Chapter 54

"Enough! The Black Wind Bandits on Twin Braid Ridge aren't that many. As long as we work together and charge through, even if they ambush us on a different path, there's nothing to fear; we can still crush them! — Let's go, let's head out now!"

The young man in white, who was leading the group, pointed to another path on the right that hadn't been ambushed by the Black Wind Bandits and said with enthusiasm.

His prestige was rising, and he had fought his way out of the Black Wind Bandits, so his words carried a lot of weight. When he pointed to the path on the right, everyone agreed.

"Good! Let's go!"

"Let's go!"

"With so many of us, what do we have to fear from the Black Wind Bandits!"

...

At this moment, even if there were objections, the voices calling for "revenge" were suppressed.

After all, for most people, the purpose was not to eliminate the Black Wind Bandits but to participate in the imperial examinations. If they could pass through "Twin Braid Ridge" unscathed, no one would object.

After all, if they really had to face the Black Wind Bandits, even if they could kill them all with their numerical advantage, there would likely be many casualties. No one wanted to die, and that was a human sentiment.

Yang Ji watched coldly, neither opposing nor supporting. However, his gaze inadvertently swept over the wrist of the "survivor" in white, and he was suddenly startled!

"Wait a moment!"

Yang Ji raised his arm and said suddenly.

He had been silent before, and this sudden outburst immediately drew everyone's attention, including the young man in white.

"What's wrong?"

The young man in white frowned unhappily and rode his horse forward.

"Hmph! Nothing!"

Yang Ji spurred his black tiger and slowly rode forward. Under the aura of the fierce beast, except for a few people, the others' mounts retreated.

"My opinion might differ from yours. I think this is the best path!"

Yang Ji pointed to another fork in the road.

"You're crazy!"

Seeing the direction Yang Ji pointed to, the young man in white was shocked, and the others widened their eyes in disbelief.

"Are you going to your death?"

No one expected that Yang Ji would choose the fork that had been ambushed by the Black Wind Bandits.

"My opinion differs from yours. Since someone escaped, they must have already known and moved to another path. The leader of the Black Wind Bandits is smart; this is the right move."

Yang Ji said calmly.

"Moreover, you almost died at the hands of the Black Wind Bandits. Don't you want revenge?"

The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat eerie.

Yang Ji had been silent, and everyone had almost forgotten about him. No one expected him to speak up at this moment and be so assertive.

The words "don't you want revenge" clearly hit the young man in white's sore spot, and his face turned dark.

"You're really crazy!"

The young man in white looked at Yang Ji as if he were a madman.

"If you want to die, don't drag others in. Are you foolish, or do you think others are foolish? With so many bandits guarding there, only a fool would go."

"Ha, choosing this path isn't necessarily dangerous, and choosing that path isn't necessarily safe. I've said my piece; whether you believe me or not is up to you. — Those who want to come, come. Make your own choice."

Yang Ji glanced around and said calmly.

Everyone shook their heads; rushing into danger when they knew it was there was clearly not what a normal person would do. However, Yang Ji's words were not entirely ineffective; at least a few young people, after some thought, walked to Yang Ji's side.

"You guys, don't regret it!"

The young man in white glanced at those few people and said coldly. He then waved his hand and led the group into the fork.

"My name is Han Bin."

As everyone entered the fork, a young man in black cloth walked to Yang Ji's side. He was not very old, thin, and frail, but he gave the impression of having his own thoughts.

"May I ask your name?"

"If I want to, I'll tell you."

Yang Ji said, then turned his gaze to the others.

"Think carefully. Following me here might not be the right choice. — It's not too late to change your mind."

At the fork, besides Han Bin, there were three others. Among them was a young couple who looked like siblings.

Out of more than twenty people, four were willing to follow Yang Ji, which was quite good. Yang Ji had originally estimated that one or two would be good.

"Hehe, don't overthink it. We just think you're not foolish and wouldn't rush into danger."

A young man with dark skin, riding a fierce beast, said.

Yang Ji only needed one look to know that he was likely at the Martial Dao realm. Such people had their own judgment and had probably noticed something, not necessarily following him blindly.

"Go!"

Yang Ji didn't say more, patted his black tiger, and immediately galloped into the other fork. The four people behind him looked at each other and followed.

The road was winding, with tall trees on both sides, rugged rocks, and shadows everywhere. It looked menacing and rugged, and even if an army were hiding there, it would be impossible to detect in advance. It was indeed a good place for bandits to set an ambush.

Despite choosing this path, everyone was still tense, carefully observing their surroundings, as if the Black Wind Bandits could rush out from behind the trees at any moment. Only Yang Ji remained relatively calm.

As time passed, the deeper they went into the mountain path, the more tense everyone became, including the young man with dark skin.

"Strange!"

Among the few, the young man named Han Bin suddenly couldn't help but say:

"Several groups of people were killed here by the Black Wind Bandits, but they've cleaned up too thoroughly. There's not a trace of anything."

Along the way, except for the dust raised by the hooves, there was nothing else. Not even a speck of blood, let alone any signs of a fight or bodies.

No matter how thoroughly they cleaned, it was impossible to leave no trace at all. But the fact was that there was nothing, and the road was incredibly clean.

"There's nothing strange about it."

Yang Ji said lightly: "Because this is not the path where the Black Wind Bandits killed people. That person didn't escape from here; the other path is the one!"

"What?!"

This statement was shocking, and everyone was stunned, even the young man with dark skin showed a look of shock. Although he felt something was wrong, which was why he followed Yang Ji, he never thought the real "incident" path was not this one.

"What do you mean? Are those people lying?"

A girl of sixteen or seventeen, riding a white horse, said with excitement. She reacted quickly and immediately understood the implications of Yang Ji's words, her face turning pale.

"Aren't those people also going to the martial examinations like us?"

Han Bin also reacted and exclaimed.

All the information they had was from those "students" who had escaped with blood all over them. They were about the same age and all going to the martial examinations, so there was no reason for them to lie. Therefore, no one had ever doubted their identity.

If what Yang Ji said was true, then the only explanation was that these people were not going to the martial examinations at all.

"If you weren't sure, you wouldn't have chosen this path knowing the danger. — What did you discover?"

Another "student" said excitedly.

"Those people have long fingers, but the base of their thumbs has thick calluses, which are left from practicing long swords in the bandit world."

Yang Ji said calmly.

"If I'm not mistaken, those people weren't ambushed by the Black Wind Bandits; they are the Black Wind Bandits. The blood on them isn't theirs but from others who entered that path. As for their injuries... that's even simpler; they were wounded by the last-minute counterattacks of those who were about to die."

Those qualified to participate in the "martial examinations" were not weak. Even the Black Wind Bandits would have to pay a price to kill them.

"Hisss!"

A chorus of gasps, everyone looked at Yang Ji in shock. Although they knew he had discovered something, they didn't expect his discovery to be so "shocking."

Compared to the vague intuition of the others, Yang Ji's judgment was clearly more acute and terrifying.

"You bastard! You clearly saw the problem, why didn't you say anything just now?! Do you know how many people followed those Black Wind Bandits?"

After a brief shock, the only girl among the five suddenly shouted angrily, trembling with excitement.

Women are emotional. She had only followed her brother to Pingchuan City, and following Yang Ji was not a choice she made but a simple obedience to her brother. She never expected such a great danger.

"Little sister, that's enough!"

The young man with dark skin said sternly: "Those people chose to follow them willingly. Can you blame others?"

Although he said this, the looks in everyone's eyes were accusatory, even Han Bin, who had followed first.

In the martial examinations, they were competitors, but no one was so callous as to disregard human life.

"Don't look at me like that. I warned them. It was their own arrogance that led them to ignore my warning."

Yang Ji glanced at the group, ignoring their accusatory looks. Compared to the cold eyes he had received in his clan for eight years, these looks were insignificant.

"Moreover, even if I had said it on the spot, do you think anyone would have believed me? When the Black Wind Bandits turned against us, do you think anyone would have spoken up for me?"

Yang Ji said coldly.

He grew up in the clan, suffering oppression, and couldn't even trust the clan's children, let alone these people he had only met once. Besides, he had already warned them, and he had done his part.

But if they chose to believe those people, life or death was their own choice, and they couldn't blame others.

Everyone was silent.

Indeed, if they were honest, even if Yang Ji had spoken up just now, not many would have believed him. Even they themselves didn't fully believe Yang Ji, let alone others!