Chapter Three: The Bandits

Scooping up a handful of cool stream water and splashing it onto her face, Lu Liao Liao winced in pain, her mouth drawing sharp breaths. People often say, strip the bark but not the skin, strike a person but not the face. One side of her face was swollen like a steamed bun, while the other bore five distinct red and swollen finger marks, making Lu Liao Liao feel utterly miserable, ashamed to show herself.

She cast a glance full of resentment at the young girl, vowing that the injury to her father and the humiliation of being slapped could not go unavenged. Even though the girl appeared to be about her age, and even though she was strikingly beautiful.

Lu Liao Liao scoffed at the girl's shameless boasting. Uncle Dou of Tianmen Village possessed martial skills far above ordinary men. Lu herself had just clumsily followed him for two days, yet was able to subdue four sons of the Wang family single-handedly. This wild, beautiful female thief might be formidable, but she could never be a match for Uncle Dou.

Imagining the girl's wretched fate, Lu Liao Liao shook her head with a hint of regret. After some thought, she straightened her clothes and walked toward a large rock not far away.

"What are you doing?" the girl asked, poised to follow.

"Nature calls. If you don't trust me, come along," Lu Liao Liao replied without looking back, secretly smirking.

"Shameless thing," the girl spat, turning away angrily. "You've swallowed my Soft Tendon Powder—don't even think of escaping. If I catch you, you'll regret it."

Lu Liao Liao said nothing, crouched, picked up a small stone, and quickly etched words onto the rock.

The girl waited for quite a while, but Lu Liao Liao didn’t come out. She picked up a stone and threw it. "Why are you taking so long?"

Lu Liao Liao’s voice came from behind the rock: "I ate something bad yesterday."

The girl felt disgusted and annoyed, hurling another stone in frustration.

Lu Liao Liao looked at the rock covered in writing, uneasy. She tore off a piece of her inner lining, bit her finger, and wrote on it, wrapped it around a stone, and gently tossed it by the stream before slowly walking out.

The mountain path was treacherous, but despite the effects of the Soft Tendon Powder, Lu Liao Liao endured the two-day journey in silence. The girl was surprised and tossed a bun her way as a reward, then sat on a nearby rock, drinking from her water pouch.

As though influenced by the two who ignored each other, the mountain forest became strangely silent—no wind, no chirping insects or birds.

Behind a rock, two small heads slowly peeked out. After observing for a while, they swaggered out, holding a wooden bow and sword, and stood before the two. One child shouted boldly, "Hey! This mountain is mine, this tree I planted. If you want to pass, pay the toll!"

Seeing they were just two eight or nine-year-old children, the girl’s hand moved away from her waist.

Lu Liao Liao struck a heroic pose. "If you want to rob, you’ll have to get past me first!"

"Lu Liao Liao, what happened to your face? Did someone bully you?" asked the child with the wooden sword.

"Who bullied you, Lu Liao Liao? Tell us, and we’ll get revenge!" the child with the wooden bow thumped his chest.

Lu Liao Liao felt thoroughly embarrassed and forced a laugh. "I was unlucky—first knocked over by a wild boar, then scratched by a wildcat. No one can bully me."

The girl’s cheek twitched, her smile strained.

The two children obviously didn’t believe it, scrutinizing Lu Liao Liao’s face with suspicion.

Lu Liao Liao covered the five finger marks with one hand and waved the other at the two children. "Little Tiger, Egghead, why aren’t you staying in the village? Don’t you know the mountains are dangerous?"

The children were easily distracted. Egghead boasted, waving his little bow, "With Uncle Huo and my father, there’s no danger. I even shot a wild rabbit!"

Little Tiger tugged Lu Liao Liao’s sleeve and whispered, "Lu Liao Liao, is that girl your little wife? She’s not bad."

Lu Liao Liao’s expression changed, shielding Little Tiger. "Nonsense, she’s a distant relative."

Just then, several strong hunters carrying prey and armed with hunting forks and bows walked out of the forest. Lu Liao Liao hurried forward and greeted them, "Uncle Dou, Uncle Huo, greetings!"

A heroic middle-aged man, carrying a huge hunting bow and wearing patched but clean clothes, came up and patted Lu Liao Liao’s shoulder. "Lu Liao Liao, why aren’t you in the academy? What brings you to the village?"

Before Lu Liao Liao could answer, the man looked at her face in surprise, then glanced hesitantly at the girl not far behind. "Who is this young lady?"

"Uncle Dou, this is my distant cousin. She heard some stories in town and insisted on visiting Tianmen Village. I refused, and ended up like this." Lu Liao Liao smiled awkwardly, quietly hinting at two things: the girl came because of rumors about bandits; the girl was formidable, and Lu Liao Liao was no match.

But the man laughed heartily, "Ha! There’s nothing much to see in a mountain hunting village. We caught a muntjac today—let’s cook it for our guest. The herbs collected from the mountain, you can bring home to your father."

Lu Liao Liao grew anxious, wanting to tell the truth. She glanced at the girl and saw the two children crowding around her, munching on the bun she’d given them. Fear gripped her, and she dared not say a word, only managing a dry smile.

The girl greeted the hunters with a slight nod, then smiled and chatted with the children.

On the way, Uncle Dou quietly patted Lu Liao Liao’s shoulder and whispered, "You haven’t married yet, but it’s good to have a pretty wife. Still, you must assert yourself!"

Lu Liao Liao was speechless and retorted, "Uncle Dou, you jest. Have you ever seen a wife who beats her husband like this?"

The man gazed into the distance, his eyes tinged with melancholy. "I have. I used to get beaten often. But now, even if I want to be beaten, I can’t."

Lu Liao Liao had nothing to say and trudged ahead.

In the small valley, a few simple thatched huts and barren vegetable plots were enclosed by tall wooden fences. Poorly clothed women, children, and elders greeted the returning hunters with laughter and joy.

"Are you sure this is the bandit’s den, Tianmen Village?" the girl asked, nudging Lu Liao Liao quietly.

"What do you think?" Lu Liao Liao replied irritably.

The girl said nothing, soon surrounded by Little Tiger and Egghead, chattering away.

Lu Liao Liao patted her forehead helplessly, comforting herself to patiently wait for an opportunity.

A bonfire blazed in the central clearing; muntjac meat and mountain mushrooms bubbled in the iron pot, filling the air with unparalleled aroma. The twenty-some villagers smiled happily, bowls in hand.

Uncle Dou brought out a jar of treasured old wine and drank with the other men. Lu Liao Liao, feeling tasteless, drank two bowls of meat soup, watching the girl unreservedly stretch out her bowl to drink with the others, smiling. Suddenly, a plan formed.

Hunters usually kept anesthetics strong enough to knock out even bears. If she could quietly obtain some and slip it into the girl’s wine, she’d see who had the upper hand.

Ignoring the merrymaking hunters and the girl, Lu Liao Liao stood up and walked toward Auntie Huo, noticing the girl’s bright eyes fixed on her, half-smiling.

Before she could take two steps, Lu Liao Liao’s legs gave way, her head spun, and she collapsed unconscious.

The cold mountain wind swept up charcoal ash, drifting down onto the bodies lying everywhere, settling in the pots and bowls of leftover soup. Only the still-burning logs flickered, revealing crimson cores.

Lu Liao Liao opened her eyes, hardly believing what she saw. She rubbed her eyes hard, realizing it wasn’t a dream.

Her body weak, heart chilled, she struggled toward Uncle Dou, reached out, and found he was still breathing. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Before she could fully relax, the girl appeared ghostlike, her face pale.

"You cunning boy, I’m starting to find you hard to figure out. You took my Soft Tendon Powder, yet trekked all that mountain road without your breath faltering. You endured my Snake Shadow poison and woke up sooner than even the skilled Dou bandit. Do you have some secret?"

Lu Liao Liao, aside from practicing the health-preserving 'Breeze Technique' her father gave her as a child and learning two days of martial arts from Uncle Dou, had no secrets. Facing this demon-like girl, she felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

"Don’t forget my family is renowned for medical expertise. It’s normal for me to be healthier than most," Lu Liao Liao hinted at her lineage, hoping the girl would feel some hesitation.

"Perhaps," the girl replied indifferently, unconvinced. Suddenly, her stomach spasmed, and she vomited the foul wine, darting away to some hidden corner.

Seizing the moment, Lu Liao Liao rushed inside, grabbed a water ladle, filled it, and splashed Uncle Dou’s face furiously.

Seeing Uncle Dou wake, she was overjoyed and rushed back inside.

Uncle Dou saw hunters, families, even the hunting dogs lying still, his heart bitter, realizing Tianmen Village was doomed.

Struggling to stand, his steps faltered, barely moving before the girl appeared before him, coldly gazing.

"You have formidable skills, miss. I, Dou, misjudged you. May I ask your name?" Uncle Dou straightened, cupped his hands.

The girl said nothing but beckoned Lu Liao Liao, who stood at the doorway with the water ladle.

Lu Liao Liao walked over woodenly, handed the ladle, and quickly moved to Uncle Dou’s side.

The girl drank the entire ladle in one gulp, wiped her mouth carelessly, and declared, "Five Saints Sect, Spirit Serpent Hall, Miss Fang."

Uncle Dou’s face turned pale. "Better offend the King of Hell than the Five Poisons. I never thought my worthless life would attract a master from the Five Poisons Sect."

Miss Fang tilted her head. "You do have some experience. But let me remind you, it’s the Five Saints Sect, not the Five Poisons. State your name!"

"A nobody, not worth mentioning. If you want my head, take it. But could you spare these hunters and their families?"

Uncle Dou’s face was bleak, resigned.

Miss Fang looked around and shook her head. "How did you hunters become wanted bandits? I’m curious. Tell me, and maybe I’ll consider it."

Uncle Dou’s expression grew agitated and bitter.