You Don't Come Over Here

Xu Lao Er fled into the mountains in a panic, several fine wounds already appearing on his body.

Having lost an arm, the blood loss made his mind increasingly muddled.

But every time he was about to collapse, Shen Qing would come up and give him a slash.

Not fatal, but painful.

A sense of humiliation welled up in Xu Lao Er's heart.

Suddenly, a silver light flashed through the woods, and Shen Qing gave him another slash on the backside.

"Xu Hu, why are you in such a sorry state?"

Suddenly, a laugh echoed from the woods.

A middle-aged man in blue robes appeared on the path leading to the mountain peak, a red jade longsword at his waist.

He said with a smile.

"My dear brother, I'm truly sorry, but I'm claiming this person today. I, Lan Yu, will protect him."

Xu Lao Er's shame-filled eyes finally showed a glimmer of hope: "Save me!"

A silver light flashed, and Shen Qing severed Xu Lao Er's legs at the knee. Xu Lao Er lost his balance and fell face-first into the dirt.

The smile on Lan Yu's face froze, and his complexion turned a little red.

"Don't you understand what I'm saying? I said I'm protecting this person!"

"If you dare to touch him again, you'll face the consequences!"

But in the next moment, Shen Qing swung the Wind Blending Saber, and Xu Hu's head was directly severed.

The clearing in the woods was left with only the sound of rolling.

Shen Qing kicked Xu Lao Er's head, sending it rolling to Lan Yu's feet, and looked at Lan Yu with a playful smirk.

"Oh dear! You spoke too late. He seems to be a little dead."

Listening to Shen Qing's words, Lan Yu's expression grew colder.

"Very good, very good! A truly arrogant junior!"

"Then you shall stay here today too!"

But before he could even finish his threat, Shen Qing moved, his speed so fast that afterimages appeared.

Lan Yu's eyelids twitched. Damn, that fast?

He then reached for the longsword at his waist.

However, before the sword was even out of its scabbard, Shen Qing was already there.

Three rapid slashes in quick succession, and Lan Yu's right hand, which was holding the sword, was cut into three pieces.

The fierce blade wind even split the trees behind Lan Yu into three sections, and the bushes and grass were reduced to fragments.

Shen Qing sneered, "Drawing your sword now? Don't you think it's too late."

In a fight for survival, there are only two reasons why a sword isn't drawn beforehand.

Either you have a secret technique like a quick-draw strike, allowing you to attack extremely fast.

Or you're an idiot. In a life-or-death battle, are you playing house, waiting for you to draw your sword?

Clearly, Lan Yu did not have a quick-draw strike.

So the answer was obvious.

Lan Yu was an idiot.

Lan Yu gritted his teeth in pain and fell to the ground.

"Stop, stop, stop! I surrender, I surrender! I'll buy my life with money."

Shen Qing's blade directly brought the defiant Lan Yu back to his senses.

"Don't attack, don't attack! Your target is the Xu brothers, I didn't provoke you."

"I was just a hired thug for the Xu brothers."

"How about this? I have a bag of gold here. I'll use this to buy my life, okay? Just pretend you never saw me."

As he spoke, Lan Yu opened the bag with his hand, and the dazzling gold shone brightly even in the darkness of the night.

Lan Yu was certain that no Commander could refuse this gold.

After all, this bag contained nearly a hundred taels of gold, enough for a Commander's salary for several years.

Shen Qing's blade fell, and Lan Yu's head hit the ground.

[Killed a Houtian Realm fifth-level martial artist, plundered trait: First Hearing of the Sword Path (Green)]

"You don't even blush when you lie? A hired thug? What kind of thug would have the guts to take a job against the Imperial Guards?"

Shen Qing flicked the tip of his blade, flicking up the bag in Lan Yu's hand, and chuckled.

"Besides, even if I kill you, the gold will still be mine, won't it?"

He looked up.

The battle on the summit of Ox Horn Mountain seemed to be nearing its end.

He no longer had time to waste with Lan Yu.

From Shen Qing to Ox Horn Mountain, the summit had been filled with the sounds of shouting and killing since the start.

Now, they were growing weaker and weaker.

If he was too late, the battle might already be over.

Shen Qing stepped out with Carefree Steps, landing on a thin branch, and leaped onto the treetops.

With a few more jumps, he headed straight for the summit.

After a while, Xu Quan and Black Dog finally arrived, albeit late.

Black Dog crouched down and picked up Xu Lao Er's head.

Xu Quan's figure flickered, and he took the head from Xu Lao Er, wiping the bloodstains from its face.

"It's definitely Xu Lao Er."

Xu Quan crouched down again to examine Xu Lao Er's corpse. His body was covered in numerous wounds, but none were fatal.

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind: this was a cat-and-mouse game.

Shen Qing hadn't treated Xu Lao Er as an enemy at all; he had been toying with him.

Xu Quan felt a pang of bitterness. His group had been pursuing the Xu brothers for two months, and he had fought Xu Lao Er several times, always being at a disadvantage.

Yet, today, Xu Lao Er had been slaughtered like a mouse by a much younger Commander.

The sharp-eyed Scholar seemed to spot Lan Yu's corpse and pointed. "Isn't that another body over there?"

They all gathered around, and after searching the surrounding grass, they finally found Lan Yu's head.

Old Li pieced Lan Yu's corpse back together, looking puzzled.

"Was this also one of the Xu brothers? The build doesn't quite match?"

Xu Quan, frowning, remained silent, only feeling that Lan Yu's face was incredibly familiar.

The next moment, Xu Quan's voice rose a few decibels.

"It's Lan Yu! Lan Yu of the Listening Rain Sword!"

"Listening Rain Sword? Lan Yu?"

Black Dog and the others were confused.

"That's right, the Listening Rain Sword. He had some fame in Qiushui City a few years ago, then disappeared. There were rumors that Lan Yu had joined the White Dragon Cult."

"His most recent appearance was three days ago, during the encirclement of a White Dragon Cult stronghold. All the big fish were caught, but some small fry escaped. The Listening Rain Sword was among them."

"But how did the Listening Rain Sword end up with the Xu brothers?"

Suddenly, a cold sweat broke out on his back. Could the Listening Rain Sword have come to kill them?

The more Xu Quan thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

With the White Dragon Cult stronghold raided, the Listening Rain Sword couldn't possibly stay in the vicinity. But fleeing would require money.

It was highly probable that he wanted to earn some quick cash before leaving.

Looking at it this way, Shen Qing not only helped him by killing them but also saved his life.

He owed him a great debt.

Suddenly, several screams echoed from the summit.

"What was that? So fast!"

"Run..."

"Don't come near me."

These screams, without exception, abruptly stopped, as if they had encountered something.

The answer was obvious.

Xu Quan's eyelids twitched.

"Damn it, how long has it been? He's already cut his way from the foot of the mountain to the summit?"