The next day, Shen Jing and his group officially set off for the capital.
Du Heng accompanied them this time, while Fang Liuqi temporarily stayed in Luochuan Prefecture. Shen Jing planned to have him report to the capital later when he was needed.
This time, they traveled light, carrying only essential luggage besides their valuables.
In Luochuan Prefecture, Madam Su left only four servants to guard the Su Manor.
On the official road, Shen Jing leaned back in the carriage, dozing off, secretly complaining about ancient transportation.
He had ridden in carriages before, but he never felt too much discomfort.
However, after riding in a carriage for over a day, the feeling was instantly different.
The carriage swayed and jolted all the way, and the official road often had uneven sections, making him feel uncomfortable all over.
Passing through Pingchang County, Shen Jing had people buy several packhorses.
When they set off again, he chose to ride a horse and learn horsemanship along the way.
In ancient times, how could a man as dashing as himself not know how to ride a horse?
"Let's switch horses later," Shen Jing said to Du Heng, turning his head while riding a small packhorse.
The new packhorses they bought were typical Southern horses, looking like donkeys.
Fortunately, Shen Jing was not a burly, stout man, otherwise he would genuinely worry that the packhorse couldn't bear his weight.
In contrast, Du Heng's mount, though not magnificent, was considerably larger than his.
"No way!" Du Heng grinned. "With my physique riding your horse, I'm afraid I'd crush it to death."
"Nonsense!" Shen Jing pouted. "You think you're..."
Shen Jing's words were cut short when he suddenly noticed a flock of birds startled from the woods on the right.
Ever since he was ambushed by Master Leng's subordinates a few days ago, he had become much more vigilant.
Although this wasn't a desolate wilderness, there were few travelers on the road.
For a flock of birds to be startled from the woods at this time, it was very possible someone was trying to harm them again.
"Something's not right!" Du Heng also noticed the startled birds and immediately gave his assessment: "There are most likely people ambushing in those woods! Probably bandits!"
"We'll know when we see!" Shen Jing nodded slightly. "You take two men to check it out first, be careful!"
"Alright!" Du Heng readily agreed.
Bandits?
Damn it, wasn't the Du Family originally from a bandit background?
Could he actually be robbed by bandits himself?
Watching Du Heng leave with his men, Shen Jing ordered the team to halt temporarily, waiting for Du Heng to ascertain the situation before proceeding.
"What's wrong?" Feeling the carriage stop, Su Yourong lifted the curtain and asked Shen Jing.
Shen Jing turned to look at Su Yourong. "Something seems off ahead. Du Heng has already gone with some men to investigate! Let's wait for now!"
A cold glint flashed in Su Yourong's eyes, then quickly receded. She simply nodded gently to Shen Jing.
Du Heng led two men forward quickly. Just as they reached a bend, a tripwire suddenly appeared on the ground.
However, Du Heng seemed to have been prepared.
The moment the tripwire appeared, Du Heng immediately reined in his horse, performing a graceful halt, and at the same time, he looked up.
Confirming there was no net overhead, Du Heng finally relaxed, secretly cursing these bandits for being so amateurish!
If they were experienced bandits, they would have used a tripwire and a net, no matter how skilled you were, they wouldn't even give you a chance to draw your sword, directly trapping you in the net.
In Shen Jing's words, they were completely unprofessional!
They had most likely run into greenhorns!
"Whoa..."
At the same time, the two accompanying men also quickly reined in their horses and swiftly drew their swords.
Du Heng watched the dense forest vigilantly. "I am Du Heng, my father's nickname is Du Yidao! May I ask which mountain's brothers are in the woods?"
The Du Family was originally from a bandit background, and they knew many people in the underworld, especially the bandits in several counties around Luochuan Prefecture, many of whom knew the Du Family members.
Today, it might very well be a case of 'the dragon king's temple being flooded by the river god'—a misunderstanding between allies.
So, Du Heng didn't rush to fight, but wanted to first clarify the other party's identity.
Listening to Du Heng's words, several dirty, masked figures swiftly darted out from the woods. "This mountain is mine, this road..."
"This your old mother!" Du Heng interrupted the bandit leader, who was wielding a broadsword and shouting, both annoyed and amused. "I'm asking you, which mountain are you from?"
Upon hearing Du Heng's words, the bandit leader with the broadsword immediately became furious and roared fiercely, "Stop your damn nonsense! I'm in a good mood today and don't want to kill anyone! Leave your horses and money, and get out of here quickly!"
"Leave your mother's head!" Du Heng was enraged. "You want to keep my 'liaozi'? Watch out for your 'bazi'!"
Du Heng used slang to probe the other party.
'Liaozi' in slang means one's belongings or wealth.
And 'bazi' refers to one's head.
"Oh, it seems we're fellow travelers!" Just then, a clear voice sounded from the woods, and immediately after, several equally dirty, masked bandits, surrounding a masked bandit leader holding a large spear, emerged from the woods behind them.
Du Heng turned his head and scrutinized the bandit leader.
Although he couldn't see the bandit leader's face, the leader's head, which was a size larger than average, was particularly eye-catching.
Du Heng quickly ran through his mental list of bandit leaders he knew, confirming that none had such a large head. He immediately sneered, "You don't even dare to show your face, yet you're trying to rob people on the road?"
"Stop your damn nonsense!" The bandit leader snorted. "Since we're fellow travelers, Grandpa won't make things difficult for you. Leave two horses and get lost!"
"Sunzi, you don't seem to understand the rules very well!" Du Heng dismounted. "If you want Grandpa to leave two horses, you'll have to lay down the challenge!"
"Alright! Come on!" The bandit leader twisted his neck. "If I win, you leave two horses and get lost! If I lose, I'll leave an arm and avoid you whenever I see you from now on!"
"Straightforward!" Du Heng wasted no more words, lunging forward with a single step and striking at the bandit leader with his saber.
"Clang..." A crisp sound rang out.
The bandit leader horizontally blocked Du Heng's attack with his spear, sneering, "Is that all you've got? And you dare to challenge me?"
"Hehe, don't speak too soon!" Du Heng said, then immediately launched another attack on the bandit leader.
Knowing that this bandit leader also had some skill, Du Heng no longer held back, unleashing his full strength in the fight.
Clang, clang, clang...
Their weapons continuously clashed.
Hearing the commotion from their direction, Shen Jing and his group immediately sped up to catch up.
Seeing them, the bandit leader immediately shouted a reminder, "Tiger Lord, their reinforcements are here!"
Clang! The bandit leader swung his large spear, blocking Du Heng's attack. "Do your words count?"
"They count!" Du Heng stood firm, his saber ready. "If you win against me, I'll not only give you two horses but also fifty taels of silver as a meeting gift!"
"Good!" With Du Heng's promise, the bandit leader no longer hesitated and immediately launched a fierce offensive against Du Heng.
An inch longer, an inch stronger!
Relying on the advantage of his weapon, the fully attacking bandit leader actually forced Du Heng to retreat and dodge repeatedly, only able to look for opportunities to counterattack in the gaps of his evasion...