Chapter 53 A Night of Horror! Bandits Cause Chaos!

Daling Mountain is characterized by its high peaks and dense forests.

The ancient pines are lush and verdant, blocking out the sun and making the forest paths even darker and deeper. The depths of the forest are shrouded in a hazy mist, making the entire mountain forest unknown and mysterious.

Three horse-drawn carriages were struggling to move forward on the mountain road covered with gravel and yellow mud.

The horses pulling the cart occasionally snorted and neighed, their hooves pounding the ground with heavy thuds.

Clearly, pulling a cart on such a mountain road is a tough job.

Of course, it wasn't just the horses that suffered.

Su Hao and his group gathered at the back of the carriage. With the driver's shouts, they all worked together to push the carriage forward.

"I swear after this job, I'll never take another begging job in Daling Town, not even if it means begging for food. This mountain road is just too damn steep!"

Wang Yu wiped the sweat from his face, panting heavily.

"Stop talking nonsense! When has Fengxianlou ever been silent about you? Come on, don't say that again!"

Shen Qing tapped Wang Yu on the head with his wooden stick, looked at the mountain path ahead, and shouted, "Everyone, give it your all! We'll reach our rest stop soon!"

Upon hearing this, everyone perked up and joined in, pushing the carriage forward.

Before we knew it, it was getting dark.

At this time, the trees along the mountain path were so tall and dense that they blocked out the last remaining light from the sky, making it almost impossible to see the path from the surroundings.

The once quiet forest was now filled with the sounds of animals echoing from its unknown depths, making the entire mountain path seem somewhat eerie and terrifying.

Su Hao lit a torch and waved it twice in front of him to drive away the unknown flying insects hidden in the thin mist.

He bent down and moved some large stones from the road to the side, then called for the people behind him to follow.

At this moment, the team had reached a position close to the summit. Looking up, the mountains and forests below were shrouded in mist and darkness.

"Our destination is just ahead. It's been so long since I've done this kind of hard work. My old back is killing me..."

Beside him, Wang Yu clutched his waist with one hand and pointed to a wooden house hidden in the darkness ahead with the other, sighing.

Su Hao turned around, his gaze falling on the direction of the wooden house.

This should have been an abandoned inn. A tattered wine flag still hangs on a wooden pillar in front of the door, swaying precariously in the mountain wind.

As the group approached, the sound of wheels rolling over gravel alerted some of the indigenous people in the wooden houses. Rustling sounds began to come from the dark corners, as if something was fleeing.

Soon, the group arrived at the gate of the abandoned inn.

The three carriages were parked in a row, and the drivers untied the horses and unloaded the prepared hay and water to feed them.

The rest of the people went into the inn and started a fire to prepare dinner.

Dinner was simple: a large iron pot filled with water, noodles, bottled or canned cured meat, and kimchi—all stewed together. Once cooked, it was a meal.

Although the taste wasn't great, everyone was starving, so they didn't care about being picky and devoured the food.

After dinner, the three team leaders, including Shen Qing, began to arrange for people to keep watch at night, while the rest of the team started to repair the surrounding windows and the leaky walls to prevent wild animals from breaking in at night.

Su Hao and Wang Yu were also assigned to keep watch at night, as were two other martial artists.

One of them was named Lei Peng, the captain of another team, and the other was named Hu Feng, a martial artist at the Stone Skin level in the team.

The three carriages were guarded by two groups of people, one at the front and one at the back.

This arrangement was primarily to guard against bandits active in the Daling Mountains.

These bandits are homeless, live like animals, and frequently commit murder and robbery. They are utterly devoid of morality and are far more dangerous than gangs like the Black Wind Gang.

It can be said to be the biggest threat in the Daling Mountains, apart from the strange beasts.

Su Hao and Wang Yu sat around the fire, chatting idly.

The vigil is scheduled to last until the early hours of the morning (around 3-5 AM), and it has only just begun; both men are full of energy.

During the conversation, Su Hao also learned that Wang Yu came from a farming family with parents and a younger sister. In order to learn martial arts, he had emptied his family's savings to attend the Taka no Mukan in Nanzan Town.

Fortunately, he lived up to expectations and became a formal disciple of the martial arts school, giving him some hope for the future.

Su Hao listened to these things and nodded.

Wang Yu's ability to become a martial artist and live a carefree life is already considered a leap across social classes, while countless people struggle to survive at the bottom, barely able to afford food.

Before we knew it, it was already midnight.

Wang Yu was already feeling sleepy and yawning repeatedly, but he dared not fall asleep at all.

After all, they were assigned to keep watch at night, facing the dangers of the Daling Mountains, and could not afford to be careless in the slightest.

Su Hao didn't feel particularly tired. He just kept poking at the campfire with a branch and occasionally took out a piece of dry food to roast and eat.

Now that he has broken through to the second level of the Iron Skin Realm, his physical fitness and endurance are much stronger than before, so this kind of work intensity is nothing to him. It's just that he gets hungry more easily than before, and his digestion speed is also faster.

Listening to the snoring that began to emanate from inside the inn, Su Hao was also pondering matters related to martial arts.

call……

A cold wind swept through the mountains, turning the campfire a dark red and sending up tiny sparks.

Su Hao, who was still pondering, suddenly looked up and saw the darkness around him, a chill rising in his heart.

At this moment, Lei Peng, who was not far away, seemed to have also noticed something. He stood up and coldly scanned everything around him.

"Brother Su, what's wrong...?"

Whoosh!

Wang Yu, who was standing to the side, was also taken aback when he saw Su Hao's actions.

But soon two whooshing sounds came from the darkness, and sharp arrows were aimed directly at Su Hao and Wang Yu!

"Enemy attack!"

Su Hao and Lei Peng roared almost simultaneously and began to move.

Because Su Hao was already on guard, he shifted away the moment the arrow came flying, narrowly avoiding the arrow that grazed past him.

Wang Yu reacted a beat slower, but luckily he was fortunate. The arrow pierced through his cheek and embedded itself hard in the wooden wall behind him, the arrow tail humming.

Immediately afterwards, torches began to light up in the darkness, and five or six muscular figures roared as they rushed out and pounced on the inn!

"They're horse bandits!"

Upon seeing this, Wang Yu's expression changed drastically, and he quickly drew the knife from his waist, preparing to fight.

Su Hao also drew his waist knife and retreated to the side of the carriage, trying his best to avoid any cold arrows that might be shot from the shadows.

He was speechless. Both missions had gone wrong. The last time he encountered the Black Wind Gang, he was able to settle things with money, but this time, the bandits he was facing would likely result in a bloody battle.

At this moment, a commotion arose inside the inn, and then Shen Qing and the others rushed out. Seeing this scene, they drew their knives and charged out.

In an instant, the entire mountain forest was plunged into chaos.