The image lingered in his mind all night.

After tossing and turning countless times, Yin Lan finally drifted off to sleep.

She had many bizarre dreams. A tall, handsome man wearing a veil stood in front of her, half-concealing his face like a pipa player. How playful! Just as Yin Lan was about to lift the veil, suddenly, she was pushed.

Yin Lan was a little annoyed and was about to rebuke him when the push became even stronger. Before she could do anything, her eyes opened first.

Before her stood a very handsome man. Yin Lan was still half-asleep, thinking she was dreaming. But when she suddenly realized what was happening, she was startled. Just as she was about to scream, she realized that the man looked very familiar.

Before she could speak, Chen Yourun quickly covered her mouth and then alertly shushed her.

Suddenly, some faint sounds came from outside, like the crisp sound of footsteps breaking tree branches, followed by very light footsteps.

Yin Lan's heart jumped into her throat. Chen Yourun leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "There are people outside. You stay inside, take the knife, and watch the child. I'll go out and check."

As he spoke, he handed the knife to Yin Lan, and before she could refuse, Chen Yourun's figure had already disappeared.

Yin Lan's heart pounded faster and faster, and the commotion outside grew even louder.

Thinking that it might be those few bandits she saw coming to the door, if they were just scouting, they wouldn't be so blatant. There might be more people coming than she saw.

He went out alone, leaving the weapon with her.

Yin Lan suddenly felt tense, and what if he encountered any problems...

Their relationship wasn't so bad that she was particularly sad or reluctant to part ways. However, he had risked his life for her and the baby's safety, and Yin Lan couldn't stay still any longer.

After nightfall.

The bandits, who had been waiting on the mountainside for a long time, finally waited until the whole village quieted down.

The leader gazed at the peacefully sleeping mountain village, his stomach, which had been consuming wild vegetables for almost a month, was starting to rumble.

He came with people to find the way. The prefecture where Tiejian Village is located did not suffer from severe disasters. Other villages have large populations and many strong men, but Tiejian Village is located on the edge, surrounded by three mountains. It is inconvenient to travel to and from the surrounding areas, and the population is small. It did not suffer from drought last year.

In the eyes of the bandits, it had become an extremely desirable prize.

He was supposed to send someone back to inform the leader so that he could send his brothers from the mountains to come over.

But staying cooped up on the mountain, cold and hungry, was simply unbearable for him.

He needs rice, wine, meat, and women—he can't do without any of them.

Moreover, the brothers who came were all skilled and armed. They robbed a few houses on the edge of the village, took a woman, and fled up the mountain without anyone noticing.

Liu the Sharp-Edged Swordsman had a very good plan.

As night fell, he waved his hand, and the fifteen burly men behind him disappeared into the darkness, descending the mountain path.

They traveled without hindrance. Since becoming outlaws, they had done all sorts of things, from robbery and murder to arson. Naturally, they didn't take a small, unsuspecting village seriously.

So even if a bird was startled and flew away on the road, Liu the Knife-Knife didn't care.

The young man behind them, however, noticed the bird and asked in confusion, "Brother, it's the middle of the night, and we haven't made much noise. How come a bird is flying around?"

The young man was slapped on the head. "You're allowed to get up to pee in the middle of the night, but can't a bird get up? Time's running out, hurry up and go."

The young man glanced at the sky again, but there were no more birds in sight. He shook his head, not really bothered.

Daokou Liu naturally heard it. Everyone else was an experienced veteran, but this young man was someone the second-in-command insisted on bringing in. Looking at his naive and inexperienced appearance, he was easily frightened by the slightest noise. He was simply spineless.

He glared at them with displeasure and urged everyone to quicken their pace.

Finally, we entered the village.

The elderly man who had led the way was tied up and thrown next to a tree.

"I'll go with you two to that thatched hut. As for the other two houses, you four will form a group. Be quick, kill them as soon as they wake up, and don't make a fuss. Take the stuff, and I'll find the woman. Understand?"

The group nodded.

They were just dissatisfied. They probably knew that there was a woman in the small hut, and a very beautiful one at that. The other houses were all occupied by men. They did the dangerous things, while leaving all the good stuff for Daokou Liu. He couldn't even wait any longer. Why would a woman need two people? He clearly wanted to have his fun right now.

Although he was dissatisfied, he dared not say much.

The group dispersed.

Knife-Edge Liu and Bald Head headed towards the small thatched hut.

The two men exchanged a glance, their eyes revealing a lewdness and ruthlessness that only they understood.

The two men stood one in front of the other, listening to the silence inside the house. One of them stood guard outside, while Daokou Liu grinned lewdly and gently pushed open the door. The door to the small thatched hut opened as if it were just for show.

The bald man stood guard outside, imagining what was happening inside, and began to get impatient.

"Bang!" Suddenly, the sound of a knife falling to the ground came from inside. If you listened carefully, you could also hear a woman's voice.

The bald man spat, "What's the rush?"

Just as he finished complaining, there seemed to be some movement inside, as if someone was calling him in. The bald man had no suspicions whatsoever, thinking it was just some new trick. He thought that Liu Ren from the Blade's Edge was still loyal, so he grinned and pushed the door open.

A cold, icy glint suddenly flashed.

The bald man's keen intuition sensed danger, and he immediately retreated while raising his knife to block.

"Bang." The knives clashed, producing a sharp, sizzling sound.

"What are you doing?" Before he could finish speaking, the bald man, by the dim moonlight, suddenly realized that the man in front of him was not Daokou Liu, but a man who was taller and stronger than Daokou Liu.

The immense pressure from the knife handle caused his hand to ache so much that it almost split open.

"Where...where did you come from, hero? You've taken a fancy to this woman, can I...can you go first?" The bald man gritted his teeth and spoke under immense pressure.

The pressure was so intense that it almost made him faint.

"You're asking for it." Only two words were uttered coldly from the other end.

Seeing that the other party was no pushover, the bald man gritted his teeth, pulled out a small knife with a green tip with his other hand, and viciously stabbed it straight at Chen Yourun.

"careful!"

Yin Lan's voice hadn't even finished.

"Bang!" The knife had already fallen to the ground. Chen Yourun used the force of the cleaver that had deflected the knife to spin back quickly. Taking advantage of this opening, the bald man seized the opportunity, a sinister smile curling at the corner of his scarred lips. He raised the knife and chopped it down directly at Chen Yourun's head. "I thought you were so tough. Die..."

Before he could finish speaking, the downward force of the knife suddenly disappeared, and even its direction became unpredictable. Chen Yourun nimbly dodged it by sidestepping.

"Pfft..." Blood spurted out.

The bald man's eyes suddenly widened, but his pupils lost their luster, and blood began to trickle from the corner of his mouth.