Gratitude

Gu Jingang's eyes widened in fury as he looked at the scattered corpses and severed limbs.

After throwing the boulder, his fists turned a deep blue-black, like massive hammers as he smashed towards Wang Chong. The name Iron Fist King Kong was no mere boast; those palms could withstand swords and blades.

Wang Chong's expression changed; he hadn't expected Gu Jingang to arrive so quickly.

He swung his wolf-tooth club, shattering the boulder, and retreated rapidly.

But Gu Dajiang had gone berserk. His remaining right hand swung his saber, whistling through the air as he charged at Wang Chong.

Fighting two on one, especially with Gu Jingang's strength subtly surpassing Wang Chong's, the outcome was predictable.

Wang Chong was instantly put at a disadvantage, his movements becoming incredibly clumsy.

If not for the Blood Boiling Pill, he would have been in an even worse situation.

In the distance.

Agile figures rushed forward, joining the fray.

Seeing the horrific scene, they were all enraged, their gazes filled with killing intent as they looked at the bandits.

With the arrival of fresh troops, the situation completely turned in favor of Gu Family Village.

The bandits fell one after another, screaming.

It was a complete rout, fighting numbers against a few, especially since the bandits didn't have a threat like Gu Sheng, the divine archer, lurking in the shadows.

Wang Chong, caught between Gu Jingang and Gu Dajiang, and sensing the battlefield situation, knew the tide had turned. Though angry, he could do nothing.

"Still daring to get distracted? You're asking for death!"

Gu Jingang, like an enraged lion, threw a punch. It was incredibly powerful, carrying a fierce gust of wind as it struck the wolf-tooth club. The force was astonishing, making the club emit a metallic ringing sound, and Wang Chong's tiger mouth went numb.

Gu Dajiang seized the opportunity, slashing upwards with his saber, nearly cleaving Wang Chong's head in two.

Fortunately, he dodged quickly.

Even so, a long bloody gash across his face stained it crimson, making him look extremely ferocious.

Wang Chong's heart trembled, knowing that if he didn't sacrifice something, he would likely die here today!

His eyes gradually became frenzied.

He swallowed the second-to-last Blood Boiling Pill, his aura immediately surging again. He swept his wolf-tooth club horizontally, the terrifying whistling sound making one's scalp tingle.

Gu Jingang, his fists filled with blue-black power, struck again. But this time, Wang Chong's immense strength sent him flying back.

Wang Chong loosened his grip on the wolf-tooth club, using the rebound force to propel himself backward.

He glared fiercely at Gu Jingang and Gu Dajiang. Having swallowed consecutive Blood Boiling Pills, his foundation was bound to be damaged.

His talent for martial arts was already mediocre, making the bottleneck of breaking through to minor accomplishment in Blood Refining incredibly difficult. Now, his path forward was almost severed. How could he not hate them!

He endured the surging Blood Essence within his body and galloped into the distance.

Gu Dajiang forcefully swung his saber, adding another wound to Wang Chong's right arm, nearly severing his forearm.

"Dajiang, you clean up here, I'm going after this villain!"

Gu Jingang, unable to contain his rage, instructed and then sprinted into the distance.

If this scoundrel escaped, he would be a future threat.

With their bandit leader, Wang Chong, having fled, the remaining bandits' morale plummeted. They all thought only of escaping, their will to fight completely gone.

However, under the pursuit of the fresh forces from Gu Family Village, they all perished.

Gu Sheng let out a sigh of relief.

"It's finally over…"

His expression was complex. Although Gu Family Village had ultimately annihilated the bandits, there were no winners in this battle. Gu Family Village's losses were also heavy.

It was one thing for some of the purchased supplies to be lost.

The crucial thing was the people.

The deaths of Gu Renxu and a martial artist were particularly devastating losses.

When news of this reached the village, it would undoubtedly cause another uproar. Dozens of lives might not seem like much, but to each individual family, it was a catastrophe.

The fighting ended.

A martial artist from Gu Family Village shouted towards the forest.

Some villagers who had fled into the mountains cautiously emerged. Upon seeing that Gu Family Village had indeed won, they couldn't help but show expressions of wild joy. However, when they saw their familiar companions lying on the ground, they began to wail in sorrow.

Gu Sheng emerged from the woods, supporting Gu Erniu.

Seeing this scene, both of them felt a profound sense of unease.

Gu Sheng walked to Gu Renxu's corpse and gently closed his wide, astonished eyes.

This world was truly unkind to ordinary people.

How difficult it was to strive and break free from the shackles of this cage.

Even becoming a martial artist was merely the beginning.

Gu Sheng felt an immense yearning surge within him, a desire to become stronger. This feeling of his destiny not being in his own hands was simply too awful.

The survivors began to clear the battlefield.

Gu Jingang's figure appeared in the distance, his expression grim.

"He got away."

He walked up to Gu Dajiang and said in a low voice.

Gu Dajiang wasn't surprised. Wang Chong was decisive and had clearly taken some kind of temporary strength-boosting medicine. Gu Jingang wasn't skilled in speed, so it was normal that he couldn't catch up.

"We can't just let him go like this, or he'll become a menace later," Gu Jingang said gravely.

Gu Dajiang nodded coldly.

"Let's head back to the village first. This matter won't be dropped."

His left hand was now tightly bandaged, but even after it healed, it would never be as good as before.

Fortunately, he had checked Gu Xiaojiang's injuries. They weren't particularly serious, just bone and muscle damage that required a period of recuperation. This made him breathe a sigh of relief. If Gu Xiaojiang had been crippled from this, he would have truly lost his mind.

"We owe a great deal to your timely arrival this time. However, if it weren't for Gu Sheng, we probably wouldn't have held out until you got here."

Gu Jingang followed Gu Dajiang's grateful gaze and couldn't help but freeze.

A young man with a calm expression was leaning against a cart, resting.

"It's him?"

"You know him?"

"Yes, I saw him once when a wolf entered the village last time. He killed the alpha wolf single-handedly. I remember him."

"His Archery is even more formidable, and he's exceptionally quick-witted. If he hadn't provided support from the side, Gu Family Village would have suffered even more casualties, and even Xiaojiang might have..."

Listening to Gu Dajiang's description, Gu Jingang's expression immediately turned astonished.

"It seems he's a promising talent. We'll discuss the rest of the matter after we return to the village."

Both of them nodded.

Now wasn't the time to discuss these things. Any rewards or recognition would have to wait until they were safely back.

The most important thing was to return to the village safely.

Gu Sheng and Gu Erniu stood up and followed the caravan.

From time to time, glances of surprise and admiration were cast their way.

It wasn't difficult to figure out that Gu Sheng was the divine archer in the shadows. A little elimination would reveal it, and besides, Gu Sheng hadn't intended to hide.

Gu Dajiang had personally thanked him earlier, and everyone had seen it.

However, Gu Sheng's expression remained calm.

Since I'm here, I'll make the best of it. He hadn't wanted to be too high-profile and attract jealousy before, but now that he was exposed, he might as well try to secure greater benefits for himself.

He had made quite a contribution this time, and judging by the usual practices of the Gu Family Village's main family, they wouldn't be stingy.

Gu Xiaojiang, lying on the cart, had the driver stop as they passed Gu Sheng.

Gu Xiaojiang looked at Gu Sheng, who was around his age, and struggled to prop himself up halfway.

"Gu Sheng, thank you for saving my life. I was wrong before. When traveling, one should indeed be cautious."

After experiencing a life-or-death crisis, Gu Xiaojiang had undergone some changes.

There was a complex look in his eyes, a mixture of gratitude and admiration, and even some shame. The young man he had looked down on turned out to be his savior in the end.

If Gu Sheng hadn't blocked Zhang Da's advance with two arrows, Gu Dajiang wouldn't have been able to save Gu Xiaojiang even if he had risked his own life.

Gu Sheng nodded gently.

"Focus on recovering from your injuries."

He didn't let Gu Xiaojiang's gratitude affect his emotions, just as he hadn't been angered by Gu Xiaojiang's condescension before.

However, his impression of Gu Xiaojiang had improved considerably.