Chapter 217 – Bandit Extermination: Kill, Capture, or Both (Part 7)
At the command of the arrows, shadowy figures in black stealthily infiltrated the bandit stronghold, slipping into the darkness like ghosts.
Nong Qin maintained a cold expression, her eyes dark and chilling.
Perhaps due to this not being her first time taking a life, her approach was exceptionally calm, filled not with fear or hesitation, but the echoes of her Young Master’s teachings on murder.
Her mind was clearer than ever; with each soul she sent to the afterlife, her calmness deepened.
At this moment, she understood why her Young Master said some sensations could only be comprehended through personal experience, not mere words.
Her hands were frighteningly steady, yet her chest burned with an intense impulse, threatening to engulf her reason.
She was no longer that lowly maidservant bullied by house servants.
On the contrary, these hands could now govern the lives of others!
Crack—
The sound of bone snapping broke the stillness of the night as she casually discarded the lifeless bandit to the side, unwilling to spare even a glance.
Her gaze shifted to the few soldiers under her command. Nong Qin smirked, making hand signals to issue orders.
In such circumstances, verbal communication could expose their positions, alerting the enemy.
Given the technological limitations of this era, Jiang Pengji couldn’t conjure cutting-edge communication devices, so she resorted to basic sign language commands learned in military school, enforcing that every member of her troop memorize each gesture.
Some of these soldiers had teased Nong Qin in the past, but now they trembled in fear, their legs turning to jelly, too scared to harbor any thoughts of underestimating her.
This was no weak woman; she was a female demon!
There was barely any movement from her, yet in an instant, her hands swiftly seized an enemy’s neck, and with a mere flick of her wrist, that neck was snapped!
Watching this scene, the soldiers couldn’t help but touch their own throats, shivering in fright.
Necks were all the same, yet witnessing Nong Qin’s actions, they couldn’t shake the feeling… that these bandits’ necks were made of paper.
With a slight twist, there came a crack, and the neck would break like a twig.
“Damn it… gulp—this little lady really knows how to appreciate fine meat; too bad I don’t know when it’ll be our turn. The boss and a few others really don’t know when to pull back; they’ve killed several already. Every time, we can only watch them feast, while we don’t even get a drop of soup…” One bandit loosened his belt and relieved himself on the weeds.
His words reeked of alcohol, his large nose flushed red, eyes squinted and slightly glazed.
His buddy chuckled, “She’s the boss, why should she let you eat? Have you even looked in the mirror…”
“Hey, hey, hey! When did I ever say that?!” The first bandit finished his business, his waiting belly finally feeling better, hurriedly tightening his belt. “This godforsaken place has no women for fun, are we just supposed to hold it in? The boss and his crew are having a blast, the sounds they make can be heard from one end of the village to the other. And I’m not even allowed to complain…”
His buddy mocked him, “Come on, just say you want some woman!”
The bandit spat in annoyance, “Pfft! I want, but you think I’d dare say it out loud?”
Both had night watch duties and couldn’t dawdle too long. They quickly secured their belts and got ready to return.
“Wait!”
Just as they were about to leave, one bandit was stopped by his companion, who impatiently said, “If you want women, go find one! Don’t drag me into it.”
“Get lost! I’m serious; look over there; there’s something!”
Upon hearing this, both exchanged nervous glances, fearing something like a poisonous snake or a monster lurked in the bushes.
Thinking about what they had just done made their hearts race, and their hands and feet began to chill.
“Looks like there’s a person… you check it!”
A person?
Before the bandit could react, his partner shoved him from behind. He lost his balance and stumbled into the weeds, emerging with a face covered in a disgusting, foul liquid, as if he had been completely smothered; meanwhile, his hands touched something strangely soft and icy.
“Ghost!”
The bandit, terrified, forgot where he was, jumping up and scrambling away in the opposite direction.
His partner was equally startled; his hands shook and he accidentally dropped the flint he was holding.
“Quit your screaming!”
Just as both were about to bolt in panic, their leader came over, drawn by the noise.
“There’s a ghost, boss! Over there! A chilly ghost!”
The leading bandit was so frightened his soul nearly left him, his face smeared with liquid and filled with terror, pointing at the bushes with trembling hands.
“A ghost?” The leader’s heart raced, but not wanting to lose face in front of the bandits, he steadied himself and retorted, “Let me see what’s trying to scare us. You two useless fools, scared out of your minds.”
Gathering his courage, he stepped forward and kicked the bushes, striking something heavy, which startled him as well.
However, that weight rolled over, revealing a blood-soaked face with wide-open eyes, looking particularly terrifying in the bleak moonlight! This person… this person was dead with eyes wide open, neck in an eerie twist!
They were initially shocked, then quickly realized this was the guard, Er Gouzi!
“What the hell! A ghost! We’re being attacked!”
The leader quickly processed this, veins bulging in rage, his eyes bulging like bells.
An attack?
At this time?
The other two bandits finally came to their senses, but they were so scared their limbs felt weak, unable to stand.
“Useless!”
The chief bandit cursed, turning to run while shouting, “Wake up! We’re being—”
Whoosh—
A soft sound sliced through the night.
An arrow streaked through the darkness with a silvery glow, piercing through one side of the leader’s neck and exiting the other side.
“Ha, a fish that slipped through the net.”
A voice as chilly as water echoed down from above as Jiang Pengji stood on a nearby rooftop, her crossbow just lowering.
The two stunned bandits watched as their leader’s neck burst forth a beautiful spray of blood, the rich scent of iron enveloping them, followed by a thud as he collapsed, faster than they could react.
Hearing that voice, the two bandits stiffly turned their heads.
The person illuminated by the moonlight wielded a strangely designed crossbow.
Her features seemed touched by frost, locking in an eerie coldness.
“Capture these two as well,” Jiang Pengji scanned the two dazed bandits, commanding her troop, “Search again, and see if any fish slip through the net in this stronghold. If they cooperate, spare their lives. If they resist, just kill them.”
Next up was a delightful time for divvying up the spoils.
