Either Don't Do It, or Do It to the Bitter End!

Although Chen He had practiced martial arts, he had not yet become a martial artist, and his age was a factor as well. His combat ability was not especially high, so after Wang Wu hacked at him wildly with his broadsword, he was soon covered in wounds.

In the end, Wang Wu stomped him to the ground, leaving him unable to move. As he watched helplessly while Wang Wu's blade was about to slice down into his neck, he desperately cried out for help.

By this point, Wang Wu had also seen his elder brother get killed. He froze for a moment, his heart filled with terror.

How could this be?

His elder brother, Li Wei, was a martial artist approaching the First Gate Bronze Skin Realm. How could he have been killed by an old hunter?

In Wang Wu's eyes, Xie An was no longer a hunter. He was a terrifying killing demon.

Just then, Xie An drew his bow to its full moon, nocked an arrow, and aimed at Wang Wu's head. He snarled, "Let him go."

With the arrowhead aimed at him, Wang Wu felt a chill run down his spine. Yet he knew that he absolutely could not release Chen He. Without this hostage, he would be nothing but a living target. He did not move the broad saber pressed against Chen He's neck. Instead, he tried to drag Chen He in front of him to block the arrow.

"Don't move, or I'll blow your head apart!"

Xie An threatened him harshly.

In truth, Xie An did have a clear angle to fire and kill Wang Wu. But he had no confidence in his archery and was afraid of shooting the wrong person. He could only put on a show of intimidation.

Wang Wu had no idea that Xie An's archery was poor. He did not dare gamble and remained motionless, saying fiercely under the pressure, "Then let's see whether your arrow is faster or my blade. If you kill me, your friend won't survive either."

The two sides fell into a standoff.

The autumn wind swept through the woods, and birds shrieked in flight. Moonlight spilled down from the sky. Though it was late autumn and the temperature had dropped below freezing, both sides were sweating profusely, tense to the point of breaking.

Wang Wu was actually the more nervous of the two. The slightest mistake would get him shot to death. Xie An, on the other hand, was relatively calm. After all, the one who would die would not be him.

Chen He had a fairly good relationship with him, and just now Chen He had even taken out ten taels of silver to help him out of trouble. That showed Chen He was worth befriending.

But if it truly came down to a choice between the two of them, Xie An would definitely choose himself first.

If there was a chance to save Chen He, Xie An would still do his best.

There was no other reason. Xie An simply felt that a person should have a conscience.

After maintaining the standoff for fifteen minutes, Xie An, who had kept his bow drawn to the full, began to feel exhausted. He knew that continuing the stalemate was not an option.

"Wang Wu, right? We only want to stay alive. There's no need for us to make this a fight to the death. How about this? We put down our weapons at the same time, and you take the chance to escape. What do you say?"

Wang Wu rejected it outright. "Fine, but you have to throw your bow far away. Otherwise, before I've gone very far, you can pick it back up and shoot me."

Xie An glanced at Chen He, whose life hung by a thread, and finally decided it was worth a try. "Fine."

Wang Wu thought it over and felt it was feasible, but he was still not reassured. "You must throw the bow and arrows far away."

Xie An said, "I'll throw them ten zhang away. At that distance, even if I regret it afterward and run to retrieve my bow, you'll have enough time to get into the woods and escape. If I throw them too far, you'll have time to take Chen He, your hostage, with you."

Wang Wu began calculating.

For him, leaving with Chen He as a hostage was undoubtedly the safest option. That way, Xie An would not dare act recklessly.

But the old man opposite him had a careful mind and had cut off that possibility.

Then he thought that if Xie An really threw the bow and arrows ten zhang away, even if Xie An ran to retrieve them, it would take at least five or six breaths. That would indeed be enough time for him to slip into the woods by the roadside and escape.

Moreover, if Xie An truly discarded his bow and arrows, Wang Wu would undoubtedly gain the initiative. He could completely kill Chen He with one stroke before running.

Xie An had considered that point as well, but there was nothing he could do... The side that took the initiative to save someone would always be at a disadvantage. This risk still had to be taken.

Besides, if Xie An had been strong enough, he could have restrained Li Wei just now and used him as a hostage in the exchange. But clearly, Li Wei's strength was formidable. Being able to kill him had already been good enough. The difficulty and risk of restraining him were simply too great.

After weighing it over and over, Wang Wu finally agreed. "Fine."

Xie An said, "I'll count to three. I'll throw the bow and arrows, and you throw your saber. If you try to cheat or do anything to hurt my friend, I won't let you off!"

"Rest assured. I only want to stay alive."

Xie An began counting.

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

The moment the count ended, Xie An threw his bow and arrows half a beat early, ten zhang to the left. Wang Wu threw his saber three zhang away half a beat later, then plunged into the woods without looking back.

He sprinted wildly through the woods, his mouth letting out terrified cries of "Ah! Ah!"

After running two or three li, Wang Wu saw that there was no one around and finally stopped to catch his breath. "That old hunter was really troublesome. Luckily, I survived. But the other old man gave his name and household. Wuqiao Town, Chen Martial Arts School... Hmph, just wait for my Giant Whale Gang to come knocking. Li Wei was the gang leader's mistress's illegitimate son. You won't get away..."

Suddenly, Wang Wu felt a chill sweep over him.

Whoosh!

A sharp arrow tore through the air and shot out from the brambles ahead. When Wang Wu heard the sound and tried to dodge, it was already too late. The arrow pierced straight through his heart.

"Hck, hck..."

Wang Wu saw the arrow shaft running through his chest and struggled to raise his head. Xie An walked out from the brambles. "You... how did you catch up...?"

"Forgot to tell you—I'm more than twice as fast as you..."

Wang Wu's eyes widened as he glared, filled with unwillingness.

That old man had actually kept another card up his sleeve...

Xie An stopped six meters away from Wang Wu and did not approach him.

Although Wang Wu had suffered a severe injury, he could still make a desperate final struggle. Xie An did not want to take any risks, so he slowly drew his heavy bow, nocked an arrow, and took aim.

Wang Wu was terrified. "Grandpa, please, show mercy and let me go. I have money. I'll give it all to you..."

"Either don't do it, or do it... to the bitter end!"

Xie An's expression was icy and utterly emotionless as he abruptly released the bowstring.

Buzz!

The arrow shrieked through the air and smashed Wang Wu's head apart.

His brains burst out. He could not have been deader.

Huff!

Only then did Xie An let out a sigh of relief.

This was his second time killing someone. He had gradually grown accustomed to the rhythm, so his mind no longer stirred much.

He slung the heavy bow over his body, then walked over to Wang Wu and searched him.

Ten taels of silver.

He then found a ravine and threw Wang Wu's corpse into it before turning to leave.

After narrowly escaping death, Chen He slumped down by the roadside and sat there in a daze for a long while before calming himself. Then, following what Xie An had said earlier, he dragged Li Wei and A San's bodies into the woods by the roadside, dug a large pit with an iron tool, and buried the corpses.

After completing all this, Chen He was already exhausted and collapsed. He sat on the ground, gasping heavily, holding the thirty taels of silver he had taken from the two men. Even thinking back on it filled him with lingering fear.

He could not stop replaying the scene of Xie An killing them earlier.

His mind was seasoned, his movements flowed as one, and every step had been planned... He was practically an old hunter!

"Old Xie's changed far too much lately. If it weren't for him, I'd already be dead."

While Chen He was lost in thought, he heard footsteps coming from behind. When he turned around, he saw Xie An walking out of the woods with the heavy bow slung over him, still wearing that harmless, utterly senile appearance.

But Chen He knew that this old man was no longer the same old man as before.

Fortunately, Chen He had practiced martial arts himself, so he was not frightened into losing his wits by Xie An. He quickly went up and asked, "Did you catch up with Wang Wu?"

Xie An nodded. "Mm. He's dead."

Huff!

Only then did Chen He let out a huge sigh of relief. "Thank goodness your legs are fast enough, Brother Xie. Otherwise, if we'd let the tiger return to the mountain, and he also knew where my household was, the entire Chen family might have suffered. Brother Xie, you not only saved my life this time, you saved the entire Chen family as well. I have no way to repay you."

As Chen He spoke, he was about to kneel and thank him, but Xie An hurriedly helped him up. "Old Chen, you mustn't do this. You gave your household earlier to help me out of trouble as well. We're even. But this matter must not be spread."

"I understand. Let's hurry back to town."

The two men drove the cart and hurried toward Wuqiao Town.

Along the way, Chen He gave Xie An the thirty taels they had taken from the corpses. Xie An did not stand on ceremony and accepted it directly.

Two hundred and fifty from picking up a bargain, forty from counter-killing bandits. Two hundred and ninety taels in total...

Now the bear's share was settled too.

This haul was worth it!