After registering with the City Guards, Luo Yi led his younger sister out of the county seat.
He looked toward the several agreed-upon meeting spots and saw that four of the hunters who had come along were already sitting on the ground.
The two walked over and chatted with the hunters. They waited less than fifteen minutes before Wang Meng, Chen Liu, and the remaining hunters emerged from the city one after another.
Once everyone had arrived, Wang Meng repeated his morning warning and led them toward town.
As they walked along the Official Road to Dongsheng Town, Luo Yi sensed something was off.
After they left the county seat, two people had been following them. As they went farther and farther away, the pair not only kept following but were joined by a large number of others, until the crowd behind them grew larger and larger.
Something's not right. Everyone, watch for my signal and act accordingly.
After saying this, Wang Meng called out to the group behind them. "May I ask which road you gentlemen hail from?"
"I'm Wang Meng of Dongsheng Town. My brothers and I have urgent business this time. Could you fine heroes do us a favor and let us go? Wang Meng will repay you handsomely."
As soon as Wang Meng finished speaking, the One-Eyed Youth leading the group behind them said arrogantly, "Wang Meng, Chen Meng, Zhang Meng, tough guy—never heard of any of you."
"We brothers are out to make a fortune today. If we had to let everyone go, what would be the point? We're robbers, not horse tenders."
"Are you going to hand over everything valuable on you, or should my men chop off your heads and take it from your corpses?"
With that, the man waved his hand, and another twenty or so people emerged from the surrounding undergrowth.
Knowing there was no peaceful way out of this, Wang Meng's expression darkened, and he signaled for them to fight.
The hunters, already prepared, drew their bows and shot at the bandits closing in around them.
Seeing that they actually dared to fight back, the One-Eyed Youth at the front shouted, "Brothers, show no mercy. Kill them first!"
Then the One-Eyed Youth charged at them, leading the way.
Shielding Luo Xi behind him, Luo Yi nocked an arrow and shot at the oncoming bandits. "Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh"—the arrows tore through the air.
With Luo Yi's current strength and archery skills, every arrow he loosed claimed a bandit's life.
Seeing this, the One-Eyed Youth's eyes blazed with murderous intent.
He glanced at the men behind him, then sped up and charged at Luo Yi.
Watching the One-Eyed Youth charge toward him, Luo Yi slung his Hunting Bow over his back and drew the woodcutter's knife at his waist.
Just as he was about to charge the One-Eyed Youth,
Wang Meng, worried that Luo Yi wouldn't be a match for him, stepped in front of Luo Yi.
"Looking for death!"
With that, the two men clashed.
"Skin Refining Martial Artist!" They recognized each other's realm as soon as they exchanged blows.
As the fight continued, Wang Meng began to sense something was wrong.
The One-Eyed Youth was using a technique taught only within Great Qi's army—the Pojun Saber.
He thought of what his younger brother had told him when he returned a few days ago.
The rebels had captured Qingzhou, beside Yun Prefecture, a few days earlier. Large numbers of Qingzhou's defenders had fled to Yun and You Prefectures and turned to banditry.
Qingzhou Deserters?
At those words, a flicker of panic crossed the One-Eyed Youth's eyes, but he quickly composed himself.
He shouted to his men, "Brothers, we're on the Official Road. Someone could spot us at any moment. Finish this quickly!"
After killing a bandit who rushed at him, Luo Yi looked at the hunters, who were getting wounded one by one, and Wang Meng, who was locked in combat.
If he didn't step in, none of the hunters would make it out alive today. With that thought, Luo Yi decided to stop holding back.
Putting all his strength into it, he cleaved an oncoming bandit in half with a single blow.
"Ah! Ah!" The other bandits were all startled by the sight.
Since fleeing to Yun Prefecture, they had never encountered anyone so vicious. The bandits surrounding them gradually began to retreat in fear.
A Skin Refining Martial Artist? Seeing his subordinate cleaved in two, the One-Eyed Youth guessed that the one who struck must be at least in the Skin Refining Realm.
He shouted toward the woods behind him, "Mister Li, if you don't make a move, I'm taking my brothers and retreating!"
Cursing the One-Eyed Youth furiously in his heart, Mister Li, who was hiding behind a mound of dirt, turned to the tall man beside him.
"Zhao Si, go take care of that Luo Yi. The others, carry me out of here."
"Yes!" Zhao Si sprang out from behind the mound and attacked Luo Yi.
Picking up the Dao from the bandit he had killed, Luo Yi swung it at Zhao Si's head.
Their blades collided. The tremendous force transmitted through the hilts sent Zhao Si staggering back three steps, his arm trembling uncontrollably.
Feeling the strength behind his opponent's weapon, Luo Yi knew he could easily withstand it. His opponent was at the same level as him at best, merely a Skin Refining Entry martial artist.
With a loud shout, he charged forward again, his blade flashing like a fierce tiger pouncing down the mountain.
Relying on his combat experience, Zhao Si barely managed to fend off Luo Yi's attacks.
As the two fought on, Zhao Si's arm began to go numb. Knowing that if this continued, he'd die here today, he looked for a chance to escape.
A flash of cold light streaked before his eyes, and he hurriedly raised his blade to block.
With a clang, steel struck steel, and the long blade in Zhao Si's hand snapped in two.
Blocked by Zhao Si's blade, the strike failed to take his head. Instead, it sheared off his entire right arm and shoulder.
Zhao Si lay on the ground, barely breathing, blood bubbling from his mouth as the light gradually faded from his eyes.
The One-Eyed Youth, still locked in combat with Wang Meng, sensed that the tide had turned against him.
He flung a handful of lime powder and shouted, "Retreat!"
The bandits, already scared out of their wits, turned and ran the moment they heard their boss order a retreat.
When the dust settled, not a single bandit remained in sight.
No wonder the soldiers had survived the fall of Qingzhou to the rebels. They were clearly first-rate when it came to running for their lives.
Hearing Wang Meng's remark, Luo Yi asked, "Uncle Wang, Qingzhou Deserters? Does that mean these men weren't bandits?"
After telling Luo Yi what he knew, Wang Meng looked at the wounded and said,
"We don't know if those deserters have reinforcements. We'd better hurry back to town first."
Luo Yi searched Zhao Si's corpse from head to toe and found a few taels of silver—better than nothing.
After stripping the corpses of anything valuable, the group headed for Dongsheng Town.
On the way back, Wang Meng walked over to Luo Yi.
"Xiao Yi, have you entered the Skin Refining Realm?"
Luo Yi thought about what kind of person Wang Meng was and nodded.
"I was lucky enough to enter the Skin Refining Realm a few days ago."
Though he'd already suspected as much, Wang Meng was still deeply shocked by Luo Yi's answer.
A sixteen-year-old Skin Refining Martial Artist.
Even among the young masters and misses of Yunlu County, who had grown up in luxury and eaten Tonic Medicine like ordinary meals, few had reached the Skin Refining Realm by sixteen.
After the group left, the One-Eyed Youth found Mister Li, who was being carried by his men.
He pressed his blade against Mister Li's neck.
"Didn't you say they only had one Skin Refining Martial Artist? Why was there another one?"
"The one who struck was once a lowly young book attendant, too weak to even truss a chicken. I have no idea how he became a Skin Refining Martial Artist."
"One hundred taels in funeral expenses for every brother who died. Otherwise, I'll go back and collect your whole family's corpses."
Hearing the One-Eyed Youth demand an outrageous sum, Mister Li glanced at the sky and gave a strange smile. "Fine, but I didn't bring that much money with me. You'll have to come home with me to collect it."
Before you continue