Market Town

Mountain-Crossing Wind drew his bow and aimed ahead.

But to his utter surprise, the refugees suddenly scattered in all directions. Everything descended into chaos, figures everywhere, a complete mess, leaving him with no idea whom to shoot.

In truth, he wanted to kill Fang Zhixing.

Fang Zhixing was the one directing the refugees. Without his command, this group of refugees was worthless and posed no threat. Wouldn't they be at the mercy of the bandits?

The crowd was in disarray, and the sky was dark.

Whoosh!

Mountain-Crossing Wind gritted his teeth and fired an arrow at random. It hit no one, making him even more furious.

"Damn it, chase them!"

Mountain-Crossing Wind kicked away the torch on the ground and broke into a run.

The bandits hurried after him.

The refugees fled ahead while the bandits gave chase behind them.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, an arrow flew in from the side. It came far too abruptly!

Mountain-Crossing Wind's head jerked violently to one side. His footsteps halted, his eyes widened, and his face took on a ghostly expression.

The arrow entered through the left side of his neck and emerged from the right.

"Boss?!"

The bandits stared in stunned horror.

The arrow had come out of nowhere, catching every one of them completely off guard.

They hurriedly looked to their left. The maple forest was dense, its shadows layered deep, and no one knew where the archer was hiding.

For a time, the bandits were terrified. They each scrambled behind a tree for cover.

After a while, the archer did not strike again.

A few bolder bandits cautiously emerged. When they checked on their leader, Mountain-Crossing Wind had long since stopped breathing, his eyes still wide open in death.

Meanwhile, Fang Zhixing and the others ran down the mountain and onto a main road.

"Hahaha, those bandits probably never imagined we could really break through!"

"Exactly! Those bandits were completely dumbfounded!"

"Wonderful! We can go to Little Clear River Market Town now!"

"From the market town's dock, we can take a boat to the county seat. I heard they hand out porridge there, and there are jobs to earn some money too."

The refugees beamed with joy, and a trace of life returned to their deadened eyes.

The three elderly village elders, however, gathered around Fang Zhixing.

They knew perfectly well that without Fang Zhixing's plans and capable command, there was no way they could have crossed the bandits' blockade so easily.

"Good sir, you are truly an exceptional man, a true hero!" The three elders bowed deeply, their faces full of admiration.

"You needn't be so polite." Fang Zhixing made a slight lifting gesture with his hand and said calmly, "It was nothing, really. Those bandits were merely a rabble."

He was not boasting.

At first, he had not grasped the bandits' true capabilities and had not dared to act rashly.

Only when the two sides clashed at close quarters did he confirm that those bandits were nothing at all.

That bandit leader, Mountain-Crossing Wind, was merely a reckless brute. Aside from raging helplessly, he had no great ability. In the end, Fang Zhixing had killed him with a single arrow.

Burst Technique · Curving Shot!

It truly was very useful and could be used to mislead enemies.

Until the moment he died, Mountain-Crossing Wind never knew that the arrow which killed him had actually been fired from directly in front of him.

All in all, if Fang Zhixing had forced his way through alone, it probably would not have been much of a problem.

Fang Zhixing glanced at the sky and asked, "How much farther is Little Clear River Market Town?"

The Black Ox Village chief replied, "Not far. About twelve or thirteen li."

Fang Zhixing quickly understood. Without resting, he continued onward.

Before long, a three-way intersection appeared ahead, with a signpost standing beside it.

Seeing this, Fang Zhixing immediately realized that Little Clear River Market Town was a transportation hub connecting the entire Crouching Ox Mountains.

If anyone wanted to leave the mountains, their first stop would be Little Clear River Market Town.

Fang Zhixing glanced at the signpost, then looked around at the others and asked, "Can anyone read?"

The crowd exchanged looks, each looking at the next, yet not a single person stepped forward.

Fang Zhixing understood, though he was somewhat disappointed.

He had thought he might find someone literate and teach them how to read, but he had truly overestimated the education level of these rural mountain folk.

Without universal education, writing became a monopoly, mastered only by people of certain classes.

The group quickly passed through the intersection and traveled several more li.

Then, at the end of the road shrouded in darkness, a patch of light appeared.

Fang Zhixing looked up and vaguely saw a cluster of buildings—white walls and gray tiles, along with several tall structures.

"We're here. That is Little Clear River Market Town!"