SWORD OF FLAME

Robbery

A moment later, hundreds of figures dressed in black with black headbands moved swiftly through the dense forest outside the village of Lufeng.

Before they entered the small village, they paused to observe the situation.

“Yan Wei, go check the situation over there. Return immediately after you’ve gathered information!” ordered the leader of the group, which turned out to be a gang of bandits.

“Yes, Leader,” replied a man of medium build with thick sideburns covering his chin.

Yan Wei stealthily entered Lufeng, which seemed quiet even though the night was not yet deep. As he made his way inside, Yan Wei saw that the village was eerily silent. Only a few torches flickered in front of each house, providing minimal light.

Yan Wei's eyes fixed on a young man walking leisurely in the dimness, turning toward the ruins of an ancient temple.

Seeing that the situation was favorable, Yan Wei quickly returned to his group, who were still waiting at the edge of the forest about two hundred meters from the village.

“Leader, we can move now. There are about sixty houses in that village,” reported Yan Wei.

The man Yan Wei called Leader nodded.

“Everyone, move out! Take as much treasure as you can!”

The hundreds of black-clad men quickly spread out quietly to each house in the village of Lufeng. With a fiery arrow signal given by one of the members, they broke into nearly every door simultaneously.

“Robbery... robbery!”

Screams and cries immediately filled the air. The gang of bandits had successfully instilled overwhelming fear among the villagers.

At the same time, Fang Yun, who was still slowly walking toward the ruins of the ancient temple to return the Fire God manual, suddenly stopped and looked back when he heard the simultaneous screams and cries.

He saw the villagers running and screaming for their lives. Their terrified shrieks were met with the loud, mocking laughter of the bandits.

The fifteen-year-old boy immediately thought of his father and mother at home. Fang Yun ran as fast as he could along the compass path to reach his house, his mind fully consumed by worry for his parents' safety.

When he arrived in front of his house, he saw the door wide open. Fang Yun quickly entered and searched for his parents in their room.

His eyes widened in shock when he saw his father tied up and kneeling, with a man pressing a sword against his neck. On the bed, two men were restraining his mother, her lower body already half-naked. Another man, who was already without pants, was violently raping her.

Groans of pain escaped Lian Fei’s lips. She was helpless against the brutality of the four men who took turns assaulting her. Fang An was powerless, his head hung low in defeat.

The four black-headbanded bandits were completely unaware of Fang Yun’s presence. They continued laughing in satisfaction as they ravaged Lian Fei one by one.

Still conscious, Lian Fei realized that her son was standing in the doorway. “Fang Yun, go, my son! Save yourself!” she whispered weakly.

The four men turned their heads and saw a young boy glaring at them with piercing eyes.

“So, a brat who's tired of living. Catch him and kill him!”

Seeing one of the bandits approaching his son, Fang An suddenly struggled, but the sword pressed against his neck swiftly moved, slashing his throat.

“Aaakh!”

Fang An collapsed face-first, his eyes wide open as he died, fresh blood pouring from his neck, soaking the floor.

Lian Fei screamed hysterically at the sight of her husband’s death. With the last of her strength, the thirty-year-old woman kicked the groin of the man on top of her, making him cry out in pain.

“You wretched woman!”

The man immediately swung the sword in his hand toward Lian Fei’s neck.

“Run, Fang Yun... Save yourself!” Lian Fei shouted before her life slipped away.

Fang Yun, driven by rage, kicked the man who had killed his mother, knocking him onto Lian Fei’s lifeless body.

One of the bandits slashed his sword across Fang Yun’s back.

“Aaakh!”

Fang Yun screamed in pain before sprinting out of the room with all his remaining strength.

“Idiots! Quickly chase that little bastard!”

Two men immediately pursued him out of the house. Meanwhile, Fang Yun continued running despite the searing pain from the sword wound on his back, heading into the forest. He didn’t care about the darkness, as he was already familiar with navigating it.

“Keep running, boy! We’ll catch you and tear you to pieces!” shouted one of the men chasing him.

Ignoring their threats, Fang Yun kept running deeper into the forest to save himself. Blood gushed from his wound, weakening his body, but he didn’t stop. He continued running until, without realizing it, a cliff appeared in front of him.

His vision blurred from blood loss, making it difficult to see clearly. Though he was usually adept at seeing in the dark, now he couldn’t distinguish between solid ground and the abyss.

“Aaakh...!”

Fang Yun screamed as his body plummeted into the depths of the unknown ravine.