Ambushed on the Return Journey (Please Follow)

After the handover was complete, the safety of this silver became the responsibility of the Prosperity Escort Agency.

Even if it was lost before they had left the bank, it would still be the escort agency's responsibility.

Fortunately, the night passed without incident. The next day, Zhao Ya bought some supplies in town to replenish their provisions, then set off on the return journey.

Perhaps because the trip here had gone so smoothly, the taut string in everyone's hearts loosened a little. At last, people began chatting and laughing.

Zhao Ya did not reprimand them too harshly. Sometimes, pushing too hard could have the opposite effect.

But he himself did not relax in the slightest, his eyes constantly scanning their surroundings.

The sun rose higher, and the weather grew increasingly hot.

Although Zhao Ya had bought plenty of sour plum soup in River Mouth Town to ward off heat and quench thirst, everyone still trudged along with parched mouths and dry throats.

By noon, not only the people but even the draft animals pulling the carts had grown listless.

Yet no one complained. They continued hurrying onward.

After all, this was the time when bandits were most likely to appear. On top of that, the escort carts were loaded with gleaming silver, so no one dared let down their guard.

Zhao Ya did not feel hot. He focused intently on observing the surroundings, a vague unease rising within him.

He could not say why, but Zhao Ya felt as though he were facing a formidable enemy.

Suddenly.

Zhao Ya heard a faint sound cutting through the air.

The sound was incredibly subtle, something ordinary people would never have noticed.

But after practicing the Eight-Part Vajra Art for so long, Zhao Ya's five senses had become exceptionally sharp.

His entire body tensed, and he immediately shouted, "Enemy!"

At those two simple words, the escort hands immediately ducked behind the escort carts as they had been trained to do at the agency.

These escort carts had been specially designed to withstand arrows.

Sure enough, just as everyone took cover, a hail of arrows came whistling through the air.

Zhao Ya also crouched behind an escort cart, but he kept watching the direction from which the arrows had come.

The woods to the right of the official road ahead!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Most of the arrows embedded themselves in the escort carts. The people were unharmed, but none of the draft animals were spared; every one of them was shot dead.

Zhao Ya's heart tightened. He knew the enemy had done this deliberately—they did not want them escaping from here.

At the same time, as the rain of arrows briefly subsided, a group of people charged out from the woods.

They were all dressed in black and wielding sharp blades as they rushed over like wolves and tigers.

Zhao Ya took a deep breath and shouted in a low voice, "Don't panic! Respond according to the agency's training!"

He shouted this to steady the escort hands. With a powerful enemy before them, if they lost their nerve as well, it would all be over.

Sure enough.

Hearing Zhao Ya's calm voice, the terrified group settled down considerably. They immediately drew their weapons and gathered together, using the escort carts as cover as they prepared to face the charging enemies.

The enemy clearly had not expected Zhao Ya's group to remain so calm in the face of a surprise attack. Their leader gave a soft exclamation of surprise, but did not slow down in the slightest.

At the same time, he raised his long saber with both hands and bent slightly at the waist, his entire body coiled to strike. The moment he got close, he intended to first cleave apart the escort cart behind which Zhao Ya was hiding.

He had heard Zhao Ya issuing orders just now and knew that voice must belong to the escort master. As long as he dealt with him first, this escort shipment would be theirs.

Ten steps, eight steps...

When he was only three steps away, a cold smile appeared on the man's lips. He raised his saber and was about to bring it down.

At that moment, the equally prepared Zhao Ya suddenly sprang into action, swinging the Meteoric Iron Saber upward.

Zhao Ya's intent was simple: use the Meteoric Iron Saber's sharpness to break the man's weapon first.

Once the saber broke, the man would die.

Clang!

An incomparably crisp metallic clash rang out, sparks flying where the two sabers struck.

But to Zhao Ya's surprise, the opponent's saber did not break.

In fact, Zhao Ya was not the only one surprised. The charging man was even more shocked.

What was supposed to be an easy and pleasant "hunt" had turned into an encounter with a tough opponent.

This escort master who had drawn his blade was not only highly skilled with the saber, but was clearly wielding a treasured weapon as well. That was why his own saber had failed to cut it apart.

But Zhao Ya did not care about any of that.

At that moment, he felt only relief.

If he had not seized this Meteoric Iron Saber back then, there would have been only one outcome for him now: his saber breaking and himself dying.

After all, when two people were close in strength, a suitable superior weapon could greatly increase one's lethality.

The thought flashed through his mind.

After blocking the enemy's attack, Zhao Ya did not hesitate. He flicked his wrist to the left, then followed through by slashing diagonally down to the right, aiming straight for the man's neck.

The change in technique was precise and vicious.

The black-clad man's heart tightened. Left with no choice, he leaped backward and dodged the strike.

But how could Zhao Ya let him go? He immediately unleashed the Gale Saber Technique, which he had mastered to perfection, each strike aimed at the man's vital points.

The black-clad man groaned inwardly.

Had he known that this fellow, who looked far too young, would be so troublesome, he would not have acted so rashly.

But it was too late for regrets now.

He could only shout loudly.

"You kill everyone else! Leave this kid to me!"

He said this both to distract Zhao Ya and to issue orders to his subordinates.

Zhao Ya's heart sank. The thing he had feared most had indeed happened.

But at this moment, other than focusing entirely on the enemy before him and trying to kill him as quickly as possible, Zhao Ya had no other option.

He could only hope his escort hands were capable enough to hold out a while longer.

Zhao Ya's saber technique became increasingly violent, the gusts stirred by his blade even sweeping up dust and sand from the ground.

Even as his enemy, the black-clad man had to admit that this young escort master's strength was far from ordinary.

Even among those on the mountain, he would be considered outstanding.

But that only stirred the man's competitive spirit.

"Your saber technique is decent, but you're definitely going to die today," the man snarled. His saber style immediately changed, shifting from offense to defense.

The man's intention was obvious. He wanted to hold Zhao Ya back until his subordinates had dealt with the escort hands, then join forces to handle him.

It would take a little more effort, but the saber in this kid's hand was truly excellent. It had nearly cut through his own saber. Obtaining it would make this trip worthwhile.

Just as the man was calculating, Zhao Ya suddenly threw a packet of lime powder.

The man instinctively swept his saber sideways, intending to knock away this hidden weapon of unknown origin.

Bang.

The packet burst, and billowing lime powder instantly engulfed the man.

The man was startled as well, but he reacted quickly. He immediately held his breath, narrowed his eyes, and prepared to charge out of the white haze.

You think such a petty trick can deal with me?

That was what the man thought, but just as he was about to rush out of the white haze, a sleeve arrow shot at him from an angle, heading straight for his face.

Every muscle in the man's body tensed in terror, but his powerful will to survive forced him to twist sideways in midair.

The sleeve arrow grazed the hairs at his throat, but before he could feel relieved, he heard the snap of another bowstring.

Damn it!

This kid tricked me!

He has another arrow!

These thoughts flashed through the man's mind like lightning. Then he felt as though a hornet had stung his neck, and all the strength drained from his body.

"Despicable!" The man exhausted all his strength in one final roar.

But Zhao Ya was completely unmoved.

Sneaking arrows from the woods to ambush us wasn't despicable?

How ridiculous.

Zhao Ya then stepped forward and slashed diagonally with his saber.

With a wet thud, blood sprayed into the sky, and a head fell to the ground.

I have something to do this afternoon, so I updated early. Please support me, dear readers. Don't stockpile chapters—please keep following and voting. My sincere thanks!