Chapter 102: Are These Bandits Here for a Joke?

Others might freeze, but Yan Yu definitely wouldn’t.

She thought to herself: A golden opportunity! Here it is!

“Junior Scouts, charge with me!”

At first, the children didn’t react. But once they did, they whooped and hollered, chasing after Yan Yu like a whirlwind.

Their mothers screamed hoarsely, trying to call them back, but to no avail.

“If you’re scared, stay back! If not, follow me!”

Yan Yu steeled herself.

She wasn’t a child—she was a full-grown adult who could think independently!

Everyone had their own reasons for wanting to be strong.

For Yan Yu, there was only one—she wanted to protect her family.

For that, she would overcome anything, cutting through all obstacles!

As she neared, she slowed her pace, carefully approaching. But the closer she got, the stranger it seemed.

Something was off…

She lowered her voice and asked Sanbao, “Is this guy dead?”

Sanbao nodded, trotting alongside her in small, casual steps, occasionally lowering his head to munch on some grass before spitting it out.

His stomach had no room—completely full of water.

Otherwise, swallowing and then passing it out would’ve made for an even better disguise.

The other children arrived one after another, forming a curious circle.

“Is he dead?”

“The knife’s in his own body, and look at all that blood. He’s probably dead.”

“He killed himself? That dumb?”

“Probably not on purpose. If he raised the knife a little higher… wait, wouldn’t that mean the horse got stabbed instead?”

“Then better he stabbed himself! If the horse died, what a waste—I heard horses are even more expensive than cows!”

“This horse can’t even stand up anymore. Can it still work?”

“Hehe! Then can we eat it?”

“Does horse meat taste good?”

…

The children chattered excitedly, their eyes gradually heating up as they stared at the horse.

Yan Yu quickly intervened. “Everyone, step back! Don’t get too close, or you might get kicked.”

The children obediently retreated a bit.

Finally, Yan Lao’er arrived, panting heavily as he leaned on Sanbao for support. Once he caught his breath, he stepped forward to inspect the situation.

Though the horse lay slumped on the ground, the moment anyone got near, it struggled to rise.

Yan Lao’er stopped moving, and so did the horse.

He took another step forward—the horse struggled again.

“This horse is pretty badly hurt,” Yan Lao’er remarked objectively.

He thought to himself: Sanbao didn’t even go all out. If he had, the horse would’ve been dead already.

Most likely, its insides were wrecked.

What a pity. If only the trading platform were open, he could trade it for a mechanical horse. Now that would be every man’s dream.

He slowly circled around, casually plucking some grass from the ground and offering it in goodwill.

The horse snorted—clearly unimpressed.

Yan Lao’er chuckled. Feisty one, huh?

But ultimately, it was too injured. Seizing the opportunity, he grabbed the reins, pressed his hands against its body, and carefully examined it.

He shook his head. “No good. It probably won’t make it.”

Hearing that, the children’s eyes sparkled even brighter.

Yan Lao’er turned his attention to the bandit.

Lying face down, blood spreading across the ground.

Not bad, he died discreetly—not too scary to look at.

With this situation settled, Yan Lao’er and Qi Wu ran back.

They still didn’t know what had become of the remaining thirty-three bandits.

The village women arrived, only relaxing once they saw all the children safe and sound.

Li Xuemei, though anxious, had walked slower and arrived later than the rest.

The mothers had already begun scolding their children about running around recklessly in the middle of the night.

Just as Li Xuemei was about to speak, she suddenly saw a figure dashing toward the children—more precisely, toward the ox.

The children were standing close to it.

Her first instinct was: He’s trying to steal the ox and escape!

Sanbao wouldn’t harm people without an order, which gave the man an opening. He grabbed onto the ox’s neck, trying to climb up.

At that moment, Yan Yu also turned her head—just in time to witness the bandit’s spectacular failure.

Mother and daughter were both too stunned to react.

The bandit lunged—Sanbao effortlessly dodged. Then, with a smooth flick of his head, he sent the man tumbling to the ground. Before the guy could get up, a heavy hoof firmly pinned him down.

Completely subdued.

The true embodiment of a bull-beast-plus—Sanbao!

The funniest part? Sanbao kept chewing his grass, his gentle eyes blinking innocently.

Yan Yu couldn’t hold it in anymore.

She burst out laughing.

“Hahahaha!”

This was too hilarious!

The funniest bandit ever—dead or alive, both were equally embarrassing!

“Shoot the bandit!”

No one knew which brave-hearted child shouted first, but they immediately put it into action.

The kids hesitated slightly, not wanting to hit Sanbao.

But their little bamboo crossbows weren’t exactly accurate—so the humiliation factor was high.

Especially with such a conveniently immobilized target. Too perfect for practice.

Even the worried women couldn’t resist grabbing crossbows from the children and taking a few shots themselves.

The wounds weren’t fatal, but they added up.

The bandit howled in pain, crying out miserably.

“Ow! Owww!”

“Be careful! More bandits might be coming! Stay close together and don’t spread out!” Yan Yu commanded in her best attempt at authority.

Hearing this, the pinned-down bandit tried to bluff. “Scared, huh?! Let me go now, or you’ll regret it!”

Big mistake.

The children weren’t having it.

Scowling, they ran up and kicked him hard.

“Bad bandit! Take this! And this!”

Their focus was on the direction of the approaching bandits, unaware that another had sneaked up from behind.

This one had suffered earlier, his body riddled with bamboo bolts. Desperate, he crawled forward inch by inch.

Silent and patient, he observed for a while.

Realizing the brats all had small crossbows, he knew his dagger was useless—he’d be shot before he got close.

So he grabbed a large, flat stone, raised it high, and suddenly lunged forward, his face twisted in a snarl…

“MEEOOWW—!”

A sharp, ear-piercing screech, like a cat having its tail stepped on.

At the same time, a cat pounced onto the bandit’s face, claws raking wildly!

Scratch, scratch, scratch!

The raised stone wobbled dangerously—about to come crashing down.

The children’s faces froze in terror.

Li Xuemei’s eyes turned cold.

She raised her bamboo crossbow—took aim—fired!

Swish!

Thud!

The stone fell to the ground.

The bandit collapsed.

The cat leapt back and rubbed against Li Xuemei’s legs before settling beside her.

Li Xuemei’s heart pounded violently.

Did she… just kill someone?

As she stood in a daze, the surrounding women swarmed her.

“Oh my goodness! That scared me to death! I almost fainted!”

“That rock—if it had hit us, we’d be done for!”

“Xuemei, that was amazing! Both you and your husband are so incredible! I need to start practicing too—this really comes in handy at critical moments!”

“Yan Er’s wife, you were awesome!”

They showered her with praise, making her blush.

She honestly hadn’t done much. Even she was shocked by how accurate her shot had been.

“Mom! That was so cool!” Yan Yu’s eyes sparkled.

Her mother had done what she’d wanted to but couldn’t!

—End of Chapter—