Dugu Mingri

"Big brother, our luck is pretty good. We actually ran into a plump little lamb."

The ones who stopped Lu Ming were two men. One was a burly man with the cultivation of the eighth layer of the Nei Qi Realm.

The other was the man who had spoken. He had a savage saber scar across his face and a vicious expression. His cultivation was one layer lower, at the seventh layer of the Nei Qi Realm.

Each of them carried a broad, heavy saber. At a glance, it was clear they followed a style that relied on overwhelming force.

"What advice do you two have for me?"

Lu Ming calmly took stock of their situation. Although there were two of them, and both had higher cultivation than he did, one of them was even two layers above him.

Yet he felt not the slightest panic.

This was the confidence he had gained from the killing he had done over the past few days.

"Advice? That's putting it too grandly. We just took a fancy to what's in your cloth bag. If you know what's good for you, leave it behind."

"Oh, right. Your cultivation technique and martial skills as well."

The man with the saber scar was still the one speaking. Seeing that Lu Ming looked only thirteen or fourteen, yet possessed the sixth layer of the Nei Qi Realm, he figured that aside from his high aptitude, his cultivation technique must be excellent as well.

If they had been outside, he might not have dared provoke him. But here in the deep mountains, as long as they handled things cleanly, who would ever know?

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

Lu Ming's expression remained calm. He tossed down the cloth bag from his shoulder, then placed his hand on his saber hilt. Since this couldn't be settled peacefully, they would have to settle it with their hands.

"Quite gutsy!"

Seeing Lu Ming's composure, the burly man finally spoke. Compared with the leaner, scar-faced man, he seemed more steady.

"Big brother, let me deal with him."

Seeing that Lu Ming was about to make a move, the scar-faced man slowly raised his broad, heavy saber and stepped forward excitedly.

The burly man nodded. "Be careful. His clothes are covered in blood. He's no stranger to killing."

"Don't worry, big brother. Having a lot of blood on him only proves his saber technique isn't... clean enough!"

The scar-faced man was truly sly. While he was speaking, his figure suddenly flashed, and he struck first.

Thus, by the time the words "clean enough" fell, he had already reached Lu Ming. He brought his saber crashing down through the air.

To be honest, this setup had been quite well calculated, and the saber's speed was genuinely fast.

But he had chosen the wrong opponent.

Lu Ming had remained constantly on guard, and with his keen senses, he had already understood the man's intentions the moment he moved.

However, he did not make a move. Only when the saber came cleaving down through the air did he suddenly draw his saber, sweeping it sideways and sending a bright Saber Light slicing across the man's abdomen.

Pfft!

As a line of blood sprayed out, the scar-faced man's saber struck empty air. He lowered his head in disbelief and looked toward his abdomen. When he saw the blood, terror surfaced in his eyes.

"So fast!"

After struggling to spit out those two words, he immediately collapsed.

"What?"

Although it sounded like a long sequence when recounted, everything had happened in the blink of an eye.

The burly man, who had been raising his saber to launch a sneak attack, could not help pausing. It turned out that the two brothers had long since formed an effective strategy for attacking people.

The scar-faced man would go out alone first, making the opponent think it was one-on-one. Then the burly man would follow close behind and launch a sneak attack.

That method had always been invincible, but today something had gone wrong.

His brother had not even held out for one breath before Lu Ming killed him in an instant.

Yet just as the burly man paused, Lu Ming took the initiative and attacked him. His first move was the fastest form of the Gale Style.

Swish!

His speed was so fast that only a streak of Saber Light could be seen.

The burly man was horrified and hurriedly raised his saber to block. With a clang, his broad, heavy saber narrowly intercepted the Saber Light. However, he felt no force behind it.

Years of combat experience immediately told him that this was a feint, and that his opponent would change moves at once.

But he was still a step too late. The bright Saber Light had already swept across his abdomen.

"So fast!"

This time, the burly man finally experienced the scar-faced man's feelings firsthand before collapsing.

"Humans really are much easier to deal with than demon beasts."

After dispatching the two men with ease, Lu Ming felt no great sense of accomplishment.

Compared with demon beasts, these two had plenty of offense but insufficient defense. Demon beasts were different: their hides were thick and flesh was tough, and some even possessed scales harder than steel.

No matter how fast he was, if he could not find their weak points, it would be difficult to kill them in one blow.

These two men were different. They had nothing like the thick scales and hide of demon beasts.

One saber strike was enough to cost them their lives.

That said, he had the same problem himself. The second move of the Heavenly Saber Technique, the Rainfall Style, could be used for defense.

It was a move that served both offense and defense. On offense, it flowed endlessly, leaving the opponent exhausted from blocking. On defense, the saber swept so densely that not even a needle could slip through, nor could water be poured in.

It was extraordinarily formidable.

Without thinking further, Lu Ming returned his saber to its sheath. Giving his enemies the respect they were due, he began searching the battlefield.

The result was somewhat disappointing. He found only a little over two hundred taels in silver notes on the two men. Perhaps they had money but had not brought it out.

As for martial arts manuals or anything of the sort, he found even less.

The two broad, heavy sabers were decent, though. Their quality was clearly better than his own, but they did not suit him.

Still, there was no reason to waste them, so he took them along as well.

After cleaning up, Lu Ming hoisted his cloth bag onto his shoulder. He had just started to leave when his ears twitched, and he looked toward a large tree in the distance to the side.

He shouted sharply, "Who's there?"

"No ill intent."

A fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy stepped out from behind the tree, a long sword in hand. His clothes were somewhat tattered, but it was obvious at a glance that the fabric was either rich or expensive.

His cultivation was also quite high, having actually reached the ninth layer of the Nei Qi Realm.

Moreover, judging by his appearance, he had already reached the peak of the ninth layer.

"The Ruan Brothers. I didn't expect them to die by your hand today, but I suppose they got what they deserved."

The boy walked out and glanced at the corpses on the ground.

"How should I address you?"

Seeing that the other party had no intention of attacking, Lu Ming relaxed slightly. However, he did not forget to remain vigilant. He placed the cloth bag on the ground again, making it convenient to draw his saber at any moment.

"Dugu Family of Shuofeng City, Dugu Mingri."

The boy was frank and reported his identity.

Lu Ming was somewhat surprised. He knew of the Dugu Family. Like the Yang Family, whose young master he had encountered at the blacksmith's shop that day, it was one of Shuofeng City's three great families.

"And what should I call you?"

Dugu Mingri asked.

"Lu Ming, also from Shuofeng City." Lu Ming gave his name.

"I guessed as much."

Dugu Mingri wore an enlightened expression, then said, "Your saber technique is pretty good, and your speed is very fast. The Ruan Brothers had such high cultivation, yet they were completely outmatched by you."

Lu Ming did not deny it. Instead, he asked, "How long have you been here?"

"Since your long saber swept across the first man."

Dugu Mingri did not conceal it. "Don't worry. I was on my way back and happened to pass by. You look like you're heading back as well. Why don't we travel together?"

Looking at him, Lu Ming felt that he did not seem like someone harboring ulterior motives. After thinking it over, he did not refuse, though he still kept a wary eye out.

And so, the two of them set off together.

The return journey was naturally much faster. Even when they encountered demon beasts, Dugu Mingri struck first and dealt with them.

This allowed Lu Ming to witness the other man's strength. To be honest, compared with the Ruan Brothers, Dugu Mingri was more than just a little stronger.

Just in terms of sword-drawing speed, he was not far behind Lu Ming's saber speed.

He was probably cultivating a technique that also pursued speed.

Although the other man was formidable, Lu Ming was confident he could contend with him.

"Brother Dugu, you've reached the peak of the ninth layer of the Nei Qi Realm at only fifteen. Your talent is truly exceptional. Why haven't you gone to join a sect?"

As they gradually became more familiar with each other, Lu Ming asked curiously.

Although the Dugu Family was a dominant force in Shuofeng City, compared with those sects, it was like a small hill beside a great mountain.

With Dugu Mingri's talent, joining a sect should not have been difficult.

Faced with this question, Dugu Mingri did not answer. Instead, he asked, "Do you think my talent is very good?"