Chapter 12: The Long-Awaited Robbery

"Sigh... sigh..."

Melancholy and wistful sighs drifted out from the carriage. Zhuyi felt like he was going insane. Ever since they left Sunset City, the young master’s "magic sound" had not ceased for a moment. He truly couldn't understand where a child of his young age found so much sorrow to lament. Just listening to those lingering, mournful notes and those low, desolate, gasping sighs was enough to give anyone a stomachache.

Ling Ruoxi sat cross-legged on the silk cushions, a wisp of white steam rising from the top of her head. Wild profound energy surged through her body, battering against every meridian, yet it always halted just before the moment of breakthrough, stagnating and refusing to advance.

"Night-shining pearl, gold bowl, silver plate..." Ling Xiaobai took the treasures out of his bundle one by one, rubbing them vigorously before carefully placing them back. On such a boring journey, this was the only way he could soothe his disappointment over not having any silver income for several days.

"You’ve already counted them twice today. Haven't you had enough?" Ling Ruoxi opened her eyes abruptly. Her deep, pool-like black eyes faintly revealed a trace of displeasure at being disturbed.

Ling Xiaobai pouted, looking extremely aggrieved, and his small hands nimbly stuffed the priceless pearl back into the bundle. "Mother, Baby is already bored enough. Are you going to deprive Baby of his only hobby, too?"

Ling Ruoxi was just about to speak when her expression suddenly turned cold. Her sharp gaze pierced straight through the fluttering carriage curtain.

Zhuyi quickly pulled on the reins. The horse reared up, kicking its front hooves into the air with a neigh, and the moving carriage came to an abrupt halt on the main road.

Ling Xiaobai’s eyes lit up, and he clenched his fists in excitement. Could it be that a legendary robbery was about to unfold before his very eyes?

"Stop right there!" A man dressed in a short tunic and carrying a large broadsword, looking every bit the bandit, stood squarely in front of the carriage. "This road is the territory of my Black Wind Stronghold. If you want to pass through here, hmph, hmph, hmph, if you know what's good for you, show some sincerity immediately."

"Are you here to rob us of our money or our virtue?" Ling Xiaobai zipped his head out of the carriage, his gaze scanning the bandit from head to toe like a radar.

When the bandit saw such a cute little bun pop out, and then looked at the high-end, atmospheric, and classy carriage before him, he immediately felt like a big deal was about to be struck. His eyes glowed with wolfish greed as he recited the age-old opening line: "This road was opened by me, these trees were planted by me..."

"If you want to pass through this road, leave behind the toll money." Ling Xiaobai quickly chimed in, then immediately turned to look at his mother, who sat as steady as a mountain. "Mother, he wants to rob us."

"I asked you, what should you do when you encounter something like this?" Ling Ruoxi asked unhurriedly, turning a blind eye to the bandit outside.

Ling Xiaobai rolled his eyes. "Mother said, strike first to gain the advantage, strike later and suffer the consequences. When you meet someone trying to rob you, beat them up first and talk later."

"Mm, very good, very good. You are a teachable child." Ling Ruoxi was exceptionally proud of her educational methods. Every word of their conversation drifted out of the carriage, and the bandit was so angry he started howling, "Fine, fine! You actually dare to look down on me? Brothers, come out and get to work! Let them see what the Black Wind Stronghold is capable of."

With a wave of his large hand, more than a dozen bandits leaped out from both sides of the road, surrounding the carriage. Each one looked fierce and menacing, their sharp weapons pointed directly at the carriage as if they might hack into it at any moment.

"Mother, there are bad guys." Ling Xiaobai snuggled into her arms and said in a soft, milky voice, though his tone held a hint of excitement.