He also had a younger brother in Tongzhou Prefecture, raised by him since childhood, a brother who was almost like his own son. If he dared to run, The Bennett Family was not a family of saints—“disasters do not befall the family” was nothing but a joke.

The next morning, when John Bennett and the others set out, Emily didn’t see Thomas Brooks, and she couldn’t help but ask in confusion, “Young master, where is Thomas Brooks?”

John Bennett replied casually, “Thomas Brooks went back to Tongzhou Prefecture ahead of us to inform the household that we’re almost there.”

Emily didn’t doubt it, after all, John Bennett was the second young master of The Bennett Family, and it made sense to notify the family of their whereabouts before returning.

However, Emily sneered inwardly—whether you can actually make it back to Tongzhou Prefecture this time is still unknown!

The carriage struggled along the narrow path of Shangmang Mountain. Compared to the main road, this route was much shorter, saving several days of travel.

But bandits were rampant here. Some merchant convoys with strong guards could manage, but lone travelers or weaker caravans often fell victim to ruthless bandits who killed and robbed without mercy.

Inside the carriage, perhaps sensing that something was about to happen, Emily’s face showed a trace of unease.

At that moment, John Bennett, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them, startling Emily.

“Emily, do you think we’ll run into bandits?” John Bennett asked calmly.

Emily forced a smile. “Young master, don’t say such unlucky things. Besides, even if we do meet bandits, they surely wouldn’t dare touch you. After all, you’re from The Bennett Family.”

Just then, a faint, ambiguous smile appeared on John Bennett’s face. “If it’s meant to be, it will be. If it’s a disaster, you can’t avoid it. What’s meant to come will come. Sometimes, natural disasters aren’t so scary—man-made ones are far worse.”

Before Emily could reply, shouts and the sounds of fighting erupted outside. As John Bennett stepped out of the carriage, he said, “See? The man-made disaster has arrived.”

Chapter 5: The Quick Blade Draws, Azure Dragon in the Sleeve!

Outside the carriage, over a hundred fierce-looking bandits armed with weapons had surrounded them. The dozen or so men under John Bennett’s command were all filled with terror and despair.

They were ordinary servants of The Bennett Family, with some basic martial skills, barely at the Body Tempering stage. Even one-on-one, they would struggle against these experienced bandits, let alone now, facing over a hundred enemies.

John Bennett stepped down from the carriage and said calmly, “Gentlemen, if you’re after money, I have a few thousand taels of silver here. If you want it, take it. As for the rest, as you can see, we’re not a merchant caravan—there’s nothing else of value.”

The bandit leader was a burly man with disheveled hair, wielding a fearsome tiger-head gold-stealing saber. The wide blade dragged along the ground, and the bronze tiger head on the hilt was stained with blood, clearly having claimed many lives.

“A few thousand taels is a lot, but your life is worth far more than that, boy. Tell me, how do you want to die?”

John Bennett looked at the bandit leader, his expression unchanged. “It’s all about buying lives. Someone paid to have me killed, so now I can pay to buy my own life. You know who I am—let me go now, and in the future, you can name your price for silver.”

The bandit leader dragged his saber over, laughing loudly. “They say the second son of The Bennett Family is a coward, but you seem pretty gutsy. Too bad you’re a step too late. I may be a bandit, but I keep my word. So, just accept your fate!”

John Bennett shook his head and sighed. “It’s all about money. Since I can’t buy my own life, I’ll just have to buy yours instead!”

The bandit leader’s face darkened, but before he could speak, John Bennett suddenly charged at him, as if planning to take down the leader first.

“Courting death!”

A vicious glint flashed in the bandit leader’s eyes as he swung the tiger-head saber. The strike was fierce, the wind howling!

He was a self-taught martial artist, having only learned some basic external techniques to temper his body, not even a proper saber technique.

But he was born with great strength. In his hands, the heavy tiger-head saber was like a toy. With one sweep, even someone in armor would be cut in two.

Even among those at the Body Tempering stage, the gap in strength could be huge.

Previously, Robert Thompson was also at the Body Tempering stage, a collateral member of The Thompson Family, practicing their internal arts, but his real combat experience was sorely lacking.

This bandit leader, on the other hand, had no internal energy at all, but his attacks were decisive and ruthless. If Robert Thompson had faced him, he might have been killed in a single blow.

But John Bennett was not Robert Thompson. Facing this powerful strike, John Bennett remained perfectly calm. He wasn’t as strong as the bandit leader, and against the forceful tiger-head saber, he probably couldn’t block even one blow.

So, as the saber came down, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. The true qi from his innate technique circulated within him—just a thin thread, not very useful, but better than nothing. After only a few days of cultivation, his total true qi already surpassed what he’d gained from years of practicing the Vast Sea Heart Method.