Chapter 89: Courage Born from Fear

Yan Yu’s iron pot had not been replaced.

Right now, she had no mind to think about such things—her head was filled with images of those fierce and menacing mountain bandits.

She had thought things through well before. They had weapons, and not just any weapons, but crossbows that could strike from a distance. All they had to do was shoot.

But only when she saw them with her own eyes did she truly realize what “killing intent” meant.

It was an indescribable feeling—a sense that the other party completely disregarded her existence.

They acted with reckless abandon, doing as they pleased, looking down on everyone from above, as if people like her were mere ants beneath their feet, easily crushed.

Fear took root in her heart.

When Yan Lao’er pushed them aside and faced the bandits alone, Yan Yu’s heart leaped to her throat.

She didn’t know how others would react, but at that moment, she trembled with terror, her mind going blank. Yet when fear reached its peak, the urge to draw her bamboo crossbow and fight them to the death surged within her…

So, is it only when people are pushed to the extreme that they find courage?

Would it still be in time then?

She clutched her cat tightly, as if only by doing so could she find warmth and strength.

“Xiao’er, it’s okay now. Don’t be afraid.” Yan Lao’er noticed her distress, crouched down, and said, “Come on, climb up, Dad will carry you.”

Yan Yu climbed onto his back, wrapped her arms around his neck, and rested her small head on his not-so-broad shoulders.

Suddenly, the cat darted forward, disappearing into the darkness, only to return quickly.

“Meow, meow, meow!” It cried incessantly.

Yan Yu’s body tensed instantly.

“Dad!” She whispered rapidly, “Stop! Don’t go forward! Stop, Dad!”

Even she didn’t realize that her voice carried an uncontrollable tremor.

Yan Lao’er trusted his daughter implicitly.

He halted immediately, and the others, seeing him stop, also came to a standstill.

“Yan Er-ge, why did you stop?” someone asked.

Yan Yu leaned close to her father’s ear and whispered, “I told the cat to remember those bandits. If they come within a kilometer of us, it’s supposed to warn us.”

“Dad, put me down, let me ask it properly!”

Yan Yu was already eighty percent certain.

After all, they hadn’t given the cat any other warning instructions.

Yan Lao’er shivered. He crouched slightly, and Yan Yu quickly jumped down.

The cat ran over, meowing at Yan Yu urgently.

She picked it up and asked in a low voice, “Is it those bandits?”

The cat stopped meowing and nodded.

“They’re right ahead?”

The cat nodded again.

A kilometer—about a thousand meters—was a carefully chosen distance.

Too close, and they wouldn’t have time to react. Too far, and it would be hard to determine the bandits’ exact location. A straight-line distance of a thousand meters in the mountains could mean two or three times the walking distance.

If they walked normally, it would take about ten to fifteen minutes. Running would cut it to around five minutes.

That was enough time to react.

“I’ll take Xiao’er over there. You all wait here for a moment.” Yan Lao’er led his daughter into the woods to the side.

The others suddenly understood—so Yan Xiao’er needed to relieve herself.

“Cat, have they been staying in one place?”

The cat nodded.

“Dad, they’re definitely waiting for us,” Yan Yu said with certainty.

“Maybe we didn’t act convincingly enough and made them suspicious,” Yan Lao’er mused.

“Should we take a detour? There should be a way around, right?”

“We need someone to scout ahead first before we make a move.” Yan Lao’er thought for a moment and said, “I wouldn’t trust anyone else. It has to be me.”

He worried that if the scout was careless, they’d be exposed.

Who would have expected it? A group of bandits lying in ambush on the road.

Yan Yu knew that, at this moment, no one was more suited for the task than her father.

She pressed her lips together and handed the cat to him.

“Take it with you.”

Yan Lao’er didn’t refuse—he was nervous too.

When he returned with Yan Xiao’er, he said, “I don’t know why, but thinking about that Third Chief’s face now… it feels like he saw right through us. Do you think he noticed something?”

Qi Si and Qi Wu both shook their heads.

At that time, all their attention had been on Yan Lao’er.

But Hu Da, who was more observant, furrowed his brow and said, “They showed up suddenly, and we weren’t prepared. Could it be that they saw us at first glance?”

The more they thought about it, the more flaws they saw.

“We didn’t even have time to clean up our dining table…”

“The smell of meat soup and roast meat wouldn’t have faded so quickly…”

“And you alone wouldn’t have been able to carry all those supplies into the mountains…”

Yan Lao’er sighed. “Let’s assume the bandits noticed us but didn’t say anything and just walked away. Do you think that’s possible?”

Everyone shook their heads.

They were bandits—people with lives on their hands. How could they let them go so easily?

“But they left…” He casually asked, “Did they really leave?”

That possibility sent a chill down everyone’s spine.

Their thoughts followed the terrifying possibility.

“If they didn’t leave, where would they be?” Lu Xiaozi looked around, his expression uncertain.

His parents had passed away early, and he had lived a simple life with few possessions. When Uncle An arranged for people to escort Yan Lao’er down the mountain, he was among the first considered.

“I’ll go scout ahead.”

As soon as Yan Lao’er spoke, Qi Si and Qi Wu responded instinctively, “Yan Er-ge, we’ll go with you.”

Hu Da glanced at Yan Xiao’er and stepped forward. “I’ll stay with Xiao’er. You all be careful.”

The villagers who had come along exchanged glances.

Lu Xiaozi said, “We know this mountain better. If anyone should go, it should be us.”

“Yeah, if you don’t trust us, we’ll run ahead and check first.”

Yan Lao’er frowned. This was exactly what he feared—if they hesitated and acted half-heartedly, they could ruin everything.

“Listen to me. Stay here and watch over the three kids. We’ll be back soon.” He put on a stern expression, imitating the way Old Yan used to speak, making himself look authoritative.

Without giving them a chance to argue, he set off with Qi Si and Qi Wu, moving quickly.

“Qi Si, Qi Wu, listen to me. That Third Chief is most likely up ahead, waiting to ambush us.” Yan Lao’er gritted his teeth. “That bastard is definitely up to no good. It’s pitch dark out—this is too dangerous!”

“The place we camped isn’t too far from here. We need to send a message back. The villagers might outnumber them, but we don’t know if they can be relied on. Right now, we need our own people.”

Qi Si and Qi Wu were successfully led astray.

They skipped over the question of whether someone was actually lying in wait and instead focused on what to do if they encountered them.

The persuasion continued.

“If they don’t catch us here, they’ll head back to the village. If they find everyone trying to flee, we’re finished!

“If someone lets even the slightest bit slip and gives us away, then what? No matter how fast we run, it won’t matter—we’re still in their territory…”

“So we can’t just sit and wait. We have to take the initiative!”

As Yan Lao’er neared the danger, his nerves heightened, and his brain worked at full speed. His mouth kept pace with his thoughts, speaking without filtering.

But Qi Si and Qi Wu were completely convinced!