Transmigrated Into an Ancient Famine Novel as a Scumbag Alpha (ABO, GL) - Chapter 48

Chapter 48

More bandits headed toward the caravan ahead, just as they had said—their target was the caravan all along.

Ye Qing secretly glanced forward. The shouts and cries from the caravan were deafening, with occasional screams piercing through.

The little one, terrified, buried her blackened face in her sister’s arms, her whole body trembling. Jiang Jinhuang tightly hugged the little one.

In the distance, the bandits recklessly charged their horses into the caravan’s guards. Many bandits killed Qianyuan on sight with their blades, and some were trampled to death by the bandits’ horses. The wails were endless, and the scene ahead was like a living hell.

The surrounding bandits laughed wildly at the slaughter. Some of the caravan’s people tried to flee outward but were toyed with by the bandits guarding the perimeter.

Like herding livestock, a few bandits drove these people back and forth, laughing hysterically amid their screams.

“Run? The whole forest is surrounded by us. You want to run? You’re asking to die!”

“Seventh Bro, what do we do with these people?”

“Killing them outright is too easy. Tie them up and burn them alive, hahaha,” the man called Seventh Bro laughed wildly.

Ye Qing cautiously looked up and saw the bandits had lost all humanity. To them, the lives of these fleeing merchants, refugees, and livestock were no different.

Soon, some bandits tied up a few who had tried to escape and threw them into a fire. The screams were earth-shattering. Clearly, this wasn’t their first time doing this.

Ye Qing frowned, staring at the scene. She glanced worriedly at Jiang Jinhuang and the little one. The little one was shaking in fear, and Jiang Jinhuang’s face was pale.

Half an hour later, the bandits began cleaning up the scene. They seized all the caravan’s horses, and those who surrendered were herded together, including Ye Qing and the other refugees.

The bandits’ shouts were relentless. “Move faster! Head to where the crowd is!”

“Move!”

“Damn it, you want to die? Running at a time like this?” One bandit slashed at someone trying to flee, who screamed and collapsed.

“See that? That’s what happens if you run. I suggest you all behave.”

The crowd panicked. Those who had thought of running immediately fell in line. Ye Qing shielded Jiang Jinhuang and the little one, walking in the middle of the group. Soon, the wealthy merchant’s family seemed to be herded over too.

“Boss, it’s too dark now. Should we take these people back to the stronghold, or deal with some of the Qianyuan here?”

The bandits’ leader, a burly man in his forties, glanced at the bald man and said calmly, “Take them all back. Don’t we have Kunze in the stronghold? Let them pick who they like. The rest of the Qianyuan will build the stronghold’s walls.”

“Got it, Boss!” The bald man grinned and agreed.

Then he stepped in front of the refugees and shouted, “Hear that? If you’re lucky and someone in the stronghold takes a liking to you, you’ll be one of us. Even if no one picks you, our boss is merciful. He won’t kill you right away. Just work hard building the walls, and if you do well, you might even join the stronghold.”

No one in Ye Qing’s group responded. They had seen the bandits’ actions—killing without blinking. Whether chosen or not, no good fate awaited them.

Seeing the refugees cower, the bald man and the surrounding bandits laughed louder. “Boss, Kunze from a wealthy family aren’t common. We should divide them well for the brothers.”

“Yeah, Boss!”

“Alright, you all did great this time. Pick whoever you want when we’re back,” the bandit leader said with a smile.

The surrounding bandits erupted in laughter. The leader said a few more words to the crowd before riding off.

Soon, the refugees were herded forward like sheep. Those on the edges who walked too slowly were whipped.

Ye Qing had thought there would be more people, given the caravan had dozens of guards and servants. But she roughly counted, and there were only about sixty people, half of them ragged refugees. The bandits must have killed many, likely most of the caravan’s guards.

Ye Qing’s brow furrowed. There were at least a hundred bandits, with dozens on horseback. Escaping now would be tough.

“Move it! What are you looking at?”

“Ah, I’m moving! Don’t hit me, don’t hit me!”

“Quit whining, you want to die?”

A few more lashes fell. The man could barely stand. A bandit on horseback saw this and shouted, “What? Can’t walk? Tie him to my horse. Let’s see if he can keep up.”

“Nice one, Seventh Bro!” Two nearby bandits grabbed the whipped man.

The man, still reeling from the lashes, screamed, “No, no, I won’t do it again, I swear…”

His wife, a male Kunze, rushed to pull him back.

The bandit’s face darkened. “Looking to die? I’ll send you first, and your husband can join you soon.”

With that, the bandit stabbed the male Kunze through the chest.

The man tied to the horse cried out, trying to check on his wife, but the rider whipped the horse, which bolted through the forest, dragging the man along. Branches and rocks scraped his body as he screamed.

Meanwhile, some in Ye Qing’s group began sobbing quietly. Seeing the dead, they couldn’t help but feel a shared sorrow.

Ye Qing looked away and kept moving with the crowd. She turned to Jiang Jinhuang, who was struggling to hold the little one, her face pale.

Ye Qing quickly took the little one. “I’ll carry her. Keep up, don’t fall behind,” she whispered.

Jiang Jinhuang knew this wasn’t the time to act tough. These bandits were inhuman, barely people. She nodded softly, “Okay.”

Luckily, the three of them hadn’t gone hungry and had better stamina than most, so the whips hadn’t touched them.

A nearby bandit noticed Ye Qing. Refugees with children were rare, especially one as small as Yangyang. He stared at Ye Qing, looking for a reason to lash out, but Ye Qing was obedient, walking quickly, and the blackened child in her arms was quiet, not making a fuss. Unable to find an excuse, the bandit turned to someone else.

“Move it, or I’ll whip you to death!”

“Crack, crack, crack…” The whip sounded every so often. Along the way, five more people were killed by the bandits’ rage.

When Ye Qing’s group reached the stronghold’s gate, they saw the man who had been dragged by the horse lying bloodied on the ground, clearly dead.

Ye Qing looked up at the stronghold’s walls. The gate they faced had walls three stories high, with a large iron gate wide open.

On top of the walls stood many bandits with bows and arrows, torches lit at intervals, letting Ye Qing clearly see the situation.

Not far off, a man on horseback shouted excitedly, “We got nearly twenty horses, five carts of grain, and all these people! Let’s celebrate when we’re back!”

The surrounding bandits cheered, even those on the walls joining in.

The refugees, meanwhile, wept in fear, terrified they’d be next.

Soon, they were herded into the stronghold. A dozen armed bandits drove Ye Qing’s group of over fifty into a warehouse.

The warehouse, used for who-knows-what, reeked of a foul stench and bl00d. Ye Qing’s group was locked inside.

There were no windows for ventilation, only one exit at the door, guarded by a dozen bandits with long swords.

Ye Qing frowned, watching outside. This situation was trickier than before.

She held the little one in one arm and supported Jiang Jinhuang’s waist with the other to keep them from being pushed by the crowd.

Ye Qing guided Jiang Jinhuang to a spot by the wall in the middle of the warehouse and sat down, her eyes still on the door.

With only one exit, escaping would be hard. Even if she got out, she couldn’t take Jiang Jinhuang and Yangyang with her.

Ye Qing didn’t dare act rashly, deciding to stay put and assess the situation.

As she thought, her sleeve was tugged. Turning, she saw Jiang Jinhuang. She whispered, “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Jinhuang, worried, clutched Ye Qing’s sleeve. “What do we do? There must be two or three hundred bandits here, and that’s just a rough count. How do we escape?”

Ye Qing leaned close to Jiang Jinhuang’s ear and whispered, “Don’t rush. Let’s see how things go. Don’t be afraid. No matter what happens, if I find a chance, I’ll get you both out.”

Ye Qing gently patted Jiang Jinhuang’s hand on her sleeve. A nearby male Qianyuan, overhearing, sneered, “You’re dreaming. At a time like this, you’re still sweet-talking your woman? Escape? Do you even know where we are? How do you escape?”

The man, losing control, vented at Ye Qing.

The warehouse was dark, with only torchlight from the door. Ye Qing’s eyes darkened as she glared at him. “If you want to die, keep shouting. See if the bandits deal with me first or kill you for making a scene.”