Chapter 90: Don't Look Down on People

"Lu Yu, do you mean that someone might be targeting us?"

Qin Lianjun's voice trembled slightly, his calloused hands subconsciously gripping the short blade at his waist, a flicker of panic rising in his murky pupils.

"No, that can't be, right?" Sun Gang, standing nearby, spoke while forcing a calm demeanor, yet the trembling tail of his voice betrayed the unease in his heart.

Although this was not their first time stepping into Zhou Family Fort, a situation like this, where they returned fully loaded and attracted so much attention, was indeed a first.

The smoothness of their journey into the city only made everyone feel increasingly uneasy—would the road back really be safe and sound?

"It is very possible." Lu Yu furrowed his brows, his gaze scanning the surroundings with the vigilance of a hawk. "First, that group from Li Family Fort, with whom we crossed paths at Zhou Family Fort, definitely holds a grudge against us; they might be lying in ambush in some corner right now, waiting for revenge."

"Besides them, we cannot rule out those elusive horse bandits; you must know, the activity of horse bandits in this area has become increasingly rampant lately."

"Horse bandits?" Lu Guohao gasped, cold sweat instantly breaking out on his forehead.

Everyone felt a chill rise up their backs, as if countless sinister eyes were watching them from the shadows.

Everyone knew how brutal the horse bandits around Zhou Family Fort were; rumor had it that just last month, a caravan had met a tragic end, not only were their goods looted clean, but everyone was cruelly murdered, the scene too horrific to behold.

"Dad, Uncle Qin, do you remember what that old man said when I bought that Ancient Martial Arts Secret Manual at the market earlier?" Lu Yu asked in a low voice.

Lu Guohao's pupils constricted, his face instantly turning deathly pale. "I remember! He said there was a group of vicious horse bandits recently that specifically targeted small teams of ten to twenty people, and he even specifically warned us to be careful."

"That's right!" Lu Yu nodded with a solemn expression and slowly pulled out that heavy Military Telescope. "That is why I bought this. I will go out and scout around for a bit first; it might take some time. Everyone wait here, and only come out after I confirm there is no danger."

The group looked at each other and nodded one after another. They secretly felt fortunate that Lu Yu was so meticulous, having even thought of a rare item like a telescope in advance.

But then they fell into worry again—if they were truly being targeted, the enemy certainly wouldn't be too far away.

Even worse, no one could rule out that the other party had already blended into the crowd, just waiting for them to step out to send word.

If they really ran into those horse bandits riding fast horses and equipped with fine gear, escaping would be no easy task!

"Lu Yu, I'll go with you." Qin Hai suddenly stood up, his eyes firm.

"You?" Lu Yu was slightly stunned, feeling somewhat surprised.

"Yes!" Qin Hai first looked around vigilantly, then said with a firm gaze, "It's too dangerous for you to go out alone. In case some sudden situation really occurs, if I'm by your side, we can look out for each other."

"Besides, with two people together, there's an extra pair of eyes, and we can see things more carefully."

These words of his immediately won the approval of the group.

"Xiaohai is right! Lu Yu, just let him go with you."

Qin Lianjun was the first to speak in support. "Since we have decided to join Lin Family Stockade and have become one family, we should share weal and woe and contribute to the Zhai."

"That's right! Two people are always better than one; if we run into danger, there will be a helper."

"Lu Yu, let Qin Hai go with you, we can feel more at ease." Lu Guohao also persuaded from the side; he had originally been worried about Lu Yu's safety and was hesitating whether to go along himself, so now that Qin Hai had taken the initiative, it was naturally for the best.

After all, both of them were skilled at archery, and their eyesight was much better than the others.

Lu Yu smiled helplessly and had no choice but to nod in agreement. "Alright then, let's go together."

In truth, he had no confidence in his heart either, not knowing if Ji Bingyu's previous prophecy would truly come to pass, or if those horse bandits were really lying in ambush in the shadows.

But one more person meant one more bit of strength; perhaps it could really come in handy.

"Take this." Lu Yu took out that scarlet-as-blood Asura mask and handed it to Qin Hai, while he himself put on that pitch-black mask. "Better safe than sorry, just in case."

Qin Hai took the mask and put it on, understanding in his heart—Lu Yu had long anticipated that such a situation might occur and had made preparations in advance.

Even if there were eyes for the horse bandits in the city, seeing them wearing masks, they wouldn't be able to confirm their identities, let alone pass on accurate information, unless the other party had some special means.

The two walked one after the other toward the city gate exit. Lu Guohao and the others stood nervously in place, their gazes fixed tightly on their backs, not daring to even breathe loudly.

"Hope everything is safe..."

"Yes, just praying we can return smoothly..." everyone prayed silently in their hearts.

When they handed their passes to the city gate guards, under the guard's slightly puzzled gaze, the two walked out of Zhou Family Fort.

"Lu Yu, are you sure that gang of horse bandits is really targeting us?" Qin Hai asked in a low voice, a hint of nervousness in his tone.

"I can't say for sure either." Lu Yu shook his head, his gaze scanning the surroundings vigilantly. "There are too many people here, which is not conducive to observation. Let's find a secluded place and take a careful look."

"Alright!" Qin Hai gripped the bow and arrow in his hand, his nerves taut, his gaze like a torch, scanning every corner of the surroundings vigilantly.

On the surface, he appeared calm, but his slightly trembling fingers betrayed the unease in his heart.

At first, the surroundings seemed as calm as usual, without any abnormalities.

However, on a high ground one or two kilometers away from the city gate, several black shadows were staring fixedly at the direction of the city gate using telescopes.

The figures of Lu Yu and Qin Hai were clearly reflected in their eyes.

"Big Brother, someone has come out! Two people, and they're wearing weird-looking masks!" a man with a full beard shouted loudly.

"What kind of ghost masks are these? They look quite creepy!" another one-eyed man nearby said with a frown.

"Hmm, I see them." The bald, burly man in the lead narrowed his eyes, observed carefully for a while, and said with disdain, "Don't worry about these two for now; focus on that group that entered the city. Calculating the time, they should be coming out soon; as long as the big fish takes the bait, that's all that matters!"

"Understood!" the other two horse bandits holding telescopes replied in unison, continuing to stare at the direction of the city gate without blinking.

In front of the gate of Zhou Family Fort, Qin Hai glanced at the spot where the Li Family Fort vehicles had originally been parked, which was now long since empty.

"It seems that gang from Li Family Fort has already slipped away." he muttered in a low voice.

"It's fine if they left." Lu Yu glanced over, his expression indifferent. "Even if they set an ambush on the road, I'm not afraid. Without horses, they are no match for us; even if they drive over, I'll just shoot and Explode their tires with an arrow."

"But those horse bandits are different; they are numerous and powerful, well-equipped, and every one of them is proficient in mounted archery; they are the real trouble."

The two walked forward cautiously, walking several hundred meters, and the surroundings gradually became deserted, with almost no sign of pedestrians to be seen.

"Is this far enough?" Qin Hai said helplessly, feeling both nervous and expectant in his heart, not knowing what they would discover next.

"Hmm." Lu Yu put down the long spear in his hand and carefully took out the telescope hidden in his bosom, beginning to scan the surroundings carefully from left to right, 360 degrees.

His heart was beating violently in his chest, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead—could Ji Bingyu's prophecy really be coming true? Were those horse bandits really lying in ambush in the southwest direction?

As the lens of the telescope turned bit by bit, finally, when the lens turned to the southwest, Lu Yu's eyes widened abruptly, he gasped, and his whole body froze in place.

"What's wrong? Did you find something?" Qin Hai asked nervously in a hurry, his voice changing pitch.

Lu Yu did not speak, but silently handed the telescope to Qin Hai.

Qin Hai took it half-believingly and aimed it in the direction Lu Yu had just been looking. The next second, his face instantly turned deathly pale, and he couldn't help but exclaim: "That is...!"

He turned his head, his eyes filled with disbelief: "It really is horse bandits!"

Lu Yu nodded with a solemn expression: "That's right, it's them. I didn't expect that everything Ji Bingyu said was actually true; the location, the number of people, and even that bald leader, it all matches up."

At this moment, through the Telescope, one could clearly see that the group of horse bandits was also holding Telescopes, staring fixedly at the exit of Zhou Family Fort.

Their horses were lined up neatly, their saddles hung with cold, gleaming weapons, and every person's face wore a fierce, greedy expression, like a pack of hungry wolves waiting for their prey.

"How could it be like this..." Qin Hai still couldn't quite believe it, his mouth hanging wide open, unable to close it for a long time.

He swallowed hard and, clinging to a final shred of hope, asked: "Lu Yu, maybe... maybe their target isn't us?"

Lu Yu looked at him quietly, his gaze filled with firmness and resolve: "But what if it is us? Once they make a move, given their cruelty, not a single person in our Zhai will survive!"

Qin Hai was instantly rendered speechless; yes, what if? This "what if" was enough to doom them to destruction.

"Then... what should we do?" His voice trembled, his heart full of anxiety.

Looking at the situation before them, no matter how one viewed it, they were at an absolute disadvantage, with almost no chance of winning.

Lu Yu slowly picked up his long spear, his gaze fixed on the southwest direction, his tone icy: "Better to kill by mistake than to let one slip through! We must not let them threaten the safety of the Zhai!"

"Lu Yu, are you crazy?" Qin Hai widened his eyes, his face full of shock, "You are one person, how could you possibly beat so many people? There are over twenty of them, and they have warhorses, and most of them carry bows and arrows! That bunch of small fry from the Wang Family Zhai we dealt with before can't even compare to them!"

After speaking, he picked up the Telescope again to confirm—there were at least twenty horse bandits, and they were well-equipped and well-trained; one look and it was clear they were not easy characters to deal with.

"How will I know if I don't try?"

Lu Yu's gaze was sharp, "Besides, do you have a better plan? If their target really is us, even if we throw away all our cargo, do you think these murderous horse bandits will let us go?"

"They won't..." Qin Hai shook his head instinctively. He knew the nature of horse bandits too well; if they had already set their sights on them, they would never give up easily. Even if they ended up with nothing, they would hunt them down to the last person, leaving no future trouble.

"Doesn't that settle it?"

Lu Yu patted Qin Hai on the shoulder, "Don't worry, I won't go to my death in vain. I have my own plan; you just stay here, keep watching with the Telescope, and make sure you aren't discovered by them."

"Once I've dealt with this group, I'll come back to find you, and then you can go back and notify everyone."

If Qin Hai hadn't followed him, Lu Yu wouldn't have had to waste so much breath explaining.

But since he had come, it was better to make things clear, to save him from worrying and to avoid unnecessary danger.

Qin Hai's body couldn't help but tremble slightly as he watched Lu Yu's resolute back as he turned away.

A surge of hot blood suddenly rushed to his heart, and he gathered his courage and shouted loudly: "Lu Yu, wait! I'm going with you!"

"You're going with me?" Lu Yu turned around in surprise, his eyes full of astonishment.

"That's right!" Qin Hai gritted his teeth, his gaze firm, "We came out together, so we must have already been noticed by them. If you go alone, it might just arouse their suspicion."

"I'll go with you; if a real fight breaks out, I can help you shoulder some of the pressure. More people means more strength!"

Lu Yu hesitated, his mind quickly searching for a way to dissuade Qin Hai.

After all, this operation was too dangerous; once a fight started, he would be hard-pressed to look after himself, let alone spare the focus to protect Qin Hai.

Moreover, according to his plan, acting alone was actually more convenient and safer.

He had intended to approach without wearing a mask, and he wouldn't reveal his long spear in advance either.

As long as he could close the distance to five hundred meters, he could launch a surprise attack relying on his precise Archery.

And from five hundred meters away, those horse bandits wouldn't be able to see his appearance clearly without the help of a Telescope; they would have to wait until he was within two or three hundred meters before they would sense the danger.

Unless these horse bandits also possessed the ability of Future Prediction, or were naturally suspicious and ruthless, unable to tolerate any living soul who had seen them.

When he was still over five hundred meters away, they might give up surveillance and have everyone mount their horses to charge. But thinking about it carefully, this possibility was extremely slim.

Even if that extreme situation really occurred, Lu Yu was not without preparation.

In the future that Ji Bingyu had foreseen earlier, he had to protect the people of the Zhai as they retreated, so he could only stay behind alone to cover the rear, unable to fall back; once he fell back, the old, weak, women, and children in the Zhai would be exposed to the horse bandits' rain of arrows.

But now it was different; he was alone, and he could fully rely on his Agility advantage to adopt a "kite" tactic, fighting while retreating.

His current Agility attribute had already reached 35 points, and it wouldn't be difficult to add points to break through to 40; if he could break through again, exceeding 40 points was not impossible.

Calculating based on a normal person's speed of 13 seconds per hundred meters, his speed could fully exceed 30 meters per second, while the top speed of a Horned Horse in a full sprint was only 30 meters per second, not to mention that a horse's speed would drop significantly when turning.

Therefore, as long as the horse bandits entered his range, he could fully run backward while flexibly circling, all while Aiming and shooting precisely.

Although the difficulty was immense, it was not without the possibility of success.

"Qin Hai,"

Lu Yu looked at him with a solemn expression and a sincere gaze, "I don't mean to look down on you; on the contrary, I admire your courage. But this operation is truly too dangerous; even for me, it is a life-and-death gamble."

"If you follow, it will only make me distracted, which is even more dangerous. Can you understand what I mean?"

"Lu Yu, don't look down on people!"

Qin Hai seemed to have guessed Lu Yu's thoughts, his face flushing red, his tone firm, "Although I am not as capable as you, I am not a burden! I have practiced Archery since I was a child, and my Archery is not bad; I will definitely be able to help at a critical moment!"

In truth, Qin Hai's heart was filled with fear; those horse bandits were notorious, each one a bloodthirsty executioner with hands stained with blood.

Following him might mean he would never return, but he could not watch Lu Yu face danger alone.