Bandits

After the meal, Zu Hao used the excuse of going out to buy supplies, leaving Zhang Wuji and the others at the inn while he went into town alone.

He appeared to be wandering around casually, but in truth, he had quietly spread out his psychic power, sensing everything around him.

The small town seemed peaceful, yet there was an indescribable strangeness in the air.

There were few pedestrians on the streets, and most hurried along. Whenever they saw Zu Hao, they deliberately avoided meeting his eyes.

Several shops had closed early, as though hiding from something.

Zu Hao entered a still-open general store. Candlelight flickered inside, and only a few daily necessities and dry provisions sat on the shelves, making the place look rather desolate.

He picked out several hard biscuits and a packet of dried meat, then went to the counter to pay.

The shopkeeper was a thin old man with wrinkles lining the corners of his eyes and rough fingers that trembled slightly even as he accepted the money.

Zu Hao asked casually, "Shopkeeper, has something happened in this town? Why is it so deserted when night has not even fallen?"

The old man's expression tightened. He hurriedly looked around, and only after making sure no one was nearby did he lower his voice. "You're travelers from elsewhere, aren't you? Take my advice: buy what you need and leave quickly. Don't stay here overnight!"

Zu Hao feigned surprise and pressed, "What do you mean? Could bandits be running rampant?"

The old man hesitated, his lips trembling several times. In the end, he merely shook his head. "Sigh... don't ask any more. Knowing too much will only bring disaster. If you insist on staying the night, then pray for your own safety."

Seeing that the man did not wish to say more, Zu Hao knew further questions would yield nothing. He could only take the provisions, cup his hands in farewell, and leave.

Back at the inn, he told Zhang Wuji about it.

"This town is unsafe. Tonight, we'll take turns keeping watch in case something happens."

"Alright."

Zhang Wuji nodded.

The night deepened. The moon hid away, the stars were sparse, and the wind swept past the eaves with a low, mournful whine.

In the latter half of the night, Zu Hao sat cross-legged in his room with his eyes half-closed. His psychic power spread outward like a tide, sensing every movement in the surroundings.

Around midnight, an exceedingly faint sound of footsteps entered his perception.

There were six people. Their steps were light yet swift; they were clearly trained fighters. They were closing in from different directions, silently surrounding the inn.

Zu Hao abruptly opened his eyes, a cold gleam flashing within them.

He lightly knocked on the door of the neighboring room.

"Brother Zu, what is it?"

Yin Li rubbed her sleepy eyes and asked softly.

"Enemies are attacking. Stay in your rooms and do not wander around."

Before Zu Hao finished speaking, a faint sound came from outside the window. Someone was climbing up.

Without another word, Zu Hao drew the Three-Edged Sword and shot a sword strike toward the window.

"Ah!"

A scream suddenly rang out through the night, followed by the dull thud of a heavy body hitting the ground.

As Zu Hao recalled the Three-Edged Sword after killing the man climbing through the window, a commotion immediately erupted outside the inn.

"Sixth Brother is dead!"

"Damn it, rush in and kill them!"

The uninvited attackers had clearly not expected their presence to be exposed so quickly.

After the curses, a tremendous bang sounded as the inn's front doors were kicked open from outside. Five dark figures charged into the hall like wolves and tigers!

"Who killed Sixth Brother? Get the hell out here!"

Their leader was a burly man with a face full of flesh, holding a broad-backed Ghost-Head Saber. His voice boomed like a bell. "If I find you, you'll suffer like hell!"

Zu Hao stepped out of his room, vaulted over the railing, and landed in the center of the hall like a bird in flight. His long sword flashed from its sheath, and without a word, he struck directly at the leading man!

The man had not expected his opponent to attack first. In his haste, he raised his saber to block.

Sword and saber collided, spraying sparks and producing a piercing metallic clang.

The man felt a tremendous force travel up the blade. The web between his thumb and forefinger split open at once, and the Ghost-Head Saber nearly flew from his hand.

"Not bad, kid. You've got some skill!"

Alarmed and furious, the man retreated two steps and shouted, "Brothers, take him together!"

The other four lunged forward at his command, raising sabers and spears as they attacked Zu Hao from different directions.

Zu Hao remained utterly calm. His psychic power quietly spread out, tangling around his opponents' limbs like an invisible web.

The four men suddenly stiffened, as if they had fallen into a swamp.

In that lightning-fast instant, Zu Hao's sword streaked through the air like a roaming dragon. Cold flashes flickered in succession, and two men had already been pierced through the throat, collapsing dead to the floor.

"Retreat!"

Seeing that things had gone badly, the burly man let out a hoarse shout and turned to flee through the doorway.

How could Zu Hao allow him to escape? With a flick of his right hand, two Black-Iron Short Blades shot from the Three-Edged Sword, tearing through the air. As they spun, they slit the throats of two men.

At the same time, he gave a sharp cry. "Capture Dragon Hand!"

Though he called it Capture Dragon Hand, he was actually condensing his psychic power into an invisible hand and grabbing from afar.

The leading man suddenly felt an invisible giant hand seize the back of his neck and yank him backward. He stumbled and fell flat on the ground.

Before he could rise, Zu Hao's sword was already pressed coldly against his throat.

"Spare me, hero! Spare me!"

The man was scared out of his wits. He fell to his knees and repeatedly kowtowed. "This lowly one failed to recognize greatness and offended you all. Please show mercy..."

Zu Hao asked coldly, "Speak. Who sent you? What exactly has happened in this town?"

After hesitating slightly, the man felt the sword tip move another half inch closer. Terrified, he hurriedly confessed, "We're from Black Mountain Stronghold... Our chief, Tian Bu'er, has taken control of the town and forced every household to pay protection money each month. As for passing travelers... if we can rob them, we rob them; if we can kill them, we kill them..."

Zu Hao understood. "Where is Black Mountain Stronghold? How many men do you have?"

"It's... it's on Rooster Peak Mountain, more than ten li west of here. There are around sixty men in the stronghold..."

The man replied in a trembling voice, "The chief is highly skilled in martial arts and ruthless. We had no choice either..."

"Take me up the mountain, and I'll spare your life. Try anything, and you'll die on the spot."

As he spoke, Zu Hao found some rope and tied the man up. He then told Zhang Wuji and the others upstairs, "It may be dangerous for you to stay here. Come with me to Black Mountain Stronghold and toughen yourselves up."

"Sure!"

Yin Li was the boldest of them all, fearless and filled with a fierce hatred.

Zhang Wuji, Zhou Zhiruo, and Yang Buhui had never taken a life before. This was a good chance to let them see blood.

The six of them arrived at the edge of town and found several fine horses ridden by the bandits.

Zu Hao bound the bandit's hands behind his back and ordered him to lead the way.

The others followed on horseback.

The moonlight was bleak, and the mountain road was rugged. After roughly half an hour, the six arrived at the foot of Rooster Peak Mountain.

This place belonged to a branch of the Western Qinling Mountains. The terrain was steep and dangerous, with dense pine forests everywhere.

Black Mountain Stronghold had been built against the mountain. Its walls stood tall, and only a narrow, steep path led to the gate.

Though it was deep into the night, dots of torchlight still moved along the walls. Hidden sentry posts lay among the trees, not to guard against government soldiers, but mainly to prevent other bandits from seizing their territory.

Yet beneath Zu Hao's psychic senses, all those ambushes were as obvious as candles in the night, with nowhere to hide.

After confirming that this was the right place, Zu Hao showed no mercy. A flash of sword light slit the leading bandit's throat.

With a thought, two Black-Iron Short Blades flew from the Three-Edged Sword and swept into the forest like nightingales under the control of his psychic power.

Moments later, muffled groans rang out one after another from the darkness. The sentries hidden beneath trees and behind rocks were all killed as the flying blades pierced their throats!

The two Black-Iron Short Blades were already light and sharp. Driven by Zu Hao's psychic power, killing with them was as easy as cutting grass.

Many bandits died before they could even react.

After clearing the outer guards, Zu Hao led the four youngsters to the front of the stronghold.

With a swing of his sword, sword qi shot forth and shattered the wooden stronghold gates into splinters.