Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Is Chapter 52 really that amazing?

Jiang Xun traveled on the official road for five days.

All the way there, I had only one thing on my mind—to go to Qiantang and steal the Dragon Crystal.

He felt a little better after dealing with those people from Xingxiu Sea.

But as I walked, I started to feel choked up again.

Because there were more and more people on the official road—not caravans, not laborers, but refugees with their families.

The men carried bundles on their backs, the women held children in their arms, the elderly leaned on canes, and the children followed behind the adults, walking unsteadily.

Their faces were ashen, their lips were chapped and peeling, and their eyes were sunken deep, like a group of living ghosts crawling out of their graves.

Jiang Xun distributed all the dry rations he had to several elderly people and children, but it was no use at all.

There were too many disaster victims; his little bit of stuff wouldn't even make a splash when thrown in.

After another day of travel, there were fewer refugees on the road, but a group of people who shouldn't have been there appeared—bandits.

These people were dressed in tattered clothes, but they were in good spirits, with a fierce look in their eyes.

In groups of three or five, they hid in the woods by the roadside or behind the hillside, staring at pedestrians like hungry wolves.

Jiang Xun even saw several refugees voluntarily move over and join them.

"If we can't survive, we might as well rob someone."

He heard a young man say this, his voice filled with despair and anger.

Jiang Xun remained silent.

He knew that when a person is starving to the extreme, morality and law are all meaningless.

Survival is the most important thing.

He quickened his pace, not wanting to deal with these people.

That afternoon, Jiang Xun crossed a hill and saw a group of people in the distance.

The procession was very long, numbering over a hundred people. The front and back were filled with fully armed officers and soldiers, and in the middle were dozens of oxcarts and mule carts, piled high with heavy sacks, moving very slowly.

It's a grain transport team.

Several horsemen, dressed in silk robes, followed behind the grain cart; they were clearly not ordinary people.

Wherever the convoy passed, the refugees on the roadside made way, staring longingly at the grain carts.

Jiang Xun saw an old woman trembling as she reached out her hand, wanting a handful of food.

"Sir, please have mercy and give us some food..."

The officers and soldiers didn't even glance at her; they simply walked past her.

The old woman then turned to a guard: "Sir, my grandson hasn't eaten for three days, please..."

The guard shoved her aside: "Get out of the way! This is the Wang family's grain, how dare you touch it?"

The old lady was pushed to the ground, but fortunately someone nearby helped her up, so she didn't bleed.

"What happened?"

The guard quickly ran over, bent down, and said, "Steward Wang, there's an old woman blocking the road begging for food."

The middle-aged man glanced at the old woman lying on the ground, a look of disgust on his face: "Get her out of here, don't delay our journey."

The guard, having received his orders, called to his companions and berated the vagrants by the roadside: "Scatter, scatter! What are you looking at? Look again and we'll arrest you!"

The displaced people dared not speak out in anger and all hid by the roadside.

Jiang Xun stood in the crowd, looking at the middle-aged man called "Manager Wang," and felt an indescribable disgust.

What puzzled him even more was that the officers and soldiers actually obeyed his orders.

Jiang Xun muttered to himself, but didn't think much of it.

He still has a long way to go.

As darkness fell, Jiang found a large tree and decided to rest for a while before continuing his journey.

As soon as I sat down, shouts of battle came from afar.

"Robbers! Protect the grain carts!"

That's the direction of that grain convoy.

Jiang Xun stood up, climbed over a small hill, and saw that the grain convoy was being blocked by a group of people.

There were thirty or forty of them, dressed in rags, carrying all sorts of things—hoes, sticks, kitchen knives, and some didn't even have anything decent, just a tree branch they picked up.

But they are not afraid of death.

The leader was a burly man in his thirties with a full beard, fierce eyes, and a chipped machete in his hand.

He stood in the middle of the road and roared at the grain convoy, "Leave the grain, and I'll spare your lives!"

The officers and soldiers drew their swords, and the guards raised their clubs, surrounding the grain carts.

Manager Wang, mounted on his horse, looked at the group of "bandits" and, far from being afraid, even laughed.

"A bunch of peasants, daring to block the road?" He waved his hand, "Beat them!"

They start quickly and end even faster.

Although this group outnumbered the soldiers, they were no match for the officers and soldiers.

The officers and soldiers were regular troops, well-trained. Their swordsmanship wasn't particularly sophisticated, but they worked in teams of three to five, coordinating their attacks, and quickly felled seven or eight of them.

The guards were equally formidable, wielding their clubs with ferocious force, beating the bandits until they cried out in agony.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, several bandits died, and the rest knelt on the ground begging for mercy.

"Sir, spare us! Sir, spare us! We'll never do it again!"

"We're desperate to survive, that's why we're here to steal food..."

"Please, please, spare our lives..."

The officers and soldiers looked at Steward Wang.

Manager Wang, mounted on his horse, looked down at the people kneeling and begging for mercy as if they were ants.

"Kill," he uttered lightly.

"Stop!" Jiang Xun finally couldn't hold back any longer and stepped out from behind the tree.

All eyes turned to him. The soldiers gripped their knives, and the guards raised their clubs.

Manager Wang squinted, sizing up the arrogant young man.

"Who are you?"

Jiang Xun walked in front of the people kneeling and begging for mercy, blocking the soldiers' blades, and looked at Steward Wang: "You don't need to know who I am. These people have made mistakes, but they don't deserve to die."

"Not a capital offense?" Manager Wang laughed, a very fake laugh. "Are you trying to reason with me?"

"I'm just stating the facts."

"The truth?" Manager Wang's face darkened, his eyes turning sinister. "I understand, you're in cahoots with these bandits, aren't you? Come on, take him down too!"

"Yes!" Several guards responded and rushed forward.

Jiang Xun was already seething with anger. When he saw these people attacking without any explanation, he didn't hesitate and went to meet them with his bare hands.

The first guard rushed over and slashed with his sword.

Jiang Xun dodged to the side and punched him in the chest, sending the man flying three zhang away. He crashed to the ground and couldn't get up.

The second one attacked from the side. Jiang Xun didn't even turn his head and kicked him in the knee. With a "crack", the man screamed and fell to his knees.

The third one, the fourth one...

Jiang Xun's moves were fast and ruthless, all honed from street fighting—unpretentious, clean, and efficient.

In less than ten breaths, all five guards collapsed to the ground.

The officers and soldiers looked at each other, gripped their knives tightly, but no one dared to step forward.

Manager Wang's face turned ashen, and he shouted sternly, "What are you all standing there for? Attack him together and kill him!"

The officers and soldiers exchanged glances and rushed forward.

Jiang Xun frowned.

He knew his martial arts skills were not weak, but there were too many opponents, and the meridians that had been suppressed by Lao Yu were starting to ache again.

He glanced ahead, took a deep breath, and activated his Azure Lotus Divine Speed ​​technique, moving like a wisp of smoke through the crowd. His speed was astonishing; before the soldiers' blades could fall, he had already flashed to Steward Wang's horse.

Manager Wang was so frightened that his soul almost left his body. He hurriedly drew the short knife from his waist, but before he could raise it, Jiang Xun grabbed his collar and pulled him off the horse.

"Stop it, all of you!" Jiang Xun grabbed Steward Wang by the neck and stood in front of him.

The officers and guards were stunned and stopped what they were doing.

Manager Wang's face turned purple from being choked, and he repeatedly begged for mercy, "Stop! Stop it, everyone!"

The officers and guards put down their knives.

Jiang Xun then loosened his grip slightly, but his five fingers were still gripping Manager Wang's neck.

"Tell them to step back." The voice wasn't loud, but it was very cold.

"Back off! Everyone back off!" Manager Wang shouted in a panic.

The officers and soldiers all stepped back, making way for an open space.

"You...do you know who I am?" Manager Wang was being held by Jiang Xun, trembling like a leaf, but he still managed to squeeze out a sliver of confidence, "I'm from the Wang family of the capital! If you dare touch me, the Wang family won't let you get away with it!"

"The Wang family?" Jiang Xun was taken aback. "Which Wang family?"

Manager Wang thought he was scared, so he straightened his back a bit and raised his voice: "The Wang family of the capital! The in-laws of the Fourth Prince! If you know what's good for you, release me right now, kneel down and kowtow three times, and I might spare your life—"

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Xun slapped him across the face.

"Snapped!"

It was crisp and clear, and everyone present heard it clearly.

Manager Wang was stunned by the beating. He covered his face, stared wide-eyed at Jiang Xun, his face full of disbelief.

"You...you dare hit me?"

"So what if I hit you?" Jiang Xun slapped him again, this time harder. Manager Wang's face swelled up like a steamed bun, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

"You say you're from the Wang family?" Jiang Xun said, slapping himself as he spoke. "So what? Does that make you so great?"