Chapter 266: The Edge of the Yaguijing Bandit Group's Territory — The Pursuing Bandits and the Detachment

Two days later, at the northern edge of the Yaguijing Bandit Group's territory.

Jier no longer needed to clear the path; after all, this area could be considered far from the rugged and complex terrain of the mountains and forests. Although they were still in a wild mountainous region, the terrain had leveled out, and the Shulin had thinned, so there was no need for him to lead the way at the front.

Mr. Xiao Simengsi, whose body had improved much over the past two days, was now able to walk on his own and keep up with the group's pace. At this moment, the entire group was moving toward Bingxun Pass as quickly as possible under his guidance.

As for the scattered Bandits distributed here, as long as they spotted this group of over twenty people from afar, those cruel, small-scale Bandits would not dare to approach them, provided they could not confirm their identities.

Once the numbers grew, they looked quite intimidating from a distance.

Jier was at the rear of the group, frequently looking back. Last night, he had discovered a group of Bandits chasing them directly from not far behind. He had taken advantage of the dark, cold night to sneak over and take a look.

Hiding in the dark shadows, he overheard that this group of ten was indeed Thieves of Luodai Cave, a team sent out to hunt them down.

At first, these people were only searching toward the east at random, and then they accidentally discovered the tracks left behind by their group. Because there had been some distance between the two groups at the start, it was only recently that these people had increased their speed and closed in on Jier's group of escaped captives.

Jier observed these people from the shadows and found that their equipment was quite complete, and they had brought enough supplies to operate outside for several days. Judging from their long-distance speed and limits, it was only a matter of time before these Bandits caught up with them.

The ten of them were all experienced Bandits. Unlike the peripheral members sent out to guard a Jiedian, these Bandits did not look like any of them would be easy to deal with.

This made Jier hesitate; he could not deal with so many people alone, especially since his current equipment was severely insufficient. If he were wearing his full set of armor and carrying the Metal Shield he had newly crafted, he felt he would have over a seventy percent chance of victory.

However, he was currently carrying only two weapons, and he bore the heavy burden of the lives of over twenty people.

It was neither the time to face this wave of Bandits nor the time for him to act rashly.

That night, Jier quietly retreated, only attacking a small Jiedian of the Yaguijing Bandit Group. There were only three people there; Jier went up and, after a burst of fighting, finished off those three Bandits, not showing any mercy to the one who begged for his life during the battle.

Carrying the food, water, and supplies seized from the Jiedian, Jier returned to where the people were camping.

Due to the increase in captured Tents, although everyone had to spend more effort carrying these supplies during the day, a Tent that could block the wind and keep them warm at night was still very important for the weak people.

That night, Jier told all the people about his discovery. Although they were terrified and afraid, no one lost the will to resist. After all, being caught by those Bandits meant certain death, so the people all scrambled to find ways to fight back against that wave of Bandits.

Some people felt that since Jier had already discovered the Bandits first, their group of over twenty should take advantage of the darkness to attack the enemy, catching the Bandits off guard.

Jier vetoed this plan. Although he believed that with his current equipment, he could barely hold off three Bandits, the remaining seven Bandits were not something these twenty-plus old, weak, sick, and disabled people could handle.

If it were the sentries from Doraerlin Village, Jier felt there would be no problem; after all, those sentries had at least been trained by old Duomu for many years, and their fighting spirit was sufficient; they would not lose their footing just from a charge by a few Bandits.

But these twenty-plus people who had never received unified training would not do; if they really clashed face-to-face with the Bandits, they would likely be cut down one by one.

Other people suggested splitting into two groups: one group of physically weaker people would continue forward, while another group of men who had recovered better would stay behind to tangle with the Bandits. If it really came to it, they would fight the Bandits to the death. In the end, some people might still be able to return to Bingxun Pass. Once Bingxun Pass learned the location of the Luodai Cave Bandit lair, the Militia's cleanup this winter would wipe out these Bandits and avenge the dead.

This plan had some feasibility, but "hell is other people." Someone whispered, what if the chosen group of strong men didn't tangle with the Bandits, but instead used their physical advantage to bypass the slower group, using those people as bait to cover their retreat and escaping first?

This question made everyone quite embarrassed, as it clearly pierced through some people's hidden thoughts. It even made several women who had suffered greatly cry in sadness.

In the end, no one trusted anyone anymore.

The discussion reached a stalemate.

Mr. Xiao Simengsi spoke up: "Since everyone no longer trusts each other, let little brother Jier come up with an idea. Everyone's lives were saved by him alone, and we all owe Jier a life. Let him decide everyone's actions for tomorrow."

Everyone looked in Jier's direction. In the pitch-black night, although they couldn't see Jier's face clearly, everyone knew he was right there.

"If it is the warrior Jier, I will listen to his arrangements," a tall and thin young man said.

"Yes, that's right, heh, anyway, no one trusts anyone. It all depends on you, Jier," a middle-aged Merchant said, shaking his head and sighing.

"I never realized how important freedom and safety were until I was caught by those damn Bandits. Jier, everyone's future is in your hands, please," said a burly man with a thick beard.

Jier looked at the faint silhouette of Mr. Xiao Simengsi and saw the other man seem to nod.

He stood up.

"Since everyone has no ideas, I will take on this expectation."

"I have considered it and feel that some of the plans everyone mentioned earlier have good parts. It's just that none of you have correctly recognized the relative strength between us and the Bandits."

Someone asked: "What do you mean?"

"It means two points: our strength and the Bandits' strength. First, you all did not take my personal combat ability into account. Of course, although you know I can deal with a small number of Bandits, you haven't seen it with your own eyes, so you have overlooked my strength."

"To tell you the truth, if I didn't have to lead you twenty-plus people to escape the Bandits' territory and pursuit, I could think of ways to kill those Bandits one by one myself in these complex mountains and forests."

Some people were about to speak, but Jier stopped them: "I'm not bragging. After all, the situation is very grim, I haven't been drinking, and what I'm saying now is not empty talk."

"Moreover, you have actually overestimated your current physical condition. Long-term imprisonment and several consecutive days of long treks—your physical condition is actually not very good. If it's just walking, you can still persist, but fighting..." At this point, Jier shook his head: "If it comes to fighting, not one of you can face a single Bandit. It would be like cutting melons and vegetables; it would only take a few of them to defeat all twenty of you."

Hearing this, many physically exhausted men remained silent. In fact, they each knew their own physical condition; if it were just normal walking, they could persist for a long time, but the exhaustion deep in their bodies was not fake. They simply could not swing the weapons Jier had snatched for them with full force.

"Secondly, I just secretly observed those Bandits; they are all experienced and healthy. It's not that they can't be dealt with, but they aren't easy to deal with either. If it were just me, I could maneuver around, but if it's all of you, not only can we not win in a fight, but even our daily speed is not as fast as theirs. If I go by the speed we've been moving these past two days and the speed they are moving after lagging behind, by tomorrow afternoon at the latest, you will be intercepted by the Bandits following the tracks."

"Then tomorrow is the last day?" someone asked in a low voice.

Jier put his hands on his hips: "Not necessarily."

"Hmm?" Everyone's attention was drawn.

"I said earlier that everyone's plans were quite good. I have an idea here; listen to it."

"Tomorrow morning, everyone will continue to move at full speed. By noon, the group will split into two. I will take three people to form a small team, while the remaining twenty will hide their tracks and stay where they are. I will lead people to create tracks of twenty-plus people moving forward to lure the Bandits away, heading south, and doubling back."

Someone wanted to speak, but in the end, they didn't. Because of their trust in Jier, they knew Jier would not abandon them as bait to escape.

"I know some people might want to say, isn't this the same as the plan everyone proposed earlier? No. First, my primary goal for coming out this time—Mr. Xiao Simengsi, I'm sorry, you must stay in the group waiting in place. This is a must."

Hearing this, some people breathed a sigh of relief. They all knew that they were only saved along the way because Jier was rescuing Mr. Xiao Simengsi from the Bandit lair. In any case, Jier would not abandon Mr. Xiao Simengsi; after all, they had all learned in casual conversation how much money the Simons Chamber of Commerce would give Jier after Mr. Xiao Simengsi was rescued.

That was not a small sum of money, especially since they had already run to this place and it was only a few days away from Bingxun Pass. Jier would certainly not abandon Mr. Xiao Simengsi.

"As for me, I will take people and pretend to leave tracks for a large group, doubling back to the south to retrieve the weapons and equipment I hid between the two Bandit groups before I came. The things inside will allow my side to operate for a few more days."

"After I have my weapons and equipment, I will spend two days attacking those pursuing Bandits with all my might, striving to beat them back and drive them into the Bandit territory. Then I will lead my people back at full speed, and we will all return to Bingxun Pass together."

Someone asked: "Shouldn't the larger group take this opportunity to move toward Bingxun Pass?"

Jier considered it: "It's best not to. Where we are now, although it is the edge of the Yaguijing Bandit Group's territory, there are still some small groups of Bandits in the mountains and forests to the north heading toward Bingxun Pass. They are all cruel guys. They might not probe an attack if they see there are many of you, but it's also possible they will approach and make contact. If they see your condition, they will definitely attack you."

"If no one has any objections, we will act according to this plan tomorrow. By the way, it would be best if we could find some natural water sources in the wild tomorrow morning. If we have that, the larger group can hold out for a longer time."

During the morning walk, they did not find a water source, but they did find a somewhat steep rock wall covered in reflective ice.

The well-informed Mr. Xiao Simengsi looked at it and judged that this rock wall should often seep clear water droplets when the weather was warm. Now that it was the freezing winter, it had become an ice wall.

Although it was an ice wall, those ice slabs frozen tightly against the rock wall could also be used to melt for drinking water.

Therefore, by noon, Jier had everyone find a hidden place near this rock wall. For the next few days, everyone would hide here until he returned with his people.

If they wait for several days and the maximum agreed-upon time passes, then this group of people will strive to prepare ice blocks and some hibernating insects from under the fallen leaves, barely avoiding the Bandit Bandit Group's small Jiedian they discover, and risk returning to Bingxun Pass.

There was still some food left that Jier had seized from the various Jiedian of the bandits; if they did not move around and were frugal, it would be enough for everyone to barely eat for several days. Now they had also found a place where they could barely obtain water, and hiding in this vicinity was already the best place they could find in the morning.

Jier chose three men who currently had the best physical strength and bodies as companions, and after making preparations, he prepared to risk leading the ten-man Bandit pursuit team away with them.

After a reluctant farewell, Jier carefully restored the traces left by everyone's advance, then turned back, and at a suitable place, the team began to drag the ground with a stretcher, choosing a different direction and inserting slightly south into the territory of the Yaguijing Bandit Group.

First letting the three companions move forward while creating traces, Jier secretly approached the pursuing Bandit team from behind.

He hid in a simply dug pit, covered it with branches and fallen leaves, and observed the situation of the pursuing bandits from the gaps in the leaves at the place where the team turned.

If the bandits did not take the bait, he would rush out and, risking danger, kill a few bandits to make these bandits all come to pursue him. If the bandits took the bait, he would quietly leave, use his abundant physical strength to bypass the bandits, arrive at the companions' location first, and follow them to create traces of multiple people moving forward.

The bandits were somewhat lax; Jier saw that those bandits did not even notice that the team's direction of travel had changed. After many days of tracking, they had already come to regard following the discovered tracks to find the escaped civilians as an easy matter.

Therefore, these bandits just walked in a silent, scattered formation, pursuing in twos and threes.

"Very good," Jier said softly, and as he spoke, a smile appeared on his face.

After many days of being pursued and fleeing, he could no longer endure it. He was a Hunter who eliminated Monsters, not a prey that only knew how to run away. Although he could occasionally kill a few careless Bandit Jiedian these past few days, those weak bandits with no ability to resist could no longer satisfy the thought of wanting to hunt stronger prey.

Jier flexed his fingers, drew the sword at his waist slightly, and sheathed it again. He chuckled softly and then quietly retreated from his hiding place.

Utilizing the terrain and trees in the mountain forest, Jier made a large circle and, from outside the field of vision where the bandits might observe, caught up with the companions who were creating traces in the lead.

With Jier's addition, the speed at which they created traces increased. Because there were fewer people with insufficient physical strength and injuries slowing them down, Jier and these companions, who were in decent physical condition and had sufficient stamina, were able to move at a speed slightly higher than the ten pursuing bandits, even while creating traces of movement.

After all, for those ten bandits, they were only coming to pursue weak, imprisoned civilians without supplies, so they were not only mentally careless, but their pursuit speed was also just a normal pace.

But the distance between Jier's group and the bandits was, after all, very close, so in order not to be exposed, Jier and his group put forth all their strength, kicking away the fallen leaves on the ground and breaking off some low, leafless shrub branches that blocked their way without stopping, and Jier even held the stretcher he had specifically brought behind his back, moving back and forth to pull out some traces on the ground caused by walking and carrying heavy objects.

Not only that, but every little distance, they would throw down a tiny bit of the useless sundries they carried that they had asked for from the civilians.

Relying on these methods, they put forth all their strength and finally managed not to be exposed during the few hours of the afternoon. They successfully lured away the pursuing bandits, causing these bandits to turn and pursue them instead.

Letting these bandits go further and further in a wrong direction.

On the other side, at the location where the civilians were hiding in a concealed spot.

Everyone had been praying in low voices for half an afternoon, and after a few hours passed and no bandits had discovered them, at this moment, they all realized that Jier's plan had already succeeded by at least half.

As long as Jier and his group could successfully lure the bandits away, then they would be very safe here.

However, once everyone realized they were safe, a few civilians gathered together, discussed in low voices for a while, secretly tightened the food and water on their bodies, and told Mr. Xiao Simengsi in the team that they were going out to relieve themselves.

Because they explained it separately, it was just relieving themselves and did not attract everyone's attention. Although Mr. Xiao Simengsi pursed his lips, those few people were all strong, able-bodied men; if the other party had a different move, what could Mr. Xiao Simengsi, whose physical injuries had not yet fully healed, say?

He still agreed to the behavior of these few people going out to relieve themselves and warned them to be careful.

When it was dark and those few who went out to relieve themselves had not returned, only then did everyone realize that those few had run away.

They had broken away from the main group and run off.

Facing the questioning, Mr. Xiao Simengsi only gave a bitter smile; the other party felt that parting ways now was the best chance for survival, so what could he do, stop them on the spot?

But if the other party wanted to run, could he stop them from going out to relieve themselves? There was no way; Mr. Xiao Simengsi had no choice but to explain the situation to everyone and let them make their own decisions.

Whether to take this opportunity to escape on their own, or to trust the warrior Jier, believe that he could defeat the pursuing Bandit team, and lead them, who were hiding here, back to the safe Bingxun Pass.

In the end, amidst a series of sighs, not a single person decided to run away. Some of them trusted Jier, some had injuries on their bodies, and some did not believe that they alone or in small groups could be lucky enough to escape to Bingxun Pass.