That day, on the mountain path from Qiaoying Village to Qingce Village, a merchant caravan was hurrying along.
The rain pouring from the sky couldn't stop their progress.
The terrain here was unfavorable, making it easy for bandits to set up an ambush.
Sure enough, as the caravan reached the valley, strange laughter echoed from the peaks on both sides.
"As expected of the boss, your calculations are flawless!"
"If you want to pass through here, leave your toll!"
"Hahaha, we're gonna strike it rich! The wagon tracks are deep—this must be good stuff!"
The caravan leader looked up and saw bandits lining the peaks on both sides.
A sudden bolt of thunder cracked through the overcast sky, startling him so much that he dove under the wagon.
The other merchants were trembling, clearly unaccustomed to such a scene.
In contrast, the black-haired youth sitting on the cargo wagon remained calm.
"Don't worry, bosses. Not a single piece of your cargo will be lost, and they won't lay a finger on you."
He patted the adorable little lion beast beside him. "Right, Wenzai?"
Gaming's voice was loud, undeterred by the sound of the rain, and the people on the mountain definitely heard him.
The bandit leader wasn't angered by his words—he'd seen plenty of cocky youngsters before.
This kid would quiet down once his body went cold.
He waved his hand, signaling his men to move in.
Unlike the stereotypical image from storybooks, the bandit leader wasn't a burly, hulking man but a sinister, scrawny figure.
Gaming was waiting for this man—Luanjian, Guo Xing.
Guo Xing's martial skills were formidable, his methods ruthless.
He was also cunning, knowing which caravans were worth robbing and which weren't.
As a result, he had gathered a group of followers and had been wreaking havoc around Chenyu Vale and Qingce Village for nearly a month.
But today, his calculations were off.
His ragtag lackeys were no match for Gaming.
Gaming, wearing a beast mask, darted between the wagons, taking down the charging bandits in just a few moves.
A dozen or so men couldn't even handle this one kid, getting thoroughly trounced by him and a tiny lion beast.
"Boss, w-what do we do?"
Guo Xing kicked a trembling subordinate down the slope. "Useless bunch."
He blew a whistle, summoning more men.
"Tough target!"
The reinforcing bandits swarmed in, but they still couldn't withstand Gaming's onslaught.
Guo Xing frowned. In a one-against-many fight, they were the ones on the defensive?
What he didn't know was that, in his blind spot, the merchants were secretly tripping up his men...
Gaming made a provocative gesture toward the mountain.
Guo Xing gripped his curved, slender sword tightly, clearly enraged.
But he wasn't so furious as to lose his head.
At least, this cunning fox didn't immediately charge down to fight Gaming.
Instead, he turned and shouted into the distance.
"Hey, brother over there, had enough of the show? This caravan's haul is worth a fortune."
"How about we team up, kill the escort, and split the goods fifty-fifty?"
The white-haired youth Guo Xing called out to moved.
His movements were lightning-fast, appearing behind Gaming in an instant, drawing his sword...
Guo Xing's eyes gleamed with malice as he, too, charged down with his sword, aiming to trap Gaming in a pincer attack!
But to Guo Xing's surprise, the white-haired youth's blade was aimed at him!
Luckily, Gaming reacted quickly, kicking Guo Xing away—otherwise, he'd have met his end right there.
Guo Xing's plan was to kill the escort first and then deal with the white-haired youth, but he hadn't expected the youth to be even more ruthless, striking first!
Before he could regain his footing, Wenzai charged over and knocked him out with a headbutt.
"Brother Mu Yang, it's really you!" Gaming recognized the white-haired youth instantly, shouting in excitement.
Then, remembering something, he pulled the beast mask over his head. "Almost forgot—it's me, Gaming!"
Wenzai scampered back and burrowed into Mu Yang's arms.
Mu Yang spoke, "I know, Gaming, and Wenzai."
"Yup, that's right!"
Gaming had lived in Yilong Wharf for a while and naturally knew Mu Yang.
Some of his fighting techniques had been taught by Mu Yang in passing, which was why he had improved so quickly.
With this connection, he was also aware that Mu Yang periodically forgot certain things.
So, to be considerate of Mu Yang's feelings, Gaming always made a point to introduce himself first whenever they met.
At this moment, the caravan leader who had hidden under the wagon crawled out and bowed to Mu Yang. "Greetings, Adeptus."
Mu Yang nodded. He knew this man.
This wasn't just some caravan leader—he, like Gaming, was an escort from the Sword Case Escort Agency.
Not only him, but the other merchants were also escorts in disguise, along with two Millelith soldiers.
This operation, plainly speaking, was a bait-and-trap enforcement.
Mu Yang had stumbled upon them on his way to Liyue Harbor.
He had initially planned to step in and take down the ambushing bandits himself.
Just as he drew Withering Glory: Snow Burial Over a Thousand Peaks, he noticed Gaming among the caravan.
After observing for a bit, he pieced together most of what was going on.
The escorts and Millelith had disguised themselves well, but they couldn't fool Mu Yang.
People who trained in martial arts had habits that were hard to shake.
This was likely why Gaming and the others chose to move on a rainy day—to use the rain as cover and throw off the bandits' judgment.
As for the kick that saved Guo Xing, Gaming explained that the man was a notorious criminal who deserved death.
But he had robbed many caravans and taken valuable goods.
Guo Xing was cunning, and even his subordinates didn't know where he hid the important items, so they needed to keep him alive.
Mu Yang nodded. "Sorry, I acted on my own."
Though he hadn't aimed for Guo Xing's throat.
The escorts broke out in a cold sweat, hurriedly saying it was their own incompetence that made capturing a bandit so difficult.
"Lord Mu Yang, guardian of Chenyu Vale for years, punishing evil and upholding justice, yadda yadda..."
Gaming was embarrassed. "Brother Mu Yang, you're making us look bad..."
The rain began to lighten, and the sky cleared. The escorts hurried to tie up the bandits.
Guo Xing carried a hefty bounty, and his lackeys were worth a fair amount of Mora too.
Mu Yang chatted with Gaming on the side, asking about the cargo.
Gaming answered, "Jade items and a batch of fine tea, mainly Songluo Immortal Bud and Youyun Dancong."
Mu Yang asked if he could take a look.
Of course, he could.
Gaming untied the ropes, opened the waterproof mechanism, and showed Mu Yang the cargo box.
He was going to inspect the goods anyway.
Mu Yang carefully examined the tea, and as Gaming had said, it was top-notch.
In Qiaoying Village, getting such high-quality goods required strong connections—Mora alone wasn't enough.
After inspecting the tea, Mu Yang followed Gaming to check the jade items.
The jade teacups and teapots were also of exceptional quality.
Mu Yang was very satisfied with the cargo—it was exactly what he needed for his next plan.
Talk about someone handing you a pillow when you're sleepy—he hadn't braved the rain to watch the show for nothing.
He asked Gaming, "Who owns this cargo?"
Gaming told him that the jade items belonged to a few bosses in Yilong Wharf, while the tea came from Qiaoying Village, including a portion from his own father.
Everyone had suffered losses because of Guo Xing for a month, so they teamed up with the Sword Case Escort Agency and the Millelith to set up this bait operation.
A nearby Millelith soldier added, "This Guo Xing is sharp. If we didn't play the part convincingly, we might not have lured him out."
From his tone, it sounded like their last bait operation had come up empty.
So this time, the merchants had brought out the real goods to set the trap.
As they spoke, the escorts had nearly finished tying up the bandits.
They planned to split into two groups: one to escort the prisoners to Liyue Harbor for detention and interrogation, and the other to return the jade items and tea.
Mu Yang lent a hand, storing the cargo in his system inventory and letting the escorts use the wagons to transport the bandits.
He then took Gaming back to Qiaoying Village, found the tea's owners, and bought the goods.
The jade teacups and teapots were acquired in the same way.
The matter was resolved smoothly, to everyone's satisfaction.
Before leaving, Mu Yang gave Gaming a sum of money.
After all, it hadn't been easy for him to rally those bosses.
Gaming looked at it and said, "Brother Mu Yang, this is too much. I can't accept it."
"Take it. When they get back, treat them to a good meal."
With such people guarding Chenyu Vale, Mu Yang naturally wouldn't shortchange them.
He patted Gaming's shoulder. "Keep working on your beast dance performance. Aim to take the big stage in Liyue Harbor soon."
With that, he used his lightfoot technique and left.
Gaming stood in place, gazing in the direction Mu Yang had gone, silent for a long time until Wenzai climbed onto his shoulder.
"Wenzai, he's always remembered, hasn't he..."
-----
Full Recovery!