Chapter 4

"Stop howling like a dog, get up..." Mr. Fan and Lord Qing San each kicked the apprentice kneeling in front of Xiao Letian away. Lord Qing San pinched Xiao Letian's throat and said, "I'll ask you one last time, are you really part of the bandits?"

"Lord Qing San, please think about it. If I were part of the bandits, how could they have attacked before I escaped? Besides, bandits don't usually kill people right away; they don't even shout warnings. This is clearly a personal vendetta. Please think about it, is there any mortal enemy who might have come to settle scores?"

At this critical moment, Xiao Letian's superior analytical skills played a decisive role. Despite his legs trembling and his adrenaline surging, making his lower back ache, his mind remained clear. In his previous life, he had participated in many business negotiations and knew the tricks. Now, he couldn't afford to lose his composure, or he would surely die.

Modern people, living in peaceful times, would naturally be afraid when encountering such a violent scene for the first time. However, capable people and incapable people respond to fear differently. Xiao Letian's legs were shaking like a sieve, but his mind was exceptionally calm, allowing him to make the right decisions. Most ordinary people would likely just scream or freeze in such a situation.

"Lord Qing San, Mr. Fan, let me be honest with you. I may seem strange, but that's because I grew up overseas. You heard me speak fluent English, just like Mr. Lewis. Think about it, what kind of bandits could afford a spy like me?"

"To put it bluntly, even in the Board of Colonial Affairs in Beijing, there's no one who speaks English as fluently as I do. With my skills, I could easily find a job anywhere. Why would I work as a bandit's spy?"

Perhaps it was Xiao Letian's eloquence and sincere eyes that convinced them. With a snap, Lord Qing San cut the tightly bound hemp rope and stuck the dagger in the ground. "I'll believe you this time. Take this dagger for self-defense. What bad luck, encountering a foreigner and a half-breed, causing me so much trouble..."

After the Second Opium War, Western powers gained the right to spread Christianity throughout the Qing Empire. From 1860, foreigners gradually entered the inland areas. Now, local officials were most troubled by foreigners. If any foreigner encountered problems under their jurisdiction, all local officials would be held responsible.

Xiao Letian rubbed his numb wrists and turned to find Father Lewis. To his surprise, Lewis and Simon each had two cartridge belts crisscrossed over their bodies, and two fully loaded Colt revolvers in their holsters.

"Xiao, I have an extra revolver. Can you use it? Take it for self-defense..." With a flick of his left hand, Lewis spun the revolver and it stopped in front of Xiao Letian. "Damn, are you really a priest? You two look like genuine American cowboys. When you look behind them, they even have cowboy hats on their backs."

"Heaven, are you two from Texas? Were you cowboys before becoming priests? That quick-draw is too impressive..."

Lewis's eyes lit up. "You really know America well? I'm increasingly convinced that you are a gift from God. Meeting a friend like you in the Qing Empire is truly my greatest honor..."

"Haha, the honor is mine, but listen..." Xiao Letian suddenly lowered his voice and leaned in close to Lewis's ear. "Let God protect us. If we can get out of here alive, I'll give you some information... no, I should say a divine revelation, one that could influence the fate of your country..."

Just as Lewis was about to ask more, the slopes on both sides of the road erupted with shouts. The trees swayed and the ground shook as if countless people were moving through the forest, and arrows occasionally flew over.

Lord Qing San tilted his head and grabbed a serrated wolf-tooth arrow with his right hand, nearly scaring him. "Serrated wolf-tooth arrows? When did bandits start using such weapons?" He was right; the iron arrowheads with barbs were impossible to pull out once they pierced the flesh.

"This isn't just any bandit, it's definitely not..." As Lord Qing San was momentarily stunned, Xiao Letian rushed over and, with just a glance, saw the problem. "Damn, these intricate arrowheads aren't something bandits can make. No one except the Qing army could be equipped with such bows and arrows! Lord Qing San, think about it, this must be a vendetta..."

Regardless of whether it was a vendetta, Lord Qing San couldn't afford to be stunned. He picked up his ancestral buffalo horn bow, drew an arrow, and shot the wolf-tooth arrow back. A muffled groan came from the bushes, indicating someone was injured.

At this moment, Lewis and Simon also came to support. The two cowboys fired their revolvers, shooting at any movement in the bushes. White smoke filled the air as the two cowboys and a Qing sharpshooter combined cold and hot weapons to create a formidable defense.

In the chaos, the caravan's apprentices and Lord Qing San's soldiers found their leaders and began to counterattack, using the terrain to their advantage. Some hid behind trees and shot arrows, others ran around with knives to gather the livestock, and some even pulled out muskets from the wagons to load with iron sand.

In no time, the entire caravan gathered together, with the sound of arrows and muskets filling the air, and the white smoke making people cough.

"Wait, stop shooting, something's not right... cough, cough, cough..." After about fifteen minutes of resistance, Xiao Letian suddenly jumped up in a frenzy. "Look at that bush, it's still moving even after being hit by two muskets..."

Everyone looked and saw that the bush, though damaged by iron sand, was still moving.

Xiao Letian, not knowing where his courage came from, held a dagger in one hand and a revolver in the other, crawling forward. "Simon, cover me..."

The two soon reached the edge of the bush. Simon, like a black panther, charged in first, followed closely by Xiao Letian.

"Damn, we've been tricked..." Xiao Letian charged to the left of the bush, firing his revolver at a large white rock.

Years later, when Xiao Letian recalled this scene, he still shuddered. He couldn't understand why he had been so impulsive, why he had taken the lead.

The Colt revolver was known for its ease of use, and even an untrained person could handle it. Xiao Letian and Simon advanced in a zigzag pattern and soon discovered the strange sight behind the rock. Damn, there was a man pulling ropes, moving several bushes. It was a pure deception tactic.

The bandit, seeing Xiao Letian charge, released the ropes and charged with a knife. At that moment, Xiao Letian clearly saw the man's facial muscles twitching and the ferocity in his eyes. In a life-or-death situation, Xiao Letian didn't hesitate, and the four remaining bullets in his revolver were all fired.

The sound of gunfire, the dull thud of bullets piercing flesh and bone, the bandit's frantic cries as he died, and the sudden mountain wind all mixed together in Xiao Letian's ears, converging into one sentence: "You killed someone, you killed someone..."

Xiao Letian had killed the bandit. The revolver's close-range power was not exaggerated; the bandit was dead. However, Xiao Letian was terrified and didn't even dodge the arrows coming from the side. Simon tackled him to the ground, saving him from a serrated wolf-tooth arrow.

"Xiao, wake up... don't be dazed, this is a battlefield..." Simon shouted, finally snapping Xiao Letian out of his stupor.

"Lord Qing San, Mr. Fan, we've been tricked..." When Xiao Letian returned to the caravan, he quickly gathered the leaders for a meeting.

"The bandits weren't really attacking; they just wanted to create chaos. The sun has set, but the twilight is still visible. The bandit leader is smart and ruthless. He cares too much about his men's lives and wants to take us all without losing a single man..."

Xiao Letian was so exhausted that his throat felt like it was closing. He grabbed a water gourd from a dead apprentice and drank half of it.

Xiao Letian's performance had already earned the respect of everyone present. The fact that he had risked his life to gather intelligence and even killed a bandit was not something just anyone could do.

"There's no other way. We must break through while there's still some light. We'll head north. I know the terrain here; there's an abandoned mountain temple on the north slope. It's surrounded by cliffs on three sides, with only a gentle slope to the south. That's where we can hold our ground..." Lord Qing San said.

"Right, the conflict has already involved firearms. We're not far from the village of Kill Wolf Pass. If we can hold out until dawn, the villagers will surely contact the guards in Xiling. And we have foreigners here; the county magistrate can't ignore us..." Mr. Fan also made a decision.

Soon, Lord Qing San and Mr. Fan gathered everyone and issued the order to break through.

"No... no, we can't leave the animals and goods behind. What about the silver for the Imperial Household Department?" Some in the caravan were almost in tears.

"Shut up! Are people more important or money? As long as we're alive, we can earn any amount of money!" Mr. Fan's glare silenced the apprentice.

Xiao Letian was impressed. This old man actually understood the value of human life. Such a man with such vision and courage must be a significant figure in the Fan family.

Time was running out, and the sky was getting darker. The caravan finally began to break through. Xiao Letian, Lord Qing San, Father Lewis, and Simon formed the spearhead, using three revolvers and a quick bow to suppress all suspicious targets. The rest of the group formed a tight cluster, with those armed on the outside and the unarmed inside. Over a hundred people in the caravan let out a collective scream and charged toward the north slope.