Horse Bandits

As the sky gradually darkened, the caravan gathered the carriages together, leaving at least three people on guard. They could not neglect feeding the horses, either.

Only then did they start fires and cook. Manager Ma deliberately kept Tie Li's food separate from everyone else's.

Once it was ready, it was delivered into the carriage.

A thick steak, a large bowl of rice, and a small dish of dried fruit.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they began to rest. The night watch was divided into two shifts, one for the first half of the night and one for the second.

Tie Li did not need to stand watch. If danger arose, someone would come notify him.

But he could not sleep soundly. He had to remain alert at all times, especially at night.

As a Soul Master, Tie Li's physical strength was naturally superior to that of ordinary people.

In the quiet night, even the faintest sounds could be picked up by Tie Li.

For example, at this moment, the sound of hooves came from afar. It was still faint and might have been several miles away, but Tie Li had indeed heard it.

Tie Li stepped out of the carriage, his expression grave as he stared in the direction of the hoofbeats.

"Lord Soul Master, did something happen?"

"A group of people on horseback is approaching us," Tie Li said.

The sound grew clearer and clearer. Tie Li could even judge their numbers from the hoofbeats.

Seventeen horses. If each rider had one horse, that meant seventeen people.

Upon hearing this, the manager immediately woke everyone from their sleep. They drew long blades from the carriages.

When traveling abroad, how could they not carry weapons to defend themselves?

As they drew closer, everyone in the caravan heard the sound of hooves striking the ground.

"This is bad. Horse bandits!" The manager's face darkened as he glanced at Tie Li beside him. Tie Li was their support.

"Hahaha, Boss, we've got a big fish."

"With this much cargo, we'll definitely fetch a good price."

"Wonder if there are any women for us to have fun with. Hehehe."

Tie Li swept his gaze over the horse bandits. Just as he had judged, there were seventeen of them.

The bald, burly man at the head of the group was bare-chested. A vicious scar ran from his cheek all the way down to his abdomen, making him look even more ferocious.

"Leave the carriages and hand over your money. For the sake of Snowwind Trading House, I can spare your lives." The bald man rested his saber on his shoulder, his face full of disdain. He did not believe this caravan would dare risk their lives against him.

Seeing the horse bandits' posture, the caravan members instinctively looked toward the manager. The manager, meanwhile, had his eyes fixed on Tie Li.

Tie Li could sense Soul Power fluctuations from the bald man, but he was the only Soul Master among the horse bandits.

The caravan's strong men were skilled among ordinary people. Could they deal with the remaining horse bandits?

"Manager Ma, if I can hold that big man back, can you handle the rest of the horse bandits?" Tie Li quietly asked as he approached the manager.

Hearing Tie Li's words, Manager Ma felt reassured. As long as Tie Li was willing to act, they had a chance of winning. What he feared most was that this young Soul Master would crumble under the pressure and retreat in fear.

"We can!"

Having received a definite answer, Tie Li prepared himself for battle.

Before the bald man could react, Tie Li suddenly sprang forward, summoning his Forging Hammer Martial Soul and charging straight at the bald man leading the group.

"Attack!"

Manager Ma immediately drew his broadsword. With the order given, the caravan members rushed forward as one, not a single one retreating.

They were a team. Their coordination and trust in one another were assured.

The bald man froze for a moment. When he recovered, fury immediately appeared on his face.

"I gave you a chance. You're the ones courting death."

The bald man's already broad body swelled even larger. He shot up to two meters tall, and layers of thick brown fur covered his body.

Two white Soul Rings appeared beneath him.

He was a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster, with a higher Soul Power Level than Tie Li.

Tie Li hesitated for only a moment, but he did not fear the other's strength.

He had Hundred-Year Soul Rings. The attributes they granted far surpassed the other's. The other's only advantage was his Soul Power Level.

The bald man, on the other hand, could not hide the shock in his eyes.

The two Ten-Year Soul Rings beneath him lit up with white light.

Strength Amplification!

Defense Amplification!

Ten-Year Soul Rings only granted him a five-percent increase in attributes.

He swung his saber with all his might, colliding with the Forging Hammer in an ear-piercing clash.

"Screech!"

The bald man's Martial Soul was a bear. His strength and defense were both outstanding, but with the enhancement of a Hundred-Year Soul Ring, Tie Li was no weaker than him in a contest of strength.

Their strength was evenly matched, making the quality of their weapons crucial.

A small chunk shattered from the saber's edge, and cracks spread from the gap across the blade.

The arcs of electricity on the Forging Hammer were blocked by the thick fur.

"Bang!"

Unable to withstand the force of their clash, the saber completely shattered into dozens of fragments.

The bald man decisively tossed aside the hilt in his hand. A pair of bear claws struck at Tie Li's head from both sides.

Tie Li ducked low, evading the attack while landing on the ground. His Forging Hammer smashed toward the horse's forelegs.

The horse let out a miserable cry. Losing the support of its front legs, its entire body toppled forward and flung the bald man from its back.

For a moment, the bald man lost control of his body. His pigeon-egg-sized eyes widened sharply as the incoming hammerhead aimed straight at his face.

"Boom!"

"Buzz!"

The powerful strike landed squarely. At that instant, the hammerhead vibrated at an extremely high frequency, cracking open his skull as white fluid flowed from his hollow ears.

Seeing the bald man die miserably beneath Tie Li's iron hammer, the remaining horse bandits lost their will to fight and immediately turned their horses to flee.

But the caravan's strong men were all skilled fighters. How could they let such a good opportunity pass? They were the first to slash at the horse bandits' horses.

Tie Li crouched down and searched through the bald man's clothes.

His face lit up with delight. Just as expected, he had found it. The ancients had not deceived him.

He pulled out three money pouches, each filled with quite a few coins. They felt heavy in his hands.

He calmly tucked them into his clothes. The caravan members had also nearly finished the battle, though a few horse bandits had still managed to escape desperately.

Manager Ma had seen Tie Li searching the corpse and called for his men to search the horse bandits' bodies.

Tie Li returned to the carriage, intending to inspect his gains, but Manager Ma arrived carrying more than ten money pouches.

"Lord Soul Master, thank you for your help this time. These money pouches were all taken from the horse bandits."

He really knew how to handle things. Before I could even bring it up, he had already brought them to me.

But Tie Li was not someone who kept everything for himself. He took all the Gold Soul Coins from the dozen or so money pouches and let Manager Ma distribute the rest among the others.

In truth, the Gold Soul Coins in those pouches did not even add up to five. Most of them were Silver Soul Coins and Copper Soul Coins.

After this incident, the caravan members developed a great deal of goodwill toward the young Soul Master.

Tie Li was very pleased, because his gains this time were considerable. The Gold Soul Coins he had obtained from the horse bandits totaled forty-seven, along with thirty-one Silver Soul Coins.