Counterattack and Kill the Enemy

"Ugh~"

"Urgh~"

"Cough, cough~"

The yellow smoke drifted down with the wind. Wherever it reached, the bandits felt as if their nostrils were on fire. Tears streamed down their faces, blurring their vision, while clouds of fine dust entered their airways. One after another, they began struggling to breathe, and their movements fell out of rhythm.

"Damn it! What is this stuff?!"

The bandit leader had been preparing to deal with Teng Qingshan when a wave of yellow smoke swept over. Teng Qingshan's prepared group showed no unusual reaction, but the bandit leader and the fierce bandits around him were thrown into chaos.

Teng Qingshan swept his spear around, sending bandits with smoke-blurred faces flying one after another. Before long, he arrived before the bandit leader.

"Brat, you're courting death!"

The bandit leader had only just wiped the tears, snot, and filth from his face when he saw Teng Qingshan's spear less than three meters away. The frustration he had long suppressed, combined with Teng Qingshan's arrogance, completely ignited his savagery.

Facing Teng Qingshan's charge, he not only failed to flee but instead roared. The thick-backed saber in his hand carved through the air in an arc, accompanied by a piercing whistle as it chopped fiercely toward Teng Qingshan's head.

Clang!

Teng Qingshan had been ready. The wrought-iron spear in his hand seemed alive; with a flick of the spearhead, he struck the flat of the thick-backed saber.

"Hmm?"

Teng Qingshan was slightly surprised. This fellow was quite strong! Although he had knocked aside the other man's saber, his spear had still been slightly thrown out of shape. Yet his reaction was faster. He twisted his spear, its speed undiminished, and thrust directly toward the bandit leader's throat.

Pfft!

The spear shot forward like lightning. Having inhaled a great deal of yellow smoke, the bandit leader had already been poisoned. At the crucial moment, his response was sluggish, and he failed to evade the fatal thrust in time.

"Gahh~~"

The bandit leader's eyes widened. Clutching his throat, he made choking sounds, desperately trying to draw breath, but blood gushed from the huge hole in his throat.

"How... could this... I..."

The bandit leader staggered a few steps, then collapsed weakly to the ground.

Teng Qingshan expressionlessly pulled out his spear. After glancing around, his eyes narrowed. He spotted the man in black and the triangular-eyed man, who had sensed trouble and were trying to escape on horseback.

"Big Brother!"

The handsome young man who had earlier commanded the bandits to fire arrows saw his brother lying in a pool of blood. His eyes reddened as he turned and shouted furiously, "Kill him for me... urgh..." His vision suddenly swayed. The last thing he saw was a headless corpse that felt strangely familiar toppling backward onto the ground.

"Hmph."

Gu Sheng stood beside the handsome young man's corpse, shaking the blood from his broadsword. His gaze roamed for a moment before settling. He too spotted the man in black and the triangular-eyed man trying to flee on horseback.

"Trying to run!"

A cold smile appeared on Gu Sheng's lips. After scanning the distance, his feet flashed repeatedly as he raced along the field path to intercept them at the road ahead.

"Lang Ge! Lang Ge! Wait for your brother!"

The triangular-eyed man, Er Gouzi, urged his horse into a wild gallop. Unfortunately, his horse was mediocre and simply could not compare with Lang Ge's fine steed. When he turned his head, he saw Teng Qingshan behind him, using the Horizon Strider movement technique and closing in rapidly.

Er Gouzi anxiously lashed his horse with the Whip, but its speed was limited. He could only watch helplessly as Teng Qingshan drew ever closer.

Whoosh!

After catching up to within a dozen meters of Er Gouzi, Teng Qingshan spun and flung the wrought-iron spear in his hand. The spear shot forth like an arrow, spiraling through the air.

"Help!"

Hearing the wind whistle behind him, Er Gouzi was terrified out of his wits. In his panic, he hurriedly ducked his head. Though he narrowly avoided the flying spear, his hands were holding the reins, and his abrupt movement immediately caused the galloping horse to lose control.

Neighhh~

The horse suddenly reared under Er Gouzi's abrupt movement, lifting its forehooves and throwing Er Gouzi from its back with a violent shake.

Thud!

Er Gouzi crashed headfirst into the grass. Stars swam before his triangular eyes, and his large nose swelled up like a chili pepper.

Whoosh!

The spinning spear did not slow down. It howled onward toward Lang Ge ahead.

"Bastard!"

A fierce glint flashed through Lang Ge's eyes. His hands shifted; his left hand gripped the reins, controlling the You Province Horse beneath him, worth a hundred taels, while his right hand swept toward his waist.

Clang!

A blade gleaming with green light flashed out. The flying spear was knocked off course and slammed heavily into the ground at the roadside, blasting out a deep hole the size of a bowl.

"Hmph."

Lang Ge shook his numb right arm. Threads of coolness traveled along the hilt to his wrist, making his numb arm feel somewhat more comfortable instead.

"These country bumpkins do have some skill. This Jade Chill Blade truly is a treasure!"

Lang Ge rode along the main road, filled with the exhilaration of having escaped death. In his relaxed mood, he even flicked the Jade Chill Blade in a flourish.

"Hmph!"

A muffled snort, like a tiger's roar, exploded beside Lang Ge's ear. Before he could recover from the ringing in his ears, a black shadow shot down from a high slope beside the road ahead and appeared directly above him.

"What?"

The shadow overhead blocked the sunlight. Lang Ge instinctively looked up and saw a large hand shaped like a tiger's paw rapidly filling his vision.

Gu Sheng flipped in midair and shifted his breath. His body passed the charging horse's head, and one hand accurately seized Lang Ge by the head and yanked backward.

Bang!

Lang Ge was jolted clean off the horse and smashed directly into the dirt slope by the roadside. The You Province Horse continued forward without a rider, but after Gu Sheng seized its reins, it pawed and kicked a few times before coming to a stop.

"Whoa!"

Teng Qingshan arrived on horseback, carrying Er Gouzi. Once he reached the spot, he dismounted and hurled Er Gouzi at Lang Ge, who had just staggered dizzily to his feet.

"Get lost!"

Although Gu Sheng had hit Lang Ge hard, he had not lost a martial artist's strength. When Er Gouzi flew toward him, he mercilessly kicked out.

"Ow!"

Er Gouzi screamed as he crashed to the ground, clutching his wound and groaning in pain.

"You two little brats actually dared to chase after me. Good. I'll butcher you both."

Seeing that only Gu Sheng and Teng Qingshan had pursued him, Lang Ge's courage rose considerably. He was, after all, a Third-Rate martial artist with real skill. Teng Qingshan might have been formidable in breaking through the formation and killing enemies, but Lang Ge believed he could do the same.

The reason he had run was because the Teng Village hunters had terrified him. Though he too was a martial artist, he would surely fall against the siege of so many "experts," so he fled. But now there were only two underage boys before him. What the hell did he have to fear?

Without saying a word, Teng Qingshan charged at Lang Ge with his spear, unleashing the Center-Level Thrust.

"Courting death!"

Lang Ge held the Jade Chill Blade and spun it in a faint green flourish, sending ripples through the air as he charged toward Teng Qingshan.

Clang!

The spear tip struck the blade's edge precisely. Lang Ge felt a surging force crash into him. If he had not been gripping the saber with both hands, the Jade Chill Blade would likely have flown from his grasp. Even so, he was knocked backward, staggering and falling, with half his body left completely defenseless.

Teng Qingshan pressed his advantage. His spear danced, its red tassel like a surging crimson cloud, while a skyful of spear shadows battered down upon Lang Ge.

Gu Sheng shouted repeatedly, "Qingshan, leave him alive for questioning."

At those words, Teng Qingshan's eyes shifted slightly, and his spear technique changed a little.