Ambush

The trees in the Qilian Mountain Range stood dozens of zhang tall. A thick layer of fallen leaves carpeted the mountains, soft and comfortable underfoot. Most importantly, they made no sound when stepped on.

Half an incense stick after they entered the woods.

The Wind Spirit Hound suddenly grew excited.

It picked up speed and passed through the Plum Grove before coming to a stop beside a cliff. Leaf-shedding vines covered the rock face in a dense tangle, and the Wind Spirit Hound whined toward a spot halfway up.

Clearly.

Chen Dashan must have been hiding in one of the caves in the cliff.

Their enemy was concealed and held the high ground. If they climbed up, they would be nothing but living targets.

"Fall back!"

Fu Shaoping beckoned.

They retreated into the Plum Grove and hid.

He was waiting for his enemy to come out.

That wait lasted two days. During that time, Zhou Pan'er went out to gather wild fruit to stave off their hunger.

The third day was fast approaching.

Yet Chen Dashan still had not emerged from the cliff.

Could he have discovered me?

Throughout the entire process.

They had been extremely careful.

They had made no noise, and Chen Dashan had never shown himself on the cliff. There was no reason he should have discovered them.

Fu Shaoping patiently waited until sunset.

At last!

A patch of vines on the cliff slowly shifted aside, revealing a pitch-black cave entrance. Then a scruffy, bearded man with a bow and arrows on his back tossed a green vine out of the cave, letting it fall to the ground before turning around, gripping it, and climbing down!

Now!

Fu Shaoping gathered strength in his right arm.

Then he hurled the Martial Suppression Saber with all his might.

It flew with incredible speed.

By the time Chen Dashan heard it slicing through the air.

The Martial Suppression Saber was already beside his neck.

At that critical instant.

Chen Dashan tilted his body at an unbelievable angle.

The Martial Suppression Saber skimmed past his face and struck the cliff with a clang.

Having escaped death, Chen Dashan immediately pulled against the vine, trying to leap back into the cave and fight from the high ground. But another series of whistles reached his ears at once. A kitchen cleaver flew through the air, heading straight toward the spot he was dodging into.

This time.

Chen Dashan had nowhere to dodge!

At the crucial moment.

He could only raise his hand, clench his fist, and block the cleaver with a bang. But Zhou Pan'er had thrown it with far greater force than he expected. His entire right hand was severed at the wrist, and blood sprayed out. With only one hand gripping the vine, Chen Dashan lost his balance and plummeted.

Just then.

An afterimage flashed past.

Using Ethereal Steps, Fu Shaoping had already retrieved the Martial Suppression Saber. He slashed through the air at the falling Chen Dashan.

Chen Dashan's pupils contracted. He kicked against the cliff repeatedly, dodging aside once more. Enduring the pain, he hooked his severed right arm around the vine and gathered Origin Power in his left hand. A rumble rang out like thunder:

Palm Thunder blasted toward Fu Shaoping!

"Shaoping!"

Zhou Pan'er arrived half a step too late, her face draining of color.

Palm Thunder contained quicklime, chili powder, and other substances. Once unleashed, if it struck someone's eyes, they would almost certainly be blinded!

Without a second thought, Zhou Pan'er pulled out her inner armor and poured the Origin Power in her body into her arm. With an explosive burst of strength, she sent the armor flying. It intercepted the Palm Thunder with a bang, only to be shattered by it with a crack.

At the same time.

The Martial Suppression Saber pierced through the inner armor and shot through Chen Dashan's heart as swiftly as lightning!

Bang!

Chen Dashan's life was extinguished, and he crashed heavily to the ground.

A close call, but they were safe.

Fu Shaoping tapped his toes against the cliff several times and landed steadily on the ground.

To leave nothing to chance!

He stepped forward and drove his blade into Chen Dashan again with a wet stab.

At that moment.

The Mystic Mandate Codex in his sea of consciousness trembled slightly.

Fu Shaoping looked closely.

Wisps of pale red energy rose slowly from Chen Dashan's corpse and drifted onto him.

Fu Shaoping focused his attention on Heavenstone Archery.

The text in the Treasure Mirror flickered.

A line of text slowly formed:

Heavenstone Archery: beginner (30/100)

At that moment.

The thirty-six key points of Heavenstone Archery flashed clearly through Fu Shaoping's mind. It was as though he had practiced them countless times over the past several years, the memories of archery firmly ingrained in his muscles.

Now.

He felt that if he drew a bow and loosed an arrow.

He would surely be able to pierce a willow leaf from a hundred paces away!

His goal was achieved!

A smile appeared on Fu Shaoping's face.

However, had Zhou Pan'er not intervened just now, even if he had used Ethereal Steps to dodge the Palm Thunder, he would certainly have suffered some injury. He stepped forward and picked up the pieces of shattered inner armor. They still carried Sister Pan'er's faint orchid fragrance, stirring ripples in his heart.

This inner armor must have been the gift from Granny Xue that Zhou Pan'er had mentioned.

It was already beyond repair.

He planned to get Sister Pan'er a replacement from the Hall of Myriad Treasures.

Fu Shaoping cut off Chen Dashan's head and wrapped it in clothing. They did not linger. The smell of blood would draw attacks from wild beasts, or even demonic beasts. Having just fought a fierce battle, they were better off leaving quickly.

After descending from the Qilian Mountain Range.

The two of them climbed straight into the carriage.

Fu Shaoping drove back to Green Ox Town.

After dropping Zhou Pan'er off on East Street, he headed straight for the Hundred Households Office.

From afar, he saw Old Zhan waiting at the entrance to the Hundred Households Office, leaning on his walking stick. Fu Shaoping picked up speed.

Seeing that both he and the Wind Spirit Hound were unharmed, Old Zhan's worried expression eased:

"Did everything go smoothly?"

"I accomplished the mission!"

Fu Shaoping lifted the head in his hand.

Old Zhan was overjoyed.

The three-day deadline had arrived, and there had been no word from Fu Shaoping. He had feared that something had happened to him in the mountains:

"Well done, lad! Very good indeed! You actually managed to kill a martial artist at the second level of the Body Tempering Realm all by yourself! Go rest in the rear compound. I'll collect your mission reward for you. This Wind Spirit Hound needs to be returned to the Hunting Team as well."

"Sorry for the trouble, Uncle Zhan."

Fu Shaoping had lain in ambush in the Qilian Mountain Range for three days and nights. Although he and Zhou Pan'er had taken turns catching a little sleep, now that the mission was complete, his body relaxed all at once, and his eyelids kept fighting to close.

However.

He still had to return the Heavenstone Archery manual in his hand to Chief Banner Chen.

He shook his head to clear it and walked toward the Hunting Hall with Old Zhan. While Old Zhan went to return the Wind Spirit Hound, he asked around and learned that Chief Banner Chen was at the Martial Arts Practice Ground.

Fu Shaoping had no choice but to change course.

When he reached the Martial Arts Practice Ground.

Chief Banner Chen had just finished practicing a fist routine. Glancing at the bloodstains on Fu Shaoping's clothes, he reached out, scooped up a bow and arrows, and tossed them to him:

"You've studied Heavenstone Archery for three days now. Show me a little of what you've learned."

As far as he was concerned.

It would already be impressive if Fu Shaoping could remember one or two key points. Actually executing Heavenstone Archery was utterly impossible.

He simply wanted the young man to understand.

If he wanted to learn anything.

Then he had to join their Hunting Team.

Groping his way forward on his own would not only waste time and effort, but ultimately amount to nothing more than a joke.

Suddenly.

A series of whistles rang out as arrows cut through the air.

Chief Banner Chen looked toward the target a hundred paces away. A red-fletched arrow stood embedded squarely in its center. In disbelief, he turned to stare at Fu Shaoping, who had lowered the bow. His heart could not settle for a long time!