As soon as the wind stirred, Ye Cunsi sensed the sharp killing intent. He instinctively dodged the arrows by turning his body to the side, but unexpectedly, Madam Zhou rushed towards him to protect him!

As a result, the arrow pierced Madam Zhou's shoulder, and she was injured.

Ye Cunsi was stunned for a moment. He had never been protected by anyone with their life before, and he never thought that he would experience such a thing one day.

And this person is none other than Madam Zhou!

He doesn't want to acknowledge his mother either, just as his sister doesn't want to!

He had always remembered all the things Madam Zhou had done to him and his sister in the past, and the wounds in his heart had never healed.

But now, Madam Zhou is actually protecting him at all costs...

If Ye Qingxue hadn't pulled him out of the mud, he would be incredibly moved right now, wouldn't he?

But now, he only felt that Madam Zhou's life-risking protection was a burden, a burden he did not want!

He could not forgive Madam Zhou for what she had done in the past, yet he had no choice but to accept the protection she provided... to the point that when the rain of arrows came, he could not push Madam Zhou away and ignore her!

He could only carry her, constantly dodging arrows and retreating step by step until they reached a place in the valley where the group's arrows could no longer reach them.

"Cunsi, are you injured? Let me see!" Madam Zhou touched her hands, which were covered in blood, and her heart trembled uncontrollably.

Ye Cunsi tried to avoid her touch and said stiffly, "We brought wound medicine with us. A little injury is nothing to worry about. A little bit of wound medicine will stop the bleeding."

He led his team to hide for a while, making sure the other side wasn't chasing them, before they secretly applied medicine to each other in the dark.

The moon on September 12th was quite round and large, illuminating the outline of the valley clearly. Ye Cunsi quickly joined Wen Bin in counting the number of people and checking the extent of the injuries.

Their ranks consisted mostly of people transporting grain, with relatively few guards, making the ranks quite long and cumbersome to advance or retreat.

After taking stock, it was found that there were over a hundred injured people and three dead.

Upon arriving at the gates of Kyoto, just as they were about to reunite with their families, deaths and injuries occurred, leaving everyone in a very bad mood.

Wen Bin said, "I'm afraid something big has happened in the capital, which is why it's so unsafe outside the city."

Ye Cunsi thought of Ye Qingxue and Yun Zhuo.

He immediately summoned his guards to scout ahead, while the rest of the men waited where they were.

About half an hour later, the guards returned and said that a major incident had indeed occurred in the capital city: someone had colluded with mountain bandits to break into the prison, set fire to the prison, caused criminals to escape, and kidnapped students.

"That band of bandits is on the nearby mountain! The ones who just fired arrows at us were also that bandit group; they've got their eyes on the items we brought back from the Heavenly Eagle Holy Kingdom! Unless someone comes to meet us, we can't easily cross this mountain!"

Wen Bin angrily exclaimed, "How dare bandits run rampant right under the emperor's nose!"

Ye Cunsi said, "It's probably because of the incident involving Prince Jing that the capital is in chaos, which is why they dare to act so rampantly."

Ye Cunsi remembered that when he left the capital, there were no bandits in the vicinity.

These bandits are too audacious! How dare they build their hideout and operate right under the emperor's nose? Are they out of their minds? Or are they being protected by officials?

Madam Zhou, trembling with fear, pulled Ye Cunsi aside: "Cunsi, your mother has something to say to you."

Although Ye Cunsi was unwilling, he patiently walked to the side with her because her shoulder was injured because of him.

“Your sister noticed the bandit's den early on, but because the capital was peaceful, they didn't dare to do anything too outrageous. They just robbed and looted people on a regular basis.”

Ye Cunsi asked, "So?"

"So, your sister asked me to come out of the city to wait for you. Didn't you successfully suppress bandits before when you followed General Lan? She hopes that you can lead your men to wipe out these mountain bandits and make a great contribution!"

“When you return to the capital with your merits, you can use them to plead with the Emperor to spare Prince Jing’s life. Even if he is spared the death penalty, he will still be punished. At least you can save his life and prevent your sister from being heartbroken.”

As Madam Zhou spoke, she began to wipe away her tears and took out an ice-blue jade pendant from her bosom: "This is a keepsake from your sister."

Ye Cunsi pursed his lips, stroking the jade pendant that Madam Zhou had handed him; it was indeed his sister's possession.

His sister was also desperate, which is why she sent Madam Zhou with a token to find him, hoping that he could successfully suppress the bandits and return with merit to plead with the emperor.

Ye Cunsi gripped the jade pendant tightly in his hand, the veins on the back of his hand bulging!

Madam Zhou continued, "Your brother-in-law just got into trouble, and the bandits are already so rampant. Not only was the prison raided, but innocent students were also kidnapped. I'm afraid that some people with ulterior motives will blame all these things on your brother-in-law, saying that he is an unlucky person who brought all these bad things upon himself..."

"Moreover, those students are defenseless and have been captured and taken to the bandits' den. Who knows what kind of torture they will suffer? Their families will be heartbroken! Heartbroken just like your sister!"

"Stop talking!" Ye Cunsi shouted in a low voice. "I'm going to wipe out those bandits, and I'll return to the capital with my achievements to plead for my brother-in-law!"

Since this is what his sister wants him to do, he will do it even if it costs him his life.

Of course, he did this not only for his sister and brother-in-law.

Madam Zhou was right about one thing: those students who fell into the hands of the bandits must have suffered all sorts of torture and abuse!

He learned martial arts from General Lan, and his education from childhood was all about protecting his country.

He had also fought alongside General Lan in bandit suppression, and knew how ruthless the mountain bandits were. If students fell into their hands and were not rescued in time, they would surely die.

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