A Weak, Helpless, and Pitiful Target

It seemed that Gu Shao'an's thought process was surprisingly unconventional, and his reaction was incredibly swift. He immediately realized that when he and Zhou Zhiruo were talking about killing people at night, she had also been eavesdropping from the shadows.

Miejue found this both amusing and exasperating. She playfully but firmly tapped Gu Shao'an's head.

"It was just a coincidence, not eavesdropping."

After replying to Gu Shao'an, Miejue took a few steps forward to the mountain stronghold's gate. With her inner force surging, she unleashed a powerful palm strike, shattering the sturdy wooden stakes that formed the gate and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Despite breaking down the gate, Miejue remained unfazed. She turned, one hand behind her back, and addressed Ding Minjun.

After handing her sword to Zhou Zhiruo, Ding Minjun untied the waterskin from her waist. She then took a burning torch from a brazier used for lighting at the stronghold's entrance and walked into the compound.

Gu Shao'an and Zhou Zhiruo, standing on tiptoe, watched as Ding Minjun splashed the contents of the waterskin onto the houses near the gate before igniting them with the torch. The houses immediately erupted in flames.

Only then did Zhou Zhiruo realize that the waterskin hadn't contained water at all, but rather tung oil, an accelerant.

Watching Ding Minjun set the fire, Zhou Zhiruo nudged Gu Shao'an with her arm and whispered, "Junior Brother, aren't we here to suppress bandits? Why are we setting fires?"

Gu Shao'an explained, "Master probably wants to use the fire to lure out the bandits and the three skilled leaders, and also to signal the other Senior Sisters and Senior Uncles waiting in ambush."

"I see!"

Zhou Zhiruo's face lit up with understanding. She looked at Gu Shao'an and said, "Junior Brother, you're so smart. Master and Second Senior Sister didn't say anything, yet you understood the underlying purpose."

Gu Shao'an chuckled, "Senior Sister just lacks experience. Once she goes through more things, she'll be able to understand these matters."

While they were talking, Ding Minjun returned to Miejue and the others.

All the structures in the mountain stronghold were made of wood.

Fueled by the tung oil, the fire quickly grew fierce. The ravenous flames licked at the connected wooden houses, illuminating the area near the gate as if it were daytime.

Thick smoke billowed upwards, carrying embers that traced jagged, distorted paths across the dark night sky.

"Fire! Fire!"

"Put it out!"

Confused shouts erupted like cold water thrown into boiling oil, instantly shattering the quiet night of the mountain stronghold!

Figures rushed from all directions towards the gate.

Most of the bandits were disheveled, some even bare-chested, their faces etched with shock illuminated by the firelight.

Once they recovered, they hastily cried out, searching for anything that could hold water.

They swarmed towards the most intense flames like a disturbed hornet's nest, buzzing with activity.

However, as they approached and saw the figures standing stoically before the shattered gate, their aggressive momentum faltered.

While not particularly intelligent, the bandits were certainly not foolish.

The fire today was suspicious, and several figures had suddenly appeared before the stronghold.

Ding Minjun, Gu Shao'an, and Zhou Zhiruo were all carrying weapons.

Anyone could see that these four, two adults and two children, weren't simply lost travelers who happened to stop by the stronghold late at night.

Without a word, Miejue lunged forward like an eagle, soaring into the midst of the bandits.

Ding Minjun drew her sword and followed suit.

Miejue's inner force had transformed into true energy, and her Emei martial arts had been honed for thirty years. Her strength was beyond imagination.

As Miejue plunged into the bandit horde, her movements were like a swimming dragon. Her palms flew, creating a flurry of palm strikes.

Her first move was "Immortal Supports the Summit," the most powerful killing move from the Golden Summit Cotton Palm.

In the first exchange, seven bandits were struck by Miejue's palms, their skulls crushed.

While these bandits were usually vicious, their cruelty was directed only at ordinary people.

They had never encountered an expert as bloodthirsty and ruthless as Miejue.

One quick-witted bandit rallied three others, bypassing Miejue and charging towards Gu Shao'an.

They had indeed targeted Gu Shao'an and Zhou Zhiruo, who appeared small, helpless, and pitiable at the stronghold's entrance.

However, as these four bandits moved towards Gu Shao'an and Zhou Zhiruo, Miejue merely glanced at them with her peripheral vision and called out, "Shao'an, take care of Zhiruo."

"Got it!"

Gu Shao'an responded casually.

"Senior Sister, keep up!" he urged. Zhou Zhiruo's heart tightened. She took a deep breath, gripped her wooden sword, and followed closely!

At the same moment, Gu Shao'an circulated his inner force within his body according to the cultivation route of the Three Manifestations of the Divine Dragon. He then pushed off the ground, his body moving forward rapidly.

Despite being just a child, his speed was several times faster than that of the bandits.

Seeing Gu Shao'an move, Zhou Zhiruo felt a flicker of fear, but she still advanced, clutching her wooden sword.

The four bandits, seeing Gu Shao'an and Zhou Zhiruo charging towards them instead of retreating, bared their teeth in sinister grins.

The leader raised his saber and swung it towards Gu Shao'an.

The blade whistled through the air! Gu Shao'an's expression remained calm, his speed increasing rather than decreasing.

At the critical moment, his waist twisted with serpentine agility, and his sword rose in response.

His long sword suddenly transformed into a cold, sharp light that streaked across the ground, precise and swift.

"Chii"

The icy blade pierced deeply below the bandit's exposed right rib as he swung his saber.

Gu Shao'an then subtly moved his wrist, rotating the blade embedded in the bandit's body before yanking it out forcefully.

"Pfft!"

In an instant, blood splattered!

The bandit's sneer froze on his face, replaced by intense pain and confusion.

But before the bandit could even cry out in agony, a cold glint flashed across his throat.

[Congratulations to the player for killing a mountain bandit, Achievement Points +5.]

The blade slit his throat, and Gu Shao'an didn't even bother with the notification that popped up.

Channeling inner force into the soles of his feet, he stomped down hard. The entire person moved like a whirlwind launching a counter-attack, lunging towards the three mountain bandits charging at Zhou Zhiruo on his left!

Seeing Gu Shao'an kill someone in an instant and then reappear like a phantom, the three bandits were utterly terrified.

One instinctively raised his saber to block, while another tried to retreat.

It was precisely these two movements that exposed critical openings for them.

Gu Shao'an, now in front of them, planted himself as firmly as a mountain. His sword stance shifted downwards, and illuminated by the surrounding firelight, his long sword seemed to split into several sword lights, like overlapping mountain peaks.

This was the move from Sunset Swordplay specifically targeting an enemy's knees and feet, "Thousand Peaks Receive Sunlight".

The two bandits felt their vision blur, and then both felt a piercing pain in their knees.

Stung by the pain, they each toppled to the side.

And just as the two fell, two sword lights flashed, swiftly slicing across their throats. The blades sank an inch deep, wounds instantly appearing, blood gushing like a spring.

[Congratulations to the player for killing a mountain bandit, Achievement Points +5.]

[Congratulations to the player for killing a mountain bandit, Achievement Points +5.]