But the young man’s eyes were incredibly sharp, and equally cold. "Where have the three of you come from?" When the youth spoke, his voice was very immature, a natural baby voice, not at all authoritative, but the horse bandits behind him all feared him. As soon as Hong Xiangjun saw these people, her complexion turned somewhat pale. Pingchang Prefecture had been restless lately, and the last time she went out, she almost fell victim to these horse bandits’ schemes. In the Dayuan Dynasty, women held a higher status than men. This was because women were stronger and more robust in stature than men; if a conflict arose, men were only on the receiving end of a beating. But these horse bandits were all exceptionally ruthless. Especially this young leader named Su Lang, who possessed miraculous abilities and was very skilled with both the longsword and the broadsword. Nobody knew where he had gathered a group of men who were unafraid of death. They specialized in ambushing wealth along the trails and specifically targeted women. They had even attacked troops of female soldiers escorting military provisions, and each one of them seemed to have an irreconcilable grudge, cruel and merciless, with blood on their hands. Seeing the three as if they were petrified, Su Lang was about to speak when Hong Xiangjun, who wore a hood, suddenly jabbed Liang Yuening. Yue Ning replied with a cold face, "We three come from Taihang Mountain!" Su Lang looked at Liang Yuening intently. This person had long limbs and a tall figure, with a voice that sounded very much like a man’s, and a flat chest. But—"Old Scar, lift their hoods!" A man named Old Scar rode his horse over, and as soon as Hong Xiangjun heard the name ’Old Scar,’ she held her breath, her expression momentarily dazed. Liang Yuening swung his axe. "Back off! Don’t you touch her!" His own hood was knocked off by Old Scar, revealing short, neatly trimmed hair and a handsome face. The young Su Lang squinted his eyes, while the masked Old Scar let out a cold snort. "Move aside if you don’t want to die!" He reached out towards the person behind Liang Yuening, trying to grab Dong Huiying, but Liang Yuening was quicker. He swung his axe at Old Scar, his expression icy, his entire being radiating a dangerous aura. "I told you, don’t touch her!!" In the midst of their standoff, Su Lang’s brows lifted slightly. He suddenly took out a small pebble and flicked it with a snap of his fingers, sending it hurtling towards Liang Yuening like lightning. The pebble tore through the air, and Yue Ning, already on alert, wanted to dodge but, remembering the small woman behind him, he gritted his teeth and braced himself to take the hit. Just at that moment, the unwilling-to-be-a-burden Dong Huiying, quick as a monkey, darted out of the way, also pulling him along. The pebble struck the carriage, and the next moment, with a loud bang, the carriage actually fell apart. Liang Yuening was also stunned. If the pebble had hit him, he feared that just that one strike would have left him severely injured or worse, even if not dead. He looked at Su Lang in amazement. Looking at Su Lang’s expression, it seemed he too was a bit surprised. Of course, his ’surprise’ wasn’t that the carriage had fallen apart, but that Dong Huiying had actually managed to pull Liang Yuening out of the way of the pebble. Just then, from afar came a ’whoosh’ sound. Su Lang furrowed his brows. Suddenly, with a sweep of his sleeve, he sent intoxicating smoke flying from his cuffs towards Dong Huiying and her companions. Dong Huiying became instantly alert, holding her breath immediately, but it was already too late. The three of them swayed unsteadily, like drunkards, and at that critical moment, as if having a premonition, Liang Yuening hugged Dong Huiying’s shoulders tightly, and the two collapsed to the ground together.