Chapter 208: Bandits Who Insist on Roadside Robbery, Sipulu's Sharp Blade

Even with strongmen like Jier and the Dwarf "Shishou" in the massive group, the caravan was helpless when facing people blinded by greed.

Most of the bandits entrenched along this Shanglu actually became self-consciously civilized the moment they saw the caravan had quite a few armored Warriors; they would pile smiles onto their faces and toss their weapons into the shadows to hide them.

They would put on a harmless act, and if not for the introductions from the Shop Assistant of the Sweet Fruit Merchant Guild and the accompanying Merchants, many of Jier's men would never have guessed that these "polite" fellows were actually bandits sent by various Bandit Groups from the nearby hills to set up checkpoints and collect tolls on the Shanglu.

When facing ordinary passing Merchants, they would collect a "passage fee" based on the number of people or vehicles, or demand that the Merchants hand over some grain or daily necessities. According to the accompanying Merchants, if it was the latter, the value was often lower, and passing Merchants would simply buy some at the villages before arriving, allowing them to pass through here at a very low cost.

But if it was the former, one could only rely on whether their reputation was good enough; if they were familiar with certain Bandit Groups, or could name the leader of a nearby Bandit Group, they might be able to get a cheaper rate.

But after saying all that, there were still some guys too greedy for money who, even after seeing the scale of Jier's caravan and the strength of its guards, would still block the road, stiffen their necks, and reach out for money.

It was as if Jier and his men owed them money.

"Are these people this brave? Or are they just reckless? Dull-witted?"

Jier, riding on the fully armored Tianxuecao, asked the Shop Assistant of the Sweet Fruit Merchant Guild who was riding a horse beside him.

This equally young Merchant Guild Shop Assistant scratched his head in embarrassment: "This... how should I put it."

He stammered, while several Caravan Stewards following on horseback did not give the young man any face, mocking loudly: "Because our county can't wipe out those bandit nests in the hills! Sir Knight, these bandits blocking the road for money are all new recruits to the Bandit Groups, which is why they get sent here to collect money. Because this is also a 'job' with very high risk. Haha."

"That's right, after all, passing Caravans have all spent money to buy large vouchers from the Sweet Fruit Merchant Guild; logically speaking, these checkpoints should have been cleared by the Sweet Fruit Merchant Guild long ago, but for this stretch of road, we still have to pay these people and give them things to bribe them every time."

"What else could it be? It's because the Knight lords in the county have no intention of dealing with these Bandit Groups in the hills. Looking at Sir Knight Jier's martial arts, other Knights shouldn't lack the ability to wipe out those bandits; if you ask me, it's possible some Knight lords even have a share of the profits from these Bandit Groups."

"Hey, you shouldn't talk nonsense."

"Haha, yes, yes, I'm talking nonsense."

Jier smiled, while the Shop Assistant of the Sweet Fruit Merchant Guild beside him turned bright red; he wanted to argue, but how could he, alone, be a match for the glib tongues of those seasoned Merchants? He had to swallow his resentment and step forward, trying to negotiate again with the toll-collecting bandits, hoping they would let them pass for the sake of the Sweet Fruit Merchant Guild behind him.

"Get lost! I'm in this business to get rich! Let you pass for your sake? What kind of %￥ thing are you? Give you face?"

Several bearded bandits were draped in dirty, foul-smelling Wolf Skins, not caring how strong the odor was from wearing warm animal skins in this hot weather; one hand gripped a Cleaver, the other held out for money, blocking the front of the caravan. It was clear that passing without giving something was impossible.

"Of course it's not for my face, I don't have much face; it's for the Sweet Fruit Merchant Guild behind me, for a bit of respect. Look, this is our Merchant Guild's personnel voucher, this proves I am a member of the Sweet Fruit Merchant Guild. You make a living on the middle section of the county's Shanglu, you should know who manages and maintains the entire Shanglu, right?"

But the young Shop Assistant's words were completely ineffective. One bandit spat directly into the Shop Assistant's face: "You're killing me with laughter. I'm not from out of town, you think you can fool me? When has this shitty Shanglu ever been maintained? On this stretch I guard, when trees fall on the road, isn't it us brothers who work like dogs, tongues lolling out, to move the fallen trees? When have we ever seen anyone from your Sweet Fruit Merchant Guild?"

"Exactly, trying to throw your weight around in front of us? Don't think we're afraid just because you have many people! Either kill us! Or honestly pay up and get lost!"

"But you have to know, if you kill us, our other brothers in the hills won't let your caravan off! We might not be able to take you down, but we can certainly cause you some fatal trouble!"

Jier didn't know when he had ridden his horse close to the front of the caravan. Hearing the bandits blocking the road saying these things one by one, he couldn't help but feel curious: "Can you tell me? What is 'fatal trouble'?"

Jier was wearing heavy Armor with plates covering his entire body, a steel helmet with a Faceplate on his head, and even his combat boots were protected by steel plates. From head to toe, unless the Faceplate was pulled down, only his face was exposed.

Added to that, Jier was riding a tall warhorse with similar protection, and on the weapon rack behind him was a half-person-tall Heavy Crossbow, two bows and arrows placed in a crisscross pattern, as well as an axe and a Long Spear stuck on both sides. No matter how you looked at it, this was not someone they could deal with by spouting nonsense.

So, the moment Jier spoke, these few guys who had been arrogant just a moment ago were like house dogs kicked, house cats held by the scruff of their necks, or hares lifted by their long ears; they immediately became obedient.

Seeing them neither retreating nor answering for a moment, Jier hummed: "I'm asking you a question? What is called 'fatal trouble'? Answer me! Look into my eyes!"

A young bandit not much older than Jier even trembled all over and actually knelt directly on the ground. His bandit companions couldn't care about being disgusted by this newcomer from a farming family losing face, so they had to stammer in response: "My lord, there is no trouble, where would there be trouble? No, there's no such thing."

Seeing them still not answering the question, Jier tilted his chin toward Sipulu, who was on duty at the front of the caravan today.

Sipulu jumped off his horse and strode forward, the Changdao behind his waist suddenly unsheathed and instantly rested against the dirty neck of the bandit at the very front.

The sharp blade, honed day after day, easily sliced open the skin on the bandit's neck just by resting against it.

Sipulu did not speak often. At this moment, he looked coldly at these few guys he found ridiculous and said: "Answer my lord, or die."

Sipulu, who had fought many bandits, deserters, and Monsters, had an astonishing presence. If it weren't for those who knew him well, they would truly be frightened by the appearance he was projecting right now.

"I'll say it, I'll say it, don't do it, don't do it!"

The bandit who had been saying he wasn't afraid of death just a moment ago, now that a guy who would kill without hesitation had a blade at his throat, finally became honest: "The so-called fatal trouble is that our brothers in the hills will follow the location of the caravan that caused the trouble and actively go into the mountains around the Shanglu to provoke powerful Monsters. The boss and the others are old bandits who have been hanging around here for over a decade; they know exactly where all the powerful Monsters are in the vicinity."

"Yes, yes, before we came, the boss gave instructions: we few just block the road for money. If we die, they will give a large sum of money to our families back home. At the same time, they will lure nearby Monsters over and use those Monsters to fiercely cause trouble for the group that killed us."

"In previous years, there were people who were unwilling, or didn't believe it. After a few incidents actually happened, the Merchants on the road all knew they couldn't afford to offend us, so we were able to get money."

The few dirty, slovenly bandits tremblingly explained the matter clearly. The Shop Assistant of the Sweet Fruit Merchant Guild had a face as dark as the bottom of a pot, but everyone present turned their eyes to Jier, because Jier was not only not frightened, but instead had an expression of interest.

"So that's it. It seems these bandits who boldly demand money are also arrogant because they have the ability to threaten others. It seems the toll checkpoints set up on the Shanglu by other Bandit Groups that don't collect fees or collect less also have to do with not being 'hard' enough."

Jier muttered to himself.

The Merchants heard the bandits' so-called "explanation"—it sounded more like a threat to them—but as frequent travelers, they had actually heard about such things long ago. At this moment, they complained one after another: "That's it, that's it. Everyone is threatened by these guys to pay up, and they block the road like this—isn't it just because they're afraid of this trick of theirs?"

"I heard that last year, old Kande's group, just because the Caravan Guard Captain they hired thought these people were nothing special and killed a bandit who was blocking the road for money, ended up having their caravan attacked by a Monster on their return trip that same month. Several people died, one carriage flipped down the hillside, and most of the cargo was destroyed."

"Don't even mention last year; this happens every year. Before spring arrived this year, I heard that an outside caravan was attacked by a Monster the very next day just because they killed all the bandits blocking the road. Out of a caravan of over a dozen people, only two who were fast enough on horseback survived!"

Listening to these words, Jier was of course not afraid. He even felt that compared to the boring journey, this matter of not knowing when a Monster might be deliberately lured to attack the caravan was actually more interesting and could make him feel more spirited.

Day after day, just riding on the road, Jier felt like his whole body was rusting. The Corroded Mud Monster he dealt with two days ago didn't even let him have a proper fight; he burned the half-dead Monster to death with lamp oil in a few quick moves, and Jier actually felt quite unsatisfied.

Thinking of this, Jier suddenly said to Sipulu: "Of these few bandits blocking the road for money, leave one to go back and report the news, kill the rest."

The others were stunned for a moment upon hearing Jier's words, their faces showing surprise and disbelief; even the few bandits were the same. Only Sipulu, after hearing the order, did not say a word. With a flick of his wrist, the tip of his Changdao directly pierced and severed the large Blood Vessel in the neck of the bandit he was already holding captive.

Fresh blood sprayed out. The bandit let out a strange cry, dropped the Cleaver in his hand, and tried hard to press against the place on his neck that was bleeding continuously.

Sipulu lowered his body to dodge the blood that might spray out, turned his Changdao with his wrist, and then slashed forcefully to the left and right respectively. *Puchi, puchi*, the necks of the bandits on the left and right were both more than half severed, and they immediately slumped to the ground.

As for the last bandit blocking the road, he had just realized in horror what was happening when Sipulu, who had rushed forward, flew up and kicked him directly in the chest, sending him flying more than three meters.

Saying so much, the entire process actually only took the time of one breath.

For the Merchants, it was almost just the time it took to turn their heads; four bandits blocking the road had one seriously injured, two dead, and one kicked away.

As for the seriously injured bandit, there was actually no possibility of him living, because the people around either retreated in horror or watched all this happen coldly, and there were even Warriors under Jier cheering for Sipulu's martial arts.

They didn't care who the opponent was; anyway, they took the wages Jier gave and only listened to Jier's own orders.

Never mind killing a few bandits; even if Jier really ordered these Warriors, who were originally from farming families, to point their weapons at some innocent Farmers, these Warriors would probably only hesitate slightly before gritting their teeth and obeying.

The armies of this era and most people who make a living by force survive just like this.

Cruel, coarse, bloody, direct.

"Sir Knight Jier! What are you doing?"

A Merchant looked in surprise at Sipulu killing people. Although they were bandits whom the Merchants also hated and wished would all die, everyone had just specifically learned about the retaliation one would face for not paying or for killing/injuring them, yet the next moment Jier issued such an order.

They could not understand it at all.

Jier pressed his palms down to soothe the crowd: "Don't be nervous, everyone, don't be nervous. This is actually a good thing."

"A good thing? Really?"

Jier nodded: "Yes, I certainly won't be giving these Bandits any money. They clearly recognized my identity just now, and despite the size of our Caravan, they had no intention of letting us pass. So, the outcome was destined from the start. Either they die, or we pass through this place."

Spreading his hands, Jier continued: "Since things must be this way, it is better to act directly and let them retaliate. I would like to see just how much skill these people's retaliation actually has. Everyone need not worry; after all, you all know the strength of our Caravan. My subordinates can easily handle ordinary Monsters, and I can deal with even more powerful ones."

"Hmph, these Bandits are far too arrogant, and the Sweet Fruit Merchant Guild's management and control of the Shanglu seem quite mediocre. I have traveled all the way here and have almost never seen such arrogant Bandits. The Sweet Fruit Merchant Guild really should work hard to deal with those Bandits in the future; they cannot just let them exist freely simply because the Knight lords will not enter the mountains to exterminate the Bandits' nests. There are many ways to deal with these people, such as learning from Dorn Town, hiring people from the Thieves Guild to quietly uncover intelligence on those Bandit nests, and secretly killing them all. Or, strengthen the clearing of Monsters along both sides of the Shanglu so that they cannot even lure Monsters for retaliation; that way, these people would be nothing to fear at all."

What Jier said made some sense. Although the Merchants were still somewhat worried, since Jier had said that he and his subordinates could handle the Bandits' retaliation, they had nothing to fear. If something really happened, Jier, the Knight who guaranteed the safety of the accompanying Caravan, would compensate them.

As for the Shop Assistant from the Sweet Fruit Merchant Guild, he lowered his head, too embarrassed to respond to Knight Jier's remarks.

What Jier said was very reasonable; there are always more solutions than difficulties. The Sweet Fruit Merchant Guild has backing when it needs backing, financial power when it needs financial power, and resources when it needs resources; it should be able to handle the matter of these scoundrel Bandits on the Shanglu.

But why not deal with it?

It is simply because, compared to doing things, doing nothing is cheaper and simpler.

The trouble on the Shanglu belongs to the passing Caravans, while the money from using the Shanglu is, of course, still collected by them. However, it would be incorrect to say the Sweet Fruit Merchant Guild does nothing at all; after all, they react quickly when facing Monsters that cannot communicate at all and harass the Shanglu. But when facing Bandits who can communicate, the Merchant Guild's response is relatively passive.

All of this comes down to processing costs. The trouble brought by Humans who can communicate is, in the final analysis, just a minor problem of increased passage costs, whereas Monsters that cannot communicate at all must be dealt with by heavy-handed strikes.

Because Monsters will truly continue to attack and kill every Merchant passing along the Shanglu, and Merchants will truly abandon a certain Shanglu due to severe losses.

After all, of the three passable trade routes in Ke'er Shan Jun, if I cannot take this one, I can take the other two. If all three Shanglu are impassable, one can also detour from Cuikuang to the Bei Mian, bypassing Ke'er Shan Jun entirely. All it costs is a bit more time and distance.

But what everyone present did not know was that Jier was doing this simply because his hands were itching; having a body full of skills with nowhere to display them made him quite unhappy.

It is just that simple.