Black Mountain Rebel Army, Killing the Innocent to Claim Merit!

The four men who emerged from the forest were burly and armored—not in iron, but in uniform padded armor that still gave off an oppressive presence.

"Why'd you stop running? Tired of it, are you?"

"Heh, a Qingyun Army Squad Leader's head is worth thirty silver taels. That'll let us brothers live it up for a few good days."

The four exchanged jeers, their eyes sweeping over the bloodstained Qingyun Army man like they were sizing up a fat sheep ready for slaughter.

Shi Feng, a Ninth Rank Qi Refining Martial Artist and a Squad Leader commanding fifty men under the Qingyun Army, had left the city alone on the County Marshal's orders. He never expected to be ambushed by four men on his way back.

"You bastards can try all you want. Just see how many of you I drag down with me before you take this head of mine!" Shi Feng put on a brave front, though he was already at his last gasp. He met their gazes with a glare and spat out the harsh words coldly.

But anyone with eyes could see his staggering frame—a paper tiger, all bluster and no bite.

"Boss, there's a lad over there... Looks like a commoner from his getup."

One of the four noticed Su Mu nearby, clad in a straw rain cape and bamboo hat, and promptly asked the grim-faced soldier leading them.

"A commoner? Your eyes are playing tricks. There's no commoner here—I only see two Qingyun Army dogs. Kill them both." The cold-eyed man's gaze landed on Su Mu, and he gave a sneering order.

"Yes, yes, Boss is right!" The others chuckled in agreement.

Hearing this, Shi Feng burned with rage. "You Black Mountain Army call yourselves rebels, but you burn, kill, and loot. Now you won't even spare a passing boy? How are you any different from bandits?"

"Take it out on me! Let the boy go—I'll shoulder it all!"

Black Mountain Army?

Su Mu narrowed his eyes. He'd heard that name in the Black Market. The stall owner selling manuals had mentioned the Black Mountain Army alongside the Qingyun County authorities, and only then brought up the five major powers of Qingyun County.

From that tone, the Black Mountain Army was likely stronger than even those five powers.

Now, from the exchange between these men, Su Mu also learned that the Black Mountain Army was a rebel force. But this habit of killing innocents and claiming their heads as merits was nothing like an army fighting tyranny—it was more like a pack of vicious bandits in a lawless age.

"Oh? Still claiming you're not a Qingyun Army dog? If you weren't one of them, why would you be so eager to protect him? Get them—kill them both."

At Shi Feng's words, the four Black Mountain Army men laughed coldly. They didn't care who Su Mu really was. Since they'd run into him today, it was just his bad luck.

Killing one was the same as killing two.

A Qingyun Army Squad Leader's head was worth thirty taels; an ordinary soldier's head fetched two or three. Even a mosquito's leg has meat—they wouldn't easily let go of prey that had fallen into their hands.

Besides, they were old hands at killing innocents and claiming credit. In their eyes, these commoners' heads were nothing but silver and military merits. Once they'd saved up enough merits, they'd earn rewards from the Heavenly General and smooth their path in martial arts.

Su Mu hadn't planned to get involved. He was ready to use the Startled Sparrow Steps and slip away—after all, a fight between the Black Mountain Army and the Qingyun Army was none of his business.

But the words of those four Black Mountain Army men stirred a surge of killing intent in Su Mu's heart. Though he'd been in this world for over a year, at his core, in the depths of his soul, he was still a modern Chinese man.

Raised under the influence of modern Chinese civilization, Su Mu couldn't stomach such brutality. He was just a passing commoner, but in their eyes, he was no better than a two-legged beast. With a few casual words, they'd decided his fate—to be killed along with the rest.

Su Mu couldn't help but think of the Silver Needle Gu Poison inside him. His own life wasn't even his to control.

If he hadn't seen it, he might have let it go. But since he had, Su Mu decided he wouldn't just walk away. Besides, after being turned away from Qingyun City today, he'd been nursing a stifled anger.

The Gu Poison, the Abandoned Child label, and the frustration of being rebuffed—three smoldering grudges, now fully ignited by the four Black Mountain Army men. This anger had to be vented.

"You'll be my outlet for this anger!"

Su Mu lowered his head slightly, his eyes burning with killing intent.

"Lad, run toward Qingyun County town—as fast as you can! I'll hold them off!" Shi Feng took a deep breath, gave Su Mu one last look, and set his face with resolve.

With a roar, Shi Feng forced himself to muster his strength, drew his waist blade, and charged straight at the four Black Mountain Army men.

Shi Feng knew his situation all too well. He was doomed today no matter what. Better to die fighting and buy the boy a sliver of a chance. Whether the lad could escape was beyond his power—it would come down to fate and whether the boy's luck held.

"This one's mine. You two watch my back. Old Four, go kill the brat—don't let that little Qingyun Army dog slip away."

The lead Black Mountain Army man waved his hand, deliberately provoking Shi Feng with a taunt, then laughed and drew his blade to meet him.

"Run!"

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The blades clashed in a rapid series of metallic rings.

The soldier called Old Four strode toward Su Mu with long, easy steps. A cruel grin spread across his face, though his words were almost apologetic.

"Don't blame me, kid. Blame your bad luck for running into us. I don't really want to kill you, you know."

The Black Mountain Army soldier bared a savage smile and drew the curved blade from his waist.

"Don't worry—my blade's fast. Fast enough that you won't feel much pain."

With that, the soldier raised his curved blade high. Just as he was about to bring it down, the boy who'd kept his head low slowly looked up. But the soldier didn't see the fear or tears he'd expected on the lad's face. Instead, there was only calm—and a pair of eyes seething with killing intent.

This Black Mountain Army soldier had been through plenty of fights. The moment he saw those eyes, he sensed something was wrong. He swung his blade down like a flash of white silk, aiming to take Su Mu's head.

But in that split second, the harmless-looking commoner boy, Su Mu, moved. His left hand shot out like a claw, swift and sudden.

Whoosh!

The claw was astonishingly fast—this was the perfected Tiger Frolic from the Five Animal Frolics. For an ordinary man to master it would take over twenty years. This claw carried twenty years of power!

The tiger claw struck first, landing precisely on the soldier's right wrist, the hand gripping the blade. Then a fierce, rigid force surged forth.

Crack.

The soldier's face twisted in agony as a scream tore from his throat. His wrist felt like it had been shattered by the claw. The next second, Su Mu's left hand twisted hard, snapping it clean.

A curved blade flew out of his grip, while the wrist that had held it folded back against the arm, bent at a hundred and eighty degrees.

Another, even more wretched scream rang out.

"No, spare, spare me..."

At the brink of death, the Black Mountain Army soldier's survival instinct sent him leaping backward, desperate to flee from Su Mu, this man-eating fierce tiger. He opened his mouth to beg for mercy, but Su Mu gave him no chance.

One step forward, Startled Sparrow Steps executed, Su Mu closed the gap in an instant. His empty right fist lashed out savagely, Tiger Frolic instantly switching to Tiger Subduing Fist.

Fierce Tiger Pounce!

The fist slammed into the Black Mountain Army soldier's face. The moment fist met flesh, the flesh caved in, the skull shattered, and the soldier's body flew backward like a torn sack, crashing heavily to the ground a full zhang away.

Fist like a fierce tiger, one blow enough to kill. The youth punched out and muttered coldly.

"You've never died before, so how would you know it doesn't hurt?"

As his words fell, the Black Mountain Army soldier on the ground convulsed a few times, then went still.