Ning Chuan returned to the inn and settled in. After midnight passed, he signed in once more and received 11 Attribute Points.
Adding the 24 points he had gained from killing Green Wolf and Black Tiger, he had a total of 35 Attribute Points, which he immediately added to his physique.
His physique now rose to 181 points, and his realm reached the Body Tempering 18th Layer.
"I wonder when I'll be able to obtain an internal cultivation technique and a lightness skill!"
Ning Chuan sighed for a while. Signing in was like drawing a lottery; in the future, he might as well save up several sign-in attempts before trying. Perhaps the chances of getting something good would be greater.
The next day, after breakfast, Shopkeeper Li came to invite him, and the caravan set off once more.
After leaving Hanshan Town, Ning Chuan once again departed from the caravan and followed several hundred meters behind the convoy, practicing Meteor Chasing Moon again.
After practicing it, Ning Chuan was overjoyed. Meteor Chasing the Moon, which had been stuck without progress, could improve again. It was likely because his strength had increased greatly once more.
The next two days passed peacefully. Ning Chuan followed far behind the convoy, focusing on practicing Meteor Chasing Moon.
The higher the layers of Meteor Chasing Moon, the more difficult it became to improve.
But as Ning Chuan's physique increased, the boost to his comprehension also increased greatly, so practicing it still was not very difficult.
Every time Ning Chuan practiced, he could feel a clear improvement. In just two days, he raised it to the seventh layer.
Its power had increased sevenfold, and the number of hidden weapons he could launch at once had reached seven.
"Meteor Chasing Moon now is practically a rain of flowers filling the sky. With both hands firing together, they're like two Gatling guns!"
"This time, even if I run into a large-scale enemy force, this hidden weapon technique will cut them down like wheat!"
Ning Chuan was delighted. He was planning to find time to head to Three Tiger Mountain and harvest Attribute Points when he hummed a little tune from another world and walked back to the caravan.
The moment he returned to the caravan, Shopkeeper Li and Zhang Dashan hurried over. Both looked somewhat flustered.
"My lord, we finally found you. There's an urgent situation we need to report!" Shopkeeper Li said as he wiped away sweat.
"What is it?"
Shopkeeper Li looked at Zhang Dashan. Zhang Dashan bowed respectfully and said,
"My lord, according to reason, there should only be scattered bandits on this road. Their numbers are small, their equipment poor, and their combat strength weak. But after observing them over the past few days, this lowly one discovered something extraordinary!"
Ning Chuan was curious as well and hurriedly asked, "Oh? Tell me. What is so extraordinary?"
Zhang Dashan said, "This lowly one discovered that the bandits targeting us this time are exceptionally well-equipped. They even have warhorses and armor. Compared to the Qingshan County city defense troops, they are not inferior in the slightest. This lowly one feels that something is very wrong!"
"Oh, is that so?" Ning Chuan pondered briefly, linking it to Straw Bag Strategist gathering mounted bandits to surround and kill him.
He secretly thought,
Straw Bag Strategist, thank you, old man, for personally luring monsters for me.
There really aren't many enemies this good!
"When do you estimate the mounted bandits will make their move?" Wu Qing asked again.
Zhang Dashan wore a grave expression and said in a low voice, "Based on this lowly one's experience, the mounted bandits will likely act tonight! My lord, what should we do?"
"Why don't we abandon the goods and flee back to Hanshan Town?" Shopkeeper Li added from the side.
"Don't worry. When soldiers come, generals will block them; when water comes, earth will dam it!" Ning Chuan patted Shopkeeper Li on the shoulder.
When others heard of mounted bandits, they thought of immense danger. What Ning Chuan thought of were Attribute Points.
Seeing the panic on their faces, Ning Chuan continued, "Don't leak the news, or it will cause panic. Tonight, find high ground and make camp early. Your Joint Defense Camp only needs to calm the caravan. Leave the fighting and killing to me."
"Yes!"
Seeing Ning Chuan so composed, the two felt slightly reassured.
We can only gamble on this and place our hopes on Lord Ning. Shopkeeper Li thought, his expression clouding and clearing unpredictably.
Ning Chuan climbed onto a carriage and looked around. Sure enough, several hundred meters ahead to the right, two mounted bandits were watching the caravan.
"Damn, they aren't even hiding themselves. Are mounted bandit scouts really this brazen? Have they got us completely figured out?"
Ning Chuan's gaze met those of the mounted bandits. The two showed no concern at all, and one of them whistled.
The other raised his middle finger, then made a throat-slitting gesture, his attitude utterly arrogant.
"Fuck! You're courting death!"
Ning Chuan leaped down from the carriage, his body already turning into a streak of afterimages as he lunged at the two mounted bandits.
When the mounted bandits saw Ning Chuan jump down, they did not care in the least. But in the blink of an eye, when they saw Ning Chuan's horrifying speed, their souls nearly flew out of their bodies.
"Motherfucker, run!"
The two mounted bandits shrieked. Their whips lashed wildly at the warhorses beneath them as they fled for their lives in separate directions.
Ning Chuan's running speed had already far surpassed that of an ordinary warhorse. After only a few breaths, he caught up to one mounted bandit and yanked him off his horse.
"Ah! Let me go, damn it! Let me go!" The bandit kicked his legs wildly.
By then, the other mounted bandit had only fled a little over a hundred meters. Hearing his companion's cries,
he turned around and saw his companion already being held in someone's hand. His scalp went numb, and he whipped his warhorse madly.
The warhorse bolted in agony, but it was utterly useless.
Several more breaths later, Ning Chuan returned to the convoy with a mounted bandit in each hand. Shopkeeper Li and Zhang Dashan were so shocked that their mouths hung open.
The other people in the caravan were even worse off. The entire convoy immediately came to a halt, and everyone watched from afar.
The two had traveled north and south and seen quite a few martial artists, but they had never had the chance to see one as formidable as Ning Chuan.
Heavens above, Lord Ning is so powerful! Their fear of the mounted bandits lessened considerably.
After running some distance, the two warhorses turned back and wandered around near their masters. At a glance, it was clear they had been well-trained.
Ning Chuan threw the two mounted bandits onto the ground.
"What faction are you from? When will you act?"
The two bandits were extremely arrogant. They glanced sideways at Ning Chuan, their faces full of disdain.
One bandit raised a hand and pointed at Ning Chuan, saying haughtily,
"Boy, I'm your grandpa Ma Hu from Second Dragon Mountain. If you know what's good for you, hurry up and release me. Then kneel respectfully and kowtow, and obediently offer a hundred taels of silver."
"Otherwise, when the army of Second Dragon Mountain arrives, I'll make sure you die without a whole corpse!"
Ning Chuan stepped forward, grabbed Ma Hu's finger with one hand, and seized his wrist with the other. Then he pulled outward with both hands.
There came a sound like rotten cloth being torn apart. Ning Chuan ripped off Ma Hu's right index finger from the root, skin and tendons included, pulling out more than a foot of it.
"Ah!"
The pain tore Ma Hu's heart and lungs apart. His face twisted as he let out a shrill, miserable howl.
The scene was utterly gruesome. Shopkeeper Li, Zhang Dashan, and the others all turned their heads away, not daring to look again. Their fear of Ning Chuan deepened by another measure.
The other bandit was so terrified that his liver and gallbladder nearly split apart. He hurriedly shrank his neck and lowered his head, trying to make himself less noticeable.
He secretly thought,
This kid is a ruthless bastard. He still dared to strike after hearing the name of Second Dragon Mountain. When he questions me later, I absolutely can't be stubborn.
Ma Hu was quite the hard man. Even in pain so intense that he wished for death, he still refused to answer Ning Chuan's questions.
Ning Chuan kicked him unconscious, then pointed at the other bandit.
"You. Talk."
The bandit raised his head, his face already ashen. He said cautiously,
"This lowly one is called You Niao, a scout of Second Dragon Mountain. Second Dragon Mountain is gathering its brothers. Tonight, they plan to leave the entire caravan without even chickens or dogs!"
Shopkeeper Li and the others changed color in alarm. Some of the caravan members immediately began trembling.
Ning Chuan gritted his teeth.
"Damn it!"
After speaking, You Niao slammed his head against the ground in kowtows.
"This lowly one will leave Second Dragon Mountain at once and immediately turn from evil to righteousness. I beg you, my lord, give this lowly one a chance to reform!"
Ning Chuan asked again, "Are there any other factions involved?"
"No, no, only Second Dragon Mountain!"
"Who ordered Second Dragon Mountain to do this?"
"I heard it was an order from the County Yamen. Straw Bag Strategist personally went to Second Dragon Mountain?"
"How many men are there?"
"More than 500!"
Ning Chuan had already learned everything he wanted to know. He pulled the simple saber from Zhang Dashan's waist and chopped off Ma Hu and You Niao's heads.
"Captain Zhang, hang these two bandits' heads from the front of the carriage!"
Zhang Dashan was greatly shocked.
"My lord, please think twice. Once we do this, we will completely enrage the bandits. At that time, there will no longer be the slightest room for reconciliation!"
Zhang Dashan's face was filled with worry as he spoke cautiously.
"They are mere bandits. Just do as I say!"
Ning Chuan's eyes widened, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
"Yes!"
Before you continue