Chapter 331: So Winding and Treacherous
The instant he heard the musket shot, Feng Jun's heart sank: "Damn it, this guy actually used a musket!"
White smoke billowed from the distant hillside, clearly indicating that Bai Yuan had opened fire there.
But Feng Jun glanced at Fan Shan Yue, sitting atop his tall horse in front of Xiniu Village, and truly, not a single thing had happened to him.
How could a musket possibly hit anything at that range?
And Bai Yuan truly hadn't hit anything.
Although he had aimed and re-aimed this shot, it still went wide; the bullet flew at least an inch or two above Fan Shan Yue’s head.
It missed not only Fan Shan Yue, but also the fierce bandits around him.
Because Fan Shan Yue was riding a tall horse, high enough that the bullet sailed directly over the heads of the bandits. So no one was hit, and no one even saw a bullet fly past.
Fan Shan Yue and his subordinates weren't panicked at all; the whole group actually turned their heads to look at Bai Yuan's hiding spot, not even suspecting an ambush from that distance.
One bandit chuckled, "Couldn't be one of our brothers, could it, playing with a government-issue Three-Eyed Arquebus they picked up?"
Fan Shan Yue laughed, "If so, he certainly shouldn’t be playing with it; he should bring it to me to play with!"
Everyone roared with laughter, "Exactly! If there’s something good, the Boss should get to play with it first!"
As they chatted, the time for thirty blinks of an eye had passed.
Bai Yuan had already reloaded his musket.
He swiftly raised his musket, taking aim at Fan Shan Yue once more.
On the other side, Feng Jun was beside himself with anxiety, yelling at his household guards, "Quick, quick, quick! Go stop Master Bai! Tell him not to mess around like this! There’s no way he can kill Fan Shan Yue this way, and Fan Shan Yue isn’t on guard yet. If he becomes wary, we’ll be in deep trouble....
"Bang!
The second shot rang out.
A bloody hole suddenly appeared in the exact center of Fan Shan Yue’s face. He couldn’t even utter a sound before plummeting from his horse, kicking up a plume of dust.
The bandits swarmed around him, instantly aghast: "Boss! Boss!"
"Someone ambushed the Boss!"
Only then did these completely unguarded fools realize that the man playing with a musket on the hillside was there to assassinate Fan Shan Yue.
Feng Jun cheered wildly, "Hahaha, a hit! A hit! Excellent marksmanship, Master Bai!"
A household guard nearby also rejoiced, "Master, your nose is bleeding, bleeding!"
Feng Jun was so excited that blood gushed from his nose, but this time, he couldn't even bother to wipe it away, stamping his foot and laughing hysterically, "Hahahaha, that scoundrel Fan Shan Yue, finally dealt with! Hahahaha!"
The household guard, sweating profusely, exclaimed, "Master, your nosebleed is gushing like a mountain spring!"
Feng Jun blinked, "Eh? Is it? That much? Oh dear..... no wonder I feel so dizzy..." He promptly swayed backward.
"Master! Master!" Several household guards quickly steadied Feng Jun, lifting him and hurrying away.
Feng Jun ordered, "Quick, pass on my command! Get the militia from the surrounding villages here! Now that Fan Shan Yue is dead and the bandits are headless, seize this opportunity to wipe them all out! Oh dear, my head is so dizzy........"
The household guards urged, "Master, please don't get excited again, calm yourself!"
Meanwhile...
Bai Yuan had succeeded with one shot, killing Fan Shan Yue, but he wasn't entirely satisfied. He shook his head, "It took the second shot to hit him, alas, I must halve my score in the art of archery."
A household guard cried, "Master, run! Fan Shan Yue’s subordinates are charging this way!"
The spot where he ambushed Fan Shan Yue was only a couple hundred paces from the entrance of Xiniu Village. Once Fan Shan Yue's men charged, it would be extremely dangerous.
Fortunately, though the straight-line distance was short, the enemy still had to climb a slope to reach him.
It was like the terrain in Shuangqing: walking from Liziba Light Rail Station to the Cultural Creation No. 2 Factory might be only 190 meters according to Gaode Maps, but it takes forty minutes to walk—that's how winding and treacherous it is.
Fan Shan Yue's men began to scramble up the mountain.
On the hillside, Bai Yuan remained utterly unperturbed. He put away his musket, rose to his feet, and in his flowing white robes, performed a supremely dashing turn, taking his posturing to the extreme: "Let's go!"
Just as he turned, he heard the twang of bowstrings behind him. An untold number of bandits below unleashed a volley of arrows at Bai Yuan.
He couldn't posture anymore now. Bai Yuan clutched his head and scurried away, while his household guards raised their shields to protect him as they fled frantically into Huanglong Mountain.
Li Daoxuan was also amused. He couldn't let his little people get hurt, so he reached out a hand and shielded Bai Yuan's back from the arrows.
The bandits immediately noticed. The arrows they shot at Bai Yuan seemed to hit an invisible wall, falling powerlessly to the ground mid-air, unable to harm even a single hair on Bai Yuan's head.
The bandits cried out in alarm, "What’s happening? The arrows can't hit him! Heavens, that fellow must be a demon!"
Seeing the white-robed demon retreat into Huanglong Mountain, the bandits didn't even dare to pursue. They quickly fell back, surrounding Fan Shan Yue's corpse, bewildered and at a loss for what to do.
As they stood there in a daze, they suddenly heard shouts like thunder from all directions.
Squire Zhang from Xia Zhuang, Village Chief Li from Nantai Village, Yang Dazhuang from Yang Village......
Several militia groups converged to attack them.
At the very rear of the militia, Heyang County Magistrate Feng Jun personally commanded, with two trails of nosebleed trailing down his face like twin red dragons. He dipped his hand in the blood, quickly painting a fierce face mask on himself, and roared, "You bandits, you've oppressed good people! Today, I’ll ensure you die without a burial place!"
Fan Shan Yue’s subordinates were startled. They quickly retorted, "We’ve already accepted amnesty and are now court officials! How dare you!"
Feng Jun declared loudly, "What do I not dare? The Governor has ordered you to be treated as rebels! There’s a reward for your heads to be displayed in Xi’an! Everyone, charge!"
The Heyang County inspector, Feng family guards, yamen runners, hangers-on, local militia, and a large number of common folk who had been terrorized by Fan Shan Yue for over a year, all charged forward.
Without Fan Shan Yue’s leadership, the bandits’ morale crumbled. They had no will to fight and, surrounded by the numerically superior militia, quickly disintegrated. The common folk, who had been plundered and bullied by them for so long, showed no mercy in their revenge, bringing their hoes down on the bandits’ heads with deadly intent.
It didn't take long for Fan Shan Yue's entire contingent to be wiped out, not a single one left alive.
No innocent lives were lost!
Because those with good intentions had already returned to their hometowns and resumed their lives as farmers during the previous 'return to civilian life.' Not a single good person remained with Fan Shan Yue now; they deserved their fate.
Li Daoxuan watched this scene from the sky, feeling happy for the people of Heyang. Excellent, the bandits who had plagued Heyang County for over a year were finally wiped out. It was time to focus on economic development and construction.
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