The Road to Righteousness

After noon, Lu Yuan set off for Qinghe Village with two sturdy men in his employ.

The journey wasn't far. On horseback, it would take about half an hour.

Halfway there, they passed a stretch of road exposed to the wind. Lu Yuan's gaze sharpened. He took a deep breath and caught the smell of blood on the breeze.

"Do you smell blood?"

The two men drew deep breaths, then drew their knives in unison. "Young master, be careful. We smell it too."

They dismounted and rounded a bend in the road. Up ahead, they saw five or six bandits armed with steel knives surrounding a group of people.

They seemed to be a family, traveling in a donkey cart with all their belongings. Two bodies—a man and a woman—lay on the ground. One had been disemboweled, the other had their throat slit. They had died horribly, blood staining the earth.

The survivors were an old man and two young people, a man and a woman. Facing the fierce bandits, they begged desperately.

"Gentlemen, please, have mercy! Let us go. Take all our belongings. Just leave us a few days' worth of food."

Old Man Liu knelt on the ground, kowtowing again and again.

His family were honest, simple folk. Oppressed by the landlords and local strongmen, they could no longer make a living, so they had fled with all their belongings. They never imagined they would run into bandits on the road and see their son and daughter-in-law killed before their eyes.

If he had been alone, Old Man Liu would have fought them to the death. But thinking of his grandson and granddaughter, he could only swallow his hatred and beg them to spare the children.

"Get out of the way!"

A bandit kicked Old Man Liu aside. Seeing the girl's pretty face, he grabbed her. Ignoring her panicked screams, he pinned her to the ground and began tearing off her clothes, leering. "Old man, your granddaughter's a pretty one. Young and fresh, too. Let us have some fun, and maybe we'll spare your lives."

"You beast! Let go of my sister!"

The brother's eyes bulged with rage as he lunged to rescue her. Caught off guard, the bandit was knocked to the ground.

"Little sister, run! Run!"

Old Man Liu shouted too. "Nannan, run! Don't worry about us!"

The girl fled in blind panic, running faster than she ever had in her life. She dodged two bandits trying to stop her and dashed toward Lu Yuan.

"Young master, what should we do?"

One of the men turned to Lu Yuan for instructions.

They could simply stay out of it, mount their horses, and take a detour. The bandits were on foot and could never catch them.

Lu Yuan drew a deep breath. His reason told him that a wise man didn't stand beneath a crumbling wall. But if he truly left these people to die, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

He certainly wasn't some bleeding-heart saint.

But neither was he cold-hearted. If he were an ordinary man, he would have turned away without a second thought. But now that he had completed the Blood Exchange Realm, wouldn't it be a waste of his martial arts to stand by and do nothing?

"Save them!"

Lu Yuan's voice rang out with conviction as he stepped forward.

The two bandits chasing the girl jumped at the sight of the three men who had suddenly appeared. "Who are you?"

"Gentlemen, you're only after money. Why take lives? Take the valuables, but let these three go," Lu Yuan said gravely.

"Let them go? You think we'll let them go just because you said so? Who do you think you are?"

A tall, skinny bandit eyed the three men with ill intent. But seeing that Lu Yuan's companions were both sturdy and armed with knives, he realized they wouldn't be easy to handle. He threatened them, "Kid, we're from Iron Dragon Stockade. Be smart and get lost. Don't ruin our fun!"

Iron Dragon Stockade!

Lu Yuan's eyes turned cold. He had already sworn to himself that one day he would uproot Iron Dragon Stockade.

It was one of the small goals he had set for himself.

Since these bandits belonged to Iron Dragon Stockade, he might as well collect some interest first!

By then, the girl had already hidden behind Lu Yuan. Seeing that their threat had worked and the three men weren't making a move, the two bandits swaggered over to drag her away.

Suddenly, Lu Yuan stamped his foot. His right leg sprang forward like a startled python, carrying immense force. Before the bandits could react, he kicked one viciously in the groin, crushing his manhood and pelvis.

The bandit leaped a foot into the air. The pain was so intense he couldn't even scream. His eyes bulged, and he toppled stiffly to the ground, dead on the spot.

It was hard to tell whether the pain had killed him or Lu Yuan's kick had.

The bandit had only learned a single move. He wasn't a skilled fighter, but he was ruthless and willing to risk his life. That was why ordinary people stood no chance against men like him.

Lu Yuan struck like lightning, taking a life in an instant.

As his foot landed, his hand was already in motion. He punched the other bandit where his throat jutted out.

Crack!

The bandit's throat was crushed by the force of the blow. Blood sprayed everywhere, and he was just as dead.

He had killed two people in less than a second. It was the first time in either of his lives that Lu Yuan had killed anyone, yet he felt no strange sensation, not even a trace of nervousness.

Instead... he felt a little excited.

Could I be a born executioner?

Lu Yuan didn't know. He drew his Miao Saber and strode forward.

Only then did the four bandits realize that two of their companions were dead. Both enraged and shocked, they charged at Lu Yuan and his men, roaring, "Cut them down!"

They worked together with practiced ease. Two knives chopped at Lu Yuan's upper body, while the other two aimed for his lower half. The blades were sharp enough to cut bone and slice flesh with a single strike.

Lu Yuan felt a little pressure. Even if the four weren't skilled fighters, blades were coming at him from every direction, leaving little room to dodge.

Fortunately, he had completed the Blood Exchange Realm, and his physique far surpassed theirs. He had also mastered the saber. Though startled, he didn't panic. He retreated nimbly, waiting for an opening. A flash of the Miao Saber in his hand streaked through the air like a bolt of silk.

With a wet thwack, the fierce, snarling head of the bandit in front flew from his shoulders, blood gushing from his neck.

Head severed from body, the headless bandit staggered a few more steps before collapsing with a thud.

The three remaining bandits saw one of their own cut down in an instant and realized they had hit a steel wall. Terror spread across their faces. Their charge ground to a halt; their courage shattered, they turned and ran.

But they had barely taken a few steps when Lu Yuan came after them like a fierce tiger charging down the mountain. He covered the distance in two strides and thrust his saber straight through one bandit, piercing his heart. The man died spitting blood.

Then the saber flashed sideways, killing another bandit.

Seeing all his companions dead, the last bandit wisely stopped running. He turned and dropped to his knees, kowtowing desperately for mercy just as Old Man Liu had. "Hero, spare me! I have an eighty-year-old mother at home, and a three-year-old child to feed..."

Lu Yuan strolled up to him and rested the blade against his neck, smiling faintly. "An eighty-year-old mother? She gave birth to you at sixty? Quite the fertile woman."

"Yes, yes, my mother is very fertile." The bandit nodded frantically.

"Do you think I should believe you?"

"I... I..."

The bandit was at a loss for words.

Why wasn't that trick working?

Before he could figure it out, the blade swept across his throat. His body pitched forward, blood spraying like a fountain. He writhed a few times, then lay there, his body twitching.