Chapter Twenty-Seven: Encountering Highway Robbers

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The autumn wind blew forlorn and cold, casting a desolate pall over the landscape. Along the official road leading to Blacksoil City, a long, meandering column of soldiers trudged at a sluggish pace.

Xu Yaozu, mounted on a swift steed, rode amidst the ranks, his spirit vexed as he surveyed the listless faces of his weary men. Just then, a piercing gust howled past, whistling in his ears like a thousand icy blades, biting into his flesh, stabbing through to his very bones. Xu Yaozu involuntarily shuddered, muttering to himself, "No, this won't do. If we keep going like this, by the time we reach Blacksoil City, Yan’er and the others will have starved or frozen to death, and the city will fall without a fight!"

He raised his whip with a snap. "Hyah!" With that, he spurred his horse to gallop to Zhang Jixian's side.

"General Zhang, this march is far too slow! Haven't you heard the saying: ‘Rescue troops are like fighting a fire’—every moment counts. At this rate, by the time we reach Blacksoil City, the situation will be lost!"

Impatience sharpened Xu Yaozu's voice. But Zhang Jixian remained unhurried. "Ah, Elder Xu! It's late autumn now, the cold is biting, and our men lack proper winter gear. Force a rapid march, and the troops will suffer frostbite, sapping their fighting spirit. Wouldn't that defeat our purpose?"

Xu Yaozu, nearly in tears, pleaded, "General Zhang, for heaven’s sake, let the men pick up the pace! If we go any slower, all we’ll be doing in Blacksoil City is collecting corpses!"

Zhang Jixian only laughed. "Old General, you jest. Lord Murong is a hero—such a one would hardly fall so easily. I daresay, before we even arrive, Lord Murong will have already driven off the demon soldiers!"

Xu Yaozu was about to beg further when suddenly a frantic messenger rode up from the vanguard. "Report! Urgent news—two young men, one tall, one short, have blocked the road ahead with a band of armed followers!"

Zhang Jixian gave a surprised "Oh?" then ordered, "Set up camp here. I’ll go see for myself." With that, he galloped to the front, Xu Yaozu close on his heels.

When they arrived, they saw two boys of fourteen or fifteen—remarkable in appearance! The tall one stood over ten feet, rotund and thick with layers of fat. The short one was scarcely two feet, thin as a reed, resembling a starved ghost more than a living boy, all skin and bone.

Despite their grotesque forms, both exuded a fierce vitality. Standing tall and proud, they looked almost divine in their imposing presence.

As for their weapons: the tall one wielded a massive timber beam, jet-black as if forged from ironwood, fully thirty feet long and two feet thick—surely weighing at least seven or eight hundred pounds. The short one gripped a golden dragon-claw hook, gleaming and dazzling, over three feet in length.

Behind them stood a motley crew: tall and short, fat and thin, clad in all manner of mismatched clothes. Their weapons were an even greater jumble—hoes, carrying poles, shovels, sticks, forks, dung ladles… Hardly an army, more a band of farmers pressed into service!

Zhang Jixian breathed a sigh of relief—such a rabble dared block the path of a great army?

With a thunderous shout, he called, "You two brats! How dare you stand in our way? Are you seeking death? Best move aside! I'll give you two taels of silver—buy yourselves some sweets!"

The two boys ignored him, instead breaking into a stuttering mountain song: "Th-th-this... mountain was opened by me, th-th-this... tree was planted by me. If... if... you wish to pass this way, l-l-leave a toll!"

The tall one’s voice boomed like a bell, while the short one’s sounded like a half-castrated drake—together, their discordant singing was like owls screeching, enough to set anyone’s nerves on edge.

Zhang Jixian flew into a rage. "Since you’re courting death, don’t blame me!" He spurred his horse, spear leveled, and charged. Spotting the little one as an easy target, he thrust directly at him.

Who could have guessed the short boy was so nimble? With a leap, he dodged the spear in a hair’s breadth, and in the same breath, lashed out with his golden hook, lightning-quick, straight for Zhang Jixian's face!

Zhang Jixian hadn’t expected such agility, and had no time to evade. In terror, he shrank his neck—

With a crack, the golden hook struck his helmet and tore it away with a crash.

"Aiya!" Zhang Jixian screamed.

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It was unclear where he was hurt, but he slapped his horse and, with hair flying, bolted back in retreat.

Xu Yaozu gasped. "Oh no!" If these two boys really blocked the road, how would old Xu reach Blacksoil City to save the others? Since Zhang Jixian was useless, he’d have to do it himself! But what if these two were too strong for him? Still, he had no choice—win or lose, he must fight.

Sizing up the situation, he decided the short one was too formidable; better to try his luck against the tall one first.

He shouted, "You two brats! Let old Xu test your skills!" As he charged, he called, "Teaming up isn’t real skill—face me one-on-one if you dare!"

Having been so challenged, the two boys, thick-skinned as they were, couldn’t bring themselves to bully an old man. The short one cackled, "Old... old... old man, you... you... you glutton, aren’t... aren’t... aren’t worth both of us... us... us taking you on!"

He stepped aside to watch the show.

Xu Yaozu rejoiced inwardly—just as he’d hoped. Now was the time to unleash his famed "Three Desperate Spears," finish the big one quickly, and then deal with the little one.

As he neared, he raised his Zaoyang spear and cried, "First strike of the Three Desperate Spears—Snowflakes on the Crown!" He smashed down at the giant’s head.

The tall boy saw the blow coming but didn’t flinch, standing immobile as a mountain. Xu Yaozu wondered—did this boy have a death wish? Or was his head harder than the spear?

Before he could recover, his strength was spent, and there was no drawing back. Only then did the tall boy raise his timber beam and shout, "O-o-open up!" The tip of the spear crashed against the beam.

Clang! The impact echoed like thunder in the sky. Xu Yaozu was stunned—how could this timber be so hard, so unyielding? Was it made of iron?

His arms went numb, his palms split, and he could hold on no longer. With a cry, he let go—

And the spear went flying who knew where.

Terrified, Xu Yaozu turned his horse to flee. But before he could escape, a voice thundered behind him, "Th-th-think you can run? It... it... it won’t be that... that... easy!"

A fierce wind whistled toward his horse’s legs.

Snap! With a sickening crunch, the horse’s leg broke. Xu Yaozu’s heavy body pitched forward uncontrollably.

Thud! He crashed to the ground.

Before he could gather his wits,

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A powerful foot pressed down on his back, as heavy as a mountain—he struggled, but couldn’t move an inch.

"Old... old... old fool, now... now... now I’ll split you in two!" The tall boy seized Xu Yaozu’s legs, ready to tear him apart.

Xu Yaozu shuddered, despair engulfing him. Was this the end? Who would have thought his life would end so pointlessly, right here? He remembered Yan’er, Feng’er, and the others still waiting for rescue in the city, and sighed, "Yan’er, Feng’er, Hui’er, Bao’er, old Xu has failed you. I cannot save you—I'll go ahead and wait for you in the afterlife!"

He closed his eyes, resigning himself to death.

"Hey! Don’t... don’t... don’t do it!" The tall boy was about to finish him when the short one, quick-witted, called out to stop him.

He hurried over, kicked Xu Yaozu, and demanded, "Tell... tell... tell me clearly—who... who... are Yan’er and Feng’er you spoke of?"

"Yan’er is my disciple, Murong Yan; Feng’er is Ye Feng. What of it? Kill me if you wish!" At this point, Xu Yaozu feared nothing, answering boldly.

"Murong Yan—is she the daughter of Marshal Murong Yun? And Ye Feng—the one who risked his life to save his father at the execution ground?"

"Exactly."

"Aiya!" The short one, hearing this, pushed the tall one aside and helped Xu Yaozu up. "Old... old... old hero, s-s-sorry, we... we... we didn’t know who you were!"

He dusted Xu Yaozu off, fussing over him with utmost deference.

"And who are you two?" Xu Yaozu asked.

Only then did the short one reveal their story. The two boys were sworn brothers, though not by blood—the short one, Li Yiqing, nicknamed "Little Spirit Monkey of the Thousand Cliffs"; the tall one, Wang Erbao, known as "Fat Vajra." Both hailed from the same village and, under the tutelage of a mysterious hermit, had learned remarkable skills. Unable to endure the oppression of local officials and demon soldiers, they had led the village’s able-bodied men into the hills, becoming bandit kings. Yet they never preyed on common folk—only warring against officials and demon armies. This time, hearing a troop was passing through their territory, they’d mistaken it for government soldiers and come down to rob them.

Xu Yaozu nodded repeatedly, growing ever fonder of the pair.

He declared, "Good lads, there’s no need for you to return to the mountains. Lead your men directly to Blacksoil City. The city is under siege, the fighting fierce—now is your chance to destroy demon soldiers and win glory. What do you say?"

Li Yiqing clapped in approval, while Wang Erbao grinned, "G-g-great! When... when... we get to Blacksoil City, I-I-I’ll smash demon soldiers with my beam!"

And so, Xu Yaozu took Li Yiqing and Wang Erbao to meet Zhang Jixian. Zhang, still shaken, hid behind Xu Yaozu, not daring to approach, but treated the two with utmost respect, appointing them captains over his thousand-strong force.

The next day, they pressed on, but Zhang Jixian continued to find excuses to delay, and the army’s progress was painfully slow. Xu Yaozu could wait no longer—after a brief word with Zhang, he led Li Yiqing and Wang Erbao ahead, rushing as fast as they could, and finally arrived at Blacksoil City.

They arrived at the very moment the city fell, just as Ye Feng was engaged in a life-and-death struggle with the demon general Meng Keshuai. As the saying goes: timing is everything—they struck from behind the demon army, helping Ye Feng rout the enemy.

But little did they know, while they fought in front, Zhang Jixian had circled around to seize Blacksoil City for himself!

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