Seeing the Bone

"Boss, there's someone here!" a bandit shouted.

The bearded leader had already seen it; he pulled on the reins, and his horse stomped around twice in place.

A man in gray stood in the middle of the official road, neither running nor hiding, and he had no weapon in his hand.

He was unlike government officials, bodyguards, or those idle wandering knights-errant.

Besides, these days, wandering knights don't like to meddle in other people's business anymore.

The bearded man squinted and scanned the surroundings, making sure there were no ambushes nearby, before slowly grinning, "You see us and you're not running?"

The bandits behind him joined in the laughter and jeers. One of them pointed his knife at Shen Gui and yelled, "You know you're blocking our way? Kneel down and kowtow, and if we're in a good mood, we'll let you go."

"Stop talking nonsense, go after the caravan." The bearded man raised his whip.

He didn't intend to stop; he would just run over it. He didn't even need to say anything; his subordinates knew what to do.

Sure enough, a bandit riding a gray horse darted out from behind him.

The gray horse galloped away, almost skimming the ground, and the bandit on its back had bright eyes, like a hunter spotting a rabbit.

"Snapped!"

The whip lashed the horse's rump, and the bandit squeezed his legs tightly around the horse's belly. He already imagined what the gray-clad man would look like when he was knocked away.

The gray horse ran faster and faster.

The horse's hooves pounded on the official road, sending stones flying and making the roadside grass crackle.

The bandits laughed even louder.

"Run him over!"

"Old Song, take it easy, don't cripple the horse!"

Fifty steps.

Forty steps.

Thirty steps.

The bandits on horseback could already see Shen Gui clearly.

He wore old gray clothes, was very thin, and his hair was loose and flowing wildly in the mountain wind.

The person didn't even flinch, not even a twitch of their shoulder.

Terrified?

Twenty steps.

The setting sun pressed down on Shen Gui from behind, obscuring his face in shadow, so the bandits couldn't see his expression.

Ten steps.

The sound of hooves grew heavier and heavier, each thud feeling like a blow to the heart.

Five steps.

The gray horse suddenly neighed, as if something had choked it, and the hairs on its neck stood on end.

Four steps.

The horse's forelegs were still moving forward, but its body was already lurching backward. Its two hind legs plowed two furrows in the ground. It braked suddenly and struggled backward.

It was as if a natural enemy, visible only to it, was standing in front of it.

Three steps.

The bandit was thrown forward and fell.

He instinctively reached for the reins, but the moment his fingertips touched them, an even greater force erupted from beneath the horse.

Two steps.

The gray horse's forelegs buckled, its two front legs giving way below the knees.

The massive horse crashed to its right, throwing the bandits on its back off.

step.

The gray horse tumbled heavily to the ground, foaming at the mouth, kicking wildly in the air, its eyes rolling back, and making "hoarse" sounds from its throat.

"what!"

When the bandit fell, before he had even landed properly, the gray horse had already overturned.

He crashed right back under the horse, which struggled one last time before dying, its entire weight pressing down on his chest.

"Click."

The sound wasn't loud, but everyone nearby heard it.

The bandit's chest was caved in, and he had broken several ribs.

His mouth was agape, his eyes were wide open, and he managed to squeeze out a very short breath.

"Well……"

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, flowing down his neck and into his collar.

The laughter on the official road came to an abrupt halt.

His bushy beard and the corners of his mouth drooped down little by little. He swallowed, and the smell of alcohol rose in his throat, bitter and spicy.

The wind is still blowing, and the leaves on the roadside trees are still rustling.

But at that moment, all the bandits were nailed to their horses.

Some people held the reins, at a loss, while others stared blankly, unable to react for a long time.

The first one to wake up was a young bandit.

His eyes were bloodshot as he suddenly drew his knife and roared, "Fuck your mother! You killed my brother, are you tired of living?!"

The caravan heard the commotion.

The merchant glanced back and saw the gray horse lying on the official road. His heart skipped a beat, followed by a surge of joy.

The bandit is dead!

This is the only way out!

"Quick! Let's go!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs towards the back.

"The bandits will definitely seek revenge on that man. Let's get far away now! Quick!"

Hearing this, the driver whipped the horse's rump hard, causing the axle to creak and nearly fall apart.

Only one gaunt guard was still looking back.

He was in his early twenties, and he had been stabbed in the face. The cut ran from his eyebrow to his chin, and half of his face was covered in blood.

His riding skills were poor, and he was riding a skinny horse that bounced around so much that he almost fell off several times.

But he kept looking at Shen Gui.

He had heard of this band of mountain bandits. The bearded man was a ruthless fellow who had robbed people in this area for three years and killed no fewer than forty.

What good can come of that man in gray?

This matter had absolutely nothing to do with the man in gray.

He led the bandits there himself, and then just ran away like that?

The gaunt man gritted his teeth and shouted ahead, "Should we... go back and rescue them?"

Another, slightly older guard also heard it, slowed his horse down a beat, glanced back, and a hint of reluctance flashed in his eyes.

But the merchants' calls kept urging them on.

"What are you standing there for! Trying to do some good deeds?"

"Think of your wives and children at home! Run! Save the goods! Hurry!"

The merchants shouted themselves hoarse, their voices shrill and piercing.

The older guard closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, his reluctance had been suppressed. He spurred his horse and continued forward with the group.

Before leaving, he rinsed the skinny man and said, "Don't do anything foolish!"

The gaunt man gripped the reins, the veins on the back of his hands bulging. He glanced at his colleagues ahead, then looked back at the official road.

The bandits had already surrounded the man in gray. The bearded man's face was frighteningly grim as he muttered something.

The man in gray still didn't move.

The gaunt man stared at his retreating figure.

Take a breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

In the span of three breaths, he remembered many things, including how he had been abandoned before.

It happened in the mountains. He broke his leg. His companion said he would go back to get help, but he never came back. He lay in the ravine for two days, eating tree bark and drinking dew, and managed to survive.

He knew what it felt like to be abandoned.

If he turns around and runs now, he will think of that figure every night when he lies down.

If I can't sleep, I'll never be able to sleep for the rest of my life.

The gaunt man cursed under his breath, then yanked the reins sharply, turning the horse's head back.

This skinny horse had been with him for five years. It didn't eat well and didn't run fast, but it was obedient.

He dismounted, patted the horse's neck, and then gave its rump a hard shove.

"go!"

The skinny horse ran a few steps forward, then stopped and looked back at its master.

The skinny man grew impatient and gave him another push.

"Go ahead!"

The skinny horse seemed to understand its master's meaning and finally started to run slowly, its four hooves moving at a moderate pace towards Shen Gui.

The skinny man didn't run after him; instead, he turned and disappeared into the roadside woods.

The woods were dense, and the bushes scraped his face, but he ignored the pain and darted a few steps into the woods. He found a gap where he could see the main road clearly and squatted down.

The skinny horse stopped about a hundred paces behind Shen Gui, flicked its tail, and dared not go any further.

The gaunt man hid in the woods, sweating profusely with anxiety.

"Go...go and save them!"