Which Su Family?

He Xiongfei laughed.

His bear-like, burly body flipped straight down from the horse's back.

The horse itself seemed to relax considerably.

"Since Chief Escort Li personally invited me to fight, how could I refuse? But my hands are heavy. I wonder whether Chief Escort Li can withstand them?"

He Xiongfei grabbed a saber directly from the horse's back.

It was a thick-backed saber.

One look told anyone that this saber was mighty and weighty.

It probably weighed several dozen pounds.

The fact that he could wield such a heavy saber showed just how terrifying He Xiongfei's strength was.

The moment Li He saw the thick-backed saber in He Xiongfei's hand, his heart sank.

But he also knew that the arrow was on the string and had to be loosed.

He was the chief escort, and he had to take responsibility for this shipment.

If he did not fight and allowed He Xiongfei to seize the shipment, then there would be no point in keeping the Zhenyuan Escort Agency open.

"Though I am somewhat advanced in years, my bones and sinews are still sound. It is no matter."

"Chief Escort Li, please."

Thus, the two immediately took their positions outside the inn.

Li Wushi and Li Xiaoman were both extremely nervous.

After all, their opponent was He Xiongfei, the Flying Blade, a fierce bandit. Moreover, the thick-backed saber in his hand was clearly no ordinary weapon.

They were also worried about their father's safety.

Seeing two martial artists of the jianghu about to "fight," the guests who had just fled in a swarm to the inn's second floor now poked their heads out and came outside to watch the excitement.

Like everyone else, Zhang Su was very interested in the battle between the two.

After all, Zhang Su had never truly experienced the jianghu.

He did not know what level of strength real jianghu folk possessed.

Li He and this He Xiongfei both seemed to be martial artists of some renown in the jianghu.

To a certain extent, their strength could also reflect the current standards of the jianghu from the side.

Zhang Su squeezed into the crowd, his gaze passing over the two men one by one.

He paid particular attention to the thick-backed saber in He Xiongfei's hand.

This thick-backed saber was no light weapon.

Li He likely would not have an easy time in this battle.

Clang.

Li He was the first to draw his saber.

Jianghu folk called him the Ghost Head Blade. His saber techniques were sharp and uncanny, as well as exceptionally ruthless.

Facing He Xiongfei, Li He did not dare underestimate him in the slightest.

He did not even dare put on airs, instead choosing to attack first.

A sheet of cold, fierce saber light instantly enveloped He Xiongfei.

This strike would be difficult to evade.

However, He Xiongfei had never intended to evade it.

He directly gripped the thick-backed saber.

The saber did not even have a scabbard.

When He Xiongfei swung it with all his strength, it looked less like a saber technique and more like he was swinging a door plank.

He Xiongfei's thick-backed saber crashed viciously into Li He's curtain of saber light.

There was no avoiding it.

There was absolutely no avoiding it.

No matter how exquisite or strange Li He's saber technique was, he could not avoid it.

Yet faced with He Xiongfei's broad, sweeping strike, he could not dodge either. He could only gather all his Blood Qi and meet it head-on with a savage slash.

Bang.

A muffled impact rang out.

He Xiongfei's burly body merely swayed slightly.

Li He, however, felt an irresistible and terrifying force travel up through his saber.

Then...

Crack.

Li He's saber shattered in an instant.

At the same time, that terrifying monstrous force struck Li He's body.

Thud, thud, thud.

Li He staggered back several steps.

Pfft.

He spat out a mouthful of blood, and his face turned deathly pale at once.

He had lost!

And in just one move!

"Father..."

"Chief Escort!"

Shing, shing, shing.

One escort after another immediately drew their sabers, staring tensely at the bandits from Feitian Ridge.

Li Wushi and Li Xiaoman swiftly went to Li He's side and helped him up.

Li He glanced at the broken saber in his hand.

His hand was trembling uncontrollably.

Clearly, his arm had been injured as well.

Just one move.

The illustrious Ghost Head Blade could not even withstand a single strike from He Xiongfei?

"Hahaha, Chief Escort Li, you were actually quite good. Many famous jianghu martial artists either died or were crippled beneath one blow from me. The fact that you can still stand already makes you very formidable!"

He Xiongfei grinned, revealing his stark white teeth.

He was not mocking him.

It was simply the truth.

He had been born exceptionally gifted, with divine strength from childhood, and he wielded a heavy saber weighing several dozen pounds.

Ordinary jianghu martial artists truly could not withstand a single move from him.

Basically, once his saber came down, the other party would be smashed to pieces.

How could they possibly remain alive?

The fact that Li He had survived with only light injuries already showed that he possessed considerable strength.

The outcome caused an uproar all around them.

Some traveling merchants had also heard of Li He of the Zhenyuan Escort Agency.

For several decades of escort work, Li He had never once lost a shipment.

Who would have thought that Li He would stumble this time?

"So this is what jianghu martial artists are like..."

Zhang Su was also among the crowd.

Though the exchange between He Xiongfei and Li He had consisted of only one move, Zhang Su had already seen through it.

Li He and He Xiongfei were both at the Blood Qi Realm Ninth Layer.

They each possessed roughly a hundred strands of Blood Qi.

Within the jianghu, most martial artists practiced ordinary techniques or superior techniques.

Obtaining a top-tier technique was virtually impossible.

Having even one top-tier technique could allow a family to become a martial arts clan and pass it down generation after generation.

That was because top-tier techniques could break through the limits of the human body, and the chances of producing Internal Force were far higher than for martial artists who cultivated ordinary or superior techniques.

Without a top-tier technique, one could not break through the limits of the human body. Relying only on around a hundred strands of Blood Qi meant years upon years of tempering.

After perhaps several decades of tempering, there might be the slightest possibility of producing Internal Force and becoming an Internal Force martial artist.

But most people did not have such luck.

Even after polishing themselves for decades, they could only remain at the Blood Qi Realm Ninth Layer.

Now Zhang Su understood why his elder brother would rather marry into the Su Family and become a live-in son-in-law mocked by everyone in Qingquan Prefecture. It had all been to pave the way for him.

Without the Su Family's connections and silver, how could Zhang Su have entered the Guiyuan Sect and become an Outer Sect disciple?

Even as merely an Outer Sect disciple, he could come into contact with top-tier techniques and even peerless techniques.

His starting point was already far higher than those jianghu martial artists.

That was the true worth of being a disciple of a great sect!

"Father, let's fight them to the death..."

Li Wushi gritted his teeth and spoke in a low voice.

This shipment absolutely could not be lost.

Once it was lost, the foundation built over decades by the Zhenyuan Escort Agency and even the entire Li Family would be ruined in a single day.

The price was too great.

So great that the Zhenyuan Escort Agency could not bear it.

"Oh? Are you going to risk your lives? The young chief escort is hot-blooded indeed, though you do have some spirit..."

He Xiongfei immediately gripped his heavy saber, and a cold killing intent radiated from his body.

He had said that he would only rob this shipment and not kill anyone.

But if the Zhenyuan Escort Agency failed to appreciate kindness, then he would have no choice but to unleash a slaughter!

After all, he was a bandit!

"Enough!"

Li He shouted, cutting off Li Wushi's words.

He raised his head and gave He Xiongfei a long, deep look before saying in a low voice, "This old man's skills are lacking, and I am no match for Chief He. But this old man's word in the jianghu is a spit and a nail. Since I have lost, then according to our agreement, Chief He may take all these goods."

"Hahaha, good! Chief Escort Li truly is a man of his word!"

He Xiongfei burst into laughter.

"However, Chief He should know that this shipment belongs to the Su Family! Once you offend the Su Family, life at Feitian Ridge will likely not be easy either..."

Li He was clearly unwilling to accept this. His words tugged at his injuries, and he began coughing violently.

He Xiongfei did not care in the least and said meaningfully, "What Su Family or otherwise? I only concern myself with robbing shipments. If they have the ability, let the Su Family send someone to Feitian Ridge!"

He Xiongfei waved his hand.

At once, the bandits behind him dismounted one after another and prepared to take away the goods.

The escort agency's guards all glared furiously at that group of bandits.

They also knew the consequences of losing this shipment.

Li He waved his hand and shouted, "All of you, step aside."

Though the guards were furious, they also knew that their chief escort was trying to protect them.

Thus, the guards could only retreat step by step.

Just as the bandits were preparing to take complete control of the goods,

A strange voice suddenly came from the crowd. "The Su Family? Which Su Family?"

Immediately afterward, a young man in white robes, holding a longsword and looking like a refined young nobleman, stepped out from the crowd.

"Of course, the Su Family of Qingquan Prefecture, known as Su Bancheng..."

Li He answered instinctively.

"Oh?"

"Since it is Su Bancheng's shipment, then I cannot let you take it away..."

Zhang Su spoke slowly.

He had not originally wanted to meddle in other people's affairs.

The fighting and killing of the jianghu had nothing to do with him.

But who would have thought that this shipment actually belonged to the Su Family?

His elder brother was the Su Family's live-in son-in-law.

The Su Family's business also included his elder brother's share.

Therefore, this shipment concerned him as well.

Naturally, he had to step forward and deal with it!