Chapter 65: Ambush And Killing (II)

By the time he returned to Senior Brother Han’s camp, the sky had already grown dim.

"Young master, you’re back! That’s wonderful, Lord Han has been waiting for you a long time."

When Zhao Gang spotted Lin Zheyu from a distance, he hurried over in excitement. He had been genuinely worried something might have happened to this young master, and indeed, Lord Han had scolded him upon returning. Had anything truly happened to the young master, he would have been in serious trouble.

"Senior Brother has returned? Do I still need to announce myself before going in?" asked Lin Zheyu.

"No need, no need. Please, come with me," Zhao Gang said quickly.

He then stole a glance at the 3 bundles on Lin Zheyu’s back. His expression flickered strangely, but he dared not comment. Silently, he led Lin Zheyu into the camp. Following the soldier inside, Lin Zheyu saw that the camp was laid out in makeshift tents. They walked forward together until they reached a wide open space.

Han Mo was swinging his saber, fully absorbed in his cultivation practice.

His body had long since reached the threshold of the Blood Qi Realm. Qi and blood rose ceaselessly from his veins, yet his spirit was not strong enough to condense them into blood qi. Lin Zheyu did not disturb his senior brother. He simply stood quietly to one side and waited. Sensing movement, Han Mo stopped of his own accord and turned to look at Lin Zheyu.

"Senior Brother, your blade work is impressive!" said Lin Zheyu with a clap.

"What brings you out here? You didn’t run into any danger, did you?" asked Han Mo.

"No, the Golden Goose Technique excels in lightness technique. Though my strength is lacking, my ability to escape is still quite good."

As he spoke, Lin Zheyu’s gaze fell upon his senior brother’s chest, where white bandages were wrapped tightly. "Senior Brother, how did you get hurt? Is it serious?" he asked.

"It’s nothing, just a minor wound. I fell into an ambush when I was chasing a group of bandits a few days ago," said Han Mo.

"Senior Brother, you must be careful when hunting down bandits. Your wife is still waiting for you to return. Those bandits are all cunning and ruthless, and are willing to use any means. Don’t go too deep into the forest when you pursue them," urged Lin Zheyu.

"You brat, do you really need to remind me? I’ve slain more bandits than..." Han Mo began with a grin.

"Don’t tell me you’ve slain more bandits than the salt I’ve eaten. I won’t believe it," Lin Zheyu interrupted with a cheeky smile.

"

Hahaha

..."

After laughing, Han Mo walked to the side and sat down. He looked at Lin Zheyu and asked, "It’s terribly dangerous outside the city now, with bandits running rampant. Why did you come out here?"

"I came to scout the way ahead. If things turn bad, it’s better to have an escape route ready, isn’t it?" answered Lin Zheyu.

"That’s true. Still, you must be extremely cautious. Do not venture deep into the forest. The dangers there are not limited to bandits. Even hunters and herb gatherers are not necessarily good people," said Han Mo, giving him a warning.

"I understand. I will be careful," replied Lin Zheyu with a nod.

"You don’t know a damn thing!" Unable to restrain himself, Han Mo scolded him. "I just heard from the soldiers that you went chasing after those bandits? Do you have a death wish, going after them alone?"

"But I came back unharmed, didn’t I?" replied Lin Zheyu casually.

He had ambushed them from the shadows just now, and not a single drop of blood had touched his clothes. Han Mo shot him a sharp glare, then looked him over carefully. Indeed, he seemed fine and his clothes were spotless.

"Did you get all of those bundles from the bandits?" His gaze turned odd as he eyed the four bulging bundles beside Lin Zheyu. Han Mo asked, "Don’t tell me you stole them from commoners or merchant caravans?"

"Of course not! You know what kind of person I am, Senior Brother. Do you really think I would do something like that?" said Lin Zheyu, exasperated.

"These 3 bundles were looted from the merchant caravan by those bandits. I followed them in secret and seized the chance to snatch them back. As for this one, I picked it up along the way," he explained.

"Really?" Han Mo asked, still doubtful. After all, even he would only be throwing his life away if he tried to chase the mountain bandits alone.

"Of course. Would I lie to you? That caravan had around 300 people. Do you really think I could have stolen from them with my strength? I followed those bandits into the forest, and they happened to be ambushed by another group. The two sides fought each other, and I simply took advantage of the chaos," said Lin Zheyu.

"Don’t pull stunts like this again. One careless move and you’ll lose your life," warned Han Mo sternly.

"Alright, I won’t do it again," replied Lin Zheyu quickly.

Standing beside Han Mo, he opened the bundles without any attempt to conceal them and began taking stock. The first bundle contained medicinal herbs of many varieties, their rich fragrance wafting out. Among them were several ingredients he recognized from the Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction.

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

The second bundle held an assortment of exquisite jewelry and jade ornaments, each piece looking rather valuable. Inside the third bundle were 230 taels of silver, along with another smaller pouch filled with medicinal powders, poison powders, and an assortment of hidden weapons.

"Share and share alike, Senior Brother. These 30 taels of silver are for you," said Lin Zheyu, handing them over.

During his stay in Songyi City, his senior brother had taken great care of him. Even after their master left, Han Mo often found time to spar with him in real combat practice.

"Put that away and save it for when you marry and start a family. What would I do with your silver?" Han Mo did not reach for the silver. Speaking like an elder, he added, "You will need to marry one day and establish a household. There will be many places where money is necessary. You mustn’t squander it all."

"In that case, since you don’t want the silver, why not pick out a few beautiful pieces of jewelry? You can bring them back and give them to your wife. After knowing each other for so long, you've never given her anything," suggested Lin Zheyu with a smile, pointing at the pile of jewelry.

Under his junior’s persistent urging, Han Mo finally stopped refusing. He picked out a beautiful jade pendant, then chose nothing more. After putting away the jade ornaments and silver, Lin Zheyu began to sort through the poisons and medicinal powders.

"How many bandits did you really encounter on the way here? Why would there be so many poison powders and hidden weapons?" asked Han Mo, unable to hold back his doubts as he looked at the contents of the bundle.

"

Oh,

I just picked them up. The mountains are perilous, and the bandits often fight and kill each other. I happened to come across a few of their corpses and collected these from them," said Lin Zheyu, fabricating lies without batting an eye.

Han Mo fell silent. He stared wordlessly at his junior, disbelief written all over his face, yet he did not press further. That was simply his nature; if his junior did not wish to speak, he would not force him. Everyone had secrets they preferred to keep.

"Senior brother, do you know of any expert skilled in the art of poisons?" asked Lin Zheyu after finishing his sorting of the powders and hidden weapons.