Volume One, Chapter 15: Narrow Victory at Peach Blossom Village

The horse bandits moved with astonishing speed, leaving the panicked villagers no time to react. Several households near the village entrance had already been invaded, and agonized screams echoed from their yards.

“Ah, help!”

“Please don’t kill me!”

“Waaah, let go of my daughter! She’s only ten years old!”

By the time Yunhai Su gathered a dozen able-bodied men, the bandits had already wreaked havoc on four or five families. Seeing these villagers armed only with sickles, hoes, and wooden sticks attempting to resist, the bandits laughed arrogantly from atop their horses.

“Hahaha! You worthless fools think you can stand against us?”

“Be wise—drop your weapons and hand over your food, water, and women. Maybe then we’ll spare your lives!”

Yunhai Su, a retired soldier from his past life, felt his blood surge at the sight. Without hesitation, he nocked an arrow and loosed it at the man who had spoken.

“Thwack!”

The arrow pierced the man’s chest and didn’t stop there—it flew on to strike the bandit behind him as well. The others, initially dismissive of the villagers, now wore grim expressions, suddenly taking the threat seriously.

“Kill him! Take down that archer and avenge us!”

In an instant, the bandits charged on horseback towards the villagers. Fortunately, within moments, the village elder had rallied a group of reinforcements. Bolstered by their numbers, the villagers’ fear subsided, and they fought back with desperate courage.

If they didn’t fight now, the bandits would slaughter them one household at a time. Death was certain either way; better to make a stand.

The Su family had long since hidden away, except for Ping’an Su, who, trained in martial arts, bravely joined the fray. Shuli Shen was not idle either—she leapt onto the wall, climbed onto the roof of the east wing, and set up a sniper rifle, aiming at the bandits.

The bandits, mounted on their powerful steeds, held the upper hand in close combat—three or four villagers barely managed to confront one rider.

The villagers couldn’t reach the bandits directly, so they stabbed at the horses beneath them. Yunhai Su managed to shoot three bandits before being surrounded by four others, preventing him from using his bow further. Drawing a sharp Tang sword he carried, he moved with agility, engaging the four bandits in close quarters.

It was hard to believe such deftness came from a man weighing over two hundred pounds.

Seeing her father gradually losing ground, Shuli seized the opportunity to open fire. Yunhai Su witnessed a bandit’s head explode at the shot and glanced toward the roof, where a shadowed figure stood—his daughter secretly supporting him.

His spirit surged. No longer defensive, he launched a full attack.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

In a short time, Shuli had slain seven or eight bandits, not only saving her father but also rescuing several villagers on the brink of death.

After a quarter of an hour, all thirty bandits lay dead. At Yunhai Su’s insistence, two were spared alive.

Though Peach Blossom Village had narrowly triumphed, eight villagers had died, five were seriously wounded, and nearly all others bore cuts and bruises.

The village elder, nearly sixty and not a participant in the fight, had been hiding nearby, anxiously watching the battle unfold. He never imagined the bandits would all be killed by villagers.

Relieved, his legs gave way, and he collapsed, clutching his pounding heart and gasping for air.

“We won… we actually won…”

Wiping blood from his face, Yunhai Su saw the villagers sprawled on the ground, the survivors’ faces etched with the relief of having survived disaster. He took it upon himself to assign tasks to those still capable, summoning everyone to help.

The dead were to be buried, and Dr. Zhang was to tend to the wounded. They also needed help disposing of the bandits’ bodies.

Each bandit had come mounted on a horse. Many horses died during the fight, but twelve remained unharmed—a significant prize.

Yunhai Su was now searching the bandits’ bodies and found a substantial haul: scattered silver coins, copper pieces, and silver notes amounting to over a thousand taels. He wondered which village these marauders had plundered before.

The village elder, having regained his composure, came over to help coordinate. When Yunhai Su handed him the pile of silver and notes, the elder hastily waved him off.

“Yunhai, your efforts today were greatest in resisting the bandits. You should keep this silver.”

Yunhai Su shook his head, pressing the money into the elder’s arms. Surprised by the weight, the village elder inadvertently let half the coins fall to the ground.

“Elder, many villagers contributed today, and several died at the hands of the bandits. You’ll need to oversee the fair distribution of silver, horses, and spoils among those who fought.”

Yunhai Su preferred not to shoulder that responsibility himself nor deal with petty disputes over fairness.

The elder agreed, realizing he had to carefully consider the fairest way to allocate the spoils.

Villagers gradually emerged to assist, quickly hauling the bandits’ bodies to the back mountain.

Cries of grief from families who lost husbands and sons echoed through the village. A somber cloud hung over the community as everyone silently went about their tasks.

Yunhai Su had kept two captives alive and now dragged one to a secluded spot for interrogation.

Today’s events were unsettling; according to the information from his daughter, this ambush should never have happened.

Shuli and Yuehua Shen spotted Yunhai Su in the crowd and hurried over to check on him.

Noticing a long bloodstain down his back, their eyes welled with tears.

“Old Su, is your injury serious? Why haven’t you sought the doctor’s help already? What if you get an infection from the bandits’ filthy blades?” Yuehua cried, pulling him toward the medic.

“Cough, cough… Don’t worry. It’s just a surface wound. After I deal with these two, I’ll get treated,” Yunhai Su reassured his wife and daughter.

“Mom, don’t worry. Let Dad drink this spiritual spring water first.”

Under their watchful eyes, Shuli poured a liter of the spring water for her father, who drank it all.

His daughter’s concern warmed his heart—far more considerate than those ungrateful sons he had known.

“Heh, my daughter is so thoughtful. This old man won’t be shy,” Yunhai Su chuckled, finishing the water in one gulp.

The quantity was substantial, and he couldn’t help but let out a satisfied belch.

“Dad, the effect might be noticeable. Remember to hide it,” Shuli warned.

“Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”

At that moment, the second son, Ping’an Su, approached quietly, bending down to peer at the three of them.

Standing nearly two meters tall, he asked in a hushed voice, “Dad, Mom, what are you whispering about here?”

Shuli and Yuehua suddenly noticed two fresh wounds on Ping’an’s body. They understood at once—he had also fought in the battle just now.