Escape

Judging by appearance alone, Tie Li looked older, nearly half a head taller than the others, and much sturdier.

"Three Soul Masters, this way, please!"

The caravan's manager arrived. He looked somewhat plump, with a flattering smile plastered across his face.

The caravan was waiting in the trading house's square. Twenty-four horse-drawn carts had been used to carry the goods, with one person assigned to each cart.

But compared with Snowwind Trading House's caravan, this one looked rather unprofessional.

In both conduct and management, this plump manager fell somewhat short as well.

After bringing Tie Li and the other two to the caravan, he saw that some people had yet to finish loading the goods. Instead of attending to Tie Li's group first, he went over to scold them, leaving the three standing there.

The other two might have been taking on an escort mission for the first time, so they did not think much of it.

Although Tie Li had only experienced one escort mission himself, he had unconsciously set Manager Ma's caravan as the standard. Compared to that, this caravan was clearly below par.

In Tie Li's mind, their image had already been set.

Only after the carts had been dealt with did he remember the three Soul Masters he had left waiting. Regret immediately filled his heart.

But they're so young. It should be fine, the plump manager thought to himself.

Coming back to his senses, the plump manager composed himself and walked over to the three of them, arranging carts for them as though this had been the normal procedure all along.

They're just clueless rookies after all. They nearly scared me to death.

Tie Li glanced at the plump manager but said nothing. Still, the manager's standing in his mind had taken a severe hit.

Sure enough, people could not stand up to comparison.

Each person had a cart of their own, complete with a separate compartment for resting and a driver.

Tie Li chose the last of the three carts and climbed inside.

The driver assigned to Tie Li was an honest-looking middle-aged man.

Once everything had been arranged, the caravan officially set off.

The journey would take around twenty days. The reason they had hired three One-Ring Soul Masters was that the area between Fragrant City and Kairo City was remote and barren, with Bandits frequently appearing to block the roads and rob travelers.

But Bandits did not rob just anyone. If they saw Soul Masters in a caravan, they would usually know better than to provoke them.

Perhaps everyone's luck was simply poor. On the very first day, they were surrounded by a group of Bandits that night.

When Tie Li stepped out of his compartment, he saw the Bandits encircling the caravan. There were more than a hundred of them, all holding large blades.

The caravan's people had long since been scared senseless. Forget protecting the goods—they had all huddled off to one side.

Compared with Manager Ma's caravan, this one was worse by more than a single level in every respect.

The other two young Soul Masters had gone pale, frozen in place for a moment.

Clearly, this was their first time encountering such a situation.

"S-Sir, just tell us what you need, and we'll do our best to satisfy you." The plump manager timidly approached the Bandit leader, forcing out a smile uglier than crying.

"Leave your goods behind, along with every valuable item you have on you. If I'm in a good mood, I might let you go."

The Bandit leader was a burly man with a ring-handled broadsword in hand. His bare upper body was covered in scars of every size, making him look all the more fierce.

"Th-this... everyone else is negotiable, but our caravan has three Lord Soul Masters. They..."

The plump manager deliberately said this to see whether the other side would fear the Soul Masters' status.

"Hahaha, you're trying to scare me with Soul Masters?" The Bandit leader burst into laughter as if he had heard a joke.

At that moment, one of the Bandit leader's lackeys mocked them.

"Our chief and second chief are both Soul Masters. Bring out your Soul Masters and see our chief chop your Lord Soul Masters to pieces."

The plump manager had not expected the Bandits' leader to be a Soul Master. At a complete loss, he instinctively looked toward Tie Li and the other two.

"Just three little brats? You'd better be sensible, unless you want to suffer."

The Bandit leader's gaze swept over the three of them, lingering on Tie Li for several seconds longer.

Tie Li looked at the caravan's people. They had been frightened out of their wits long ago. Sure enough, this bunch could not be relied upon.

"What? You don't believe me?"

Feigning anger, the Bandit leader released his aura. Two white Soul Rings appeared beneath him.

The last shred of resolve in the two young Soul Masters' hearts collapsed. They had just been thinking of using their status as Soul Masters to frighten the other side away, only to find that the Bandit leader's Soul Power Level surpassed theirs and that he had one more Soul Ring than they did.

The Bandit leader was about to secretly rejoice at the sight when he saw Tie Li summon his Martial Soul.

Lightning suddenly flashed in his right hand, and the Forging Hammer Martial Soul appeared in Tie Li's grip.

A yellow Soul Ring appeared around the Forging Hammer!

The Bandit leader glanced at the Forging Hammer Martial Soul in slight shock and secretly marveled at it.

Even Tie Li himself was somewhat shocked by the changes in his Martial Soul. If he could fully absorb the Thousand-Year Thunder Python Inner Core, it would surely undergo even greater changes.

The blue-white lightning and the Hundred-Year Soul Ring glowing with yellow light placed enormous pressure on the Bandit leader before him.

Whether it was the Martial Soul or the Soul Ring, both far surpassed his own.

The moment Tie Li summoned his Martial Soul, the atmosphere turned tense. The most terrified were the caravan's people. Facing more than a hundred Bandits, they could not summon even the thought of resistance.

"Are you sure you want to do this? Then they will have to pay for your actions." The Bandit leader swung his broadsword and pointed it at the caravan's people.

The other Bandits all drew their blades and aimed them at the caravan. At a single command from their leader, they would slaughter these people without hesitation.

"W-wait, Lord Soul Master! They have overwhelming numbers. If you suffer any losses, once we return to the trading house, I'll have the trading house compensate you!" the plump manager cried in panic.

Tie Li deliberately showed a tempted expression. Just as everyone was at their least guarded, a short, sharp-faced man suddenly attacked Tie Li from the side. A white Soul Ring appeared beneath him, radiating a pure white glow.

"I've been waiting for you!"

Tie Li's eyes sharpened, and his Forging Hammer crackled with threads of lightning.

The Bandits' second chief's First Soul Skill was likely a speed-enhancing Soul Skill. His ambush had been fast, but Tie Li had accurately predicted the direction of his attack.

Smack!

One hammer blow shattered his head, spraying red and white in every direction.

With a single strike, he had killed a One-Ring Soul Master.

"Attack!" the Bandit leader shouted.

The Bandit gang of more than a hundred people charged forward as one. Tie Li had no intention of dealing with them now. He seized a Bandit's horse, mounted it, and fled into the distance.

The difference in numbers was far too great, and the caravan members were utterly useless. Even if he risked his life to kill the Bandit leader, they would have long since become corpses beneath the Bandits' blades.

Was he supposed to escort more than twenty carts of goods by himself?

Rather than that, he might as well choose the option most advantageous to himself.