Gaining the Upper Hand

Thanks to reader "Waiting for the Wind and Clouds" for the review, tips, and suggestions. I've revised the synopsis; please give me your thoughts on which version is better~~

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Gao Xu smiled slightly and stepped forward to follow, showing no signs of anxiety. At this moment, only by remaining calm could he secure a chance at victory.

Upon entering the cave, he discovered it was not a single straight path but rather a network of many excavated tunnels. What was rare was that each passage was exceptionally spacious, showing a grand scale; it seemed to be a refuge and stronghold left by predecessors, now conveniently claimed by the mountain bandits.

Gao Xu's expression brightened. This terrain was absolutely advantageous for him. There were fifteen Miao tribesmen in total, and there were three branching paths ahead. Judging by the momentum with which the Miao entered, they were highly likely to split their forces. Thus, the Miao leader, Tai Zhuonan, became the absolute priority of this competition.

Whoever killed him would gain a count of five heads. This advantage would be maximized if they split up; after all, there were still mountain bandits in the cave, and it was impossible for the Miao to all perish at the hands of Lin Yueru and Gao Xu. Therefore, Gao Xu had to make a rapid judgment:

Which branching path did Tai Zhuonan and Lin Yueru take respectively?

According to Tai Zhuonan's status, he was most likely to take the middle path, and Lin Yueru clearly thought the same, as Gao Xu could already smell her faint, lingering scent from the central tunnel.

However, after Gao Xu crouched down and carefully observed the ground for a moment, he overturned his previous conclusion. He had nearly been tricked!

In the absence of enemies, Tai Zhuonan, as the leader, would naturally choose the middle path. But what if there had been bait or provocation from the mountain bandits at the time?

In the corner of the left passage, there was a patch of scorched earth, identical to the traces left by the bandits previously killed by poison. Yet, because the light in the cave was dim, it was not easily noticed.

Lin Yueru, in her haste, had missed this clue. Clearly, the calm and composed Gao Xu had gained the upper hand in this round.

Of course, the left passage might not lead directly to the heart of the mountain; there could be further forks ahead, so Lin Yueru was not without a chance. Gao Xu still needed to seize his advantage and expand his lead.

Gao Xu held the Flying Rainbow Sword, his head lowered as he walked through the dim tunnel, like a lone wolf prowling in the darkness, baring its cruel and sharp fangs.

This environment was best suited for the martial arts technique from his previous life—the Seven Kill True Art. Inherited from the Enforcer "Wolf" Walter of the Ouroboros in the Trails in the Sky world, it was the foundation of a killing fist, extremely ruthless!

Although Gao Xu had abandoned the Seven Kill True Art halfway through to switch to the cultivation system, and his mastery was certainly not as refined as the Five Heavenly Blaze Swords or other sword-control techniques, it was more than enough to deal with these Miao tribesmen.

The noisy sounds of battle gradually drifted over. The roars of the Miao and the shouts of the mountain bandits intermingled, revealing the intensity of the fight.

Gao Xu slowed his pace, hunched slightly, and took out the Viper Saliva from his emblem space, waiting silently.

The arrogant Miao had clearly fallen into the bandits' ambush, surrounded by an enemy force several times their size. Even though Tai Zhuonan swung his heavy blade with fierce, wind-whipping power, he could not stop his subordinates from screaming one after another.

The only fortunate thing was that the bandits, intimidated by the lethality of Tai Zhuonan's poison, left room for evasion in every attack; otherwise, his men might have already been wiped out!

Gao Xu observed Tai Zhuonan's expression from afar and found his eyes filled with resentment and fury, yet not a hint of retreat. His heart sank slightly.

If Gao Xu were not competing against Lin Yueru, this situation would naturally be what he hoped to see. The snipe and the clam fight, and the fisherman reaps the profit—what a wonderful thing~

Unfortunately, reality was the exact opposite of his expectations. Every time a Miao tribesman died nearby, Gao Xu's heart twitched slightly, because his head count decreased by one.

Judging by the corpses on the ground, Tai Zhuonan had brought six subordinates. The remaining eight must have been dispersed into the other two tunnels, and the main force of the bandits was gathered here. This meant that with Lin Yueru's speed, she could easily claim those eight heads without much effort.

As such, while killing Tai Zhuonan, Gao Xu also had to eliminate four more Miao tribesmen to guarantee victory with one hundred percent certainty!

One Miao tribesman had already fallen, hacked to death by the bandits' wild blades. Gao Xu knew he had to act.

If it were any other novice reincarnator, without the aid of items, they would only have the option of a desperate charge. But that would likely make them the common target of both sides in the heat of battle, which was extremely dangerous.

Fortunately, Gao Xu possessed extraordinary experience from his previous life. Workers had to follow their bosses through all sorts of bizarre plots and missions. The Miao territory in the Legend of Sword and Fairy world, due to the existence of the extremely precious dark-gold item Golden Silkworm King, was a region frequently visited by reincarnators. Thus, while he dared not claim mastery of gu-poison arts, there was one skill he absolutely had to possess—

The Miao language!

"Danna gouya luoxia ne na changmeng, zhi ting ka luo dou!"

As a string of gibberish shouts echoed toward the battlefield, the Miao were stunned in unison. Even Tai Zhuonan showed a look of shock, because this sentence translated to: "Elder Shi orders everyone to retreat immediately; do not engage!"

The voice delivering the message was somewhat unfamiliar, but anyone who could mention Elder Shi in the Miao language here must be one of their own.

Tai Zhuonan's nature was arrogant, but he was also quite calculating. If Elder Shi had truly arrived, he could never let his brothers lose their lives, or he would have no way to answer for it.

With this in mind, a look of heartache flashed across Tai Zhuonan's face. He flicked his right hand, and a green, terrifyingly venomous snake slithered out from his sleeve, darting toward the mountain bandits at high speed.

This green snake was not like the common trash in the Hidden Dragon Cave. Not only was its body agile enough to dodge blades, but as it flew, it emitted a whimpering sound, like a flute, melodious and winding. A mountain bandit instinctively tilted his head to listen, only to be bitten on the calf by the green snake. Within moments, his face turned purple and he collapsed.

This exotic Flute Snake was Tai Zhuonan's trump card. Once unleashed, it indeed forced the bandits to dodge everywhere, throwing their formation into chaos.

Tai Zhuonan sneered and took the opportunity to lead his men to break through in the direction they had come from, but he did not expect a handful of pungent powder to be thrown at them from the shadows.

Realgar powder had the effect of repelling poison and insects, and since the Miao were adept at using poison powders, they dodged to both sides almost subconsciously. At that very moment, a cold light, so fast it left only an afterimage, flashed by. The neck of the Miao tribesman with the lowest health sprayed a large amount of blood. He clutched his wound tightly and fell down, his face full of astonishment.

"Brother Lei!" Another Miao tribesman's eyes split with rage, and he let out a sorrowful cry. He appeared to be the older brother of the fallen man. Regardless of the danger, he lunged toward the corpse on the ground. A silver light flashed, and another flying knife pierced his brow, following in his brother's footsteps.

"You are all courting death!!!" If it weren't for Elder Shi's care for the lives of his sect brothers, Tai Zhuonan would never have ordered a retreat. He never expected that even so, they would be ambushed by bandits hiding in the dark, losing more men. How could this not drive him into a state of fury?

"My darlings, come out and feed!" Tai Zhuonan's eyes were like a hawk's, emitting brilliant, icy glints. He looked at the bandits as if they were dead men. Even if he had to release his not-yet-fully-cultivated poisonous insects, he would make these ignorant bandits taste the consequences of offending him!

A golden centipede and an amber scorpion, raising their venomous mandibles and covered in barbs, viciously pounced toward the pursuing bandits. Meanwhile, Tai Zhuonan himself put away his curved blade, raised both hands, and two silver objects flew toward the corner on the side.

That was exactly where Gao Xu was hiding!

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In the game, this boss, just like the Snake Demon, also slashes around with the Crescent Moon Slash. I thought that as a Black Miao tribesman, not using poison would be beneath his status, so I equipped him with quite a few poisonous insects. However, this makes him look more like a summoner, lol...

I hope you guys won't roast me too hard~~