Wu Yuan, Gu Ji, and Wu Xiong rode hard, sparing no effort from their sturdy Hoarfrost steeds. Following the smooth official route, they covered tens of li in just under an hour.
Gradually, they left the city behind, delving deeper into the rural wilderness, the dominion of the land bandits and water thieves.
In the distance, a vast expanse of rolling hills came into view, covered in thick vegetation.
The official route followed a gorge nestled within these hills.
“Up ahead is Meandering Forest Gorge, a stretch of more than ten li where the land bandits around Li City are most active. Stay vigilant, everyone,” warned Wu Xiong, his voice echoing through the air. “Protect the young master at all costs.”
“Haha, Brother Wu, you worry too much.”
“Although the Meandering Forest Gorge is infested with land bandits, would they dare obstruct us?”
“We’ll charge through this ten-li stretch in no time!” chuckled the hundred-soldier captains, their laughter ringing in the air.
Their words seemed carefree, but their actions told a different story. Some subtly increased their speed while others gently tugged at their reins, seamlessly forming a protective circle around Wu Yuan and Gu Ji. In their eyes, the weakest members of the group were Wu Yuan and his steward Gu Ji.
Wu Yuan’s decision to bring an ordinary steward had left many soldiers perplexed and even disgruntled. However, when Gu Ji showcased his remarkable riding skills, the guards wisely refrained from questioning his decision.
Thud, thud, thud~ The horses’ hooves thundered without pause as the group rode along the winding official route, maintaining their speed.
The all-out charge of over a dozen warhorses caused the earth to tremble, creating a startling commotion that echoed through the gorge.
Unbeknownst to them, on the gentle slopes of the latter half of the Meandering Forest Gorge, nearly 200 land bandits lay in wait amidst the dense forest. Some wore black heavy armor, others wore soft armor or cloth armor.
Their weapons varied as well.
Lurking dozens of meters away from the main cluster of bandits, were a dozen or so individuals. They were clad in uniform black armor, their faces hidden behind masks that revealed only their eyes.
But the most eye-catching difference was the massive crossbows they held in their hands.
The crowd of land bandits regarded this black-armored squad warily, none daring to approach.
The Cloudstride Sect usually turned a blind eye to ordinary bands of land bandits and water thieves, except in two cases: heavy armor and armor-piercing crossbows. Should any group dare to hoard or forge these two items in large quantities, the local city guard and the Southdream Army would join forces to eradicate them.
“Leader” whispered some of the confused land bandits, “based on the terrain of the Meandering Forest Gorge, the first half is the most suitable for an ambush. Why would these mysterious experts choose to lead us to ambush the target in the latter half?”
“Foolish,” the leader of the land bandits, his face marked with a grim saber scar, spoke in a low voice, “Do you think they would resort to using armor-piercing crossbows for just any ordinary merchant convoy? The target must be an expert!”
“The first half of the Meandering Forest Gorge is flanked by steep slopes and overgrown with trees, which may seem ideal for an ambush. But if even we are aware of this, wouldn’t the target possess the same knowledge? They will be sure to pass through at full speed and remain vigilant. Thus, once they have crossed the first half, when their horses are tired and their guards are lowered, that’s when the crossbows can most easily meet their mark.”
“Don’t ask any more questions.” The leader of the land bandits silenced them with a low growl, “These mysterious experts could have easily coerced us to come here with their overwhelming strength, yet they spent 5000 silver taels to hire us. So just do as you’re told.”
“Yes!”
“Understood.” Although these land bandits appeared disorganized, they had developed an implicit trust in their leader over time. Little did they know that their leader had received a handsome payout to lead them into this perilous situation.
Don’t blame me. The leader of the land bandits swept his eyes over the large group of bandits beside him, sighing inwardly. 10,000 silver taels is enough for me to change my name and identity, and live out my days peacefully in another county.
Deep down, he knew that this deal would not be as easy as the other party had promised. But he had no other choice. It was either silver or death!
Suddenly, the earth trembled slightly as the faint clopping of horse hooves reverberated through the air. The men clad in black armor and the leader of the bandits sensed it immediately.
The target was approaching.
“Hide well!”
“Prepare your bows and arrows.” The previously rowdy bandits instantly fell silent, each of them glaring fiercely into the distance.
They were all well aware that they must not alert the target to their presence. Dozens of land bandits in the front row drew their bows and readied their arrows, priming themselves to shoot at a moment’s notice.
The might of the crossbow was not contingent upon the wielder, but rather on the inherent power of the crossbow itself. The power of the bow and arrow, however, depended not only on the quality of the equipment, but also on the strength of the user!
The ambushers didn’t have to wait long. On the official route that snaked through the gorge, nearly twenty figures materialized in their line of sight.
“Eighteen riders?”
“That’s more than expected! Is this the right target?” The men in black armor felt somewhat uncertain. This number was more than what was stated in their information dossier.
“Such powerful groups of cavaliers only pass through Meandering Forest Gorge once or twice a day. We can’t allow them to pass even at the risk of a mistake! Attack!” The commanding figure in black armor gave the order to the land bandit leader.
“Loose your arrows!” The land bandit leader commanded.
Whiz! Whiz! Whiz!
In the blink of an eye, scores of sharp arrows whistled toward the group of horsemen, whose pace had begun to slow.
…
“The second leg of the journey will be much safer.”
“Don’t worry too much.” Having successfully completed the treacherous first half of the journey, the soldiers in the group began to relax their guard.
“Young Master, fear not. The land bandits mostly prey on merchants and caravans. To them, cavaliers are too tough to chew. They wouldn’t dare to confront us,” said Wu Xiong, his horse slightly ahead of Wu Yuan’s. Once they had left the county town, everyone began addressing Wu Yuan as “Young Master.”
“Mm,” Wu Yuan nodded faintly, his gaze drifting toward the distance. Physically, he was as strong as a second-rate Adept, and his martial skills were on par with a Grandmaster.
As for his soul? The level of awareness and control he had over his surroundings, while perhaps not as high as a Land Ranker, was certainly not lower than a Savant expert.
It was impossible for hundreds of land bandits to stay completely silent, no matter how careful they were. A third-rate Adept might be oblivious, but how could Wu Yuan not notice?
However, Wu Yuan did not voice his suspicions. He couldn’t help but wonder, were these bandits here by coincidence or were they specifically targeting him?
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Without any warning, a barrage of arrows descended from the dense forest on both sides of the slope. Each arrow glimmered with a metallic sheen.
“Damn it!” Wu Xiong’s expression shifted to anger as he shouted, “Ambush! Protect!”
He deftly pulled out twin spears, twirling them so rapidly that they formed a circular shield, deflecting the incoming arrows.
Wu Yuan displayed a shocked expression, twisting his body at the last moment to ‘narrowly’ avoid two arrows.
The other guards also reacted with lightning speed, either swinging their spears or drawing their sabers to block the incoming arrows. At the same time, their horses galloped swiftly as they regrouped around Wu Yuan.
Unfortunately, two riders, who were only high-tier martial novices, were unable to dodge in time and got struck by the arrows. The first rider’s soft armor managed to halt the arrow before it penetrated his chest, but his qi churned within him. Thankfully, his condition was not grave.
Thwack! The second rider was far more unfortunate, the arrow finding its mark in his throat. Blood splattered and he plummeted from his mount, his fate hanging in the balance.
“There are still more lurking in ambush,” warned Wu Xiong.
“A bunch of riff-raff!”
Wu Xiong and his fellow soldiers seethed with anger at the sight of their injured comrades. They could gauge the strength of the ambushers by the power of their arrows, and it seemed none of them were true experts.
“Numbers two to four, protect the young master and break through the encirclement,” bellowed Wu Xiong. “The rest of you, follow me up the slope to slaughter the enemy!” The city guards referred to each other by code names.
“Yes!”
“Kill these scoundrels and avenge our brothers!”
Even though there was internal competition within the city guard, they were united in the face of external threats. One of their own had fallen, and they could not simply let it slide.
“Charge!” Over a dozen horses split into two groups, with one continuing their advance while the other galloped into the thick forest up the gentle slope. They were all highly trained and moved with the swiftness of the wind.
“What? Only one casualty? And all of them are Adept experts?” The previously confident land bandits now wore expressions of shock. After all, among their nearly 200-strong group, only their leader was an Adept. There were not many martial virtuosos among them either. If they possessed the strength of a martial virtuoso, they could easily join a large faction.
Just as Wu Yuan single-handedly took on the Vicious Tiger Gang, an Adept expert in armor could effortlessly dispatch dozens of seventh and eighth-grade martial virtuosos.
“Leader! What should we do? Many of the land bandits looked to their leader in terror. However, the leader of the land bandits had already received the signal from the burly man clad in black armor, and he understood that this group was their intended target.
He gritted his teeth. “Kill them! Each rider you slay earns you 100 silver pieces!”
“Strike! This is a dense forest, the horses no longer have the advantage of speed.”
These bandits, tasting blood on the edge of their blades and driven by the allure of rewards, each unveiled a bloodthirsty expression.
Another volley of arrows pierced the air, followed closely by battle cries that echoed through the chaos. The bandits, wielding their weapons with wild abandon, charged recklessly towards the eleven cavaliers led by Wu Xiong.
“Kill them all!” Wu Xiong and his companions spurred their horses up the slope. When they were about 30 meters from the forest, their horse leaped into the air.
In a blink of an eye, they traversed tens of meters, landing with earth-shaking thuds. They faced the onslaught of land bandits charging towards them, their weapons at the ready.
The clash of steel filled the air, accompanied by the sounds of impact. Long spears thrust, short spears struck, and sabers slashed with deadly precision. Limbs flew, heads rolled, and blood painted the ground as over twenty land bandits fell in an instant.
The six hundred-soldier captains of the city guard, equipped with strong physical constitutions and fourth-grade soft armor bestowed by the sect, displayed their well-honed teamwork from years of training. Their combined charge was a force to be reckoned with, boasting the power of twenty individual Adepts.
The devastating loss of their comrades struck fear into the hearts of the remaining land bandits. The ones charging forward began to slow down, their motivation waning. They had come for riches, not death in vain.
Wu Xiong’s two short spears punctured the bodies of bandits one after another. Sweeping his gaze over the forest, he suddenly spotted ten or so figures clad in black armor, concealed within the depths of the forest.
Each of them held a massive crossbow with bolts already loaded, aimed directly at Wu Yuan’s group which was 100 meters ahead of Wu Xiong.
“Shit! Armor-piercing crossbows!” Wu Xiong’s face drained of color. He was too far to intervene, helpless to prevent the impending danger.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Thirteen bolts were released in a fraction of a heartbeat, each bolt capable of threatening even a second-rate Adept. Hurtling through the air like dark meteors, all of them aimed at a single target.
That target was none other than Wu Yuan, positioned at the center of the group.