Chapter 138: “This Is My Choice!”

Yan Lao’er had no time to explain why he suddenly lay on the ground to listen for movement.

He rushed over anxiously, grabbed Old Yan’s hand, and said urgently, “Big Brother, I hear hoofbeats—a lot of them! It sounds like they’re coming straight for us!”

The village elders were shocked, hardly daring to believe it.

At the same time, they all turned to look at the scholar.

A cold glint flashed across Yan Huaiwen’s eyes.

“Take apart the cart planks and distribute them to the refugees—do it quickly!” he instructed his younger brother.

Yan Lao’er hesitated for only a moment before sprinting off, shouting as he ran, “I’m Yan Lao’er! Listen to me! Take apart all the carts—don’t be reluctant! Give the planks to the refugees! There are enemies! Enemies are coming! Hurry! They’re close! Everyone, move fast! Take apart the carts! Hurry!”

The last “hurry” came out as a sharp cry, his voice cracking under the urgency.

“Village Chief, do you remember the ‘Tail-Eating Snake’?” Yan Huaiwen locked eyes with him and said firmly, “Gather all the elderly, women, and children among the refugees in the center. We will stand guard on the outside.”

Village Chief Luo immediately grasped the deeper meaning behind the scholar’s words.

“All elderly, women, and children, come inside! Stay in the safest center! All able-bodied men, take up your weapons and stand on the outer perimeter! If bandits are coming, we must not let them harm our families!”

“Hurry! Forget about your belongings—nothing is more important than your lives! Let the men dismantle the carts! Women, don’t get in the way! If you can hold a bamboo crossbow, hold it! Children, stay close to your mothers and don’t run around!”

Experienced and shrewd, Village Chief Luo only gave orders to his own people, even in this urgent moment.

Uncle An, who had been listening the whole time, understood immediately that cooperating with Old Luo was the wisest choice.

The two elderly men organized their people quickly, forming protective layers around their own.

The refugees panicked upon seeing this.

They didn’t know where the enemy was or how they had arrived so suddenly.

But they could see how prepared the cart convoy was—like an impenetrable fortress.

If danger was truly imminent, those inside this formation would be the safest!

“Please, let my parents in! I’m begging you!”

“My child is still young, and my wife… kind benefactors, please have mercy and let her in!”

“I don’t care who they are—if they come at us, I’ll smash their faces in! Wife, take the child inside! I’ll lay my life down here to protect you!”

Some clear-headed men grasped the situation and made a solemn vow. With a determined push, they sent their wives and children inside, then grabbed dismantled cart planks and stepped forward.

The others followed their example.

Village Chief Luo signaled for his people to make room.

The protective circle expanded further.

Scattered bundles, broken-down carts—

The scene was chaotic.

At the center of the formation, besides the refugees’ families, were the village’s valuable assets—mules and donkeys.

Yan family’s ox cart was also inside, though the ox itself was not.

Sanbao stood with Yan Lao’er.

The village women and children held bamboo crossbows in their hands.

Yan Yu shouted loudly, addressing the children.

“Young Scouts! You’ve been training for so long—show me your accuracy!”

The children looked at her, their eyes burning with determination.

“You shoot only when I give the order! No matter who else says it, you don’t listen! Understood?”

Her childish face was full of seriousness as she swept her gaze over each child.

“That includes my uncle and my father! The village chief or anyone else!”

She raised her bow and crossbow high, declaring boldly:

“We are the Young Scouts!”

“We are the last line of defense for our families!”

“We will only watch our enemies fall!”

“We must stand to the last!”

“Young Scouts! Victory!”

The children echoed her, shouting wildly, “Young Scouts! Victory! Victory!”

Yan Lao’er clenched his iron crossbow tightly as he watched the dust cloud approaching from the distance.

His daughter’s stirring speech reached his ears.

He wanted to praise her, but his nerves had locked his throat.

This time, their opponents were different.

They were coming on horseback…

In times like these, those who could ride were either regular troops or something very close. And there was even the possibility that they were regular troops.

His mind raced, flashing through scenes from dramas where rogue military forces committed atrocities.

His thoughts turned to a chaotic mess.

Yan Huaiwen stood with his hands behind his back.

His voice was as calm as smoke drifting in the wind, ethereal yet resolute.

“Tianyou, can you shoot accurately?”

Yan Lao’er, suddenly called by name, jerked his head up.

He looked at the iron crossbow in his hands, then at Old Yan.

At this moment, he felt it was his duty to tell the truth.

“Big Brother, I’m no good at shooting. Even after all this practice, I still rely on luck.”

Yan Huaiwen hummed in acknowledgment, as if unsurprised.

“In critical moments, one must remain calm,” he instructed patiently. “Panic, confusion, fear, hesitation… all of these emotions point to one thing—you are not in control of the situation.”

“When everything is within your grasp, when every variable ceases to be a variable and becomes merely a predicted possibility, when you are fully prepared… then all that remains is to face it directly, with composure, serenity, and—anticipation.”

Yan Lao’er thought to himself: Only his big brother could deliver such pretentious lines at a time like this.

And say them so naturally.

If he didn’t know that Old Yan, like everyone else, hadn’t anticipated this turn of events, he might have actually believed those words.

That said… he did feel less nervous after hearing them.

As the cavalry drew closer, Yan Huaiwen raised his voice.

“You all want to know who’s coming? That’s right—it’s exactly who you think it is! The private mine lords who want to throw us into their pits and work us to death!”

“Private mine lords…”

“My god…”

“It really is…”

A surge of righteous anger spread among the people.

“These people have no regard for imperial law—they are lawless criminals! But they are afraid—afraid of being exposed, afraid of drawing the court’s attention. That is why they won’t let us leave.”

“You have two choices!”

“Submit to them and dig until you die.”

“Or—kill them! They die, we live!”

The murmurs grew into a loud, swelling clamor.

The enemy was now in sight, reining in their horses.

Over a hundred riders—more than half in civilian garb, the rest wearing official uniforms.

The leader, clearly a higher-ranking officer, shouted:

“You bandits! Surrender at once! I am a Centurion of Lianshan Guard under Leshan Prefecture’s Command—”

Yan Huaiwen snatched the iron crossbow from Yan Lao’er’s hands.

A cold gleam flashed in his eyes as he loosed an arrow.

It struck the leader’s throat, cutting off his words entirely.

“This is my choice!” Yan Huaiwen declared, shoving the iron crossbow back into Yan Lao’er’s hands. “Load your bolts!”

“Impostors masquerading as officials! Killing them is no crime!”

Yan Lao’er fumbled to load a bolt, only for his brother to seize the quiver from him.

Then Old Yan took aim, iron crossbow drawn like a crescent moon—aimed toward the northwest, shooting down the wolves of the sky.

Each arrow claimed a life.

Hu Da and Hu Er followed suit, and soon, more fighters found their rhythm against the mountain bandits.

That single phrase—*”Killing them is no crime”—*spoke louder than a thousand words.