Villain Ranking, Eighth Place!

"This is unclaimed land. Make yourselves at home."

At last, a cool, aloof voice came from within the temple.

"Then we thank you, friend."

The people from the Weiyuan Escort Agency immediately entered the ruined temple.

Head Escort Han Jin swept his gaze around the temple and spotted a man in a hooded cloak and white robes.

Perhaps he had spent too long traveling through the mountains; the man's white robes had already turned grimy gray-black, covered in stains.

There was also a basket on the man's back.

A little girl of six or seven sat inside the basket, poking her head out as her lively eyes curiously watched the escort agency's people.

Han Jin walked toward the man in white.

He noticed the man suddenly tighten his grip on his sword hilt, so he immediately stopped, keeping a certain distance from him. Cupping his fists, he said, "I am Han Jin, Head Escort of the Weiyuan Escort Agency. We have disturbed you today; I hope you can forgive us, brother."

"Do not cross this line!"

Without even raising his head, Ji Qing used a piece of charcoal to draw a line on the ground.

Han Jin glanced at the line by his feet, nodded, and said, "The rules of the Jianghu—we naturally understand them. Han will not disturb you further."

Han Jin turned and left.

The escort agency's people cleared out an open space on the other side of the ruined temple, then began building a fire and cooking.

Among the group was a slender woman in a long white dress. A veiled hat concealed her face, and a Maidservant followed at her side. She did not look like someone who traveled the Jianghu with an escort agency.

Han Jin called the woman into a corner and said softly, "That man should be a Jianghu traveler resting in the temple. He is not here for us, so Miss Lin can rest assured."

"With Head Escort standing guard, I am naturally at ease. This journey has depended greatly on Head Escort, but the closer we get to Licheng City, the more uneasy I feel. My Third Uncle is ruthless and vicious. He probably will not let me return so easily."

"Miss Lin, rest assured. Since Han has accepted this escort job, I will naturally deliver Miss Lin safely into Licheng City! We are already very close to Licheng City. Another two or three days of travel, and we will arrive. Miss Lin, eat first and rest early. We must set out at dawn tomorrow."

Miss Lin nodded.

After the escort agency's people finished eating, aside from the escorts taking turns keeping watch, the rest gradually fell asleep.

No one knew how much time passed.

The temple floor began to tremble faintly.

Swish.

Han Jin immediately woke with a start.

He instantly gripped his sword hilt and asked the escort on watch, "What is it?"

"Head Escort, a mounted party is coming. The commotion is substantial; there are likely quite a few of them."

The escort reported.

"A mounted party? Wake everyone up, quickly!"

Han Jin's heart jolted.

The people in the ruined temple were all roused.

"Brother, there is a mounted party outside. Please stay alert."

Han Jin gave Ji Qing a friendly warning.

"Thank you, Head Escort Han."

Ji Qing responded as well.

With the mounted party making such a racket outside, he had actually awakened long ago.

He had even made out their numbers.

There should be eighteen fast horses.

The mounted party arrived quickly.

Eighteen horses, eighteen black-clad men, standing silently before the ruined temple, radiating an invisible air of slaughter!

The previously noisy temple suddenly fell silent as well.

"By Third Master's order, we have come to invite Miss Lin into the city!"

One of the black-clad men shouted.

Miss Lin's heart sank at his words.

Her Third Uncle had finally been unable to hold back.

"Go back and tell Third Uncle that I have escorts from the Weiyuan Escort Agency protecting me. I will not trouble Third Uncle."

The moment Miss Lin finished speaking, Han Jin and the many escorts immediately blocked the entrance to the ruined temple, staring intently at the eighteen black-clad men.

"Third Master said that if Miss Lin refuses to cooperate, then do not blame us for being discourteous!"

Swish.

All eighteen black-clad men drew their curved blades in unison.

The snow-bright curved blades glinted beneath the torchlight, giving off a fierce, cutting aura.

"Protect the escort!"

Han Jin shouted.

The "consignment" the Weiyuan Escort Agency was transporting on this journey was actually Miss Lin herself.

This was a "living escort."

Under normal circumstances, the Weiyuan Escort Agency did not take on living escorts.

But Miss Lin's father had shown the Weiyuan Escort Agency great kindness, leaving Han Jin no choice but to grit his teeth and undertake a living escort job.

He knew this journey would certainly bring trouble. Now, it seemed that what was meant to come had come after all!

"Other than Miss Lin, kill everyone without exception!"

The eighteen black-clad men charged toward the ruined temple in an instant.

Han Jin was a Third-Rate Martial Artist and also the strongest member of the Weiyuan Escort Agency.

Thus, sword in hand, he rushed out of the ruined temple and immediately engaged one of the black-clad men.

Bang.

The two collided head-on, and Han Jin's entire body shuddered.

Such powerful inner force—and this is only one man?

Han Jin was deeply shocked.

One man alone was a Third-Rate Martial Artist.

There were eighteen black-clad men on the other side. How could they stop them?

After all, the entire escort agency only had three Third-Rate Martial Artists. The gap was simply too great.

Sure enough, once the slaughter began, the escort agency's people crumbled at the first touch.

After only a few exchanges, the escort agency had suffered grievous casualties.

Even Han Jin was wounded. His hand had been slashed once, though fortunately the injury was not serious.

"I remember now—you are the Eighteen Riders of the Great Desert!"

Han Jin's gaze swept over the eighteen black-clad men one by one.

The weapons of these black-clad men were far too distinctive.

They were not the long swords commonly seen in the Jianghu.

They were curved blades!

Very few people in the Jianghu used curved blades.

Coupled with the fact that all eighteen were skilled horsemen, they perfectly matched the Eighteen Riders of the Great Desert Han Jin knew of.

"Heh heh, I did not expect there to be people in the Jianghu who still recognize us. Since you know we are the Eighteen Riders of the Great Desert, then you should know the consequences of fighting us."

The black-clad leader sneered.

Han Jin's heart sank as he tightened his grip on his long sword.

The Eighteen Riders of the Great Desert were, in truth, eighteen bandits who ran rampant across the desert.

These eighteen bandits had committed countless evils, specializing in robbing and slaughtering merchant caravans or harassing villages.

Whenever they struck, they often butchered whole villages and wiped out entire families, leaving neither chickens nor dogs alive. They had piled crime upon crime in the great desert.

Later, the Eighteen Riders of the Great Desert were wanted by the Government Authorities and could no longer survive there, so they fled into the Jianghu. Who would have thought they would be taken in by Third Master Lin?

"It seems that the Weiyuan Escort Agency faces grim odds of survival today..."

Han Jin retreated into the temple, and the escorts who could still move gathered together as well.

Though they knew they were outmatched, not a single escort shrank back.

The escort agency's rule was: as long as the consignment remained, the escorts remained; if the consignment was lost, the escorts died!

Miss Lin was the living escort. If they wanted to take Miss Lin away, they would have to step over their corpses!

"Brother, I'm scared..."

At that moment, a timid voice rang out inside the temple.

Swish.

Everyone turned their eyes toward the little girl who had spoken.

Ji Qing gently stroked the girl's head and said calmly, "Yao'er, don't be afraid. Brother is here."

Though Ji Qing comforted her, Ji Yao was only six years old. The scene before her was still far too bloody for a six-year-old girl.

Ji Qing raised his head and looked into the night beyond the ruined temple.

"How much longer are you three going to watch the show?"

His voice was soft, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.

Whether the Eighteen Riders of the Great Desert or the people of the Weiyuan Escort Agency, all were startled.

Other than them, were there actually others here?

Yet they looked all around. In the pitch-black night, where could there be anyone else?

"Hahaha! As expected of the newly ascended eighth place on the Villain Ranking, the Demon Lord who had severed all feeling and extinguished all humanity. You discovered the three of us long ago?"

A hearty laugh came from far to near, echoing in everyone's ears.

When they came back to their senses, they discovered that at some unknown time, three short, strange-looking martial artists had appeared outside the ruined temple.