"No, that's not right. I drank it yesterday too, why didn't I experience what you're talking about?"
"You drank the same amount as me? We're not even in the same league."
The others thought about it and realized Pang Dun'er was right.
Pang Dun'er, being sensitive to heat, drank water constantly along the way to cool down.
"I'm going to drink a lot of water today too," Xu Ruyi said, opening her water pouch and taking a big swig.
"Ruyi, what are you doing?"
"I've gotten pretty tanned recently. I'm seeing if this stream water can whiten my skin."
"Then I'll try it too."
Xiao Ai and Yang Xinjie also looked on with longing.
The captain and Xu Jiacan didn't want to be left out either.
They weren't thinking about losing weight or whitening their skin. They were hoping the stream water from Xin Ci's space could strengthen their bodies.
And so, before noon, all of their water pouches were empty.
Hiding in the thick bushes, Fu Xin Ci refilled their water pouches for her companions.
"Seriously, Liaodong is so vast and sparsely populated. We've been walking all morning and haven't seen a single person."
As soon as Pang Dun'er finished speaking, Fu Xin Ci's delicate eyebrows twitched, though no one saw it.
The captain promptly spoke up, "Is your mouth blessed? If we run into bandits this time, are you going to deal with them yourself?"
"What? Bandits?"
Before Pang Dun'er could respond, Xu Jiacan became energized, his handsome eyebrows glinting with excitement.
Yang Xinjie also clenched her fists, a mischievous sparkle in her large, almond-shaped eyes. "Heh heh, it's not certain who will be robbing whom."
Xu Ruyi glanced at the captain and began to negotiate, "Captain, shall we form a perfect combination later?"
The captain nodded in agreement, but Xiao Ai added, "It would be even better if Mayor Xiang were here."
The companions thought about how Xu Ruyi was water-aligned and Xiang Tong was lightning-aligned. If those two cooperated?
My goodness, those bandits would be utterly annihilated.
"I regret it now, I should have let Xiang Tong come. That guy is an absolute treasure for traveling, camping, and even robbing."
"Pfft. Captain, I just realized you're quite cunning today."
"Mm, didn't you see I drank a whole water pouch of stream water this morning?"
Fu Xin Ci turned back, about to say, "Captain, you're too talented."
She then heard a coarse voice from ahead shouting loudly, "This mountain is mine to command, this tree is mine to plant. If you wish to pass, leave your toll!"
"Holy cow, there really are bandits?"
Xu Jiacan urged his horse forward, wanting a clear look at what ancient robbers and mountain bandits looked like.
"Hey, everyone, come look! These bandits don't look that ferocious, and they don't have any scars on their faces. Damn, novels are all lies."
Watching the three men and four women riding imposing horses across from them, who were staring at them like they were imbeciles, the bandits were stunned.
They had occupied this mountain and made a living on this path, robbing no less than eighty people.
Those they robbed would either scatter in fear or fall to their knees begging for mercy.
But these young people in front of them looked at them with eyes as hot as if they were looking at prey.
That's right, the way those few people looked at them was like they were prey.
The burly leader even had an impulse to flee.
However, this impulse lasted only a moment. The leader dismissed the foolish thought. He then smugly introduced his subordinates, "Look at their mounts, all fine steeds. Heh heh, if we capture these and sell them to those nobles, each horse will be worth no less than this much."
The leader held up a dirty hand, waving it in front of his brothers.
"Boss, that's a lot of silver," a lecherous man with a mouth full of yellow teeth said fawningly, his murky eyes fixed on the four girls. "That little beauty leading them is definitely a virgin. She'll be good for warming the boss's... Ahhh!"
Before the lecherous man could finish speaking, he let out a scream like a slaughtered pig.
All eyes turned to him. They saw the old locust tree nearby thrashing its branches violently, whipping the man's body.
Everyone knew that locust branches had thorns. In no time, the man's body was whipped into a bloody mess by the branches.
It was estimated that even his own mother wouldn't recognize him if she stood before him now.
The burly leader had just shouted, "This is strange."
Then he saw the chubby man opposite them shout, "Come on, my little darlings, let Uncle dote on you for a change."
Being called "little darlings" by a man, and a plump one at that, the leader was about to curse when he felt the solid mountain road beneath his feet sink as if it were loose sand.
"Ah, what's happening?"
The leader felt himself sinking uncontrollably, and his brothers around him were also falling to the ground, swaying unsteadily.
"Boss, this is bad, it feels like the earth dragon is turning over."
"Ah, help, help!"
"No, it's a landslide, boss, it's a landslide!"
When the group of bandits heard "landslide," their faces turned ashen with fear.
"Help, help!"
"Help!!!"
The entire mountain path, the entire mountain, could hear the bandits shouting for help at the top of their lungs.
The companions listened and watched silently until the bandits' throats were raw and they could no longer make a sound.
Just as they thought they would be swallowed by the sliding slope, the earth-shattering tremors finally stopped.
The bandits, having survived the ordeal, threw themselves onto the nearest person and wept uncontrollably.
This scene was not only an eyesore but also assaulted their eardrums.
Xiao Ai, finding the wailing and howling unbearable, impulsively unleashed a fireball that landed near the crying bandits.
Instantly, the green, barren weeds nearby caught fire.
This time, no one was crying anymore. Everyone wished their parents had given them two more legs and scrambled away.
Finally, silence returned ahead.
Seeing that the "fish, shrimp, and crabs" had all fled, Xu Ruyi then released a water column to extinguish the flames.
Looking at the devastation ahead, like an earthquake had passed through, with torn shoes and socks littering the ground.
Pang Dun'er found it amusing. "Heh heh, there's a belt on the ground. I'm just wondering, how did that bandit who lost his belt leave here?"
"Haha, I'm curious too. Did he run holding up his pants?"
Pang Dun'er and his companions had a good laugh before dismounting to repair the section of mountain road and slope that he had just damaged.
The companions had nothing else to do, so they also dismounted and stood by the roadside talking.
Suddenly, a burst of uncontrollable laughter came from ahead, from Pang Dun'er. Listening closely, they heard him cackling like a goose.
"Haha, goose~"
The companions were all curious, wondering what hilarious thing Pang Dun'er had seen that made him laugh so heartily.