When An Sun and Bai Han left the inn early in the morning, the sky was starting to become slightly brighter. The night had passed just like that.
It took them only an hour this time to arrive in the next town. They passed by a merchant with his window of ivory, cotton, and wool, and the butcher with his bloody lumps of meat on display and naked chickens hanging up.
From a distance, An Sun could perceive four people surrounding a well-built carriage. Instinctively, the aura around him turned cold, his lips tugged into a frown.
"We can start asking some of the people at the—" Bai Han had been in the middle of speaking when he suddenly saw An Sun's horse rush forward.
"Hey!" Bai Han shouted after him, quickly following behind.
…
"Come on! Leave us the goods, and we'll leave you your life!"
"N-No…" The old man trembled, but continued to protect the carriage entrance. "S-Somebody! Somebody help us!"
That hoarse and raspy voice caused goosebumps to rise when the people around heard it, the utter despair and begging plea in it enough to make people tear.
However, they all merely watched silently - showing no sign of helping. A few whispered among themselves.
"To bring such a fancy carriage, they clearly must be newcomers."
"Yeah, perfect prey for thugs like them."
The old man stared at the citizens with a pleaded gaze, but they all turned their heads away. He had assumed out of all the townsmen; someone would be willing to help him.
In the end, everyone ignored the scene before them as if it wasn't even happening!
The old man clenched his fist till his knuckles turned white.
How could he defend himself against three men?
"Move it!" At that moment, a bandit shoved the old man out of the way.
Hitting the ground, the old man turned to see the bandit opening the back of the carriage, his heart swelled with dread.
"Hey, boss! There's a young lady and a little girl in the back of the carriage!" The bandit sneered, his yellow teeth flashing at the girls huddled in the tent.
The oldest girl hugged the small one in her arms, who was crying and shivering in fear at the bandit's unsightly appearance. The boss glanced over and his eyes lit up upon catching sight of the two.
"We'll take them and the goods with us!"
"No!" The old man suddenly screamed and tried to stand up.
The boss standing beside him twisted his lips into a cold smirk and thrust a foot into the old man's stomach. Falling back onto the ground, the old man let out a cough and clutched his stomach.
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"As for you old man, you have no purpose to us." Pulling out the sword from his shaft and wielding it around, a sinister expression appeared on his face.
The moment the boss bandit struck his sword down toward the old man, he detected the clattering sound of rushing hoof beats entering his direction.
With a slight frown, he shifted his direction to the sound and was startled to see a horse charging right at him!
Without thinking, he backed away from the old man to dodge the incoming horse.
"What the hell?!" The boss bellowed fiercely.
Before he had the chance to understand the situation, An SUn mounting off the horse had already swung a fallen piece of wood at one of the bandits. The split wood pierced into the man's throat, blood spurting out immediately like a waterfall.
The bandit beside him went pale with fright. Under pressure, he swung his sword, but An Sun extended his left hand and clasped his wrist. He lunged forward and rammed his shoulder against the bandit's armpit, dislocating his arm.
"Aaaahhh!" The bandit let out an ear-splitting roar.
An Sun seized the bandit's sword and pierced it into his heart.
Suddenly, everyone looked at the young man in shock, especially the boss bandit who was so confident a second ago. His expression looked as if he just saw a ghost, "You…You…"
Both of his men in a matter of seconds were already killed!
He stared at the man responsible and felt his body turn to ice. The young man's handsome features contorted into a menacing expression, sending chills down the backs of those present.
When his gaze suddenly turned to the remaining bandit, his jet-black eyes were like two swords and they pricked the boss bandit all over. Those eyes looked like they wanted to rip him apart.
"No…" He stepped back as An Sun grew closer.
Before he had the chance to plead, An Su charged forward and dived the sword into the man's chest. The bandit's body trembled as he found his breathing erratic and started gasping for air.
Until his body went limp, did An Sun pull the bloody sword out of his chest. He waved his hand, flicking off the blood.
The old man's mind went blank, and all was quiet, the people who witnessed the gruesome scene were all shocked beyond words.
Blood, like a devilish red lotus, bloomed in the street.
The old man looked up at the young man who was now staring at him. His gaze wasn't intentionally cold, but it somehow created a chilling effect on the old man for a long time.
"Are you hurt?" The young man's voice was lower than he thought.
The old man forced down the bile threatening to rush up his throat and tried his best to maintain his composure. He stood up with unsteady legs and grasped the young man's hand.
"Thank you! Thank you so much for saving us!"
An Sun's handsome features were cast in a stiff expression, and his lips were pressed together. He continued staring down at him with a shadowed gaze as if he hoped the old man would let go of his hand.
He didn't like the close contact.
Before he could speak again, a cough sounded. "Ahem, ahem…"
An Sun paused his actions and scowled. Shifting his gaze to Bai Han, who had been observing the scene with crossed arms, his brows twitched.
"What is it, old man?"
"Hmph, who are you calling old man?" Bai Han huffed. "Are you done here?"
The corner of An Sun's lips twitched. At the same time, the girls in the carriage suddenly peek their heads out. The eldest covered the youngest eyes from the gruesome scene and lift her eyes to see the two men bickering.
When her round eyes caught sight of An Sun's, she froze.
The young man had his long, jet-black hair tied up and was dressed in a black robe, a sash tied at the waist. Although he had a cold, dangerous aura, he looked every bit a handsome gentleman with his pair of dark gray eyes and fair skin.
His jet-black robes and perfectly straight posture, as well as the way he emerged on his horse to save them, made him look like an impartial and upright authority about to seek justice!
The girl's round, black eyes, attentively stared at him with eyes brimming of fascination.
"Stay in here," She whispered to her sister who nodded obediently.
Stepping down the carriage, everyone's eyes suddenly turned to the young girl walking out of the carriage gracefully in small hurried steps. She tidied her hair gently as she walked, her lovely face tinged with concern as she exuded a gentle temperament.
Her hair was pulled up into a simple style, leaving a few strands of hair that accentuated her defined features even more. She walked over slowly, step by step - each step was imbued with charm and charisma.
While all attention was on the young girl, An Sun and Bai Han continued to bicker.
"Would you have preferred if I watch on the side like you?" An Sun's lips twitched.
"Don't put words into my mouth, boy!" Bai Han said through gritted teeth.
As sparks flew between the two, the young girl had finally arrived in front of them.
"Elder Cai, are you all right?"
The old man suddenly turned to the sound of the young girl's melodious voice and felt his eyes moisten.
"Yes, yes. I am all right. What about you and Yun Ting?"
The young girl smiled. "We're all right. I'm glad you're okay."
Her eyes suddenly turned to the handsome young man bickering with the old man. Sensing someone's stare, An Sun paused and turned in her direction.
When the young man's sharp, gray eyes met hers, she blushed slightly. The beautiful girl lifted her hands and tidied up the strands of hair around her forehead.
She lowered her head a bit and softly asked, "Are you the one who saved us?"
An Sun looked down at the girl without a change in expression and nodded.
"Yes." He paused for a moment. "Are you all right?"
The girl's eyes brightened somewhat in response to his question. She giggled.
"Yes, I am fine. Thanks to you." She suddenly lowered her head in a courteous bow. "My name is Yun Suyin. As a thank you for saving Elder Cai, my sister and I, I offer you and your grandfather a free stay at the town's most established inn."
The offer made An Sun's sharp brows lift a little. "What makes you think we require a place to stay?"
A smile surfaced on Yun Suyin's lips as she said, "Because, unlike the rest of the civilians here, you were the only one who stepped in to help. I can assume you two are not from here."
The corners of An Sun's lips curled up as he slightly raised his chin. He cast his gaze down at her, scanning Yun Suyin's young features with unreadable depths.
"All right then, we accept your offer."
"Grandson!" Bai Han suddenly cut in. "Can I speak to you for a moment?"
An Sun arched a brow but didn't argue back as he stepped aside with Bai Han. With their backs turned to them, Bai Han shot a fierce glare to An Sun.
"Are you mad! Agreeing so easily without my consent?"
"Why? Do you disagree?" An Sun frowned.
"Yes! We don't need their offer; we need to look for Rin!"
A shadow cast over An Sun's eyes and his chest tightened. He looked at Bai Han with a corner of his mouth tilted downwards.
He spoke sincerely as if he hadn't noticed the doubts in Bai Han's eyes. "I understand your concerns. But agreeing to stay with them not only solves our issues regarding money, but it will also help us stay low. Not to mention having a place to stay. I promise I will never give up on finding Bai Rin."
Bai Han narrowed his eyes slightly as he felt that the sincerity in An Sun's words to be rather strange. In the end, Bai Han took a deep breath to calm and repress his stubbornness.
He sighed in defeat. "Very well then."
An Sun's lips curled slightly. He was satisfied and nodded, patting Bai Han on the back, earning a glare from him.
He then turned back to the young girl. "Where to?"
Upon heeding his words, Yun Suyin's eyes immediately brightened.
"Wonderful! Then, please follow me!" The girl skipped over to An Sun and stood close beside him.
While the three walked in front, Bai Han stared at the young girl and An Sun's back with a complicated gaze. Unexpectedly, he felt dissatisfied with the scene.
Hmph! That damn playboy! He didn't even realize the way the girl was looking at him! It was clear she was falling for him!
Grumbling to himself, Bai Han followed closely behind.