A Perilous Encounter

The Leng Household convoy rolled slowly down the road.

The autumn wind brushed past, sweeping up fallen leaves and blowing them against Zhou Muyun's face, bringing traces of coolness.

More than half the side road has passed. The bandits should appear soon.

Sitting beside the driver, Zhou Muyun calculated inwardly.

The journey from the market to Yunlin West Market was twenty li in total.

Ten li were along side roads, and ten li along the main road.

Though the imperial court was in turmoil, it had not collapsed after all, so the main road was relatively safe.

Thus, Zhou Muyun was certain that they would strike on the side road.

After all, the convoy had been attacked on the side road last time as well.

Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrived.

When the convoy advanced another li or so, a group of vicious-looking bandits dressed in short trousers and jackets appeared in the middle of the road.

"Bandits! Stay on guard!" Niu Shun shouted.

The martial artists in the convoy instantly tightened their grips on their weapons, watching the front warily.

Zhou Muyun likewise clenched the long staff in his hands.

He had only used daggers before, but considering that his opponents used swords, an inch longer meant an inch stronger.

In the end, he had asked Uncle Leng to get him a long staff.

As for why he had chosen a staff—what boy had not dreamed of becoming the Great Sage Equal to Heaven as a child?

As the convoy slowed, it stopped thirty meters away from the bandits.

Zhou Muyun was the first to leap down from the carriage, with the others following close behind.

They walked to the front of the convoy and faced the bandits head-on.

"Well, well, who did I think it was? So it's the defeated lot. What, have you come to give your grandpa more money again? Without five hundred taels this time, I'm afraid you won't be leaving."

A brawny man among the bandits, carrying a broadsword and bearing several knife scars across his face, mocked them.

His name was Zhou Qing, one of the three Organ Refinement Realm experts among the bandits.

At his words, the other bandits burst into loud laughter and joined in the mockery.

"Are they idiots? They came to bring us money again."

"Exactly. Though there's an extra young fellow this time. His feathers probably haven't even grown in yet."

"They're no match for the boss!"

On the Leng Household's side, everyone except Zhou Muyun heard the taunts.

They were all furious, grinding their teeth in rage.

Rubbing salt into someone's wounds—how venomous.

Zhou Muyun said nothing. He merely planted the long staff into the ground, his gaze filled with provocation as he looked at the man at the forefront.

The man appeared to be around forty. Clean-shaven and fair-faced, he wore an old but exceptionally clean grayish-white robe, with a longsword hanging at his waist.

He stood utterly out of place among the bandits, carrying something of the air of a scholarly swordsman.

"Oh...?" The man raised a brow and lifted his right hand slightly. The bandits instantly fell silent.

"You must be Zhou Muyun. You have some spirit, but I wonder how capable you truly are."

Zhou Muyun was not at all surprised that Qian Jian knew his name. There was an informant after all, so it was only natural for information to leak.

He did not reply. Instead, he raised his long staff and pointed it at the man.

The gesture was brimming with provocation.

Yet the man was not angered. He said unhurriedly, "Since you do not cherish this opportunity.

"Then do not blame me for showing no mercy. Remember my name—Azure Tide Sword Qian Jian!"

Qian Jian gripped the hilt at his waist, drew his sword, and pointed it at Zhou Muyun.

The battle was on the verge of erupting.

"Let me see what you're made of!"

The moment Qian Jian finished speaking, he charged at Zhou Muyun with his sword.

The bandits moved at the wind's first stir.

On the Leng Household's side, Zhou Muyun raised his staff as well, meeting Qian Jian head-on.

Niu Shun and the others confronted the remaining bandits led by Zhou Qing.

Qian Jian was exceedingly fast. A flash of sword light appeared in his hand, and the blade tip shot straight for Zhou Muyun's throat.

By instinct, Zhou Muyun used Windblown Catkin Dance, his body drifting backward as he slanted his long staff upward, trying to knock the sword aside.

But he was ultimately unfamiliar with the staff and failed to deflect the sword completely.

"Shhk..."

The sword tip grazed past the staff and carved a bloody gash across his left arm.

Zhou Muyun's heart tightened.

He was paying the price for using a weapon he had never handled before!

"Your reaction is not slow."

Qian Jian offered a word of praise, but his hands did not pause in the slightest as he instantly unleashed the Azure Tide Sword Art.

The longsword danced in his hand like raging tides, wave upon wave, each crest rising higher than the last.

Sword light followed sword light, sword shadows layered upon sword shadows, like an endless expanse of azure waves swallowing Zhou Muyun whole.

Zhou Muyun's expression turned grave as he swung his long staff, attempting to fend them off.

Because he had never learned a staff art, he could only bring the essence of Flurry Fist into his staff techniques, attempting to use the staff as a substitute for his arm.

But how could fist techniques and staff techniques be mixed together?

A staff was dead, while fists were agile. How could it display the exquisite essence of Flurry Fist?

After several flashes of sword light, five sword wounds had already been added to Zhou Muyun's body.

They were all flesh wounds that had not harmed his organs, yet blood still dripped from them, slowly pooling into a puddle beneath his feet.

More troublesome still, Qian Jian's tidal assault had trapped him completely.

If he had not immediately activated the Seven-Colored Glazed Body, he would likely have met with grave misfortune long ago.

"Hm?"

Qian Jian looked at Zhou Muyun, who resembled a bronze statue, and voiced his confusion.

His Azure Tide Sword Art grew heavier with every strike. An ordinary martial artist struck by it would likely have suffered damaged sinews and bones and fallen already.

Yet when his sword edge passed over this man's skin, faint metallic clangs rang out, leaving the blade capable of inflicting only superficial flesh wounds.

He frowned slightly, a guess already forming in his mind.

This man cultivated some kind of body-tempering technique.

But on second thought, body-tempering techniques were incredibly difficult. This man had likely only learned a shallow smattering of one.

His Azure Tide Sword Art feared clashing head-on the least. At worst, he could simply cut a few more times.

With that thought, Qian Jian accelerated his Azure Tide Sword Art once more.

Several more wounds appeared on Zhou Muyun's body.

Seeing Zhou Muyun at a disadvantage, Niu Shun and the others could not help growing anxious.

If Zhou Muyun lost, would they not be captured again and have to wait for their master to ransom them?

But the bandits relied on their numbers to keep them all tied down, and for the moment, they could not free themselves to help Zhou Muyun.

The situation seemed to be tilting toward the bandits.

I can't drag this out any longer!

Zhou Muyun knew well that although his Copper Skin had reached major completion and his opponent could not inflict a fatal injury upon him for the time being—

If he lost too much blood, his stamina would also be depleted.

Once his entire body went limp and weak, would he not be left at another's mercy, like fish on a chopping block?

I'll gamble on it!

With that thought, Zhou Muyun deliberately drew in his staff movements. The techniques in his hands began to grow constrained, his breathing heavier, and even his footwork started to stagger.

He looked exactly like a trapped beast on the verge of exhaustion.

At the sight, a smile appeared on Qian Jian's face.

Young man, your lamp has finally run dry, hasn't it? What body-tempering technique? Before my sword art, it is nothing but crumbling earth and scattered dogs.

At that moment, Zhou Muyun's long staff seemed to slip out of his control. He swung with too much force, exposing a massive opening beneath his left ribs.

A sharp glint appeared in Qian Jian's eyes. It was over!

Without a moment's hesitation, he thrust his sword forward.

The sword streaked like a rainbow, instantly piercing Zhou Muyun's clothes before plunging into his flesh.

But in the next instant, the smile on Qian Jian's face changed.

He felt as though his sword had stabbed into a swamp. With every inch it advanced, the resistance increased by another degree.

Even stranger, Zhou Muyun's bones seemed to transform into a giant hand, locking his sword in place.

This was precisely the mystery of the Seven-Colored Glazed Body after Copper Skin reached major completion and crossed into the Iron Bone Realm.

Sinews and bones were like tools; all could become weapons for locking down an enemy.

Damn it! This brat tricked me. His lamp has not run dry at all!

Qian Jian was horrified and instinctively tried to pull out his sword and retreat.

But it was already too late.

Zhou Muyun suddenly gripped the blade with his left hand, released the long staff with his right, curled his five fingers into a fist, and threw a punch.

The fist wind tore through the air, carrying monstrous strength as it instantly struck Qian Jian in the chest.

Bang!

A tricky force pierced through his flesh and reached his organs, sending Qian Jian flying heavily.

His body was like a kite with its string cut, crashing down several zhang away and sliding onward before finally stopping.

Qian Jian's eyes bulged wide, terror filling his pupils as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

He felt as if his five viscera and six bowels had been churned into a lump of paste by that punch.

He struggled to prop himself up, only to discover that he could not even raise a hand.

The entire scene erupted in uproar. Niu Shun and the others showed delight—were they about to win?

Zhou Muyun did not stop. When an enemy was ill, he would take his life.

Upholding the principle of never leaving future trouble behind, he charged toward Qian Jian, who had only his final breath remaining.

"Boss!" Zhou Qing knocked Niu Shun away with a blow, anxiety appearing on his face.

He tried to block Zhou Muyun's path, but how could Niu Shun let him have his way? He instantly entangled him again.

"You... what... body-tempering technique is that?" Qian Jian rasped as he watched Zhou Muyun approach.

"Seven-Colored Glazed Body." Zhou Muyun answered coldly, then delivered a heavy punch that completely shattered Qian Jian's heart meridian.

Qian Jian's eyes gradually lost focus as he muttered softly, "I... was ultimately... too careless."

Before his words faded, his breath ceased and he died.