Li Rufeng was panicking like an ant on a hot pan when Woodcutter Uncle charged forward aggressively. With his hands on his hips, the uncle roared loudly, "You bunch of bandits, what kind of skill is it to bully a farmer?"
The "bandit" leader slanted a look at the uncle and sneered, "Old man, you'd better stay out of this, or you'll be asking for trouble!"
In truth, this Woodcutter Uncle had been arranged by Deputy General Mei Yuxin to further test Li Rufeng. The uncle figured that as long as Li Rufeng displayed even a shred of extraordinary skill, it would prove he was far from ordinary. Little did Li Rufeng know about these complicated maneuvers behind the scenes; he was only thinking of how to shake off this trouble as quickly as possible.
Suddenly, Li Rufeng's eyes rolled as a plan formed in his mind. He put on a panicked act, running about wildly until he "accidentally" crashed right into the "bandit" leader. The "bandit" leader was sent stumbling, and the club in his hand dropped to the ground with a clatter, striking his own foot precisely.
"Ouch, that hurts like hell!" The "bandit" leader hopped around clutching his foot.
With a terrified expression on his face, Li Rufeng muttered incessantly, "Oh, I didn't mean to! I must have the worst luck. Are you alright, big brother?"
Seeing this, several of the "bandit" underlings rushed over to check on their leader's injury.
At that moment, Woodcutter Uncle seized the opportunity to step closer, pretending to help check while actually keeping a close eye on Li Rufeng's every move. How could Li Rufeng miss this chance? Taking advantage of everyone's attention being focused on the "bandit" leader's foot, he turned and tried to slip away.
Before he had even taken two steps, another sharp-eyed "bandit" underling shouted, "Don't let him run!" and gave chase. Running while looking back over his shoulder in a blind panic, Li Rufeng crashed straight into a tree by the roadside. With a loud *thud*, he saw stars and landed flat on his bottom.
"Hahaha, your luck is too terrible!" The "bandit" underling couldn't help bursting into laughter.
Sitting on the ground, Li Rufeng put on a pitiful look and said, "Good hero, I really am just a jinx. Look at this pathetic state of mine—if I truly have no money, please just let me go."
Just then, the sound of hoofbeats drifted from afar. It turned out to be the Village Teacher riding past on a donkey. Seeing the scene, the Village Teacher reined in his donkey and asked in surprise, "What is going on here?"
Just as a "bandit" underling was about to speak, Li Rufeng rushed to cry out, "Teacher, please save me! They claim I crashed into them and want to beat me up."
Hearing this, the Village Teacher dismounted from his donkey, bowed with his hands cupped to the "bandits," and said, "Good heroes, he is just an honest, hardworking farmer. Surely this was an unintentional mistake. I beg you to show mercy."
While the "bandits" were at a stalemate with the Village Teacher, Li Rufeng seized the opportunity, silently reciting an incantation in his heart to cast the Shadow-Like Spell. With a flash of his figure, he moved like a shadow, instantly vanishing right under the noses of the "bandit" underlings.
"Where is he? How did this kid disappear?!" The "bandit" underlings stared in astonishment, looking all around. Woodcutter Uncle was also secretly startled; he hadn't expected Li Rufeng to actually have some tricks up his sleeve.
Fleeing in a panic while continuously casting the Shadow-Like Spell, Li Rufeng paid no attention to the situation ahead. Meanwhile, Deputy General Mei Yuxin was riding a horse with a squad of soldiers to inspect and test the situation.
With a *bang*, Li Rufeng flew straight into Deputy General Mei Yuxin like a headless fly. The two of them tumbled off their horses together in a thoroughly disheveled posture. The surrounding soldiers were startled by the sudden turn of events, freezing for a moment before bursting into roaring laughter.
"Ouch, that kills me!" Lying on the ground and rubbing his head, Li Rufeng opened his eyes wide and realized he was sprawled right on top of Deputy General Mei Yuxin. Terrified, he scrambled to his feet and stammered, "Ge... General, so... sorry, I didn't mean to!"
Deputy General Mei Yuxin had also been rattled and dazed by the fall. Struggling back to her feet, she tidied her messy hair and glared resentfully at Li Rufeng. "You brat, what are you running for? It seems you really do have some skills. What was that spell just now?"
Li Rufeng scratched his head and forced a smile. "General, that was just a little trick I figured out blindly, nothing very useful. I really just want to go home and farm, so please stop making things difficult for me."
At that moment, the soldiers disguised as bandits and Woodcutter Uncle also caught up, panting heavily. Woodcutter Uncle cupped his fists at Deputy General Mei Yuxin and said, "General, this kid is indeed rather strange. Just now when we tested him, he always managed to dodge cleverly."
Frowning, Deputy General Mei Yuxin stared at Li Rufeng and, after a moment of thought, said, "Hmph, with skills like yours, it would be a real waste not to be a soldier. Don't bother wearing yourself out running away. I saw right through your pretending to be sick and playing dumb earlier, your use of the Bad Luck Technique to evade us, and that strange Shadow-Like Spell. If you join the Imperial Guard, I guarantee you a bright future."
Hearing this, Li Rufeng was so anxious tears almost spilled from his eyes. He dropped to his knees with a thud. "General! I have an eighty-year-old mother above and a nursing baby below. If I leave, what will they ever do?"
The surrounding soldiers couldn't help snickering when they heard this. One soldier muttered quietly, "Li Rufeng, didn't you say earlier that your family only had an old hen? Since when did you have a baby?"
Li Rufeng's face flushed red as he defended himself, "Th... this is just me panicking! Anyway, there's no way I can join the army!"
Just then, a vegetable vendor pushed her way through the crowd—she was Li Rufeng's neighbor. Pointing at Li Rufeng, the vendor said, "General, this boy has been sharp since he was little, but his family really is struggling. Please let him go."
The Deputy General looked at Li Rufeng, then at the surrounding people, seemingly weighing something in her mind.