Chu Lin recoiled two steps, his eyes fixed on the king cobra coiled on the girl's head, its venom sacs starkly visible and nearly as large as its head.
"King cobra!"
Gasps erupted from the crowd.
A Jiu slowly got to her feet. She now noticed the imposing sight of a hundred people, a dark mass before her. To her right stood a sizable, dilapidated temple.
The few men leading the group looked remarkably familiar. As A Jiu recognized them, her face turned ashen.
Bandits.
These were the very bandits who had stopped her family and robbed them. Although their leader had died on the spot, several of his men stood at the front of the throng. Having encountered A Jiu before, they knew the king cobra's ferocity, and their faces paled.
"Young lady... we... we mean no harm. Please recall your venomous snake," said a man who had stood beside the former leader, clearly not the first to realize their leader was dead.
"I think you do mean harm," A Jiu admitted, though her voice wavered. Even if she unleashed the earth dragon, each attack would deplete its venom. Facing a hundred people, how could it possibly prevail? "Send me back the way you brought me. Otherwise, my snake will bite one of you to death."
A Jiu thought of a way to save herself. Chu Lin, who had bound her, stared wide-eyed. He was new, possessing considerable martial skill, yet the former leader's expression clearly showed fear. He couldn't fathom why so many of them feared a mere girl.
Then, with a thud, the new leader, who had taken over after the previous one's demise, knelt. "We truly had no intention of offending you. We heard you could treat fevers. We brought you here to heal our men. We encountered conflict, and the King of Nanming sent troops to reclaim our territory. They demanded we surrender and join their ranks, and then they burned our stronghold. We were forced to flee here a month ago. However, we're short on food and had to eat some meat. Those who ate it fell ill."
The new leader, his face covered in a beard and exuding a murderous aura, kowtowed several times.
A Jiu lowered her gaze suspiciously. "Is that true?"
"It is, young lady. If we've harmed so many brothers, why would we have come into the city just to invite you? We could have easily raided for food."
"Leader," Chu Lin finally interjected, unable to bear witnessing his leader's demeanor. A month ago, he had been fighting against the military. Now, he was more cowardly than a woman. No, he lacked even this girl's courage. "We aren't afraid of the government, and we've already captured her. She has to treat them whether she wants to or not. Why must you grovel like this, Leader?"
It was a blow to the brothers' morale. A Jiu knew these men were beyond saving, but she couldn't say so directly. "So, what the leader means is that if I don't treat them, I won't be allowed to leave?"
A Jiu surveyed the more than a hundred men. They were all men, each face bearing a sinister expression. Just as her grandmother had said, their faces reflected their inner natures.
"If you refuse to treat them, as the leader, I must give our brothers an explanation," the leader declared. True to his bandit roots, a chilling aura of authority emanated from him. He slowly rose, transforming instantly. "Someone in the mountains deliberately left poisoned meat. Since we refuse to surrender and serve the government, at least our brothers shouldn't die in vain. Let's distribute the meat to those soldiers and officials. It will be a form of revenge for our brothers."
His words were low, resonant, and filled with killing intent. Since someone had exploited the famine to cause harm, why couldn't he do the same?
"Good!"
"Good!"
"Let's kill those corrupt dogs."
A Jiu's pupils contracted. She hadn't expected such loud pronouncements of mutual destruction from them. "I'll treat them."