As the caravan continued onward, the mountain road grew more and more winding and rugged.
The forests on either side grew increasingly steep, too.
Night gradually fell, but the carriages didn't stop. Instead, their pace suddenly quickened.
"We're traveling through the night today. Everyone, stay alert!"
Hong Lei's shout came from up ahead, making everyone's hearts tighten.
They had all already begun training in the Five Animals Fist. Their blood and qi circulated through their bodies, driving away the cold and fatigue.
Even traveling through the night was no great problem.
But the thought that they might encounter bandits blocking the road and have to fight for their lives filled their hearts with a little fear and panic.
Though they had grown used to life and death in this troubled age, that didn't mean they didn't want to live.
A few of them, however, seemed rather excited, as if they hoped some bandits would appear so they could show off their skills and win the favor of Master Song or their mysterious employer.
"When you roam the martial world, how can you be afraid to die? If any of you are scared, just hide behind me when the bandits show up!"
Chen Yong waved the butcher's knife in his hand, determination shining in his eyes.
"He sure knows how to talk!"
Chen Pi jumped down from the carriage and hurried to catch up with Lu Yuan. He handed him a torch, then shot Chen Yong an exasperated glance as he spoke.
"If we really run into bandits, I'm afraid we'll have no choice but to fight for our lives!"
Lu Yuan smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
As the saying went, when two opponents met on a narrow path, the braver one prevailed. Fear was useless against vicious bandits. Their only option was to charge in and fight to the death.
Still, he wasn't all that worried.
Ordinary mountain bandits were usually tenant farmers who had been forced to take to the hills because they couldn't survive otherwise.
Even with weapons in hand, they posed no real threat to martial artists like them, who had trained to a certain level.
Even if they were unlucky and some of the leaders turned out to be martial artists, they would most likely be no stronger than the Bright Energy or Hidden Energy realms.
With his current cultivation and strength, he had more than enough confidence to protect himself.
And even if the worst came to pass and they encountered a Transformation Realm bandit, Master Song would be there to hold the line.
Master Song had roamed the martial world for many years. He was surely much stronger than an ordinary Transformation Realm martial artist. Only if disaster struck and they ran into a super-bandit who had reached the ranks would they have no choice but to accept their bad luck.
But that was clearly impossible. Even setting aside whether any martial artists who had reached the ranks would be willing to become bandits, even if there were any, they wouldn't come to this remote backwater.
"Peep, peep, peep..."
Before long, as the caravan continued forward, a shrill whistle suddenly rang out from the forest on the mountainside.
Then, firelight flashed.
Dozens of figures charged straight at the caravan with savage howls.
"Bandits!"
Someone cried out in alarm.
After a brief silence, the entire caravan erupted into chaos.
The porters had gone deathly pale. Though they drew long staffs and short blades from the carriages, they still looked flustered and hid behind the cargo.
Even Wu Yu, Chen Pi, and Gu Ming, Song Academy apprentices who could already be considered true martial artists, had gone somewhat pale.
After all, they were still only seventeen- or eighteen-year-old boys. This was their first time escorting a shipment and venturing into the martial world, and they had never truly fought or killed anyone before. How could they not be afraid?
What was more, though the approaching bandits wore tattered clothes, every one of them had a murderous glint in their eyes and a ruthless look on their faces. They charged forward as if they didn't care whether they lived or died, their sheer momentum overwhelming the apprentices.
The man at their head was especially imposing. He wielded a pair of broad axes, and he was not only incredibly burly but also extremely fast. A thick aura of slaughter radiated from him.
"Hidden Energy or Transformation Realm?"
Lu Yuan's gaze sharpened as his grip tightened slightly around his long saber.
"Don't panic. Circle around the carriages and stand back to back!"
Master Song's deep voice suddenly rang out, immediately putting everyone somewhat at ease.
With a great master of the Transformation Realm like Master Song here, they had no reason to fear a mere few dozen bandits.
The dozens of bandits reached the front of the caravan and suddenly stopped. Their burly leader went straight to negotiate with Master Song.
"I'm a martial artist. Trade your saber for mine, and I'll protect you!"
Chen Yong glanced at the porter beside him, then snatched the long saber from his hands and tossed him his own butcher's knife.
The porter could only nod helplessly. He gripped the butcher's knife tightly in both hands and hid behind Chen Yong.
"Chen Yong, can you really protect him?"
Chen Pi frowned slightly and turned to ask him.
"If I can unleash a blade aura, these bandits will be nothing but chickens and dogs!"
Chen Yong said, hope shining in his eyes.
"Then have you mastered the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique?"
Chen Pi asked again.
"Almost!"
Chen Yong snorted. "I may not be as good as Wang Liang, or Brother Hong Lei and Brother Fang Chang, but I'll still get there before you do."
"Try beating A-Yuan first!"
Chen Pi shot back. Chen Yong's face flushed red, and he shot Lu Yuan a sharp glance.
Lu Yuan didn't mind. He continued looking toward Master Song and the others up ahead.
"Attack! Kill them all!"
A cold shout suddenly rang out a moment later.
The next instant, the burly man suddenly swung his axe at Master Song.
Master Song naturally didn't sit back and wait to die. He raised his saber to meet the blow.
"Kill! Kill! Kill..."
The bandits behind him also brandished their blades, spears, and clubs, charging toward Hong Lei and Fang Chang, as well as Wu Yu, Chen Pi, Lu Yuan, and the others. Clearly, they didn't intend to spare a single one of them.
"Negotiations fell through!"
Lu Yuan took a deep breath, then looked up at the bandit charging toward him.
"Don't spread out! Watch each other's backs!"
Wu Yu, Gu Ming, Chen Pi, and the others fixed their gazes on the bandits charging at them. Their faces had grown even paler, and the sabers in their hands trembled slightly, yet not one of them took a step back.
They could even feel the blood and qi inside their bodies surging, their muscles tightening and their heartbeats quickening.
"Charge!"
Someone shouted, and more than a dozen young martial apprentices surged toward the bandits as one.
Their blood ran hot, and the courage of youth burst forth in full.
The moment they closed in, Lu Yuan raised his saber and brought it down.
Wind-Breaking Blade Technique, Wind-Slaying!
"Pffft!"
A flash of steel swept past, spraying a streak of blood.
Lu Yuan's saber was not only fast and accurate, but ruthless as well. Each stroke killed a man; every blow was fatal!
In just a few breaths, three bandits had fallen to his blade.
"So powerful... So this is the might of the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique?"
The others around him were greatly encouraged by the sight.
They thought that if Lu Yuan could wield such power, then so could they. After all, just like them, he had only recently begun training in the Five Animals Fist, and he hadn't mastered the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique either.
In an instant, everyone fought as if their blood had been fired up, growing even more ferocious.
Fortunately, though the bandits were all vicious, they weren't even martial artists.
Forget mastering techniques—they couldn't even unleash their blood and qi. How could they hope to withstand the flurry of blades from Wu Yu and the others?
Wang Liang, who had already mastered the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique, was especially formidable, easily killing two bandits in succession.
Before long, bandits littered the ground.
"Whoosh!"
Suddenly, a piercing whistle cut through the air.
Lu Yuan's pupils contracted. Instinctively, he raised his saber to block.
"Clang!"
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