Chapter : 13 Bandit Chief

A sudden burst of blue lightning crackled around the tent, catching the attention of the bandit chief and Mei, who swiftly made their way towards it.

The chief surveyed his fallen men, their unconscious bodies turned black from the strange attack. "Who did this?" he growled, his anger palpable.

Inside the tent, a rustling sound drew the chief's attention. He pushed aside the curtain at the entrance and found two unfamiliar individuals.

"It seems your comrades are not here," Kayden remarked casually, while Li Wei glanced at a man standing at the tent entrance. "Huh, who are you?" Kayden questioned as a man appeared half-naked.

"Are you the one who attacked my men?" the chief demanded.

"Nope," Kayden replied with a smirk.

"You bastard! I'll cut you in half for that arrogance! How dare you lie to my face!" The chief drew his sword, and with a swift motion, aimed it at Kayden.

In a split-second reaction, Kayden grabbed Li Wei by the collar and yanked him out of harm's way just as the chief's sword swung through the air. A rush of wind followed the blow, obliterating the tent and leaving a deep crater in the sand.

"Whoa, that's something new. Was it just physical power, or did I sense something unusual?" Kayden thought as he landed a bit far away.

"Are you okay?" Kayden said to Li Wei, who nodded he is fine.

While the chief turned around, he said, "You dodged that, huh, but you won't be able to this time." The chief's body started leaking out yellow energy, as he said "Ephemeral Mirage Blade." With a flourish, he moved his sword in a particular manner, creating an illusion.

"Whoa, now there are five of you," Kayden commented as there were now five identical, looming figures.

As all five launched at Kayden, he smirked. "Seriously, I can sense you, idiot." As he didn't dodge the fake ones and landed a tight slap on the original chief, making him fall flat on the ground.

While the onlookers among the injured bandits who had woken up watched their chief collapse, they nonchalantly went back to sleep. Mei stood in shock, looking back and forth between Kayden and her fallen chief.

"Arghh, what happened?" groaned the Bandit chief, his vision blurry as he attempted to rise.

"Just rest a little longer," Kayden said, pressing his foot down to keep the chief pinned and unconscious.

"Mei, what are you doing here? I recall you saying you'd wait outside," Kayden inquired, glancing at Mei.

"I swear I didn't go to the chief to report anything; I just saw him heading towards the tent, so I thought I could distract him," Mei explained.

"I see," Kayden replied, walking over to Mei and giving his shoulder a reassuring pat. "Good job. I'll get you a reward," he said with a gentle smile.

Mei sighed in relief, thinking his excuse had worked, only to be suddenly pinned to the ground as a series of cries began.

After a while, Kayden and Li Wei sat together near the bonfire, surrounded by the crackling flames. Breaking the silence, Li Wei spoke up, "I really don't know how to thank you for helping me again and again."

Before he could say more, Kayden interjected, "Huh! Helping who? I'm not helping you. I just had a hunch I might need you to get out of this place." He said this with a sly grin, making Li Wei chuckle.

"Why are you smiling now?" Kayden's eye twitched in suspicion.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the half-demolished tent, Mei lay on the ground, looking like his soul had momentarily left his body, occasionally emitting pained "arghhh" sounds.

Far away from the tents, Yu and his horse gazed at the horizon. Yu broke the silence, asking, "Whose cries do you think those were?" He then turned to the horse, as if expecting an answer, and the horse nodded in understanding, confirming Yu's guess.

Back near the tents, where Kayden and Li Wei were sitting, they gazed at the expansive sky adorned with countless stars. Suddenly, their attention was drawn to the bandit leader, who was slowly waking up.

"So, you've finally decided to join us in the land of the living," Kayden quipped as he observed the once-defeated figure struggling to stand.

The bandit chief's anger was evident as he started to say, "You..." But his words faded as the memories of his one slap defeat rushed back to him. He walked over to the bonfire in silence and sat down without uttering a word, leaving Li Wei and Kayden utterly bewildered by his unexpected behavior.