In the next second, Meng Fan furrowed his brows.
Without needing Ye Qingyu to answer, he already knew what was happening outside.
Ahead on the mountain road, there were over a dozen corpses lying on the ground.
Besides these bodies, there were also two carts, but they were not carrying people—they were loaded with goods.
The carts were filled with numerous boxes, some of which had been opened, revealing jewels, silver, silk, and other valuables.
Standing beside the carts were over a dozen fierce-looking men, each holding a sword or blade, with bloodstains on their weapons.
It was clear that this was a scene of murder and robbery.
Unfortunately, Meng Fan and Ye Qingyu had stumbled upon it!
As Meng Fan and Ye Qingyu saw this group of men, the men naturally noticed them as well.
These men were obviously bandits from the nearby mountains.
Under normal circumstances, upon encountering Ye Qingyu and Meng Fan, they would have swiftly killed them to silence any witnesses.
But the current situation was unusual!
Because Ye Qingyu was exceptionally beautiful.
These rough bandits, who had been hiding in the mountains for years, had never had the chance to see such a stunning beauty like Ye Qingyu.
So their first reaction was not to kill and silence, but rather to… capture first, then kill!
"What are you all standing around for? Never seen a woman before? Hurry up and get to work! Kill the man and bring the woman back to the camp alive."
Among the bandits, a man who appeared to be the leader began issuing orders.
On the carriage, Ye Qingyu's face turned icy cold as she felt the blatant and undisguised stares falling upon her, making her extremely angry.
She had a bit of a cleanliness obsession, both physically and psychologically.
The brazen and undisguised gazes of these men made her feel disgusted!
Meng Fan shook his head with a bitter smile and let down the curtain.
A dozen mortals, with only two having some martial skills barely comparable to the Qi Cultivation Realm.
He certainly didn't take them to heart and couldn't be bothered to intervene.
With Ye Qingyu's ability, she could crush these men with just a flick of her finger!
As for rushing to take action?
Displaying gentlemanly manners?
Being a hero to save the beauty?
What a joke!
She didn't need his help at all.
Seeing Meng Fan let down the curtain without any intention of intervening, Ye Qingyu became even more furious.
But even if Meng Fan wanted to take action, she would have rushed to do it herself because these men had thoroughly enraged her.
Watching the dozen bandits charge at her, Ye Qingyu raised a single finger.
A streak of Sword Qi shot out from her fingertip.
Against these ordinary men, drawing her sword would be too degrading.
Especially with Meng Fan, that annoying guy, behind her, she wouldn't give him the chance to mock her.
The streak of Sword Qi darted through the air like a startling swan, weaving and slicing.
In less than two breaths, all the bandits' weapons had fallen to the ground, and each of them was clutching their right wrist in pain, wailing.
"If you don't want to die, get lost now!" Ye Qingyu said coldly.
The bandits realized they had kicked an iron plate and scrambled away in a panic.
Meng Fan lifted the curtain again and looked at Ye Qingyu, his brows furrowing.
"What's wrong?" Ye Qingyu turned her head, noticing Meng Fan's expression.
"I thought you would kill them," Meng Fan said, his tone complex as he watched the bandits' retreating backs.
"I… have never killed anyone," Ye Qingyu said, lowering her head slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed.
She knew these men deserved to die, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.
For someone who had never killed before, taking a life was incredibly difficult.
Especially when there were so many of them; how could she possibly kill them all?
If it were just one person, she might have been able to overcome it and kill that one.
But killing so many people at once was something she simply couldn't do!
Meng Fan sighed.
Although he didn't agree with Ye Qingyu's approach, he could understand her feelings.
Not everyone has the courage to kill, and this courage has nothing to do with strength!
Meng Fan stepped out of the carriage and glanced at the corpses scattered on the ground.
These bodies belonged to ordinary, honest merchants.
They were truly innocent!
When commoners encounter bandits, their fate is almost always tragic.
The idea of bandits who only rob but don't kill is a romanticized notion from chivalric novels, utterly absurd.
Ye Qingyu had only injured the bandits without killing them, a minor punishment.
Meng Fan disagreed with this!
Among the corpses, the smallest was that of a child, only five or six years old.
A towering Sword Qi formed in front of Meng Fan.
"Whoosh~~~~~~"
A super Sword Qi, dozens of meters long, swept forward with a howl.
In just an instant, over a dozen new corpses appeared on the ground not far away.
Complete annihilation, not a single one left.
Most importantly, Meng Fan's Sword Qi was so powerful that none of the bandits' bodies remained intact; they were all torn to pieces.
Some bodies even exploded, sending a mist of blood into the air.
On the carriage, Ye Qingyu watched this scene with a complex expression, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
She had rarely seen such a bloody and brutal scene, or rather, it was her first time witnessing it!
"Sigh…" She suppressed her discomfort and sighed softly, but said nothing more.
She couldn't stand up and accuse Meng Fan of being cruel.
Because she knew very well that Meng Fan was not wrong; he was right!
In contrast, her earlier mercy in sparing the bandits was the real mistake.
Because if she didn't kill these bandits, they wouldn't repent and would continue to kill innocent people in the future.
Killing them was equivalent to saving lives!
Letting them go was equivalent to killing people!
"Thank you," Ye Qingyu said, not blaming Meng Fan for his cruelty, but rather thanking him.
If these bandits hadn't died, and they continued to massacre commoners in the future, those deaths would, in a sense, be connected to her.
She understood all these principles, but she still couldn't bring herself to kill the bandits earlier.
Since Meng Fan had killed them, she should thank him both emotionally and logically.
Meng Fan returned to the carriage and smiled at Ye Qingyu.
"Hehe, Senior Sister Ye, I thought you would blame me for being too ruthless and cruel. I underestimated you; I didn't expect you to be so sensible!"
Ye Qingyu bit her lip, her mouth twitching slightly.
Are you sure this is a compliment?
"Is Senior Brother Meng blaming me for being too soft-hearted?" Ye Qingyu asked, looking at Meng Fan.
"Isn't that the case?" Meng Fan replied, looking directly at Ye Qingyu.
Ye Qingyu was momentarily speechless.
Because Meng Fan was right, she couldn't refute it.
Meng Fan let down the curtain, no longer looking at Ye Qingyu, to avoid further awkwardness for the young lady.
But even after letting down the curtain, he continued speaking inside the carriage:
"We Shu Mountain disciples must indeed have a sense of righteousness.
But the swords in our hands must also be swords of thunder!
When we subdue demons and eliminate monsters, we are not only dealing with demons and monsters.
Because some humans are more demonic than demons, more monstrous than monsters!
Senior Sister Ye, if you can't be both kind-hearted and ruthless, then it's best not to descend the mountain in the future."
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan