Winding mountain paths twisted forward, the heavy mist still lingering as the stench of blood grew increasingly pungent.
Gu Chang'an and his group hurried through the woods. Before long, rustling noises suddenly drifted from ahead, the chaotic footsteps snapping dead leaves amidst a flurry of whispers.
"Wait, there's movement—"
Shen Qingyan stopped first, raising a hand to signal a halt, and the others immediately stopped to slip into the bushes on either side.
She narrowed her eyes to peer ahead. Through the falling moonlight, a patrol of about seven or eight bandit lookouts could be seen lazily inspecting the area with crossbows in hand.
Those men wore leather armor, carried sabers and bows, and walked with uncoordinated strides while reeking of alcohol. One of them was complaining:
"Damn it, the eastern side is being turned upside down, yet we're sent to patrol the back mountain. Isn't this just waiting to die?"
"Keep your voice down. If you alert the madmen of the Pill Hall, all our heads will roll."
"..."
Lu Kai's gaze turned cold, and he raised a hand to make a slashing gesture. Shen Qingyan, Jiang Yuan, and Li Hongye immediately acknowledged the order and quietly closed in.
"Strike!"
Lu Kai growled in a low voice.
The next instant—
Wind suddenly rose!
Shen Qingyan's figure moved like a swallow, her twin hooks tracing cold light as she flashed out from the tree shadows and instantly slit a bandit's throat.
Almost at the same time, Gu Chang'an's feet generated wind, his long saber whistling out of its scabbard with a single wind-breaking slash that cleaved a bandit's chest wide open, sending fresh blood splashing everywhere.
Jiang Yuan let out a roar, sweeping his saber horizontally. Before two bandits could react, they were struck by the twin hooks with such