"Hey, girl, just be honest—what are you really here for?" Jack Young lowered his voice.
"Huh?" The dark-faced girl was caught off guard, her eyes darting nervously. "What are you talking about, sis? I’m just an ordinary girl..."
"Oh, come on, quit pretending. Ordinary girl? I don’t buy it. Let’s not beat around the bush—are you... some kind of heroine here to fight for justice?" Jack Young sized up the dark-faced girl, nodding to himself, pretty sure he was right.
"Hehe..." Realizing she couldn’t hide it, the girl gave a bashful smile and admitted quietly, "Sis, you’ve got sharp eyes. I was traveling nearby when I heard the Blackridge Bandits have been snatching girls, so I snuck in, planning to rescue all the captured girls."
"Oh, I see!" Jack Young nodded in sudden understanding—so this dream has a martial arts setting.
Before they could say much more, the bandits at the front suddenly started shouting. The two looked up and saw they’d arrived at a mountain stronghold.
Calling it a stronghold was generous—it was just a flimsy wooden wall, with a couple of lazy sentries. This is supposed to be the Blackridge Bandits? No wonder even a young woman dares to play hero here.
But when the gate opened, it was a whole different story—a wooden fence surrounded a cave, and inside, the cave stretched deep and winding, impossible to see the end. That must be the real Blackridge Bandits’ lair. The prison cart rattled through the gate, and the bandits around it let out lecherous laughs, making the three other girls inside start crying.
Seeing things get serious, the dark-faced girl grew nervous and whispered to Jack Young, "Sis, forget the hero stuff for now—the main thing is to protect your... virtue. Got any ideas?"
Before Jack Young could reply, a skinny bandit with a creepy grin banged open the prison cart and reached for Jack Young: "Hey, gorgeous, come out and give grandpa a treat!"
Unfazed, Jack Young calmly raised a hand and slapped the skinny bandit hard—smack! The guy was left seeing stars.
With everyone staring in shock, Jack Young barked, "You mangy mutt! You blind fool! Touch me again and I’ll skin you alive and light you up!"
The place fell silent—even the dark-faced girl’s jaw dropped in disbelief. Who’d expect a girl, supposed to be a helpless victim, to slap a bandit in his own lair?
Swords flashed as the bandits drew their blades, eyes glinting, but Jack Young just stepped off the prison cart. Standing tall, she was actually a head taller than most of the bandits.
Makes sense, really—these bandits are mostly failed laborers. Maybe a few deserters mixed in, but even they’re just laborers gone rogue. Times are tough, everyone’s underfed, so a man being 1.6 meters tall is normal. But Jack Young, even as a ‘sis,’ stands over 1.7 meters—no wonder she stands out.
"Before you try anything, maybe figure out who I am. Don’t lose your life just because you’re clueless." Jack Young’s cold stare made a dozen bandits hesitate. "Well? Go get your boss!"
Sitting on the edge of the cart, Jack Young looked totally unfazed, like she had everything under control.
The bandits exchanged glances, finally sending someone running into the cave.
Jack Young ignored the sword-waving bandits and waved the dark-faced girl over. She leaned in, and Jack Young whispered, "So, where exactly is this Blackridge Bandits’ place?"
The dark-faced girl was speechless. Seeing Jack Young act so confident, she actually started to believe it—until realizing Jack Young didn’t even know where the Blackridge Bandits were. "It’s seventy li east of Luoyang City."
"Can you take down all ten or so of these guys?"
"Most of these Blackridge Bandits are just regular thugs—maybe a few know some farm tricks. These ten can’t hurt me, but if a real fight breaks out, I might not be able to protect you, sis."
"Don’t worry about me," Jack Young replied breezily, making the dark-faced girl even more impressed.
Sure, if you’ve got real skills, you’d be bold. But the dark-faced girl could see Jack Young didn’t know any martial arts—so why was she so chill? It made even her start to doubt.
Oh! The dark-faced girl suddenly understood—it’s all about making people doubt! Even she was starting to believe Jack Young had something up her sleeve, so the clueless bandits would definitely be fooled. Smart move!
Just then, a commotion erupted from the cave, and a crowd poured out. Leading them were an old man in scholar’s robes and a beefy bald guy with a mean face.
Jack Young quickly whispered, "Pretend to be my maid. Stay sharp, don’t blow our cover."
The dark-faced girl nodded, bowing her head and sticking close to Jack Young—she really looked the part.
The bald thug scanned the crowd, pausing at the cowering skinny bandit, then looked Jack Young up and down, eyes gleaming. "So you’re the little brat causing trouble here? Bold girl! You’re pretty cute—be my wife and I’ll let this slide. Otherwise, you’ll wish you were dead!"
The other bandits joined in, shouting nonsense and egging him on.
"Hmph, you clueless brute," Jack Young snorted. "Only the boss gets a wife in this place—who are you trying to impress? Get your boss out here!"
The bald thug forced a laugh, "I’m the boss here!"
"Don’t hurt yourself lying!" Jack Young retorted. "You’re just a glorified thug—maybe second-in-command at best! Boss? Ha, that’s a joke!"
Ignoring the embarrassed brute, Jack Young turned to the silent old man, nodding at him, barely lifting a finger: "You’re the brains around here, aren’t you?"
The old man’s eyes flickered, trying to size up Jack Young. After a moment, he bowed, "Miss, you’ve got sharp eyes. I am indeed the Blackridge Bandits’ strategist. May I ask your name?"
Asking for her name was really asking about her background. Whether she could bluff her way through depended on her answer.
In classic martial arts stories, you’ve gotta announce your alias. But what name would sound cool and convincing?
Jack Young glanced at her pajamas—blue with white peach blossoms. Inspiration struck, and she declared, "Where peach blossoms pass, no grass grows; where money falls, heads roll! You guys are supposed to be in the know—never heard of the Peach Blossom Bandit?"
"Peach Blossom Bandit?" The strategist looked puzzled. Never heard of that! But his gang was new, and he hadn’t met many big shots yet. In this line of work, you don’t fear the law—you fear the real legends.
Wait, Peach Blossom Bandit? Peach... Bandit? Could it be—
Realizing this, the old strategist looked up sharply at Jack Young, now even more cautious. Better safe than sorry! "So you’re the famous Peach Blossom Bandit—I’ve heard your name everywhere! My men were rude, please accept my apologies."
With that, the old man bowed deeply.
Jack Young remained haughty: "Now that’s more like it."
Jack Young lazily raised a hand, and the dark-faced girl quickly supported her, nailing the whole lady-and-maid act. Rising slowly, Jack Young declared, "I heard there’s a new gang in Luoyang, so I’m here on behalf of the Shandong Guild to check things out. If your boss isn’t here, I’ll wait. If he’s faking it, you guys can discuss among yourselves—I’m giving you time. For now, get me a room, I need to freshen up."
The strategist’s face twitched—never met anyone so blunt! But the ruder Jack Young acted, the more convinced he became she was the real deal.
So the old strategist bowed again, "This way, miss."