Chapter 43

The person who rushed out of the woods was naturally Zhou Chong, who had previously vanished without a trace. Given his character, he certainly wouldn't desert in the face of danger. Instead, he had long noticed that the four people chasing the carriage were the notorious bandits, and they all had weapons. Although his martial arts were good, fighting four armed bandits unarmed would inevitably put him at a disadvantage.

Considering this, Zhou Chong didn't rush in recklessly like Wang Lun. Instead, he went into the woods to look for a weapon. Without going into details, just having a stick in hand would give him a better chance of defeating the bandits. However, the weather was so cold that the branches of the trees were frozen like ice sticks. Zhou Chong had to exert a great deal of effort to break a small tree as thick as his arm. When he came out, he just happened to see the bandit leader about to strike Wang Lun. He then shouted and rushed over, striking the bandit leader in the face with the stick.

Wang Lun was also awakened by Zhou Chong's shout. When he saw Zhou Chong holding a stick in front of him, his mind went blank, unable to understand what was happening. However, the other three bandits, seeing their leader hit, immediately reacted and rushed over with their knives. Zhou Chong swung his long stick and charged at them.

In the blink of an eye, Zhou Chong faced the bandit who was leading the charge. Before the bandit's raised long knife could come down, Zhou Chong's stick had already swept up, striking the bandit's knife and sending it flying. Then, Zhou Chong kicked the bandit in the stomach, sending him flying several feet away, where he curled up like a large shrimp, clutching his stomach and unable to get up for a while.

Before Zhou Chong could catch his breath, the other two bandits rushed over, their rusty long knives swinging down at him. Worried that his stick might not be sturdy enough, Zhou Chong didn't dare to block them directly. He dodged the knives and then, like a venomous snake, jabbed the stick into the eye of the nearest bandit. The stick, which Zhou Chong had broken violently, had sharp ends, and it gouged out the bandit's eye, causing blood to gush out. In agony, the bandit dropped his knife and clutched his eye, screaming in pain.

The last bandit, seeing Zhou Chong's ferocity, was so frightened that he dared not attack and instead turned to flee. Unfortunately, Zhou Chong always believed in finishing off his enemies and never let them escape. He quickly caught up and swept the stick at the bandit's legs, causing him to fall into the snow. Then, Zhou Chong struck the back of the bandit's head with the stick, knocking him unconscious.

However, the danger was not over. Although the bandit leader had been hit by Zhou Chong's stick, Zhou Chong had only intended to save Wang Lun and hadn't used enough force, so the leader's injuries were not severe. He struggled to stand up from the snow and saw Zhou Chong knocking out his last subordinate. Enraged, the leader roared and rushed at Zhou Chong, slashing at his back with a knife.

Zhou Chong saw the bandit leader stand up from the corner of his eye, but the distance was too close for him to react much. He could only lunge forward to avoid the knife. Unfortunately, the bandit leader, being the leader, had his own strengths. His slash was both fast and fierce. Although Zhou Chong lunged forward, he only managed to avoid his head and back, but not his buttocks and thighs. The tip of the knife cut a long but shallow wound on his buttocks and thighs, causing blood to gush out.

"Damn!" Zhou Chong cursed inwardly. He couldn't believe he was injured in such an embarrassing place. Did the bandit have a special interest in other people's buttocks? The thought made Zhou Chong shudder and even feel a bit nauseous.

Zhou Chong rolled forward and immediately stood up. Just then, the bandit leader's knife came from his left side. This time, Zhou Chong didn't dodge but instead used both hands to thrust the stick upward, striking the bandit's hand. The bandit lost his grip, and the knife fell to the ground. Zhou Chong's stick then swept along the bandit's arm and struck his ribs.

"Bang!" Zhou Chong's strike was extremely powerful. The ribs, also known as the air gate, are one of the most vulnerable parts of the human body. The bandit leader felt his ribs almost break, and his lungs burned with pain. He couldn't breathe, and his vision blurred, unable to see anything clearly.

Zhou Chong's strike left the bandit leader temporarily unable to resist. Driven by the spirit of finishing off a fallen enemy and to avenge his own injury, Zhou Chong struck again, hitting the bandit leader's head, neck, and abdomen, all the most vulnerable parts of the body. The bandit leader screamed in pain and finally collapsed, unable to get up.

Only then did Zhou Chong relax. To prevent any accidents, he collected the weapons of the four bandits and gave each of them a few more strikes. Since these bandits would certainly be executed once captured, Zhou Chong wasn't worried about accidentally killing them.

The whole process of Zhou Chong defeating the four bandits, from the moment he rushed out of the woods, took only two or three minutes. It was only then that Wang Lun, who had been in a daze, came to his senses. He looked at Zhou Chong in disbelief and said, "Wen... Wen Da, how... how did you...?"

In Wang Lun's memory, Zhou Chong had always been a weak scholar. But today, he discovered that this weak scholar had single-handedly defeated four vicious bandits. The stark contrast was too much for Wang Lun to accept, especially since he had already resigned himself to death but was suddenly saved, which made him lose his composure.

Seeing Wang Lun's shock, Zhou Chong, embarrassed by his injured buttocks, said, "Uncle, although I am a scholar, I did learn some martial arts from the guards at home for self-defense. Unfortunately, my skills are not very good, and I ended up getting injured. I apologize for my clumsiness!"

Only then did Wang Lun notice Zhou Chong's injury. He rushed over to check and found that Zhou Chong's cotton coat had been cut, and there was a long but shallow wound on his buttocks and thighs.

"Chong, wait here. I'll go get help!"

Wang Lun turned to leave, but Zhou Chong held him back, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Uncle Wang, please just call a few servants. The location of my injury is rather inappropriate, and it wouldn't be good if it got around!"

Seeing Zhou Chong's state, Wang Lun laughed and then ran to get help. Zhou Chong then noticed that the female driver of the overturned carriage had struggled to stand up. Inside the carriage, a little girl was crying sharply, and there seemed to be a woman groaning in pain.

Hearing the cries inside, the female driver was startled and rushed to the front of the carriage, trying to open the door. It seemed that the door was jammed due to the impact, and with her strength, she couldn't open it.

Seeing this, Zhou Chong hurried to help. He grabbed the door and pulled it open with great force. The female driver didn't even have time to thank him and immediately rushed into the carriage, asking anxiously, "Sister, Qingqing, are you hurt?"

"Auntie, Mother hit her head, and Qingqing is so scared!" the crying girl said, her voice trembling. It was clear that this little girl, Qingqing, was quite young.

At this moment, the groaning inside the carriage stopped, and a clear voice said, "Mengwan, Qingqing, I'm fine. I just hit my forehead, but it's nothing serious."

"Can I help?" Zhou Chong asked, leaning into the carriage to see if he could assist. However, as soon as he spoke, he saw the woman with the clear voice and was momentarily stunned. She looked to be around twenty years old, with a delicate face, willow-like eyebrows, and eyes that sparkled like water. Her long black hair was held up by a carved wooden hairpin, and she wore a simple long dress that accentuated her graceful figure. The carriage was filled with a sweet, feminine fragrance, making the air feel refreshingly pleasant.

Zhou Chong had not expected to encounter such a beautiful woman here. In terms of appearance, this woman was no less beautiful than the Miss Xie he knew. Although Zhuo'er was also a beauty, she was too young, and her figure and face had not fully developed, so she couldn't compare to Xie Lingyun or this woman.

Although he was surprised by her beauty, Zhou Chong didn't lose his composure. In his previous life, he had seen many beautiful women, especially the artificial beauties from Korea. Although many people disliked plastic surgery, they had to admit that these artificial beauties were indeed more beautiful in appearance than natural beauties. However, a woman's beauty is not just about appearance; her demeanor and speech are equally important. Without the right demeanor, even the most beautiful face can seem hollow.