Descendants of the False Gods

Chapter 11: Escape from the Brink (4)

The two brothers emerged from the forest and called out to both battling sides, “Everyone! Could you clear a path? We’re just passing through and don’t want any trouble!”

The bandits didn’t seem to mind much. “Brothers, you two are quite special, but that has nothing to do with us, so we have no objections.”

However, the soldiers of Caizhou, emboldened by their numbers, were unwilling to let them go. “Stop right there! Where are you from? Where are you headed? You don’t look like soldiers or bandits, and you’re carrying children—more than one, it seems. You’re not human traffickers, are you? Avoiding the main road and taking the forest route is highly suspicious. Are you in league with the bandits? Once this fight is settled, you’ll have to come with us to the nearest prefecture for investigation before you can leave.”

The Yan brothers had already noticed from the mountain that these soldiers were completely untrained, fighting at nothing more than a street brawling level. That’s why they had the confidence to come down. Now that the soldiers refused to let them go, there was only one option—fight their way through. And to prevent future retaliation, they not only had to kill but leave no survivors.

It wasn’t that they were ruthless, but the survival of the Divine Clan and the Xin Clan was at stake. They could not afford to leave behind any threats.

“Brother, since these officers are giving us no face, let’s go!” Yan Tie’s original intent was to signal Yan Bo to strike. Unexpectedly, the soldier in charge misunderstood, thinking they were trying to flee. “Trying to run after coming here? Ten of you, surround them! The rest of you, take down these bandits first!”

Yan Bo didn’t move. Instead, he smirked at Yan Tie and teased, “Hah! They really do seem like bandits. But their skills are more like farmers swinging sickles.”

The ten soldiers who were assigned to deal with the brothers quickly encircled them. They were momentarily unsure of the Yan brothers’ capabilities but had never seen anyone so brazen. Surrounded by soldiers, and yet still chatting as if they were spectators.

Yan Tie also paid them little mind. He nudged his younger brother with his shoulder and said, “Well, looks like we won’t get to enjoy the show. Time to get to work.”

The squad leader among the ten soldiers, angered by their arrogance, raised his blade and charged at Yan Tie, rallying his men, “Brothers, let’s show them our might! Leave them breathing—alive prisoners fetch a reward. Tonight, we’ll feast at Drunken Fragrance Pavilion!”

The words “reward” and “Drunken Fragrance Pavilion” instantly boosted the morale of the remaining soldiers, who eagerly followed their leader’s charge.

Unfortunately, the leader’s movements were too big, his reactions too slow. One hand was swinging in motion due to his run, while the other raised a saber high, leaving himself wide open.

Yan Tie seized the moment, stepped forward, and slashed across. As he passed by the squad leader, he called out, “Left!” Yan Bo instinctively responded, “Right!”

By the time they finished speaking, the squad leader turned his head towards Yan Tie in confusion—only to collapse. A thin line of blood stretched across his throat, and blood was already gushing from one end.

Hearing Yan Tie call out “Left,” the remaining soldiers instinctively looked toward the leftmost man. That soldier, seeing his leader fall in front of him and himself being closest to Yan Tie’s left, froze in fear, unable to react, still holding his blade aloft.

But Yan Tie’s blade had already swept from left to right, slashing the throat of the soldier on the far right.

They had forgotten that Yan Tie’s “left” referred to his own left, which corresponded to their right. When he said “left,” he meant he was handling the enemy on his left side. His move was a horizontal slash from right to left, cutting through the neck of the Caizhou soldier on his left.

At that moment, half of the soldiers on the right side were paralyzed with fear, while those on the left sighed in relief, thinking themselves lucky.

That luck lasted barely a second before Yan Bo stepped in and swiftly ended the life of the supposedly fortunate soldier. In mere moments, three of the ten had fallen.

These Caizhou soldiers were usually arrogant and overbearing, always the ones issuing threats. Never had they encountered such a reversal. The smarter ones immediately turned to flee.

Seeing one soldier run, the rest followed. The Yan brothers pursued, cutting them down as they fled.

They were surprisingly fast. Yan Tie struck one from behind, then finished him off with another slash. Yan Bo killed another, then ran a sword through a third. The rest of the soldiers managed to escape back to their main force, calling for reinforcements.

The Yan brothers charged into the main Caizhou army. Originally, the Caizhou soldiers had an overwhelming advantage, forcing the bandits into retreat, on the verge of collapse. But suddenly, chaos erupted in their rear ranks.

The commanding officer turned around to see his men, whom he had just sent out, now running back toward him. Enraged, he bellowed, “You useless fools! I sent you to catch two men, and now you’ve caused such a commotion! Are you trying to bring the whole world down on us?!”

To his shock, the reply came: “They killed our men! They’re coming after us!”

Their exchange was loud enough for the bandits to hear. The bandits, who had been on the brink of collapse, immediately regained their fighting spirit. “Brothers! We have reinforcements! Kill them all!”

With enemies on both sides, the Caizhou soldiers fell into disarray. The Yan brothers took advantage of the chaos, cutting down over a dozen more. These soldiers relied too much on brute force, making predictable, overextended strikes. Their lack of training meant that the Yan brothers only had to evade and counter, swiftly ending their lives.

As the Caizhou ranks thinned, their original fifty-strong ambush force had dwindled to just over thirty, still surrounded on all sides.

As time passed, only a dozen remained. Suddenly, one of the bandits shouted in excitement, “I killed a Caizhou dog!” The Yan brothers had cut down so many that the remaining soldiers were practically presenting their backs to the bandits.

The commanding officer was filled with regret. “Why did I have to provoke these two harbingers of death? My life is about to end in this godforsaken wilderness.”

The last dozen soldiers were clearly their most elite, displaying slightly better sword skills. However, their stamina was lacking. Having hardly fought before now, they began to tire within minutes of engagement.

Against the bandits, they might have stood a chance. But with the Yan brothers pressing from the other side, they were steadily pushed back to the riverbank.

Now, the Yan brothers and the bandits stood only a few paces apart. The bandits, all injured, had fallen comrades lying by the river. Meanwhile, the Yan brothers were covered in blood—not their own, but from the men they had slain.

The bandit leader cupped his fists in gratitude. “Words cannot express our thanks. Without you two, we would have perished at the hands of these Caizhou dogs.”

Yan Tie responded, “Brother, save your thanks until we’ve finished off the rest.” He exchanged a glance with Yan Bo, signaling toward the last Caizhou soldiers backed against the river.