Chapter 28

As Li Wenjun approached the constables again, he shook the cudgel in his hand and pointed it at the chest of one of the constables. He aimed for the center of the constable's chest, a large target that would easily knock him off his horse.

This constable was Li Tou, the best among the two or three dozen constables in Sanshan County. Yesterday, he had driven the carriage, but now he was on horseback.

Hearing the urgent hoofbeats, he quickly moved his hand from his eyes, squinting to勉强 see outside. He saw Li Wenjun charging over with the cudgel, and was startled. He quickly dodged to the side and drew his saber, slashing at Li Wenjun's cudgel.

This parry caused Li Wenjun's cudgel to be jolted away.

Li Wenjun quickly pulled back the cudgel and swung it again, sweeping it horizontally toward Li Tou.

Just as Li Tou was about to counterattack, the horse beneath him suddenly let out a long neigh, staggered, and fell to the ground with a thud. It had consumed a lot of croton seed powder and could no longer hold on.

Li Wenjun's cudgel missed Li Tou, whistling past his head. However, the miss did not mean Li Tou was unscathed. When the horse fell, it pinned one of Li Tou's legs under its body, causing him to scream in pain.

The other constable, who had been more affected by the sand in his eyes, had just managed to rub some of it out and could barely see what was happening outside.

Seeing Li Tou fall to the ground, he quickly drew his saber, pointed the tip at Li Wenjun, and shouted, "Where do you come from, you bandit? How dare you rob us? Be careful, or we'll take you to the Sanshan County prison and let you taste our eighteen tortures, making you wish for death but unable to find it."

Li Wenjun had no good impression of the constables of Sanshan County. He swung the cudgel and pointed it at the constable.

The constable knew the severity of the situation. If they lost the wild ginseng, County Magistrate Wu Tao would surely skin them alive. The consequences were too severe for him to bear. He had to muster his strength, stand on the carriage, and fight Li Wenjun.

County Magistrate Wu Tao had sent his two best constables this time, precisely to prevent any bandits from robbing the wild ginseng. Both constables were skilled and had ample practical experience in catching thieves.

Although Li Wenjun was skilled, he lacked practical experience. The constable, on the other hand, had plenty of experience and was fighting for his life. They were evenly matched. If not for the constable's limited movement on the carriage, Li Wenjun might have been defeated.

However, as time went on, Li Wenjun rapidly improved and began to gain the upper hand. In a short while, he was confident he could knock the constable off the carriage.

Just then, Li Wenjun suddenly felt a cold wind behind him, and a flash of light. Something struck his back fiercely.

With a thud, Li Wenjun fell off the horse, and blood quickly pooled around him.

"Li Tou, you truly are the best in Sanshan County. You felled this bandit with one strike," the other constable flattered.

"He's not dead yet. Go check. If he's not dead, give him another strike and cut off his head. Damn, this dog dared to ambush us. We can't let him go. Take his head back, and we might get a reward from the magistrate. I'll go check on Kong Yashi," Li Tou ordered.

"Yes, Li Tou, you can count on me," the other constable replied.

Li Wenjun lay on the ground, feeling excruciating pain in his back. His body felt as if it were split in two. If he could see his back, he would be shocked. There was a large gash from his right shoulder blade to his left waist, about one or two feet long, exposing the bone. Blood gushed out like a fountain.

When he fell from the horse, Li Wenjun realized that fighting two constables and trying to take the wild ginseng was far more difficult than he had imagined. He had been overly optimistic and overestimated his abilities.

The two constables were experienced in catching thieves and had been on the edge of life and death for years. Their skills might not be high, but their techniques were very practical and deadly. Worried about the magistrate's punishment, they were fighting for their lives to protect the wild ginseng. They would not hesitate to kill him and send him to the underworld.

Hearing that Li Tou wanted to cut off his head, Li Wenjun could not let them have their way. He endured the intense pain and, while the two constables were talking, bent down and crawled under the horse.

By the time he reached the other side of the horse, the two constables had separated. Li Tou went to the carriage to check on Kong Yashi and the wild ginseng, while the other constable, holding his saber, prepared to cut off Li Wenjun's head.

It was still dark, and the torch the constable had been holding had fallen and gone out. The only remaining light source was a lantern hanging on the carriage.

Using the weak light, the constable tasked with cutting off Li Wenjun's head walked to the side of the horse and found that Li Wenjun was gone. He was surprised and said, "Hey, bandit, you're quite something. You can still crawl. It's not that easy to cut off your head."

Before he could finish speaking, a cudgel shot out from under the horse and struck his calf.

Li Wenjun used all his strength, knowing he was severely injured and had little time left. He needed to act quickly.

With a thud, the constable cried out, lost his balance, and fell to the ground, clutching his leg, which felt like it was about to break. "It hurts so much. Li Tou, save me quickly. This damn bandit is still alive and strong."

"What?" Li Tou lifted the curtain and stepped out of the carriage, his saber held in front of him, eyes blazing with anger. He looked at the constable on the ground and then at Li Wenjun.

Li Wenjun wanted to finish off the constable, but seeing Li Tou come out, he knew he had no chance. He held the cudgel with both hands, pointing one end at Li Tou.

"Dog, give me your life," Li Tou leaped off the carriage, his saber raised high, and swung it down at Li Wenjun.

Immediately, Li Wenjun and Li Tou engaged in battle.

Li Tou was very cunning. Seeing the large gash on Li Wenjun's back, with blood flowing profusely, he was delighted. Based on his experience, he knew that Li Wenjun would bleed to death if he just delayed the fight. So, he only engaged in a prolonged battle, not fighting to the death, but rather trying to delay Li Wenjun and prevent him from leaving.

Li Wenjun knew Li Tou's plan. Although he wanted to kill Li Tou with one blow, Li Tou was slippery like an eel, not giving him the chance.

This could not go on. Li Tou could afford to delay, but Li Wenjun could not. Not only was he injured, but there was still another constable on the ground. If the constable's leg improved, they could attack him from both sides, which would be disastrous.

He needed to end the fight quickly and could not delay any longer.

Thinking this, Li Wenjun came up with a plan. He remembered the trick used by heroes in storytelling, the feigned retreat. With the situation urgent, he had no time to think of a better plan and decided to use this strategy.

When Li Tou retreated again, Li Wenjun turned and ran toward the horse.

"Boy, you want to run? No way," Li Tou shouted and chased after him.

Li Wenjun reached into his chest and took out a silver ingot, throwing it at Li Tou. He hoarsely said, "Watch my hidden weapon."

Li Tou dodged to the side and swung his saber at the silver ingot. After the strike, he realized that although the ingot was heavy, it had no force and was not fast, like a stone thrown by a child.

Li Tou was secretly pleased, thinking the man was weak and almost done for.

At this moment, Li Wenjun took out another object and threw it at Li Tou.

Li Tou thought it was another hidden weapon and swung his saber at it. However, this time, Li Wenjun was serious.

The object Li Wenjun threw was a broken dagger, a fragment of a magical artifact, much sharper than ordinary iron.

With a tearing sound, like a knife slicing through cloth, the broken dagger instantly pierced through the saber and continued toward Li Tou.

Li Tou could not dodge in time, and the dagger pierced between his shoulder and chest, causing him to scream in pain.

Feigning a retreat, Li Wenjun turned and rushed forward, striking Li Tou's groin with the cudgel. He felt something break.

Struck in his vital area, Li Tou's vision went black, and he fainted from the pain.

Li Wenjun, not letting up, pounced forward, first using the cudgel to knock the saber out of Li Tou's hand, then pulling out the broken dagger from Li Tou's body and slashing it across his neck, severing it. Li Tou died instantly.

"Murder, murder," the other constable, who had not expected the sudden turn of events, shouted. He had thought they had the upper hand, but in a blink, Li Tou was dead. Despite his usual ferocity, like when he whipped the innkeeper, he was now terrified by the approaching death.

He forgot that Li Wenjun was severely injured and did not dare to fight him. Limping, he mounted his horse faster than a rabbit, pulled the reins, and galloped back the way he came.

As the constable rode away, a "giddy-up" was heard from the carriage, and it started moving. It turned out that Kong Yashi, hiding in the carriage, saw the situation and tried to escape.

Li Wenjun did not have the strength to chase Kong Yashi. Taking advantage of the carriage's slow start, he took a deep breath, grabbed the cudgel, and rushed forward, thrusting the cudgel into the wheel of the carriage.

The carriage suddenly encountered resistance, and the horse, caught off guard, reared up and neighed. Kong Yashi, inside the carriage, tumbled around, and if not for the back wall, he would have rolled out.

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