The merchant caravan continued to move forward, the road surrounded on all sides by dense forest. From the back of the horse carriage, Khanh, Vy, and Minh Triet could also see the many flowers and animals living there. The flowers, with petals tinged red as if stained by rust, gave off a strange yet captivating beauty. The massive trees bent and twisted with trunks so wide that several people could not wrap their arms around them. Among the greenery, herds of deer wandered in groups, a baby elephant was chasing after its mother, and even a lone rhinoceros appeared in the distance, its horn gleaming faintly beneath the sunlight that pierced through the canopy above.
They continued like this for a while until suddenly the driver of the leading carriage felt a strange aura. He slowed his carriage and signaled to the driver of the caravan behind.
"There are bandits," he said.
In just that one short sentence, from beneath the earth suddenly sprang forth a group of thieves. Their clothes were torn and ragged, patched here and there.
"They have weapons," the driver in front added. Even as he spoke, he was already using the power of LINH of the THUY element to push the horse carriage backward.
He mounted his horse at once. From the hooves of the horse spread waves of icy cold, accompanied by blocks of ice forming around it like a suit of crystalline diamond armor that glittered brilliantly.
Not wanting to be left behind, Khanh also used LINH of the THO element, shifting himself together with Vy and Minh Triet to follow along with the driver.
The caravan behind them was no less tense. The horse carriages and the merchants remained sitting quietly inside, leaving Master Tinh Hai and the driver at the rear to guard and protect them.
By now, all around them were the bandits — some large and hulking, others short and scrawny. The one thing they all had in common was their filthy, ragged clothing.
A loud voice came from among the bandits:
"They are Linh masters of intermediate and high rank, of the THO, MOC, THUY, and HOA elements. There is one whose element is unclear, the rest are of no threat."
At that moment, a younger figure among the bandits began to step forward, revealing himself little by little. His body was thin and wiry, about the same age as Vy and Khanh. He began to speak:
"Just by looking at you all, it's obvious you're protecting someone from the second tier inside the carriages. You'd better hand over Princess Bao Chau right now, otherwise things will become very difficult to talk about."
Seeing both his thin frame and the calm tone of his voice, Vy stood up with a serious look. In her heart she thought, This guy must be misunderstanding something.
"Hey, there's a mistake here. We're only a merchant caravan transporting goods, nothing more," she said.
But one of the other bandits shouted toward the thin youth,
"Hey Duy Thai, maybe we're mistaken…"
Before he could finish, that boy cut him off sharply,
"Are you stupid? No merchant ever travels with only two carriages. There must be a noble here!" His voice was firm and unwavering, filled with certainty.
Realizing that negotiation was impossible, Le Vy put on her glasses and grasped her three-section staff tightly, preparing to fight.
Duy Thai, however, remained utterly calm.
"At your level, you are nowhere near strong enough to fight me," he said.
And at those very words, the staff that Le Vy had been holding firmly in her hands suddenly vanished.
She looked down at her empty hand, then quickly looked at Duy Thai with a bewildered expression. "When did he take my staff?"
Before she could even regain her composure, that very three-section staff was already swinging toward her. Fortunately, thanks to the speed of Khanh's LINH of the THO element, Vy was able to escape in time.
Master Tinh Hai was right beside her as well. His expression was deadly serious now. In his hands there was no longer the wine gourd he usually carried. Instead, both of his hands gripped tightly onto his great broadsword, ready in a defensive stance.
"This is bad," Master Tinh Hai said in a grave voice, "he has formed a contract with the Bandit Demon."