Chapter Six: The Hero Saved by a Beautiful Woman

"Big brother, he's out of bullets! We don't have to be afraid of him anymore," one of the bandits, quick of eye and tongue, called out, having noticed that the reckless guy—Xiao Fei—was holding an empty gun.

"You little bastard, how dare you act tough in front of me? Brothers, get him!" The burly man straddling the young girl seemed to be the bandit chief. He stood up from the girl and issued his orders.

Xiao Fei knew that without his pistol, he was utterly powerless—he was no match for them, and might even lose the gun altogether. He intended to activate his Thunderwing to escape, but when he saw the girl on the ground, clutching her torn clothes and looking at him with hope shining in her eyes, how could he bear to leave? Besides, he was too embarrassed to just run away.

To protect his Browning, he quickly ordered Ling'er to put the gun away. At that very moment, three burly men rushed him and seized him firmly.

Just as he expected, their main interest was in the firearm. They searched Xiao Fei thoroughly but came up empty-handed.

"Boss, there's nothing on him," a young bandit reported.

"Heh, well, what are you looking for, gentlemen?" Xiao Fei feigned ignorance.

"Cut the crap! If you know what's good for you, hand over the pistol, or I'll chop off your arm!" the bandit chief threatened.

To be honest, Xiao Fei was genuinely frightened by this. In times like these, killing was as easy as breathing for bandits, who never had to answer for it—there wasn't even a proper government around to stop them.

"Boss, look what I found!" At that moment, a bandit fished out a yellowed letter from somewhere deep in Xiao Fei's clothing.

The chief took the letter, squinted at it for a long while, and then slowly read out a few words: "What… recommendation… fourth brother… Xiao Fei… to Germany… what… Berlin… Military… Academy… letter… what nonsense is this… damn it… search him again and see if there's anything valuable."

The bandit chief could barely read, and even Xiao Fei himself didn't realize how important this letter was—it would, in fact, one day alter his fate. It was a letter of recommendation, written by his third brother, Xiao Teng, before his death, addressed to the Berlin Military Academy in Germany, recommending his fourth brother, Xiao Fei, for admission. The hope was that Xiao Fei would study there, return to join the army, and serve the country just as their grandfather, father, and three brothers had.

Xiao Teng had been an outstanding officer sent abroad during the Qing Dynasty's Self-Strengthening Movement to study at the German Military Academy. During his time in Germany, he had made a strong impression and forged deep friendships with influential instructors. With such a recommendation, the letter was quite effective. Yet, when it arrived at the Xiao family, it was withheld by the family elders, and if Liu Susu hadn't discovered and kept it, Xiao Teng's wishes would have been lost forever.

What Xiao Teng didn't know was that, at the time, even if that Xiao Fei had received the letter right away, with his dissipated, careless ways, he would never have left the country to study. In his own words, "Why would I care about loyalty and serving my country?"

When Liu Susu found the letter, Xiao Fei had already been poisoned, so the current Xiao Fei had no idea about any of this.

After puzzling over the letter for a while, the bandit chief, though he couldn't read much, gathered enough to suspect that this young man might really be the fourth young master of the Xiao family.

However poor the Xiao family had become, a lean camel was still bigger than a horse. If today the young master of the Xiao family walked right into his hands, it was a heaven-sent opportunity to make a fortune. Still, the youth before him, though fair-skinned, was dressed in rags and looked nothing like a young master, which made the chief wary.

He stuffed the letter into his sleeve, forgetting that it had been torn in the earlier scuffle with the girl. The letter slipped to the ground, where the girl, struggling to get up behind him, spotted it, snatched it up, and ran to help her parents.

The bandit chief stepped toward Xiao Fei. "Boy, tell me the truth, what’s your connection to the Xiao family? Speak up, and maybe I'll let you go!"

Xiao Fei hated being threatened, but survival came first—a real man knows when to yield.

"Hmph! I didn't want to rely on my identity, but you forced my hand. I am the fourth young master of the Xiao family, direct descendant of Lord Xiao of this town!" Xiao Fei declared in a stern voice.

Everyone was taken aback. It seemed hard to believe, but with that letter as evidence, it was best to err on the side of caution. Even if this brat had nothing to do with the Xiao family, they might still squeeze some wealth from them using his connection.

Having made up his mind, the chief gave the order: "Tie him up. Once we've caught the girl, we'll bring them both back to the mountain."

"Yes, sir!" his men replied, and they bound Xiao Fei tightly.

"Hey! You bastard, you said you'd let me go!" Xiao Fei shouted angrily.

"Boy, don't forget—we're bandits! You really think bandits keep their word? Are you stupid or what?"

Xiao Fei’s anger reached its peak. He spat, "Damn you! Either kill me now or let me go! Otherwise, the moment I'm free will be the day you die!"

None of them took his threats seriously. He was completely helpless, incapable of harming anyone.

The chief turned to the girl. "Miss, I truly like you. Come with me to the mountain and be my wife. I'll see your whole family lives in comfort, ha ha."

"Stay back, you beasts!" the girl's father shouted, shielding his daughter and wife, with a boy of about sixteen or seventeen cowering behind them.

"Ha! We'll be one family soon. If I'm a beast, what does that make you?" The shameless bandit grinned as he approached.

"I'll fight you to the death!" cried the father, unable to endure any more. He charged forward with his cane, but the ruthless bandit didn't hesitate—he stabbed him hard with his short knife. The old man fell in a pool of blood.

"Father! Father…" the girl's mother and sister wept uncontrollably.

"Sister, Mother, I'll fight him!" the girl's brother screamed, trying to rush forward, but his mother and sister held him back. He had already been wounded by the bandits earlier.

The scene shocked Xiao Fei deeply. What had started as a game now became horrifying reality. Having lived a modern life, Xiao Fei had never before witnessed such violence. Now, his first day in the Republic era, he saw with his own eyes that bandits killed without remorse, as easily as crushing an ant.

He could not help but lament this wretched, old society.

But more than sorrow, he felt guilt. He had had a chance to help, to prevent bloodshed, but his carelessness had led to tragedy.

No, I can't let this continue! I must save them, Xiao Fei resolved.

"Stop!" Xiao Fei shouted.

"Oh? Still pretending to be tough? Listen, don't spoil my fun, or you'll regret it!" the chief snapped impatiently.

"If you've got guts, untie me! I’ll make you bleed on the spot!" Xiao Fei bluffed.

"Brothers, shut him up first!" the chief ordered.

"With pleasure," his men replied, and three burly bandits punched Xiao Fei hard.

The pain drove home a harsh truth: time-travel was never meant to be fun—one wrong move, and you could lose your life.

"Stop!"

This time, the voice came from the girl. She staggered forward, saying, "Let him go. If you promise to release him and my family, I'll do whatever you want. If not, I'll die before I let you touch me!"

She picked up the blood-stained knife and pressed it to her own throat.

"Daughter, don't!"

"Don't, sister!"

"Don't!" Xiao Fei almost shouted in unison with the girl's mother and brother.

"Well, well, such a fiery girl—I like that," the bandit chief said with a greasy grin. "Fine, since you'll be my wife, I'll grant your wish. Brothers, let the boy go." He stepped closer, leering. "Come here, let me have a kiss first…"

With a clang, the knife fell from the girl's trembling hand. At that moment, the chief's filthy hand stroked her chin, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

"No—!" Xiao Fei roared, struggling against the ropes. Suddenly, with three sharp cracks, three bandits fell, screaming, to the ground.

Bullets had pierced the skulls of all three almost simultaneously. If Xiao Fei hadn't dodged in time, their brains would have splattered him.

A true "headshot!"

Before the chief could even turn, something cold and hard pressed against the back of his skull—the residual heat of gunpowder still radiating from the barrel.

"Don't move. One more step, and I'll blow your brains out! I told you, the moment I'm free, it's your death day," Xiao Fei said coldly.

With his icy expression and swift, decisive action, he looked strikingly handsome. The girl, watching him, was mesmerized.