Tenfold Critical Strike

With others around, Zhou He's men found it awkward to keep talking.

By the time Lu Yuan reached the city gate as well, everyone had finally gathered.

There were twenty-two men in all. Zhou He had actually brought over all the horses—military steeds, plump and strong, without a single problem.

After Wei Yong and the others came forward to pay their respects, Lu Yuan said to Zhou He, "Which direction are the scouts you want to hunt down likely to be in?"

He selected a horse, tying his bundle and wineskin onto it as he turned his head to ask.

"The news yesterday placed them at Ancient Well Village. They should still be active around that area today. It's only a little over fifty li from the city. Those people are bold; after scouting the area, they usually plunder a little before leaving, so they won't depart for now.

"If we're lucky, we can be back tomorrow. Whoever kills someone gets the head and the spoils. If several people work together to kill one, the two of us split fifty percent between us, and the others get the remaining fifty percent. Does that sound fair?"

The head of an ordinary Northern Barbarian warrior was worth two taels of silver, while an Entry Realm Northern Barbarian warrior was worth five taels. Their armor and warhorses could also be exchanged for money if brought back. If they were lucky, some of them might even be carrying things they had looted.

Because Zhou He led them personally and his men dared to fight and kill, three of his ten subordinates had reached the Entry Realm.

Lu Yuan's side was a little weaker. Only he and Wei Yong had entered the realm.

That made five Entry Realm fighters in total. Operating within fifty li of the city, as long as they were careful, they would not be in danger.

"Fine, it's settled. Let's go." As Lu Yuan spoke, he sprang onto his warhorse.

The group of more than twenty men headed into the wilderness. Although spring had already arrived, the Northern Frontier had always been slow to warm.

The ground was therefore covered in withered yellow grass, with patches of white snow still visible from time to time. This year was not too bad, as there had not been much snowfall. Otherwise, they would have had to leave the city on foot.

They passed scattered villages along the way, all inhabited by people of Great Yong.

They too were convicted prisoners sent here in exile. With no money to grease palms, they could only live outside the city.

Life was harsh, and they were often subjected to Northern Barbarian raids. Though they were also Garrison Soldiers, there was ultimately a gap between their combat strength and that of the regular army. As for the troops stationed outside the city, with so many villages and towns, there would always be places they could not cover.

Thus, if one had to put it that way, these people were truly the Northern Frontier's first line of defense.

It was not until noon, after riding hard for some time, that the group stopped to eat some dry rations.

Lu Yuan looked around and saw that most people had brought coarse-rice steamed buns.

Those carrying fine-flour buns were all skilled Entry Realm fighters. As for those who could sandwich large chunks of meat inside, only Lu Yuan and Zhou He could do so.

After eating and drinking a little wine,

Zhou He pointed at a faintly visible village ahead and said, "That's Ancient Well Village. There are probably several dozen households inside. The Northern Barbarian scouts can't be far from us—fifteen men in total. Once we complete this mission, you won't need to leave the city for the next ten days or so."

For a group of fifteen, the usual configuration would include three or four Entry Realm fighters.

They held the advantage.

"Fine. Let's find them first," Lu Yuan said softly.

At that moment, Old Huang, who had not spoken until then, opened his mouth. "My lord, I know this."

Old Huang had happened to seek Lu Yuan out for drinks the previous night. Though Lu Yuan had not gone, he had told Old Huang that he would be leaving the city and casually asked whether he wished to come along.

To his surprise, Old Huang agreed immediately, and so he had followed them today.

He had even brought his own horse.

As soon as Old Huang spoke, everyone looked over. He scratched his head awkwardly and said, "I've scraped by around Ice Plain City for decades. My strength may be lacking, but I know the roads well.

"I know which places are most likely to hide people."

"Heh, brother, you've found yourself a treasure. If it really is as you say, I'll reward Old Huang with another five taels of silver," Zhou He said with a smile.

Lu Yuan merely shot him a glance. "Do I not have silver? Why do I need you to give it? Old Huang, lead the way."

If Old Huang could truly find them, then he was a precious gem. No one could think of snatching him away from Lu Yuan.

"Stingy," Zhou He said, unbothered, still chuckling.

Then his whip cracked across his warhorse, and he followed Old Huang forward at a gallop.

About an hour later, they arrived behind an earthen hill.

Old Huang reined in his warhorse and leaped down. He made a gesture for silence, then nimbly bent low and climbed the hill.

The others exchanged looks before following him up.

Then they saw more than a dozen men drinking around a bonfire. They were dressed differently from the people of Great Yong. Every one of them wore thick but somewhat rough leather armor, with no helmets on their heads, exposing either bald scalps or heads with only a tuft of hair remaining.

Their faces were tattooed with all manner of totems, and their builds were all rather sturdy.

"No doubt about it. It's them," Zhou He said softly.

Lu Yuan nodded. "Should we kill them?"

With his true strength, he did not fear even a Bone Forging Realm opponent. The strongest among these Northern Barbarians appeared to be only at the Entry Realm.

However, there were somewhat more Entry Realm fighters than they had expected—roughly seven or eight.

Whether among the barbarians or Great Yong, once someone entered the realm, their armor would differ somewhat from that of ordinary soldiers. Though it was not as refined as a Squad Leader's armor, they had earned the right to wear armor inlaid with iron plates.

"There are a bit too many Entry Realm fighters. My men can deal with at most one opponent of the same realm each. How about your side?" Zhou He turned to Lu Yuan.

Wei Yong hurriedly said, "I can handle one too."

Opportunities to kill Northern Barbarians were few, and killing one would earn Merit Points. With so many people gathered today, he did not want to let this chance slip away.

Lu Yuan swept his gaze over them. "Four Entry Realm fighters for each side. If you have any strength to spare, come help."

Zhou He nodded.

Li Xing, standing beside him, was not entirely reassured. He opened his mouth, but after meeting Zhou He's gaze, swallowed his words.

After all, there was a Bone Forging Realm expert covering them. Since Zhou He wanted to bring Lu Yuan along, Li Xing, as his subordinate, did not dare question him at such a moment.

"Mount up. Kill our way over." After saying this, Zhou He decisively turned and headed for his horse.

The others followed close behind.

The next moment, they charged up the earthen hill.

As he rode, Lu Yuan shouted to Wei Yong and the others, "Arrowhead Formation!"

At his call, his dozen-plus subordinates instantly found their positions. With Lu Yuan at the forefront, they formed an arrow-shaped charging formation and surged ahead.

Hoofbeats rang out. Hearing the commotion, the Northern Barbarian scouts did not panic. They too found their warhorses, mounted up, and brandished their weapons as they charged forward.

Most of them wielded heavy weapons—Wolf-Tooth Maces and battle axes.

Zhou He wielded a pair of eight-sided warhammers. The instant the two sides clashed, he smashed an Entry Realm Northern Barbarian expert off his horse and onto the ground.

Lu Yuan did not spare attention for anything else.

Whoosh!

His long saber slid free of its sheath and swung directly at the Wolf-Tooth Mace of an Entry Realm Northern Barbarian expert. A savage smile spread across the man's face.

When an ordinary saber collided with his weapon, there was only one outcome—the blade would be knocked flying.

And naturally, the opponent's skull would be smashed apart at the same time.

"Don't meet it head-on!" Seeing this, Zhou He could not help calling out a warning. At the same time, his warhammer swept out, forcing back several barbarian soldiers closing in on him.

But it was already too late for him to rush over and help.

Lu Yuan, however, remained utterly calm.

Clang!

When the long saber collided with the Wolf-Tooth Mace, it did not fly from Lu Yuan's hand as expected. Instead, it knocked the heavy weapon aside.

Taking advantage of the barbarian soldier's unsteady center of gravity, Lu Yuan urged his warhorse forward. His blade scraped along the mace's handle as it slashed toward the barbarian.

Sparks flew in all directions.

Slice!

The barbarian's hand was severed on the spot, and he had only just begun to scream.

Lu Yuan's blade rose, slicing along the man's neck. Blood streamed down the edge as a large hand steadily caught the head, then tossed it into the net bag hanging at the side of his warhorse.

It sounded complicated, but it had all happened in the blink of an eye. Lu Yuan's skill made even Zhou He raise a thumb in admiration.

At the same time, the system's voice sounded in Lu Yuan's mind.

[The host swung his saber once. Blade-Breaking Eight Styles proficiency +10]

[The host endured one enemy impact. Golden Bell Cover proficiency +10]

[The host used a military formation to launch an attack. Arrowhead Formation proficiency +10 (Beginner-level Arrowhead Formation: combat strength of soldiers under command increased by thirty percent)]

As expected, fighting and killing on the battlefield yielded much more proficiency. Lu Yuan ignored the system and focused solely on killing the enemy.

The battle that followed became much simpler.

They already held the numerical advantage. Although they had fewer Entry Realm experts than the Northern Barbarians, Lu Yuan and Zhou He, a Bone Forging Realm expert, were holding the field. Thus, everything proceeded quite smoothly.

After less than half an hour of fierce fighting, it was completely over.

When they counted the spoils, no one had expected Lu Yuan to have killed the most people. Three Entry Realm fighters had died by his hand, along with two ordinary scouts. Wei Yong had taken a slash to the arm and had not been able to defeat the Entry Realm Northern Barbarian expert. If Lu Yuan had not lent him a hand, he likely would have died in battle already.

Zhou He had been one step slower and had killed only two skilled Entry Realm fighters.

However, he did not take it to heart. Rubbing his hands, he looked at the corpses on the ground and said, "They're all dead. Count the spoils. I'm telling you now—find your own things. Whoever dares touch someone else's haul and break the rules, don't blame me for being ruthless."

After saying that, he gave Lu Yuan a meaningful look. The two began searching through the bodies.

Lu Yuan was rather expectant as well. He stepped forward and reached out to search the Northern Barbarian scouts.