Powerful Thieves

Late at night, the clamor outside had already died down considerably. Perhaps after more than half a night of zero-dollar shopping, most of the refugees had begun to disperse... right?

But just then, a faint "rustle rustle" seemed to come from beyond the eastern wall. To Zhou Ye's astonishment, a head rose above the wall, then silently flipped into the courtyard.

After landing, the man glanced toward the house. Seeing no movement inside, he immediately turned to receive his companion. At that moment, a second man had already climbed to the top of the wall and was preparing to vault over.

At such close range, Zhou Ye had long since shifted into a kneeling stance, drawing the eight-stone bow to its full length as he took aim.

With a "twang" of the bowstring, an arrow whistled into its target. It struck the back of the first man's head dead on, piercing straight through and pinning him to the wall.

Zhou Ye moved with lightning speed and immediately fired a second arrow. "Whoosh—!"

The second man reacted incredibly quickly. The instant he heard the bowstring, he hit the ground and rolled like a donkey, dodging the arrow. After rolling several times, he instantly drew his saber, sprang to his feet, and lunged fiercely toward Zhou Ye.

Zhou Ye only had time to fire a third arrow, because another head had actually appeared above the wall?

"Whoosh—!"

That man had also been prepared. He ducked his head, and the arrow flew harmlessly past.

At that moment, Zhou Ye could not help cursing inwardly. How had a shabby little courtyard like his attracted several thieves?

And out of three arrows, only one had hit? Clearly, these thieves were powerful martial artists. Were they out of their minds? Why did they not rob the big shops or wealthy households? Why had they set their sights on a small fry like him?

But as the saber-wielding thief closed in, Zhou Ye tossed aside his bow. He gripped the handle on the Fish-Scale Shield in his left hand, drew his own saber with his right, and charged forward without showing the slightest weakness.

"Clang, clang, clang..." Their weapons clashed continuously, scattering sparks. In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged more than a dozen moves.

Yet after trading blows, Zhou Ye grew more and more startled. This man was actually using the Ten Military Saber Forms as well? And his strength was even slightly greater than Zhou Ye's? Zhou Ye's Strength +4 already far surpassed that of an ordinary person. Yet this thief was even stronger? He had to be a martial artist who had entered the realm of force, and a particularly formidable one at that.

His martial skill was especially impressive. Even if his Ten Military Saber Forms had not reached perfection, they had at least reached the major mastery realm. His saber was even sharper. After only a few exchanges, Zhou Ye's saber had already gained several chips?

At that moment, Zhou Ye did not know that his opponent was even more shocked than he was.

Although Zhou Ye's waist saber was at a disadvantage, he had the Fish-Scale Shield. Even when the thief's saber struck the shield, it did not leave the slightest mark. Combined with Basic Shield Strike, the thief simply could not break through Zhou Ye's defense.

And in their contest of martial skill, Zhou Ye also had the bonus from Basic Chopping? Although his Ten Military Saber Forms were slightly inferior, his fundamentals were exceptionally solid. Not only could he block the attacks, but he occasionally launched several highly threatening counterattacks? More than once, they had scared the thief into a cold sweat.

It was only because Zhou Ye lacked experience in life-and-death combat and had failed to seize the chance to press his advantage. Otherwise, perhaps the thief would have long since fallen into the disadvantage?

Seeing that Zhou Ye wanted to continue fighting, the thief hurriedly lowered his voice and shouted, "Wait! A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! You're a military brother too, aren't you? Could you do us a favor?"

"What favor?"

"We escaped from the city and want to flee into the mountains. Just give us a little food, and we'll leave right away."

"Just some food?" Zhou Ye lowered his weapons, relaxing slightly.

"Yes, yes. We don't want anything else. If we keep fighting, both of us will surely end up badly wounded. Then we'll only be letting others reap the benefits." The thief visibly relaxed as well and lowered his saber.

"The kitchen is in that room. Go in and take it yourself."

"Fine! Many thanks, brother... die!"

The thief suddenly erupted. A flash of cold light flickered from his hand as a blade of saber light chopped toward Zhou Ye. Taking advantage of Zhou Ye lowering his guard, he launched a savage sneak attack.

But what happened next made the thief's eyes go wide. The figure before him blurred, and Zhou Ye suddenly vanished. With a whoosh, another blade of saber light swept toward the thief's neck.

A savage grin spread across Zhou Ye's face. Were they here to make him laugh? He had already killed one of them. Could this possibly end peacefully now? Even if he let them go, would they return later for revenge? Or would he beat the young one only for the old one to come afterward? Better to settle it all right now.

At that instant, the thief was so furious he nearly spat blood. How could this brat be so devious? He had actually copied his sneak attack?

With death bearing down on him, the thief desperately retreated, trying to evade Zhou Ye's fatal slash. Unexpectedly, his luck suddenly soared. His foot caught on something, and he fell flat onto the ground, narrowly avoiding the strike.

When Zhou Ye had practiced Basic Movement earlier, he had transformed the courtyard into a Spider Silk Cave. Although he had removed all the ropes after reaching max level, digging up the wooden stakes buried underground had been far too troublesome.

Fine! Zhou Ye admitted that he was a little lazy. Since they would not affect his own movement anyway, he had temporarily left them in the courtyard.

And it was still nighttime. The thief was completely unfamiliar with the courtyard's layout, so he tripped over a wooden stake and luckily reclaimed his life.

Seeing that his slash had missed, Zhou Ye felt somewhat regretful. He strode forward, ready to finish off the thief on the ground.

But just then, a whoosh of something cutting through the air came from his side. An iron spear stabbed toward him. Zhou Ye hurriedly blocked it with the Fish-Scale Shield, then leaped back several steps to open up the distance.

Taking a closer look, he discovered that the other thief had finally climbed over the wall. Holding an iron spear more than four feet long, he forced Zhou Ye back in a few moves and covered the fallen thief as he got back to his feet.

Zhou Ye swept his eyes over the walls surrounding the courtyard and finally received some good news. There should be no more thieves. There had only been three of them tonight. Or rather, only two remained alive.

Obviously, the two thieves did not want to make a big commotion. They were afraid of being discovered by the people outside.

In truth, Zhou Ye also did not want to make too much noise, fearing that he would expose his strength to the outside world.

And under the current circumstances, neither side could simply turn and leave, since that would mean exposing their backs to the opponent. In other words, the two thieves had inexplicably found themselves trapped in a fight to the death.

Zhou Ye, on the other hand, had Agility +10. If he could not win, he still had a chance to escape.

After a brief pause, the two thieves exchanged a glance. They immediately reached an understanding and launched their attack from the left and right.

Zhou Ye likewise raised his shield and gripped his saber. Before long, the three men were locked in a desperate melee...