The Witch in the Woods: The Transmigration of Hazel-Anne Davis
Chapter 73: Bandits On The Road

Chapter 73: Bandits On The Road

The sun hung low behind us, bleeding orange across the sky and turning the tall grass to fire. Every hoof step was muffled in dust, dry and silent. We’d pushed longer than I liked. A little further, I told myself. Just over that ridge.

I really wasn’t used to riding this distance, or any distance at all, really, and my inner thighs and ass were screaming at me to stop.

Shi Yaozu rode beside me, his head turning slowly from side to side, reading the terrain. He didn’t speak much—not anymore. Not unless I made him. And I didn’t mind the silence.

What I minded was the calm.

It had stretched too long. Even the birds were quiet.

Then the horses reared.

My mare jolted under me, letting out a frantic snort and dancing sideways. Shi Yaozu’s mount reared with a sharp cry, his hooves striking at the air, and I twisted the reins before mine could bolt. I was already drawing breath to curse when I saw what had done it.

Shadow stood between us.

No sound. No warning. One moment, the road was empty, the next, a mass of black fur and glowing eyes beneath the trees. I knew already that he moved in the shadows, that as long as he had a destination or a person to find, he would always be there. But he had left for a few days, and I couldn’t find him anywhere.

It was nice to have him back even if he terrified the horses.

"Yeah," I purred, looking at him with a soft smile on my face. I lowered the reins as my mare shivered beneath me. "I bet it feels good to stretch your legs again, doesn’t it? Did you manage to kill anything interesting when you were gone?"

Shi Yaozu stared at the beast in front of us, his face even more blank than usual... if that was possible. "What is that?"

"My shadow," I said simply, shrugging my shoulders. "My original Shadow guard if you will. I’m surprised that you two didn’t meet in some dark corner of my room every so often. He follows me around just as much as you do."

The beast paced forward and then fell into step beside me, his paws making no sound even in the dust. The horses hated it—veins jumping, eyes wide—but they obeyed.

Shi Yaozu opened his mouth to ask something else. He never got the chance.

The road ahead narrowed—trees pressing close, bark scorched in places from war or weather. I’d barely looked up when they stepped out from the trees.

Bandits.

A dozen? No—more. Eighteen, maybe twenty, closing in like teeth. Rusted blades. Tattered armor and more fur than a hot summer evening like this deserved. They definitely weren’t imperial troops—they had no insignia. Just the kind of carrion feeders who circled warzones like vultures, picking at whatever flesh hadn’t burned.

I stopped my horse.

They didn’t shout. Didn’t threaten. Just grinned and stepped closer, blades glinting in the amber light. One of them spat into the dirt.

"I see we’ve got ourselves a fancy one," the biggest said, eyeing me. His gaze slid to Shi Yaozu. "And a dog with her."

Shadow bared his teeth, but none of the bandits seemed to take him seriously at all. Too bad for them.

I sighed. "You really should learn when to be afraid," I grunted, even as they laughed at my words. Turning to Shi Yaozu, I raised an eyebrow. "You’re up," I said. "No pre-forged weapon, only your powers and your demon. Let’s see what kind of damage you can do when you no longer have to be held back."

His eyes flicked to mine. Then he smiled. It wasn’t the quiet smile I’d grown used to. This one was different—sharp, hungry. The wind picked up, tugging his cloak, and for a moment, something shifted in the air around him.

He didn’t ask questions.

He dropped from his horse in a fluid motion, his cloak snapping behind him as he landed. The men laughed—one even stepped forward, sword swinging low.

Then, Shi Yaozu moved.

One moment, he stood still. The next, he was moving too fast for any untrained eye to follow. He closed the distance in a heartbeat, slamming a palm into the bandit’s chest.

There was a sound like a crack of thunder—then silence.

The bandit flew backward. Not staggered. Not fell. Flew. His body struck a tree with a sickening crunch and didn’t get back up.

I leaned forward slightly, resting my elbows on the saddle horn. "Interesting."

The other bandits stared, but Shi Yaozu didn’t wait for them to collect themselves.

He moved again, this time twisting under a blade, catching the attacker’s wrist with a snap. Bone jutted from skin. The man screamed—but only for a second. Yaozu yanked the broken arm forward and drove his knee into the man’s gut. As the body dropped, he grabbed the fallen sword—not to use it, but to flip it up and let it spin once through the air before embedding itself in the dirt beside him.

Message received.

The rest surged.

And he welcomed them.

The first came at his side, fast. Yaozu spun low, sweeping the man’s legs out from under him and slamming his fist into the earth. The impact rippled—like a shockwave from a drum—and three more stumbled as the ground kicked up in a pulse.

The Wrath demon inside him wasn’t subtle.

Another bandit, younger, tried to stab from behind. Yaozu caught the blade between two fingers—two—and twisted. The metal snapped like dry wood. Before the boy could react, he was slammed backward by a palm to the throat, landing in a choking heap.

"Faster than before," I murmured.

Shadow huffed beside me.

Four bandits hesitated, uncertain. That was their mistake.

Yaozu didn’t hesitate. He leapt across the space, slamming into the center of their group. The sound of ribs breaking was like stepping on dried bamboo. One swung a club, trying to take Yaozu’s head from his shoulders. Yaozu ducked, stepped into the man’s space, and drove his elbow into the side of the man’s skull. The body dropped instantly.

Another tried to run.

Yaozu flicked his hand, and the ground beneath the runner’s feet shifted. Cracks burst from the soil like veins, and the man stumbled—just long enough for Yaozu to be there, fingers wrapping around the back of his neck.

He drove the man’s face into the dirt. Hard. Once.

Then rose.

Blood soaked his sleeves. Not his. Never his.

He turned to the last three. They were backing away now, terror overriding greed.

Yaozu didn’t chase.

He just raised his hand.

The shadows bent.

I mean that literally. The shadows on the ground moved, stretching unnaturally toward the bandits, swallowing the fading light. For a heartbeat, everything was silent.

Then Shadow growled, low, deep. Enough to make the air vibrate in my chest as the shadows once again, moved at his command.

The three men screamed and ran.

Cowards. Or smart men. I wasn’t sure which.

Yaozu straightened. Rolled his shoulder. His breath was even, eyes glowing faintly from the rush of power, not fatigue.

I clicked my tongue and dismounted.

"Not bad," I said, walking past him. "You’re still too slow on your pivots. And your footwork needs work—demons don’t care about balance, but your body does. And that bit with the earth? That is something I didn’t see coming. Good job. You have a bit of earth power in you."

He exhaled once, then followed.

Shadow came last, silent as always.

As we left the broken road behind, I glanced sideways at Yaozu.

"You enjoyed that."

He didn’t deny it.

"Good," I said. "You’re going to need that hunger where we’re going."

And then I kept walking.

Behind me, Shadow padded through the blood without leaving prints.