Qingfeng Village [Third Watch]

"Wang Lie, how dare you injure the martial artists we hired!" Wang Ding was furious.

"Wang Ding, I am your uncle. How did your father raise you to be so ill-mannered? Do you know what respect and hierarchy are?" Seeing Ye Xiwen display his might, Wang Lie felt his confidence surge and retorted without hesitation, "You're actually protecting this kind of trash? Didn't you hear what he just said? He insulted the Yi Yuan Sect! Are you tired of our Wang family developing too well? If you drag our Wang family down, can you handle the consequences?"

Wang Ding's face turned from green to white at Wang Lie's words. He was inwardly annoyed that all the martial artists were useless, not a single one capable, to be beaten so badly by a mere teenager.

"Wang Lie, you just wait!" Wang Ding left in a huff after leaving a harsh threat with a grim expression.

"That felt so good! That bastard never took me seriously since he was a kid. I've finally let out some pent-up anger!" Wang Lie laughed heartily, releasing some of the resentment he had held for years.

The surrounding martial artists looked at Ye Xiwen with changed expressions, no longer daring to underestimate him as they had before.

"When do we set off?" Ye Xiwen asked Wang Lie.

"We set off in the afternoon and enter the city tonight!" Wang Lie replied.

Enter the city tonight? Were they trying to avoid someone?

Ye Xiwen didn't think too much about it. Wang Lie probably didn't know much either; otherwise, given their relationship, there was no reason for him not to say anything.

Before long, Wang Lie had other matters to attend to. Ye Xiwen found a place to sit, closed his eyes to rest. Throughout the morning, over a dozen more martial artists arrived, all at the Houtian Sixth Stage or above, possessing considerable strength.

"Thank you all for accepting this mission!" As noon approached, a slightly hunched old man appeared at the door. "I am Wang De Ying, the steward of the Wang family. I will be in charge of leading this mission!"

"So it's Senior Quick Blade Wang, we've heard much about you!" A martial artist stepped forward and cupped his fists in greeting.

"So he's the Quick Blade Wang De Ying who dominated Green Peak Mountain a hundred miles around twenty years ago. I never expected him to become a servant for the Wang family!"

"Thank you for your cooperation, everyone. Please prepare yourselves, we will be departing shortly!" Wang De Ying said in a deep voice.

After everyone had gathered, Ye Xiwen joined the Wang family's convoy to escort the herbs. However, to Ye Xiwen's surprise, no one from the Wang family appeared for this escort mission, only an old steward and some Wang family guards. Wang Lie was also absent.

This made Ye Xiwen wary. The escort mission itself was already strange, with three thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones for escorting a batch of herbs, indicating the mission's extreme importance. The amount of Spirit Stones was directly proportional to the mission's difficulty. Yet, under these circumstances, the Wang family only sent an old steward, which was somewhat peculiar.

At this point, the martial artists also began to feel a sense of unease. Their years of living on the edge told them something was amiss, and they all fell silent, ceasing their casual chatter.

The convoy moved forward slowly. After about an hour, a commotion suddenly erupted ahead.

"Chen Long, Chen Hu, the two leaders of Qingfeng Village have arrived. I never expected them to personally come for what is merely a cart of ordinary herbs!" Wang De Ying's voice carried from the front.

Qingfeng Village!

There was a stir among the martial artists. Qingfeng Village was quite notorious in the vicinity. Green Peak Mountain was mountainous, with a rugged populace and even more bandits and mountain thieves. Qingfeng Village was the largest among them, and their leaders, Chen Long and Chen Hu, were infamous. They were said to be a pair of brothers with extremely high cultivation, both at the peak of the Eighth Stage. Together, they could even contend with experts at the Houtian Ninth Stage.

For these martial artists, the two leaders of Qingfeng Village were a significant deterrent.

"Are they really just ordinary herbs, Wang De Ying? You were quite a formidable figure in your day. Don't play coy with us, senior. Do you think we brothers are ignorant?" Ahead of the convoy, a group of over a hundred people blocked the road. The two men leading them were burly and rough-looking, with a striking resemblance to each other. They were the two leaders of Qingfeng Village, Chen Long and Chen Hu.

"Of course not. However, our Qingfeng Trading Company and your Qingfeng Village have always minded our own business. We've never failed to send gifts during festivals. Why are you specifically targeting us this time?" Wang De Ying said in a deep, steady voice.

"We don't want to make things difficult. Just hand over the herbs behind you, and we brothers will leave immediately!" said Chen Long, the elder of the two leaders of Qingfeng Village.

"Hmph, so you two leaders intend to break ties with our Qingfeng Trading Company? While our Qingfeng Trading Company has always been peace-loving, we are not pushovers. You won't have an easy time either!" Wang De Ying continued.

"Stop the nonsense. Do you think we didn't consider this before we came out? As the saying goes, people die for wealth and birds die for food. After this job, do you think we brothers will stay in this area?" Chen Hu laughed heartily.

"Enough talk. Since you refuse to hand them over, don't blame us brothers for being impolite. Little ones, attack!"

Immediately, a group of bandits from Qingfeng Village charged forward with strange cries. The two leaders of Qingfeng Village let out a great laugh, leading the charge with their bandits.

"Everyone, follow me, attack!" Wang De Ying roared, stomping his foot and soaring into the air. He drew a long saber, its cold glint illuminating the sky, stirring up a strong gust of wind as he slashed towards Chen Long and Chen Hu.

The two leaders of Qingfeng Village drew their weapons, a spiked club, and met the attack with fierce cries.

"Boom!" The saber and the spiked club collided violently, and a terrifying airflow spread from the point of impact, forming a fearsome gale.

"Hahaha, I didn't expect the Quick Blade who dominated the region decades ago to be no more than this!" Chen Long laughed heartily, engaging Wang De Ying.

"Hahaha, this Quick Blade is nothing special. Old man, you're past your prime!" Chen Hu echoed with a loud laugh.

Chen Hu, tall and burly, swung his spiked club, and any Qingfeng Trading Company guards or martial artists he hit had their bones broken.

"What do we do? Those two are too strong. If no one stops him, we'll all be slaughtered!" one martial artist said with a pale face.

The other martial artists also said with lingering fear, not expecting to encounter the two leaders of Qingfeng Village here. This escort mission was indeed not simple.

Suddenly, a voice called out, and someone charged towards Chen Hu.