Chapter 264: Even Immortals Cannot Save Those Who Won’t Save Themselves

Xiao Li was the Emperor of Longsheng. When bandits who murdered and robbed appeared in her own lands, she had no reason to turn a blind eye.

Xiao Li had little interest in the bandit lair itself; it wasn’t as if she needed to draw her blade on every person she met. Still, she decided to go along and see for herself, treating it as a way to stretch her limbs.

The higher they climbed, the more difficult the mountain path became. Ziyue insisted on carrying Xiao Li on his back.

It had to be said, Ziyue’s Qinggong was exceptional—he was more nimble than a monkey.

The only downside was that he was *too* nimble. His speed was so sudden that before she could react, a branch would slap her across the face, and it stung sharply.

Thankfully, it only happened twice, and Ziyue didn’t notice. The pain wasn’t unbearable... ’But,’ she thought, gritting her teeth, ’there will absolutely not be a next time.’

By the time Xiao Li arrived, Yang Jun and his men had already taken the bandit lair.

It was a true bandit den. Because there weren’t many of them, they only had two decent houses; the rest of their dwellings were crude stone huts and caves.

The bandits had resisted fiercely. Over a dozen were dead, and the rest were bound.

Xiao Li did a quick count. Twenty-four people were tied up.

The mountain didn’t just hold bandits; there were women and children as well.

The women hid in the caves, not daring to come out. Xiao Li guessed they must have been abducted, so she didn’t press them.

Xiao Li had thought this would be a simple mission to exterminate bandits. She never expected that when Yang Jun led his men on a search, they would find a familiar set of silver armor.

Ziyue thoughtfully brought over a stool, but Xiao Li, who had been about to sit, shot to her feet. Her piercing gaze fell upon the captured bandits. "You killed one of the Silver Armor Guards?"

A guard brandished his blade, threatening them. "Speak! Where did this armor come from?"

The bandits shoved one another back and forth, eventually forcing out their third-in-command, who had been cowering at the back.

Their leader had died fighting to the last, and their second-in-command had been killed at the foot of the mountain. Now, he was the one in charge.

Though his nerve was failing him, the third-in-command puffed out his chest and put on a tough front. "That armor is from a score we made ten days ago. The boss really liked it, but it didn’t fit, so he just hung it up in his room."

Yang Jun barked, "And the man who was wearing it?"

The man answered, "Dead. We threw him in the gully out back."

Xiao Li commanded, "Find him."

Yang Jun immediately took a few men to search.

Xiao Li had someone bring the silver armor to her. On the back of the elbow was a special, detachable scale. Carved upon it was the name of the Silver Armor Guard: Yu Song, one hundred and three.

He was the one hundred and third soldier to join the Silver Armor Guards. That meant he was one of the men who had been with her since her time at the Princess Mansion.

Xiao Li removed the belt. Inside was a hidden pouch containing an important letter wrapped in oil paper.

’Assassins’ ambush. Prince Wei abducted. King Xian colluding with the enemy. Report to Your Majesty with haste.’

This was a message that should have reached the Imperial Palace ten days ago, but it had been intercepted by these bandits.

Soon, they found the horse bearing the mark of the Silver Armor Guards, along with some of the guard’s specialized equipment: a waterskin, a blade, and a short dagger.

Finally, they found the body of the Silver Armor Guard.

The weather was warm, and the body had already begun to decompose. Yang Jun examined it. "He has five wounds. Two on his back and lower back were caused by a blunt instrument. His hands are mangled. The fatal injury is to his neck. It was garroted with a rope so tightly the skin split open. He was strangled to death."

No matter how dim-witted the third-in-command was, he could see that they had killed someone important, and now his people had come for them.

He didn’t want to speak, but under duress, he had no choice. "Yes... We used a horse-tripping rope..."

"The weather was bad that day. We’d just gotten to the foot of the mountain when it started thundering. We were about to call it a day when suddenly, a lone rider appeared. We were all ecstatic."

"We yanked the trip-rope, and he was thrown from his horse. His martial arts were incredible, and his armor was impenetrable. Several of us attacked, but we were no match for him. In the end, the boss took the rope and looped it around his neck. We grabbed rocks and bludgeoned him. His hands must have been torn up by the rope."

The rest went without saying: after killing him, they looted his belongings and dumped the body.

The men with Xiao Li were all Silver Armor Guards, and many of them had known Yu Song well. Hearing this, they gritted their teeth in fury, their eyes burning with rage.

Their brother had died just like that, at the hands of these mountain bandits.

If not for this chance encounter, they would never have known Yu Song had met his end here.

"My Liege!"

They looked up at Xiao Li, their eyes a mixture of pleading and intense killing intent. Their desire to avenge their brother was overwhelming.

Xiao Li, of course, would not disappoint them. She certainly wasn’t going to show mercy to a pack of bandits. "Kill them!"

"No, don’t!"

Suddenly, a woman who had been cowering in a cave threw herself forward, bravely positioning herself in front of a steel knife.

Her clothes were ragged and her hair was dry and brittle. "I beg you," she pleaded, "spare our lives."

Seeing this, the other women also emerged, pleading softly, "Please, my lady, spare us."

Xiao Li frowned. "You were all abducted, weren’t you? I am not going to kill you. I will only kill these wicked bandits."

The first woman shook her head, weeping. "But if you kill them, how are my son and I supposed to live?"

The others began to cry as well.

A group of children huddled together. The oldest was fourteen or fifteen, while the youngest was still an infant in swaddling clothes.

A toddler, about two years old, walked over to his bound father, clutched his sleeve, and began to wail.

It was a scene that would move anyone.

But Xiao Li’s eyes were filled with nothing but cold indifference. "So, you intend to die with the bandits?"

The woman kowtowed repeatedly. "I beg you, miss, spare their lives! They’ll turn over a new leaf, I swear! Please, miss, I’m begging you."

Xiao Li didn’t know if these bandits could ever change their ways, but she knew one thing: those who had killed one of her Silver Armor Guards would not be allowed to live.

Xiao Li knew the woman was innocent, that she had probably never killed anyone. Even now, she wanted to give her a chance. "Do you remember who you were before this? Don’t you want to leave this mountain and live a decent life?"

As the Emperor, it would be all too easy for Xiao Li to arrange a stable life for one woman.

If only the woman would see reason, Xiao Li could send her to one of the major state workshops, far from this gully, where she could start over. A job that people in the capital would kill for would be enough to ensure she lived well for the rest of her life.

For a moment, the woman seemed to recall her past life. But then her gaze shifted to her son, and then to her man, and she finally shook her head.

"It doesn’t matter anymore. All I want is my son. Please, miss, have mercy. Spare their lives."

Looking around, she saw thirteen women in total. Some were numb, some fearful and cowering. Others, like the one before her, had been completely assimilated. She now considered the bandit her husband and was willing to overlook his past for the sake of their child.

Xiao Li understood.

’Even an Immortal can’t save someone who refuses to be saved.’

This was the fate she had chosen for herself. Unfortunately for her, her pleas were not directed at some bleeding-heart saint.

Xiao Li straightened up and barked a cold command. "All men, listen to my order! Kill all the bandits. If any of the women resist, kill them too. As for the children..."

She drew her sword and hacked a line into a wooden pillar. Her voice was calm, yet filled with chilling killing intent. "Anyone taller than this... kill!"

Ignoring the wails of despair behind her, Xiao Li ordered her men to take Yu Song’s body down the mountain.

One of her Silver Armor Guards would not be left buried in some remote gully.