Being stalked (2)

Rong Jian smiled back. "Don't you need an opportunity though?"

"That's why I said 'If worse comes to worse', of course I'll try to fight first." Shen Tianyu responded.

They ran until they were sure they were far enough away from Ling Le Town before stopping. Perhaps because one can buy much of the necessities in the town, there weren't any villages for several li (1). As they were resting, Shen Tianyu loudly said she was going to find water and went into the surrounding wild. The wild forest here was completely different from the Forest of Death and didn't have miasma or powerful spiritual beasts, as if there was some barrier containing the Forest of Death and preventing it from affecting other places. There was plenty of cover here and she just needed to locate the people stalking them. Or... she could have them locate her. Being lazy, Shen Tianyu went deeper into the forest to find a small clearing. She then sat down and began meditating.

'I came out here alone, they should follow soon.' Shen Tianyu thought. She had already felt their evil intent when she first discovered them. They were definitely not up to anything good.

As expected, the people following them soon appeared right outside the clearing. With the ability to see what was going on around her body when she was in her space, she saw them.

'Whoa, how stereotypical.' She thought as she saw their black-clothed bodies. The people were dressed in black from head to toe, only their eyes peaking out. With they way they were dressed, she couldn't be sure if some were women, but she surmised they were most likely men. 'But... are they bandits or thieves?' She questioned.

Her question was soon answered as one of the men closed in on her with a sword in hand. 'Hmm... this will be fun.' She mused.

She went back into her body from her space without letting it show and waited until he was one chi (2) away. She then abruptly drew her sword and swept it toward him. The bandit was caught off guard, as he really thought she was meditating and tried to dodge. However, it was too late, his head was separated from his shoulder with just one stroke of her sword.

Afraid that the rest might run and hide, she shouted. "Aren't the rest of you coming out? Not going to avenge your poor friend? Or too scared of little old me?" Bandits typically, the foot soldiers, had bad tempers, there's no way they would stand for that kind of taunting even if they knew full well it was a taunt. 'Besides, it'd be a pain to catch them later if they run and hide now.'

Sure enough, some of the men charged at her before they could be stopped. She disposed of them with each stroke of her sword, even being careful that the blood does not dirty her clothes. When she was done, there non-intact corpses all around her. Some missing a head, some split completely in two. Unfortunately, a few of them were smart and turned tail to run before she could catch them.

'Oh well. Rong Jian should be able to get them.' She thought to herself as she rummaged through the clothes of the still warm bodies. Actually, before they stopped, she had told Rong Jian to help her in case any of them ran as they wouldn't want trouble if they twisted the story and reported their group. With Rong Jian's cultivation level, even if he fought all of these Foundation Establishment levels alone, they would not survive. Most likely, they had intended to ambush and rob them on the road. Seeing that Shen Tianyu and Luo Shue was still Foundation Establishment levels, they assumed Rong Jian was the same when they couldn't deduce his cultivation level and thought he must have some treasure to conceal it. Not to mention, Luo Shue's clothes wasn't exactly simple-looking either, it looked quite extravagant in fact.

After rummaging through the clothes, she managed to find little of value except for a few taels of silver. 'They don't even carry around yuan, they still call themselves bandits?' Shen Tianyu mocked her attackers for her small gains. Then again, they were just bandits, how much yuan could they have, if any? Even if they had some, they wouldn't be stupid enough to carry it around. She clicked her tongue before leaving and going back to their resting site on the main road. She arrived just as Rong Jian got back. She sat down beside him and took a canteen from her magic bag, at her waist.

"You're already done?" She asked him.

"Of course." He nodded.

"Did you find anything valuable on them? Or any identifying items?"

"Just a few taels of silver, nothing more. Most likely, they were just some rural bandits." At this, Shen Tianyu held her hand out as she drank from the canteen.

Rong Jian looked at her questioningly. She finished drinking and put down her canteen.

"The taels of silver. Didn't you rake any?" She asked him.

"Why would wife want silver taels from dead bandits?" He asked in return.

'So you didn't take any?' She thought as she replied. "Who cares who they're from? Silver taels is silver taels. Besides, it's not like there are personal stamps on them or any identifying features. No one will know where it originally came from. If we're going to go that far, then one could argue it came from the palace so it technically belongs to the emperor." She put her hand down. "Well, whatever. Being rural bandits, they probably don't have a lot of silver taels on them anyways." She put the cap back on her canteen and put it back in her magic bag.

Rong Jian hugged her from the side. "Don't worry wifey, if it's money you want, I always have plenty. My money is your money. No need to get your hands dirty."

"Oh? How kind of you, Young Master Rong." Shen Tianyu replied without indicating whether she accepts or not.