A Man's Duty

Ding! Absorbable Life Energy Points detected. Absorb? Ding! Absorbable Mental Energy Points detected. Absorb? "Yes."

Ding! Absorbing...

Ding! Absorption complete. Obtained 140 Life Energy Points and 11 Mental Energy Points.

Life Energy Points: 217 Mental Energy Points: 21 "Hehehe! I just spent 150 Life Energy Points, and now I've gained another 140. Rounded up, that means I spent nothing at all!"

Following behind John toward the caravan, Parr narrowed his eyes and broke into a wide grin. With these Life Energy Points, he...

"Wait, it seems these Life Energy Points have no use for now besides raising my realm and upgrading Dazzling Light! Talent Prompt Wake-Up needs 1,000 Life Energy Points to upgrade, so this isn't nearly enough. The other two Skills are already maxed out, and the other two Talents both need Mental Energy Points. And my Mental Energy Points..."

After looking at his Mental Energy Points, the smile vanished from Parr's face. He realized that while he was no longer short on Life Energy Points for the time being, he was lacking Mental Energy Points again. This was really...

"Unbelievable!"

After closing the Status Panel, Parr decided not to upgrade anything yet. He would save up a little more, save up a little more. He estimated that the next upgrade would require two or three hundred Life Energy Points. What he had now was still insufficient. He had to keep enough Life Energy Points to instantly gain a level and restore himself to full condition. His survival instincts were incredibly strong!

"You bunch of cowards, charge! So what if a few people died? What are you afraid of? There are so many of us—we can bury them under our numbers!"

The bandit leader was hopping mad as he watched the bandits surround the caravan without attacking. Driven by the lure of money, they had charged forward in a swarm just now, but the deaths of their companions had made them retreat in an instant.

Of course, the caravan had not escaped unscathed either. Several people had been killed or injured. The rest clustered even more tightly around Kunna, gripping swords, sabers, clubs, and staves as they stared down the bandits, who numbered at least twice as many as they did.

Kunna looked at the corpses of her employees, fury flashing in her eyes. These were all capable caravan guards she had personally trained! To die at the hands of such a ragtag mob was truly a waste.

Kunna had already seen through the bandits. They were nothing but a disorderly mob, dressed like beggars. This was probably their first time robbing a caravan like hers. What rotten luck!

But this was not the time to dwell on that. They needed to escape this crisis as quickly as possible. After lowering her head in thought for a moment, Kunna looked toward the loudmouth in the caravan.

"Call out to them. Tell them that if they leave now, I'll give each of them two Wind Wolf Gold Coins."

"Yes!"

"Ahem, ahem!"

The loudmouth cleared his throat and shouted again, "Bandits! Our boss says that if you leave now, we'll give each of you two Wind Wolf Gold Coins! But if you refuse to leave and insist on taking us down, then prepare to lose half your men!"

"This..."

The bandits surrounding the caravan looked at each other again. They were tempted once more. Two Wind Wolf Gold Coins was already a very high price. There was no need to risk their lives for the five Wind Wolf Silver Coins their leader had promised. As for their leader's claims that there would be retaliation later if they left survivors—who could recognize anyone in such darkness? After taking the money, they could hide in the forest, then hole up in some small town. Once the heat died down, everything would be fine.

It had to be said, this group really was a rabble. Their resolve was weak, and they still harbored wishful thoughts. If they had been a gang of seasoned bandits, Kunna's caravan would already have been finished.

But that was understandable. They had originally been the most down-and-out group of beggars in Azure Stone City. Recent changes in the city had cut off their source of income, so Kalan's subordinate—the bandit leader—had talked them into becoming bandits.

"A bunch of trash!"

The bandit leader ground his teeth in anger as he watched the bandits waver again, but there was nothing he could do. He still needed them to deal with Kunna's caravan.

As long as the bandits took care of Kunna, all the blame would fall on them, and Kalan would have nothing to do with it. There would be no trail to follow. That was Kalan's plan.

As Kalan's most loyal subordinate, the bandit leader could not let Kunna persuade these bandits. So what could he do? Keep fooling them, of course! He had already thought of it: raise the price! Offer more money!

"Brothers, don't believe a merchant's words! They're lying to you! If you want gold coins, I'll give them to you! Kill them, and each of you will get five gold coins! You heard me right! Five gold coins each!"

Five gold coins!

The bandits were persuaded by their leader once again.

"Get them!"

Several minor leaders among the bandits exchanged glances, then tightened their grips on their weapons and led their men forward. A brutal battle was about to erupt again when a thunderous roar suddenly rang through the sky.

"Stop!"

This shout was even louder than the loudmouth's and the bandit leader's voices. The sheer force behind it directly stunned the bandits. They all turned to look behind them, only to see their leader pinned beneath the foot of a man dressed similarly to them. Red light radiated from that man's body. One hand held someone by the neck, while the other gripped a One-Handed Sword that was clearly no ordinary weapon.

"A Knight!"

"It's a Knight!"

"Run!"

"The Patrol Team is here!"

"..."

These bandits had some knowledge after all. The moment they saw the Battle Qi around John, they erupted into chaos. They thought Azure Stone City's Patrol Team had arrived! Some collapsed to the ground in terror. Some stood frozen in place, trembling too hard to move their feet. Some wet themselves in fear. Others fled into the distance.

"Those who flee will die!"

John shouted again and swung his sword. Sharp Battle Qi flew from the blade, splitting the fastest fleeing bandit in two and instantly intimidating all the other bandits who wanted to run.

"Spare us, sir!"

"I'm not a bandit!"

"I..."

The bandits dropped to their knees and begged for mercy, but John was unmoved. He shouted for them to gather together, then had the caravan members tie them up with ropes.

"Thank you, Sir Knight, for saving us. I'm Kunna of the Machira Merchant Guild. As for your reward, I will..."

Kunna slowly walked up to John, lifted the hem of her dress slightly, and gave him a curtsy. Just as she was about to mention his reward, she clearly saw the face of the middle-aged man John was holding. Her eyes widened as she covered her mouth, and she quickly retreated several steps, looking at John with wariness.

"You know him?"

John narrowed his eyes as he sized Kunna up, praising her beauty inwardly. Seeing her reaction, he understood that she knew the only survivor he had captured. So he tossed the middle-aged man to the ground and casually told her what had happened in the forest.

"What did you say, Sir Knight? A gray-haired young man?"

After hearing John's account, Kunna's eyes widened further. A terrible suspicion rose in her heart, and she hurriedly pleaded, "Sir Knight, could you take me to see him?"

"Of course! It would be my honor to be of service to a beautiful lady." John did not refuse. He sheathed his sword and courteously extended one hand toward Kunna.

"Beautiful lady, the forest is dangerous. Please take my hand so that I can keep you safe."

"Thank you!"

Kunna curtsied again. Not minding that John's hand was dirty, she reached out and took his large hand. The two of them then headed into the forest.

The ignored Parr turned around, looked at John and Kunna's backs, stroked his chin, and nodded. Muttering to himself, he said, "Confirmed! John is totally a scumbag! He gets close to every beautiful woman he sees. How is that any different from being a stud?"

"Kalan!"

The moment she entered the forest, Kunna recognized her younger brother. Her terrible suspicion had been confirmed. Her grip on John's hand tightened involuntarily, and she nearly bit through her dry lips. Sad tears slowly streamed from her gray eyes.

Kunna was not stupid. Combining everything that had happened today, she immediately guessed the truth. Her heart filled with sorrow in an instant. Her family had abandoned her—completely abandoned her. Worse still, they had actually wanted to use such despicable means to kill her and seize the fruits of her labor.

Huff... In the end, Kunna let out a long breath, raised a hand to wipe away the tears on her face, and made a decision.

"From this day onward, I, Kunna, am no longer a member of the Machira Family. The Machira Merchant Guild of the western border shall officially be renamed the Kunna Merchant Guild!"

After making this decision to sever all ties with her family, Kunna felt as though a burden had been lifted from her heart. A smile returned to her face. She released John's hand, turned around, and curtsied to him once more.

"Sir Knight, thank you so much for tonight! Thank you for saving me and saving my merchant guild. From this moment on, you will forever be my friend, Kunna's friend, and forever be a friend of the Kunna Merchant Guild. Wherever the Kunna Merchant Guild has a presence, you need only make a request, and we will certainly do everything in our power to fulfill it."

"..."

John silently studied the beautiful woman before him, then chuckled and scratched his head.

"Hahaha, that's wonderful. Having such a beautiful lady as a friend is the greatest honor of my life, John."

The matter was over. The bandits, along with their leader, were tied up and ready to be handed over to Azure Stone City's Patrol Team in exchange for a reward. Those rewards all belonged to John, and Kunna would not take a single coin. After returning from the forest, Kunna also did not tell anyone what had happened there. She simply treated this bandit attack as an ordinary bandit attack.

Of course, that was only on the surface. Secretly, Kunna still needed time to make preparations to completely separate her merchant guild from the Machira Merchant Guild and establish it as the independent Kunna Merchant Guild.

Before that, Kunna also needed to comfort and reward the subordinates who had protected her tonight.

"You all did very well. You were very brave tonight. You know I am not a stingy person, so everyone who survived tonight will receive five Wind Wolf Gold Coins as a reward. The families of those who died will receive ten gold coins in compensation."

"Great!"

"Thank you, boss!"

"Long live the boss!"

"..."

The caravan members cheered with joy, and their gazes toward Kunna became even more loyal.

Witnessing all this, John turned to Parr beside him and said appreciatively, "Kunna isn't just beautiful—she's also a very clever woman. She knows how to win people's hearts. No wonder her employees didn't abandon her just now!"

"..."

Parr rolled his eyes, then put on an innocent expression and asked that scumbag John, "So Uncle John wants to treat Auntie Kunna the same way he treats Sister Danni?"

"Cough, cough, cough..."

John choked on his breath and began coughing violently. Then he reached out with his big hand and fiercely ruffled Parr's little head.

"What does a little brat like you know? Appreciating women is a man's duty."