would be conducting the examination. Such connections could prove invaluable.
There was also the matter of the bandits themselves. If he continued on this road, he might encounter them again under less favorable circumstances. Better to deal with them now, from a position of surprise, than to risk becoming their target later. And while Tiānháo was not driven by heroic impulses, the bandits' casual discussion of human trafficking stirred something cold and hard within him—a remnant, perhaps, of the moral code Alex Chen had lived by in his previous life.
Decision made, Tiānháo began formulating a plan. Direct confrontation against nine opponents would be foolish, regardless of his confidence in his abilities. He needed to reduce their numbers quickly, using surprise and terrain to his advantage. The bandits were focused entirely on the carriage and its defenders, their backs exposed to the wooded slope where he hid. If he could eliminate several of the weaker ones in the initial attack, the odds would shift significantly.
He studied the bandits' positions, identifying the most vulnerable targets. Three of the 3rd Level cultivators had separated slightly from the main group, pressing the remaining guards from the flank. They would be his first targets. The others, including the leader, were more clustered, making them harder to isolate. He would need to be quick, decisive, and ruthless—eliminate the easier targets, then adapt to the changing situation.
As he prepared to move, Tiānháo's hand brushed against the storage pouch at his waist, confirming the position of his emergency Meridian Opening Pill. He hoped he wouldn't need it, but facing a 5th Level cultivator might push him to his limits. With a final assessment of the battlefield below, he began to circle through the trees, positioning himself for the optimal angle of attack. The sounds of combat continued, growing more desperate as the guards weakened, but Tiānháo moved with the patience of a predator, knowing that proper positioning would be crucial to what was about to unfold.