She would never let herself and the child fall into danger. All she could do now was take good care of the child and not be a burden to Ling Mohan.
The two children were still fast asleep, completely undisturbed by the commotion outside.
Cai Qing's heart was clenched tight, the panic in her eyes impossible to hide. Her gaze darted around, and she occasionally looked outside.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen."
Feng Jin patted Cai Qing's hand, offering words of comfort.
"Young General, everything is arranged for the Young Madam!" Lu Shi said in a deep voice as he rode up beside Ling Mohan.
Ling Mohan nodded and looked at the people opposite them.
"Who are you, and why are you blocking our path?"
Receiving Ling Mohan's instructions, Lu Shi sternly questioned the approaching individuals.
The man in the lead wore a mask, and his voice was hoarse as he said, "A mere underling dares to reply. Have your leader come out."
Ling Mohan's hand gripping the reins tightened, and a hint of killing intent flickered in his eyes. He nudged his horse forward a step and looked coldly at the person opposite him, "If you know what's good for you, step aside, and I'll spare your lives!"
"Such arrogance! Haven't you heard whose territory Jinmei Mountain is? Whether you are a noble or a wealthy official, if you want to pass through Jinmei Mountain, you must either leave your wealth or leave your beauties!"
The masked man scanned his surroundings, looking slightly disappointed. "They're all men. Since there are no beauties, you'll leave your wealth. If I get the money, I'll naturally let you pass!"
He had gathered a group of brothers here to rob travelers, all for the sake of making a living. As long as they were sensible and left their money, he wouldn't make trouble for them.
A cold smile played on Ling Mohan's lips, and the bloodlust in his eyes intensified. He waved his hand and uttered a single word from his thin lips: "Kill!"
"As you command!" Lu Shi cupped his hands in assent and led a group of brothers charging forward.
What chance did these petty bandits have against the battle-hardened Black Armored Army? In just a moment, all the bandits were annihilated by the Black Armored Army, one by one.
Lu Shi brought the captured bandit leader before Ling Mohan. "Young General, the person has been brought. I await your command for disposal."
The bandit had long lost his previous arrogant demeanor. Having witnessed his brothers being slaughtered with his own eyes and being powerless to stop it, he was now trembling all over, lacking the strength to even stand. He was half-crawling on the ground.
His gaze met Ling Mohan's, and he was so terrified that he trembled, his lips quivering slightly. Who was this man, possessing such a terrifying aura?
He had been robbing travelers in this area for years and had never failed. This time, he had misjudged, falling into the hands of these travelers.
"Who are you? Tell the truth, and I might spare your life!" Ling Mohan said in a deep voice.
"I'll tell… I'll tell… Spare me, spare me… I don't want to die!"
Lu Shi stepped forward and restrained the man, who was becoming hysterical with fear, pressing him to the ground.
"Speak quickly!" Lu Shi commanded sternly.
"I'll tell, I'll tell. I'm just a bandit robbing travelers. I just wanted to make some money to live. I used to be an honest farmer, but I couldn't make ends meet, so I took a risk and came up with this idea. I… I've never hurt anyone. I just took some money, I haven't done anything else!"
Ling Mohan gave Lu Shi a meaningful look and then rode away.
Lu Shi looked coldly at the man kneeling on the ground and snorted, "Weren't you quite bold just now? Now you're so scared. You dare to be a bandit with such a disposition? Overestimating yourself!"
"Brother… no… Lord… I beg you to spare me. I have old parents and young children. Please let me go."
"When you robbed others of their wealth, did you ever consider that they also had old parents and young children? You took their entire fortune, so how could they live?"
People like him were not worthy of pity. Letting a tiger return to the mountains would only lead to countless casualties.
Lu Shi held his long sword high and brought it down with a swift, fatal blow.
"Clean it up!"
Lu Shi said coldly, then hurried to report to Ling Mohan.
"Young General!" Cai Qing looked outside and shouted excitedly as she saw Ling Mohan's retreating figure.
"Young Madam, it's the Young General! The Young General is back," Cai Qing turned around, excitedly grabbing Feng Jin's hand and shouting.
Feng Jin's eyes deepened. She lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside. Seeing Ling Mohan's figure, her restless heart finally settled.
"Ling Mohan!" Feng Jin called out loudly.
She stood up abruptly, stumbling a little as she got off the carriage, and ran towards the man.
Ling Mohan leaped off his horse and embraced Feng Jin, who was running towards him.
"Are you hurt?" Feng Jin asked anxiously, her gaze darting around Ling Mohan's body, examining him.
"I'm fine."
Only after personally confirming that Ling Mohan was unharmed did Feng Jin's hanging heart finally relax. "What happened just now?"
"Just some mountain bandits. They've all been dealt with. Let's continue our journey."
Ling Mohan hugged Feng Jin and walked towards the carriage. After settling the mother and children, Ling Mohan got up and went back.
"The Young General has resolved everything."
The area returned to its former tranquility, with no indication of the bloody battle that had just taken place.
Their journey had already attracted attention. If anyone discovered that a fight had occurred here, it would undoubtedly lead to an investigation by the local authorities, and their whereabouts would be completely exposed.
"Well done. Continue the journey."
"Yes, Young General." Lu Shi responded in a deep voice, then called his men to resume their travel.
To prevent similar bandit blockades, they traveled day and night without stopping. They finally reached Yuncheng, a border city, without incident.
"Who are you? How dare you trespass into Yuncheng! Retreat quickly, or we will draw our swords!"
The guards of Yuncheng, seeing Ling Mohan's entourage, shouted angrily. Instantly, archers on the city walls were ready to fire.
"Lu Shi, take my token and explain our intentions to them."
Ling Mohan took a black token from his waist and handed it to Lu Shi.
"Your subordinate obeys." Lu Shi took the token and rode towards Yuncheng.
"I am Lu Shi, the vanguard of the left flank of the Ling Clan's Black Armored Army. I am escorting the Young General to Yuncheng. This is my token. Open the gates quickly and have Yuncheng's commander, Fan Shun, come to greet us."
The guards recognized the token in Lu Shi's hand as belonging exclusively to Ling Mohan.
They had also received news that His Majesty had appointed General Ling to escort the Western Liang Princess's dowry to the capital, and that they would arrive in Yuncheng soon.
Realizing that this person was indeed General Ling, the guards rushed back to report to their commander.
In less than a moment, the tightly shut gates of Yuncheng opened from within. A middle-aged man emerged from the city in haste.