SWORD OF FLAME

Robber's Hideout

Upon arriving at the next village, Fang Yun stepped down from the horse carriage he had ridden.

"Thank you, Uncle," he said to the carriage driver.

Fang Yun walked along the small road that cut through the village, which had no more than forty houses. To kill the boredom, he tried to talk to Qiang Mo.

"Wake up, you lazy spirit! You've been sleeping all day! Try digging a ditch or fetching some water for once. All you ever do is sleep!"

"I am lazy. Too lazy to listen to a mad warrior's voice," Qiang Mo answered indifferently.

Fang Yun chuckled at his invisible companion's blunt reply.

"Oh, come on, don't be mad. Hahaha!"

"You’re the one not making sense! How could a cool spirit like me be ordered to fetch water? You're completely insane!"

"Do you even have sense?" Fang Yun teased.

"Don’t underestimate me! I may be brainless, but I still have sense. Unlike your kind—humans—who have brains and reason but often behave like they have neither," Qiang Mo replied sharply.

"Are you mocking me?"

"Who said that? But if you feel that way, well, good for you! Hahaha!"

Fang Yun pouted. Deep down, he had to admit Qiang Mo had a point.

After passing through the second village, just as the man at the food stall had mentioned, Fang Yun arrived at a crossroads. He took the left turn that led toward the Forbidden Forest.

He continued down a small rocky path until he reached a wide, dense forest.

"Qiang Mo, any idea where the robbers’ hideout might be?"

"How should I know? Am I their father?"

Fang Yun forced a bitter smile at his companion’s sarcasm.

"Fine, I’d rather keep walking than listen to your nonsense."

"Whatever. I’m going back to sleep. Don’t disturb me!"

"You buffalo! Sleeping’s the only thing you’re good at!"

"What did you say?" Qiang Mo’s voice rose.

"I said, sleep well, Qiang Mo!" Fang Yun replied, stifling a laugh.

Reaching a large tree, Fang Yun leapt onto a thick, sturdy branch capable of holding his weight. His eyes scanned the Forbidden Forest below, every corner he could see.

He waited for quite a while until boredom began to set in. Eventually, he leaned back against the trunk and dozed off as night fell.

Faint voices woke him. He stirred from sleep, startled by the pitch darkness around him. In the shadows, he spotted two figures walking from within the forest toward the main road—one tall, the other shorter.

"I heard the leader’s planning to raid Shunde village tomorrow. Is that true?" asked the tall one.

"Seems like it. The others said the same thing."

"But isn’t Shunde a small village? Why would the leader want to attack it?"

"Who knows? We just follow orders. You know how ruthless the leader gets if anyone disobeys," said the shorter man.

Fang Yun listened carefully. So they’re members of the robber gang. They came from that direction, which means their hideout is deep inside the forest, he thought.

The two men passed right beneath the tree Fang Yun was perched in before veering right and disappearing into the woods.

Not knowing the terrain well, Fang Yun decided to wait. He planned to follow them from a distance if they returned.

Near midnight, the two men reappeared and headed back into the forest.

Fang Yun followed stealthily from afar, occasionally hiding behind trees whenever they grew suspicious.

The deeper they went, the darker and thicker the forest became. Fang Yun had to channel his inner energy to his eyes just to see better.

How can they see so clearly in this pitch darkness? he wondered.

"They’re used to it, idiot!" Qiang Mo suddenly replied.

"You scared me!" Fang Yun whispered angrily.

After walking for some time, the robbers arrived at what looked like a settlement—more than a building, it resembled a small village with many houses.

They entered the settlement. Fang Yun stayed back to observe first.

He jumped into a tall tree nearby, choosing one with thick branches strong enough to support him till morning.

"What do you think, Qiang Mo? Has Grandpa Fei Hung ever been in a situation like this?"

"Situations much worse than this were common for him."

"What did he do back then?"

"Typical human—asking questions instead of using your brain," Qiang Mo grumbled.

"Well, they say asking prevents you from getting lost. Better to ask than to die stupidly, right?" Fang Yun muffled a laugh.

"You’re good at twisting words, aren’t you?"

"Huahaha! Since when are you even human?" Fang Yun chuckled inwardly.

"Enough! Focus on your mission. You’ve never been in a real fight. If you rush in, you’ll just get yourself killed," Qiang Mo warned.

"That’s why I’m asking you, Master Qiang Mo. So, what should I do now?"

"Hold on, let the author think. He seems confused, kikiki!"

Fang Yun kept watching the hideout while chatting with Qiang Mo in his mind. Occasionally, he saw people moving from house to house.

"Fang Yun, do you dare sneak in? I mean from the rooftops—it’s safer."

"Rooftops?" Fang Yun frowned.

"Yes, use your light-body technique."

"Alright, I’ll try."

He prepared to leap, though he still felt hesitant.

"But what if I fall?"

"Then you fall downward, obviously. You won’t fall upward!" Qiang Mo retorted.

"You’ve got a point there, crazy spirit."

Using the Quiet Wind technique, Fang Yun leapt down, then sprinted swiftly. He vaulted off an archway and landed on the roof of one house.

He almost slipped but quickly regained balance, kneeling silently.

"Find the largest house. The leader usually lives in the grandest one," said Qiang Mo.

Fang Yun looked around and spotted the highest, most extravagant roof.

Balancing himself, he ran lightly across rooftops until reaching the leader’s house.

"Hey! Who’s up there?!"

One of the robbers caught a glimpse of Fang Yun's movement.

"Uh-oh! We’ve been spotted, Qiang Mo."

"We? Only you can be seen," Qiang Mo corrected.

"Oh right, I forgot you’re a spirit," Fang Yun grinned. "So, what now?"

"Think, Fang Yun! Stop asking me! This is just a small problem. Bigger ones await."

Fang Yun weighed the odds—if he fought, his chance of survival was low. If he ran, they'd surely chase him. Even with Quiet Wind, running through a dark forest might mean crashing into a tree.

"Let’s face them, Qiang Mo. I won’t retreat. My parents and the people of Lufeng deserve justice."

"Hey! Get down here now or we’ll drag you down and kill you!" one of the robbers shouted, alerting others.