Chapter 690: The Second Half of the Night of Drizzling Rain (Part 4)

Jier and his group quickly cleared out the Bandit Camp, which was located in the middle of the Shulin and surrounded by snake nests for protection.

Useful items were placed on the wagons to be taken away, while various useless things were piled up with the corpses and set ablaze with a torch. Also set on fire were the wooden huts and treehouses of the bandits. However, before finally leaving the fire behind, Jier found a brave young man and used a torch to drive away the bees from the hive in the treehouse, then detached the half-man-sized hive.

To be honest, Jier had not expected such a large hive. He did not know how much honey this thing could produce, but honey was something that had value in any place and could be used directly as currency.

Similar commodities included cloth and Iron Ingot. These were essential daily necessities, while honey was the best thing to add sweetness and happiness to a repetitive daily life.

Even Nobles could not eat honey whenever they wanted. Jier found a large wooden barrel, carefully placed the hive into the barrel himself, and then firmly covered it with a lid.

The wagons could not fit this barrel, which was not heavy but took up space, so Jier arranged for four people to take turns in pairs, using wooden poles and Rope to carry the barrel, preparing to transport it back by human power.

Not to mention selling the honey for money later, he had to insist on bringing this honey back just for his own consumption and to reward the subordinates who obeyed his orders.

The flames roared, first igniting the wooden huts, and then the large trees within the Yingdi that were connected to the huts. The treehouses in the large trees naturally could not escape; amidst the crackling, the fire blew away and burned the fine rain falling from the sky into white smoke.

On the ground of the Forest, as if they had smelled the smoke from the rising flames, snakes, insects, and beasts all moved rapidly toward the outside of the Shulin. They could not care about baring their fangs at the large group of Humans and rushed outward with their heads down.

The Poultry Bird in the trees suffered a disaster. The nocturnal birds of prey were smoked by the fumes; the strong ones could still wobble and fly out of the Shulin, escaping the black, ashy smoke diffusing everywhere above the treetops. As for the small and weak birds, they spun and plunged headfirst from the trees, burying their heads into the ground, and stopped breathing after flapping their wings a few times.

Those that were startled and flew through the air above the burning huts and large trees were directly blown a distance away by the heat radiating upward, then fell to the ground, having already become poor creatures scalded to death by the hot air.

Jier took a deep breath and walked at the very back of the group, looking after the subordinates and Bandit captives who had fallen behind in the chaos.

Facing his own men, he would offer a word of encouragement, telling them to catch up and hold onto the wagon to save their strength.

As for the surrendered Bandit, Jier was much more casual, directly using the butt of his Metal Spear to lightly bump the Bandit's back, forcefully urging them to walk faster.

"Don't think about escaping in the chaos. You are all monitoring each other. If there are fewer people when we leave the Shulin, no matter how many are missing, I will kill an equal number from those who remain. Understand? I remember the number of surrendered guys clearly. If no one is missing when we leave the Shulin, I won't take action."

Jier added: "Those who want to live and don't want to be killed for no reason, keep a close eye on the other surrendered guys around you. I think no one would bet their own life on this, right? After all, gambling with money is different from gambling with one's life."

These words made the Bandits, each with their own thoughts, keep a close eye on the others around them. To be honest, walking quickly out of the Shulin in the dark was the most convenient time for them to escape. Especially for those in the Snake gang who were familiar with the surrounding environment, every guy saw several opportunities to escape, but the other Bandits around them were often annoyingly watching each other.

This made them give up the idea of escaping in the chaos.

"Knight, I don't quite agree with what you just said."

A middle-aged male Merchant sitting on the last wagon of the group said this to Jier, who was bringing up the rear. He looked somewhat dispirited and resigned, at this moment using his hand to vigorously brush his damp, messy long hair, looking completely indifferent.

"Oh, which one? The one about gambling with money versus gambling with life?"

"Yes, yes. In my view, money is life, and life is money; there is no difference between the two."

Jier replied: "There is still some difference. If money is gone but life remains, a person is still fine, but if life is gone and money is gone, there is no chance for a comeback."

But Jier's answer was met with the middle-aged Merchant's mockery: "Hahahaha, young Knight, I came out this time after borrowing dozens of Gold Coin from the local Merchant Guild in my hometown, just to make a fortune in the chaotic Southern Province. But look at me now, besides the clothes on my back and half a life tortured out of me, what do I have left? Oh, a debt of nearly one hundred Gold Coin in my hometown due to interest!"

"Alas, the gods are above! Everything is terrible. I have my life now, but no money, and I don't dare to return to my hometown at all. How is that any different from being dead?"

Jier hummed, but then fell silent: "You can find a way to earn money, eh, forget it, consider what I said nonsense."

"You realize it's nonsense too! I started as a Shop Assistant apprentice for a Merchant Guild at twelve, and at sixteen, I officially joined a Merchant Guild to become a Shop Assistant and run trade. Ten years later, I started my own Caravan and conducted trade in my hometown; this was only maintained by relying on previous connections and interests. I am thirty-five years old this year, and all the effort and hard work of the past twenty-three years are gone."

"Gone."

Saying this, the middle-aged man slumped over dejectedly, curling into a ball, his body swaying with the movement of the wagon, and other than making frustrated whimpering sounds, he gave no further response.

Another Merchant nearby in a similar situation, the one who had helped Jier call people earlier, also leaned listlessly against the side of the cargo wagon, not knowing what he was thinking, occasionally chuckling to himself, looking very strange.

He looked somewhat insane.

Over twenty years of accumulated manpower and wealth of dozens of Gold Coin—and that was borrowed money, not counting his own wealth. Although venturing into chaotic areas to do business could earn excess profits in chaotic situations, the risks were obviously great.

Don't you see, the Merchants rescued by Jier at this moment were all losers in this risky business venture.

They perhaps ignored the shamelessness and greed of towns in parts of the Southern Province during crises, and overestimated the protection level of their own Caravan.

This bloody feast, composed of the flesh and blood of the Southern Province populace and outsiders, could only be swallowed by powerful Merchant Guilds and organizations, with blood dripping from their mouths.

The convoy walked out of the Shulin, and everyone once again felt the fine curtain of rain falling from the sky.

Jier wiped his Faceplate, and a few water droplets fell from his Glove.

"Count the heads and organize the group! Don't wander around, try to stay by the wagons."

The illuminating Torch was transferred from the hands of the young Refugee to the torch holder next to the wagon driver, and the young people who knew each other gathered together, standing on the side of the wagons. Others received Jier's orders and began to count the surrendered Bandits tied behind the wagons.

"My Lord! No one fell behind, the number of surrendered Bandits is also normal, and the ropes are tied tightly! It's just, it's just."

This person looked troubled.

"It's just what?"

"It's just that Pam is dying; he is convulsing all over, and he hasn't improved even while sitting on the wagon seat."

Upon hearing this, Jier hurriedly rode his horse over and discovered that on the driver's seat of the leading wagon, besides the young man driving, there was a pig-headed young man convulsing all over in the empty seat next to him.

Ah, saying he was a pig-headed man was because this young man was the one who had been stung into a pig-head by bees when scouting the treehouse earlier.

The Torch was right beside him, illuminated by the flickering and swaying firelight; the young man named Pam was twitching his hands and feet, and not only his face but his body, especially his arms, had swollen up.

"That shouldn't be? They were just ordinary bees. How could it be like this?"

But when Jier jumped off his horse to take a closer look, he discovered that in the places on the young man's arms previously covered by the Linen Cloth sleeves, there were many bees with their tails still hanging onto his arms.

"Idiot! Fool! You were stung so many times on your arms, why didn't you say so earlier!"

Jier hurriedly used his hand to pull off a bee that still had some life in it, but there were tiny barbs on the bee's tail stinger; the bee was pulled off, but their tail stingers, which carried parts of their intestines, were still stuck in the swollen arm.

He hurriedly helped Pam remove the last of the bee stingers from his arm while carefully checking if the unconscious Pam still had breath, or if his breathing had been affected because his tongue had swollen up.

Fortunately, with his Helmet close to the mouth and nose, he could still hear faint breathing.

"Alright, everyone hurry and set off. He can still be saved; if we reach Bata'er Jiaoshi quickly, he should be able to pull through. Truly stupid, his arms were stung like this, with so many bees crawling on him, and he acted like nothing was wrong earlier."

Jier returned to his horse and then waved his hand: "Set off as quickly as possible! Where is the Bandit who knows the way? Get over here and lead the way!"

The Bandit who knew the way was pushed to the front of the group, and without even looking, he pointed in a direction and said: "My Lord, if we walk in this direction, circling around the Shulin, we can find a small stream flowing out of the Shulin and the water's edge; there is a small river right there that runs along the Shanglu, and we can reach the main Shanglu road by finding a place where the water is shallow."

"Move!"

As soon as Jier gave the order, the young man driving the wagon flicked the Jiansheng, urging the horses pulling the wagon to continue moving.

Sure enough, after a while, they found the small stream flowing out of the Shulin, and then walked along the stream for a stretch, finding the nameless small river that bordered the Shanglu.

But the group stopped.

Because the old wagon, fully loaded with spoils, could not climb up along the riverbank with only one horse.

Even if the people on the cart got off, it was the same even with young men pushing from both sides.

Normally, at this time, all the horses in the team should be mobilized to pull the three cargo carts up to the riverbank one by one, using three horses at once for each.

But Pam, the young man who had been severely stung by bees, was dying.

Not only was his breathing becoming increasingly weak, but his body was twitching so much that one had to tie him up just like the Bandits. Otherwise, he couldn't even sit in the best seat on the carriage.

"This won't do, all of you move aside, let me do it!"

Jier shouted, jumped off his horse, waded through the river water that only reached his calves, and arrived at the rear of the first carriage.

"You driving in front, sit tight, hold the wounded man steady, and act on my command!"

Jier lifted his Faceplate and exhaled sharply.

"Yes, Sir Knight, I'll listen to your command. By the way, what is a command?"

"Sigh, forget it, just do as I say."

Jier felt a moment of frustration, then used his left and right feet to push aside the pebbles beneath his combat boots in the cold water, planting them deep into the mud and sand to stand firm.

"Everyone around move aside, you in front, get ready. Go!"

He let out a loud shout, his steel-gloved arms gripping the bottom of the carriage box, and then he straightened his waist, lifting the entire rear of the carriage up. But this was not enough; Jier circulated the Life Energy within his body, strengthening his legs, arms, and especially his waist. At the same time, the Divine Power brought by his Divine Art replaced the consumption of Life Energy, providing Jier with strength far exceeding that of the prairie horses pulling the cart.

"Go! Make the horses move forward!"

Jier squeezed these words through his teeth, and as the horses in front struggled to climb onto the riverbank, Jier also took a big step forward, moving the carriage forward by a meter after lifting it.

The entire rear wheels of the carriage left the surface of the river, moving while suspended in the air.

Jier took another step, and the onlookers around shouted loudly: "Sir, halfway there, it's climbed halfway up the riverbank!"

Without opening his eyes, Jier knew that with two more big steps, the two front wheels of the carriage would move onto the riverbank. At this moment, the prairie horse pulling the cart had actually already rushed most of its body onto the bank; it was straining its neck, exerting effort with all four hooves, dragging the carriage behind it as it climbed up.

Jier took another step, his arms exerting force to lift the carriage box from his waist and abdomen up to his chest.

Just as Jier was in this critical moment, behind the crowd of onlookers, several Bandits exchanged fierce glances.

Without needing to speak, the few Bandits who understood each other were tied up and could not take things from their own bodies. But taking things from others was no problem.

Sometimes, Bandits would hide a copper coin on their trouser belts, which they used when gambling to buy a piece of cloth to cover their crotches.

This copper coin was somewhat rough and had no great use, but it was quite possible to grind through a rough Rope with it.

Sure enough, the Bandits ground the ropes for each other—I grind yours, you grind his, he grinds mine. Just like that, they freed themselves with the tacit, secret help of the people around them. While Jier was exerting force to lift the carriage onto the riverbank, these three Bandits pulled apart the last ropes tied to their arms, then slowly swapped seats with the people next to them, and suddenly leaped up from the ground, the three of them running toward the dark depths in three different directions.

They didn't care about the dangers one would inevitably encounter when running alone in the wild in the middle of a pitch-black, rainy night.

Where could beasts and Monsters be more dangerous than Humans and Knights?

It couldn't compare at all.

"Someone is running away!"

"There are Bandits running away!"

The young men guarding the Bandits were not blind; it was just that for the moment they turned their heads to look at Jier's incredible feat of lifting the carriage, the three Bandits leaped from the ground and fled. They discovered it the next moment and shouted loudly.

But the young men responsible for guarding were in a dilemma, not knowing if they should give chase. After all, only three had escaped, and the rest were still "honestly" squatting by the riverbank.

Jier naturally heard the shouts that someone had escaped, but without even looking, he shouted loudly: "Hunter! Shoot them dead!"

Among the young Refugees, several immediately took down the Short Bows slung over their bodies, drew arrows, and shot in the general direction of the fleeing Bandits.

Swish, swish, swish, swish!

Several people shot in different directions, followed immediately by the sounds of two people wailing and falling.

"Nice shot, two of them. I'll put in some effort too."

Jier knew two had been shot down just by the sound, so he praised them, stepped on the slippery muddy riverbank, and forcibly pushed the rear of the carriage forward one last time.

Bang, bang—

A pair of rear wheels landed on the ground at the top of the riverbank, and with a push from Jier, the carriage rushed forward a long way in one breath before slowly coming to a stop.

At this moment, Jier turned around and whistled. Tianxuecao came in response, and without stopping, Jier walked with a clatter, ran along the riverbank, grabbed the Muan, and jumped onto the horse's back.

"Where did the remaining one run to?"

As soon as Jier asked, several people immediately pointed in one direction.

"Send three or four people to drag the ones shot down back. Be careful."

He kicked the horse's belly hard with his combat boots, and Jier pulled the Jiansheng, letting Tianxuecao rush in one direction.

Eight young men immediately stood out, carrying swords and blades, and rushed toward the two places where the arrows had hit and wailing could be heard.

When the young men easily dragged the half-dead Bandits who had been shot back, Jier, who was conspicuous because of the glowing Magic Tool he carried, also came riding back with a clatter.

The steel Faceplate showed no expression, and his cold movements were as dangerous as ever.

The Knight held and tucked the Metal Spear under his right arm, making a lifting motion.

Then, after getting close, he swung the spear, and with a splat, a lifeless Bandit corpse fell onto the muddy, slippery riverbank. There was a fist-sized hole in the corpse's back, and deep red blood was constantly flowing out, mixing with the mud to become blood-red sludge.

"The escaped Bandit, kill him. Bring the bodies, and we will deal with them together when we return to the overnight clearing. Human corpses cannot be buried in the wild."

Jier swung the spear twice, simply flicking off the flesh and blood stained on the double-edged spearhead, put it back on the Weapon Rack, jumped off the horse again, and waved to signal the second carriage to prepare to cross the river and get on the bank.

The Bandits sitting on the ground who hadn't escaped watched the young Knight's actions trembling, then they turned their heads away and saw the two wounded Bandits being held on the ground, being hacked repeatedly by an exceptionally excited young man who rushed to cut their faces, and only after half their faces were sliced off did he use a Dagger to stab into their brains through the gaps in their faces.

"Ah!" The four girls huddled together were terrified, and the rescued people also subconsciously gathered together, huddling for warmth.

"Move, who wants to sit in the first carriage? If you want to sit in the front, come across the river with me!"

A young man wearing Leather Armor walked over and spoke to these rescued people.

This time, those who had been blabbering before all kept their mouths shut, and after realizing what was good for them, they obediently followed the young man across the river and onto the carriage.

Everyone was much more honest.

Although many of the young men were just Farmers who tilled the land before, at this moment, wearing Leather Clothing and Leather Armor, holding swords and Short Bows, they received respect from others for the first time.

Even if no one said this respect out loud, everyone present perceived it to a greater or lesser extent.

After all, this night was so long, and everyone had grown up a lot.