Under The Bandits' Eye

A/N:

Hey Folks!!!

I am really happy that this story has received 100 collections in the last month alone. While this may sound too little, I consider this to be a milestone event.

Thank you all for your support!!!

*****

Duncan's exit from the Starmist City was nothing glorious. He knew he was running away with his tail tucked behind his back. He knew that if he stayed, he would one day never wake up.

So, Duncan realized inwardly that it was the smart thing to do.

However, despite such realizations, there was something deep within him that chomped at his bits for running away like this. He knew that unless he had enough power, staying in the city will only make it easier for the Wang Clan to kill him off.

After all, he had beaten up the Young Master of the Wang Clan despite being a normal mortal. Duncan knew that the fact that said beating took place during sparring would be inconsequential to the Wang Clan.

So, his only option was to leave the city and find his fortunes elsewhere. From his stay in the city, Duncan got to know a bit about the world he had been living in for the past 18 years.

He knew that if he traveled for a week in the opposite direction from Starsinger Town, he would reach another small city by the name of Starlight City. And that city too had a Blue Wind Society Hall located within.

With the money he had earned from the Wang Clan, he would be able to get the required information about cultivation from there. And once he became a cultivator and grew in power, he would visit the Wang Clan and its Young Master and pay back this unpleasant breath.

Duncan knew that he wasn't someone who had a broad mind. While it was true that he forebeared due to circumstances and kept his head low, there was a part of him that wanted to smash the entire Wang Clan for keeping him a prisoner. And, he vowed to one day repay the insults the Wang Clan heaped upon him.

Treating him like a prisoner, making him run away like a coward, and much more. The Wang Clan will answer these crimes if he had anything to say about them. Not just the Wang Clan. That old coot too.

He had been peaceful in the Starsinger Town. Minding his own business with no big dreams to burden himself with. But, the old coot had ruined that life for him by giving him a taste of the superhuman strength the cultivators possessed. And now, he was running around between different cities trying to get such power.

Duncan's mood was really foul as he urged the horse he had bought. The horse ran like the wind, eating up miles with its long legs. Pretty soon, the Starmist City was only a blip behind him.

Having already traversed the route between Starmist City and the Starsinger Town, Duncan knew that he would reach the town within three to four days if he maintained his current pace.

As he had no baggage or extra goods to transport, his pace was faster compared to the travel time it took for him to reach the city with the merchant wagon. The only problem he had to worry about was running into wild beasts while he entered the Grasslands.

He had been hearing rumors that there was some kind of commotion within the Grasslands. However, the information he received stated that the commotion was in the interior regions and didn't affect the outer regions much.

Hoping that no ill luck would fall on him, Duncan rode towards the Starsinger Town with haste.

*****

"You sure that he has the gold?" a man with a sinister vibe demanded the man who was lying down next to him.

"Young lad, with a true-bred stallion, has a sword, and a pack," the other man spat to the side as he looked at the distant figure that was slowly making his way towards their hiding location. "If our information is right, then that pack contains enough gold to supply a merchant caravan."

"Is that so?" the first man squinted his eyes. "But, why would someone be foolish enough to travel with such a large amount of gold on him?"

"I heard that our bloke there offended a cultivation clan in the city. He had to skip the city in haste. So, he probably didn't have time to hire some guards," the other man stated calmly as he eyed the distant figure with a hungry gleam in his eyes.

"Sssh! Don't tell me he stole something from a cultivation clan. I don't want them coming after us," the first man hissed.

"Nah, you think they would let some thief run away if he did that? No, he probably wasn't smart enough. Look at him, young and vigorous. It is the age where they think that the world is theirs. Probably did something stupid and only realized later that he had fucked up," the other man said calmly.

"On your head, be it then. We will inform the boss. We shall not let such a juicy meat slip through our mouth," the first man laughed sinisterly.

"You go ahead and inform boss. I will keep watch. The lad must rest a bit in a while. We will make our move then," the other man said nodding along.

"Ok, I will head to the hideout first," the first man said with a smile and slinked away from his hiding spot leaving the other man to watch over their target.

*****

Duncan felt strangely uneasy as he made his way into the Grasslands. Due to the difficulty of the terrain, he had to slow down to a trot and lead the horse carefully once he entered the Grasslands.

If the horse he had was a Demonic Horse, then it wouldn't have mattered much. However, even if it was a fine-bred stallion, the terrain in the Grasslands didn't allow a normal horse to gallop. After all, the road here was really uneven and filled with holes.

If Duncan tried to gallop here, there might be a chance that nothing would happen. However, there was also an equal chance that the horse might break its leg in one of the holes that are littered all over the place.

So, Duncan was left to move in a trot.

Duncan's uneasy feeling didn't emerge from this, however. Ever since he made a few miles into the Grasslands, he couldn't help but feel that he was being watched. His experience in the forest have hones his senses a lot and Duncan knew that someone was watching him for a long time.

This made him feel a little bit anxious as he didn't know why someone would keep watch for him. His trip to Starsinger Town was made in haste and there wasn't much information regarding him for two weeks prior to that.

So, no one should actually be keeping track of his whereabouts. Still, here he was all alone in the Grasslands and someone was trailing him rather skillfully too. He knew what this meant.

Bandits!!!

He had heard tales about their exploits when he was a merchant guard and his brief stint as a mercenary. So, he knew how vicious these people could behave. And he also knew that someone should have tipped them regarding the wealth he had because their staking out for him didn't make sense if not for that.

After all, no sane bandit would target a lone traveler.

For one, the risk of exposure was high and if someone traveled alone, then it meant they had the confidence to take care of themselves. And taking such a risk without enough reward was incredibly foolish on a bandit's part.

So, the bandits normally left lone travelers alone. They usually preferred to go against merchant caravans as they had enough gold, goods, and sometimes very wealthy passengers too.

And Duncan was sure that it was bandits.

If it had been wild beasts, they would have attacked him by now. Wild beasts normally didn't have enough patience to stalk their prey for hours. They would attack the first moment they felt the prey had let its guard down.

And it has been hours since the feeling of being watched began.

Gritting his teeth, Duncan began to think about how to solve this predicament. He knew that travelling further was really a foolish idea. He would bet his right foot that there was possibly an ambush waiting for him in the next couple of miles.

That meant, moving forward was not an option. Even though he was strong, he wasn't foolish enough to fight off an entire bandit group by himself.

And he was also sure that turning back and making his way to Starsinger Town through some other route was also out of question. These bandits would not allow him to walk away freely.

Duncan felt a headache coming.

He knew he could escape if he abandoned the gold and rode off. The bandits would probably not chase after him once they found the gold. Even that was a long bet as he didn't know their true purpose.

Also, this money was important to him as well. Without this, he wouldn't be able to acquire information regarding cultivation in the Blue Wind Society Hall.

He didn't know how long it would take him to earn such an amount again, as earning even this almost made him lose his life. So, abandoning the money was not an ideal option for him.

As he racked his brain hard, a seemingly very dangerous idea popped into his mind. Duncan felt that it was both incredibly stupid and reckless to do that. But, he had already done such a thing when he went to the Wang Clan, so doing it again wasn't anything new to him.

So, with a cunning smile, Duncan began to plot his escape.

*****

A/N: Hey folks!

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