Chapter 115: Plans Are No Match for Change

Although the man was distracted by the screams, he did not lose his vigilance, swinging his ring-pommel saber to protect himself as he turned. Wei Ba held only a short blade and wore no iron armor, leaving him without any protection. Glancing at that saber, stained with rust and unrecognizable filth, he worried that even if he survived a strike, a wound might lead to a fatal infection—there were no antibiotics in this era, and dying from a septic wound was all too common. Refusing to be reckless, he feinted, skirted past the man, and turned to strike at another bandit nearby.

With a single punch, the bandit had no time to react. He let out a wail, stumbled back two steps, and collided with his companion behind him. Wei Ba followed like a shadow, and taking advantage of the second bandit’s instability from the collision, he lashed out with a kick.

With a sharp *crack*, Wei Ba shattered the bandit’s lower leg. The man dropped his wooden staff and rolled on the ground, howling in agony. This disruption sent the remaining bandits into a panic, creating more openings for Wei Ba.

Having spent his youth training on the craggy rocks of a two-zhang radius and fighting to a draw against Zhao Guang, Wei Ba was intimately familiar with close-quarters combat in such treacherous terrain. With Dun Wu periodically charging in from the perimeter to sow chaos, he made short work of the bandits. His fury at their supposed cannibalism made his strikes ruthless; he left almost no one standing.

Within moments, only the middle-aged man remained.

Wei Ba gripped his short blade in reverse, closing in step by step with a cruel sneer: "Eating people—it felt good, didn't it?"

The man’s face turned deathly pale. His legs trembling, he retreated backward. Dun Wu, clutching a blood-stained saber, emerged silently from behind a rock, blocking his path. The man turned in alarm, looking at the silent, imposing Dun Wu as if he had seen a demon. Realizing his path was cut off, his resolve crumbled. He dropped his rusted blade, fell to his knees with a thud, and began to kowtow frantically.

"Spare me! Spare me!" He pressed his forehead heavily against the mountain stone, drawing blood within two strikes, staining the rock a vivid red.

"When you were eating people, did you ever spare them?" Wei Ba loomed over him, blood dripping from his blade onto the ground like blooming red plum blossoms.

"I never ate anyone!" The man suddenly looked up, tears streaming down his face, and scrambled to defend himself. "That... that was a lie I told you! I’ve never eaten anyone!"

"Lying to me?" Wei Ba sneered dismissively. These men were all the same: arrogant when they held the upper hand, and pathetic when they were weak. He wouldn't take a word of it seriously. "Are you lying to me now?"

"No, no!" The man shook his head like a rattle, snot and tears flying everywhere. Wei Ba instinctively stepped back, fearing contact with such "biological weapons." The man sobbed as he explained, "I only rob travelers here for money. I wouldn't dare eat anyone. It was that official who forced me! He said you had gold hidden on you, but that you were fearless, and the only way to make you surrender your gold was to scare you with stories of cannibalism..."

Wei Ba was shocked. He barked sharply, "An official? What official?"

Startled by Wei Ba’s fierce expression, the man scooted back a few paces before stammering, "I don't know. I only know he has many men under his command, all equipped with official military weapons. I... I was no match for him; I didn't dare disobey."

Wei Ba cursed under his breath, "Damn it, we’ve been played."

Dun Wu, sensing the ruse, stepped forward, kicked the man down, and demanded in a deep voice, "From which direction did that man come?"

"From... from the direction of Chang'an."

Dun Wu looked at Wei Ba and shook his head with a bitter smile. "Young Master, we’ve been exposed." As he spoke, he drew his blade and pointed it at the man’s throat. Wei Ba stopped him. "Forget it. He was just a pawn. Killing him won't help. Let the wretch live."

Dun Wu frowned but said nothing more. He sheathed his blade and gave the man a kick. "Get lost."

The man, having escaped death, didn't dare hesitate. He retreated while keeping a wary eye on Wei Ba, and once he was a dozen paces away, he turned and fled frantically. Having witnessed Wei Ba and Dun Wu slaughter a dozen of his companions in moments, he was terrified; he tripped and tumbled multiple times, bruising his face, but he didn't dare stop for a second, vanishing in a flash.

"Young Master, what now?" Dun Wu asked quietly.

Wei Ba remained silent, deep in thought. Given what had happened, he was certain he had been compromised. His opponent was more cunning than he had anticipated, deploying two groups—one overt and one covert—and using the ruse of cannibalism to force him to reveal his full skill. Dealing with such an adversary was far from pleasant. He and Dun Wu could easily escape, but he was unwilling to abandon his mission.

Staying meant greater danger, potentially even death, with no guarantee of success. He had to weigh the feasibility.

The fact that the enemy had forced him to reveal his true colors meant they had already guessed something. Yet, they hadn't arrested him directly, which suggested they had reservations—they likely wanted information from him. Otherwise, there would be no need to go to such lengths for a mere deserter from the Shu-Han army.

If that was the case, his life shouldn't be in immediate danger for the moment.

Wei Ba made up his mind, stood up, and dusted off his blood-stained clothes. "If you don't enter the tiger's den, how can you catch the tiger cub? We’re going to Chang'an."

Dun Wu nodded and followed Wei Ba back the way they came.

Pi Erding was panting heavily as he sprinted along the mountain path, having lost his targets in the blink of an eye, which made him extremely nervous. He couldn't rely on that slippery character Xiao Nuo, and when the General Anxi held someone accountable, he would surely be the one to take the fall. For the sake of his own head, he had to track them down again.

Just as Pi Erding was fretting over his neck, Wei Ba appeared on the path. Pi Erding was overjoyed, but then horrified—he saw that both men were covered in blood, yet they appeared completely uninjured. It was clear the blood belonged to others.

How many men must they have killed to be drenched like that? Terrified, Pi Erding collapsed to the ground. A rock jabbed into his tailbone, and he let out a howl of pain, clutching his backside and jumping three feet into the air like a rabbit.

Wei Ba and Dun Wu stared at this "tail" with confusion until Pi Erding recovered from the pain. They asked, "Are you the spy from Chang'an following us?"

Pi Erding didn't dare be careless. He sucked in a cold breath and retreated two steps. Clutching his backside with his left hand and drawing his sword with his right, he pointed at them. "You... don't come any closer! My... my swordsmanship is very formidable."

Wei Ba and Dun Wu looked at each other and laughed. Dun Wu stepped forward, moving with such speed that Pi Erding’s vision blurred; suddenly, his saber was in Dun Wu’s hand. He widened his eyes in shock, stood stunned for a moment, then fell to his knees with a thud and began to wail.

"Spare me, my lords! I’m just a small spy following orders. My superior commanded it, and I had no choice. I have an eighty-year-old child at home and a mother still nursing—"

Wei Ba couldn't help but burst into laughter. It seemed the same everywhere: those who relied on force were the first to understand the power of it, and once they encountered someone stronger, they resorted to the same pathetic pleas.

"Get up. We don't intend to make things difficult for you. Take us to your superior; you might just earn yourself a great credit."

Pi Erding was still kowtowing, not having heard a word, until Dun Wu gave him a kick and repeated the instruction. He looked up, his face streaked with tears, blinking his large, bovine eyes. "You... you mean it?"

"Of course I mean it. What point is there in lying to you?" Wei Ba waved his hand and began to walk down the mountain.

Pi Erding paused, then erupted in joy. He leaped up, hunched over, and hurried to Wei Ba’s side, smiling obsequiously. "Hero, you are truly wise! If one is to surrender, one should certainly surrender to General Anxi. The General is the son of the great General Xiahou, a close friend of the late Emperor, and an uncle-figure to His Majesty. He is a prominent official in Guanzhong! He even married a princess. Can an ordinary man have such fortune? Surrendering to him is almost the same as surrendering to the Emperor himself..."

Wei Ba listened to the non-stop persuasion, unmoved. He had planned to make contact with Xiahou Mao, though not this quickly or under these circumstances. But plans change; since it had come to this, he would simply have to adapt and go meet this General Anxi.

Once they reached the foot of the mountain, they encountered Xiao Nuo, who had just returned. He wasn't alone; behind him were over twenty cavalrymen. Leading them was a captain in scale armor who looked young, his face dark and stern. When he saw Wei Ba and the other man, his thick lips twitched, revealing a contemptuous smile.

"State your names," the captain said, pulling on his reins, his chin tilted in arrogance.

Wei Ba squinted, sizing him up, and gave a light laugh. "A mere captain is not qualified to know my name. If you don't want to complicate matters, take me to see General Anxi at once."

"Insolent!" A guard beside the captain spurred his horse forward and lashed out with his whip. "You lowly deserters dare to be disrespectful to Captain Tian? Take this!"

Wei Ba stood with his hands behind his back, motionless. Suddenly, Dun Wu leaped forward, caught the guard’s wrist with one hand, grabbed his belt with the other, and with a swift tug, hauled him from his horse, lifted him over his head, and slammed him hard against the ground.

With a loud *boom*, a cloud of dust rose into the air.