68. Xui Kao

As the bandits moved to capture them, Mei Lin rushed toward their leader. Unlike the others, the leader was more focused and kept his distance from Mei Lin and Xia. Mei Lin knew she couldn't protect Xia directly, so she decided to eliminate the bandits one by one.

The bandit leader was a sadist. Seeing Mei Lin surrender and approach him without a visible weapon, he dropped his machete, intending to show his dominance with his bare hands. Another bandit went after Xia, leaving Mei Lin to confront their leader. Xia hid the knife inside her robe and, as Mei Lin left her on the snowy ground, she fell defenseless. For Xia, her life ended when her brother didn't return with Mei Lin. She had no reason to live anymore and awaited the bandits to kill her.

Mei Lin, however, was determined to reach Peng City at any cost. A few bandits were no problem despite her injuries. Her resolve to find her master was so strong that she would burn all her cultivation if necessary to escape. Non-cultivator bandits stood no chance against her determination.

As Mei Lin neared the bandit leader, he grabbed her by the neck and lifted her off the ground with one hand. Mei Lin let herself be caught. As he held her by the neck, he used his other hand to remove her bamboo hat. When he saw her blood-red eyes, he realized he was in deep trouble. "What the fuck?" the bandit leader panicked, realizing Mei Lin was a cultivator.

A crystal knife appeared in Mei Lin's hand. She was ready to kill him, but not too quickly. With one swift slice of the knife, Mei Lin fell back to her feet, the bandit leader's hand still gripping her neck where he had been holding her. The knife had cut off his hand so cleanly that he didn't even realize what had happened.

"Ahhh. What the…" The leader fell to the ground, his scream resonating and instantly scaring the other bandits. None of them had anticipated that Mei Lin or Xia would pose a threat. After all, Xia looked very young, and Mei Lin, despite being covered by a robe and veil, didn't appear tall or imposing. They assumed she was just another young, rich girl who had been left behind.

This was exactly what Mei Lin wanted. As the bandits rushed to help their boss, Mei Lin let the knife vanish and went after the closest one. She moved almost as fast as he did. The bandit, taken by surprise, didn't know what to do. He was twenty years old, and upon seeing Mei Lin's beautiful face, he suddenly lost his will to fight. "Beauty," he muttered, not thinking straight. His fighting spirit immediately dwindled as Mei Lin approached him. She smiled, and he felt she was just a victim, wanting to run away.

He quickly lowered his weapon. "Girl, what happened?" the young bandit asked, concerned for her. To his terror, Mei Lin opened her scarlet-red eyes and looked directly into his. He froze in fear, unable to move. Mei Lin closed the distance in an instant, and the crystal knife sliced through half of his neck. He didn't even realize what had happened until a line of blood appeared on his neck. He tried to stop the bleeding, but it was too late. The blood pulsed onto the ground as he collapsed.

The remaining bandits were stunned. One of them realized that even he couldn't do such things. "You are a cultivator!" he exclaimed. Seeing her eyes, he knew they had provoked someone far more powerful. "Miss cultivator, it was a misunderstanding. We have no grudge against you."

Before he could finish, Mei Lin appeared before him, and the crystal knife plunged into his chest. He tried to slash at her with his machete, but Mei Lin blocked his hand before he could swing. It was a precise strike, and he slowly sank to the ground.

The last bandit, panicking, pleaded, "I'm not with them. They blackmailed me into helping them, or they would kill my family." His desperate pleas were cut short by Mei Lin.

"If that's true, you can help us get back to Peng City and then do whatever you want." The bandit immediately agreed and tossed his weapon on the ground. Mei Lin put her knife away and went to help Xia up. The leader of the bandits was still screaming and quickly losing blood. He started running away, but not long after, he fell to the ground.

Mei Lin retrieved her bamboo hat, then helped Xia up, and they began walking toward the city. The bandit followed them, still scared of Mei Lin. "Tell me, where are you from and what were you doing before coming back?" Mei Lin asked.

"My name is Xui Kao. I'm from Frost Village, less than a month away. I was forced to join the bandits to attack the caravan. I had to leave my wife and children..." Xui Kao babbled about his life. His chatter made the journey seem faster, and Xia stopped crying as she listened to him. For Mei Lin, it was strange to hear, and she started to create a story for Xia.

As they continued walking, it started to get dark. Mei Lin asked Xui Kao to lead the way, and he went ahead to clear a path in the snow. He was relieved they had accepted him, despite his involvement with the bandits who had attacked them only a few hours earlier. He managed to create a persona for himself as someone who wasn't truly bad.

Suddenly, Xui Kao stopped. "This place looks good for spending the night," he said.

As he stopped, Mei Lin pulled out a crystal knife and cut both his Achilles tendons. He fell into the snow, and Mei Lin stepped on his head to keep him down.

"What the fuck did you do?" he shouted.

"This bandit is the one who killed your brother, Xia," Mei Lin said.

Xia immediately started crying. The bandit cursed, tried to defend himself, and struggled to get up. Xia fell into the snow and saw the knife that had fallen from her clothes. She watched the knife, and Mei Lin let the bandit move his head slightly so he could see Xia looking at it.

Xia picked up the knife she had gotten from Mei Lin. As Mei Lin buried the bandit's head in the snow, Xia stabbed him in the back. She didn't manage to kill him because she hit him in the side, causing him to shout and flail his limbs. Xia prepared to stab again, but Mei Lin stopped her.