The caravan continued on its way and reached the outskirts of Black Stone City around noon on the third day. The road grew smoother, and signs of life became more frequent. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, believing the job was about to end without a hitch.
Just then, a weak groan came from the roadside bushes ahead. A thin man in tattered hemp clothes, streaked with blood, struggled out and waved for help.
"Help... kind sirs... please help me..." His voice was hoarse, and his face was pale.
The caravan came to a halt. Old John hesitated, while Hake frowned and studied the man.
Lin Qin looked at the man's wounds and his feeble appearance, then sensed his presence. The man had no energy fluctuations at all; he was just an ordinary person.
"What happened?" Lin Qin asked.
"I... I ran into bandits with my companions... They were all killed... and they took the goods... I pretended to be dead, so I survived..." the man stammered, his eyes filled with terror. "Please, take me with you. Just as far as Black Stone City..."
Old John looked to Hake and Lin Qin, leaving the decision to them. Hake had more experience. He watched the man for a few seconds and saw no obvious flaw, but still said, "Be careful. This area really isn't safe."
Lin Qin thought for a moment, took a waterskin from his horse, and walked over to hand it to the man. "Have some water."
The man gratefully took the waterskin and drank with trembling hands. As he lowered his head to drink, Lin Qin stepped closer, intending to check whether the deep-looking wound on his arm needed immediate treatment.
The moment Lin Qin bent down—
A fierce glint flashed in the eyes of the man who had seemed utterly feeble. His right hand, which he had kept hidden beneath him, suddenly swung out, and a poisoned dagger shot toward Lin Qin's abdomen like a venomous snake! It was astonishingly fast, nothing like the attack of an injured man!
They were too close, and it had happened too suddenly!
Lin Qin had stayed alert, but his opponent's disguise and timing had been impeccable. He reacted almost entirely on instinct, honed by countless sword swings, twisting sharply to the side.
"Riiip!"
The dagger failed to pierce his abdomen, but it sliced through the leather armor and clothes at his waist, drawing a streak of blood. A numbing sensation immediately spread from the wound.
"It's a trap!" Hake roared, drawing his saber and charging over.
The "refugee," having failed to land his first strike, immediately sprang to his feet. He moved nimbly, no longer showing the slightest trace of weakness. At the same time, five or six burly men armed with weapons burst from the bushes on either side of the road. Each wore a savage look, and the leader radiated the presence of a Level 4 Warrior.
"Kill them! Take the goods!" the bandit chief sneered as he charged at the caravan.
Lin Qin's heart jolted—not because he had been wounded, but because he had trusted too easily. He had been careless, fooled by appearances and overlooked his most basic instincts about danger. The academy and its books had never been able to teach him every kind of cruelty in the world.
The numbness was spreading, but his powerful Battle Qi and physique were resisting the poison. His gaze turned cold as his greatsword appeared in his hand. Ignoring the wound at his waist, he charged at the bandit who had attacked him.
The bandit was startled to see Lin Qin still moving so swiftly after being stabbed and raised his blade to block.
"Clang!"
The immense force transmitted through the greatsword knocked the bandit's single blade flying. Lin Qin turned his wrist and swung the flat of his sword, smashing it into the man's chest.
"Crack!" The sound of breaking bones rang out clearly. The bandit spat blood and flew backward. He was as good as dead.
Lin Qin didn't stop. Like a tiger among sheep, he charged into the other bandits. Anger simmered inside him, making his attacks even more ruthless. His sword flashed, and with every strike, another bandit fell. The Level 4 Warrior leading them tried to intercept him, but Lin Qin's furious blow drove him back again and again, splitting the skin across his palm.
Hake and the caravan guards fought back with all their might. The battle ended quickly. Every bandit was killed except for the chief, whom Lin Qin had deliberately left alive to question.
Lin Qin stood where he was, blood still seeping from the wound at his waist, the numbness not yet entirely gone. He looked at the bodies on the ground and the captured bandit chief, whose face had gone ashen. His expression was calm, but a trace of coldness had settled deep in his eyes.
He would remember this lesson.
Old John and the others gathered around him, concern showing as they examined his wound.
"It's a minor wound. I'm fine." Lin Qin shook his head and took out clean water and an antidote potion to treat it himself. His physique was far beyond that of an ordinary person, and the poison wasn't very potent, so it wasn't a serious problem.
Hake walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "You learn from your mistakes. In the wilderness, the first rule is to stay wary of strangers. You're still young. You'll get better with experience."
Lin Qin nodded without speaking. He etched the wound caused by his misplaced trust into his memory. The lesson hit harder than any mentor's warning.
The caravan set off again. This time, the rest of the journey passed without incident, and they reached Black Stone City safely. Lin Qin received his twenty gold coins in payment. Together with the Wind Wolf materials from earlier and the odds and ends he had taken from the bandits, he had made a decent haul.
But he knew the greatest reward from the job wasn't the gold. It was the wound at his waist, which would soon heal, and the lesson it had taught him.
After returning to Fenlai City, he turned in the job. As he looked at the motley assortment of people in the Mercenary Guild, his gaze had grown steadier and more reserved.
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