25 towns
Guo Shanfeng drew his bow, aiming ahead.
But he never expected that the refugees would suddenly scatter all over the place, creating a mess so chaotic it was like a pot of porridge, making him unsure of whom to shoot at.
Actually, he had wanted to shoot Fang Zhixing.
It was Fang Zhixing who was commanding the refugees. Without his leadership, these refugees were useless, no threat at all, just ripe for the bandits' taking, right?
The crowd was chaotic, and the sky was dark.
Whoosh!
Guo Shanfeng clenched his teeth and, in his irritation, fired an arrow at random, but it hit no one, infuriating him even more.
"Damn it, follow me!"
Guo Shanfeng kicked a torch on the ground away and ran forward with large strides.
The bandits hurriedly followed him.
The refugees were running ahead, and the bandits were chasing after them.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a cold arrow shot out from a diagonal direction, so abrupt!
Guo Shanfeng's head violently jerked to the side; his steps halted, his eyes wide open, showing a ghostly expression.
The cold arrow had entered his left neck and exited the right side.
"Boss?!"
The bandits were stunned and utterly horrified.
This arrow had come so unexpectedly, catching everyone off guard.
In their panic, they looked towards the left, where the maple forest was dense and shadows abundant, but no one knew where the archer was hiding.
For a moment, the bandits were terrified, each finding a tree to hide behind.
After a short while, the archer did not make another move.
A few bold bandits cautiously stepped out and saw that their leader, Guo Shanfeng, had already stopped breathing, his eyes open in death.
Meanwhile, Fang Zhixing and his group had run downslope to a main road.
"Hahaha, those bandits probably never expected us to actually get through," one said.
"Exactly, they were all dumbstruck!" another joined.
"That's great, now we can go to the Xiaoqing River market town!"
"From the town's dock, we can take a boat to the county. I've heard they are distributing porridge there, and we might find some work to earn money."
…
The group of refugees beamed joyfully, their previously ashen eyes now sparkling anew.
Three elderly leaders huddled close to Fang Zhixing.
They were well aware that if it weren't for Fang Zhixing's planning and proper command, it would have been impossible for them to break through the bandits' blockade so easily.
"Noble sir, you truly are a person of high virtue, a real hero!" the three elderly leaders bowed deeply, their faces filled with admiration.
"Let's not be overly courteous," Fang Zhixing modestly lifted his hand, saying lightly, "It was nothing really. Those bandits are just a rabble."
He wasn't boasting.
At first, he hadn't understood the bandits' capabilities and hadn't dared to act rashly.
It wasn't until they were at close quarters that he was sure those bandits were nothing.
The bandit leader Guo Shanfeng was but a brute. Aside from his impotent rage, he really had no significant skills and ended up being killed by a single arrow.
Burst Skill · Curved Shot!
It indeed proved very useful, good for misleading the enemy.
Guo Shanfeng had died without knowing that the arrow that killed him had actually been shot straight from in front of him.
All in all, if he had been alone, forcing his way through would probably have been no issue.
Fang Zhixing looked at the sky and asked, "How much further to Xiaoqing River market town?"
The leader of Black Bull Village replied, "Not far now, about twelve or thirteen li."
Fang Zhixing quickly grasped the situation and continued walking without resting.
Suddenly, a path fork with a road sign appeared ahead.
Seeing this scene, Fang Zhixing instantly realized that Xiaoqing River market town was a crucial junction connecting the entire Funiu Mountain range.
If anyone wanted to leave the mountains, their first stop would be Xiaoqing River market town.
Fang Zhixing glanced at the road sign and surveying the people around him asked, "Can anyone read?"
The group looked at each other, passing glances back and forth, but nobody stepped forward.
Fang Zhixing understood, feeling somewhat disappointed.
He had hoped to find someone literate to teach him to read, but he had indeed overestimated the literacy level of these rural villagers.
Without widespread education, literacy remained a monopolized commodity, controlled only by a select class.
The group quickly passed the fork in the road and continued several li farther.
Suddenly, in the darkness blanketing the road's end, a light shone forth.
Fang Zhixing looked up, faintly seeing a cluster of buildings, with blue-tiled white walls and several tall towers.
"There it is, that's Xiaoqing River market town!"