Early the next morning, escorted by dozens of Wei Clan riders, Wei Yi left the Lineage and headed for True Martial Academy.
Just as his father had said, although half a month had passed, plenty of people still had their eyes on him-or rather... on the Crimson Crystal True Flame.
As soon as he left the Lineage, quite a few people began following at a distance.
Fortunately, he had dozens of Wei Clan riders protecting him. Every one of them was an elite martial artist painstakingly trained by the Wei Clan, with cultivation of at least a high-stage Martial Master or even a Great Martial Master. Their captain was a first-rate expert in the Martial Spirit realm.
Thus, although those behind them were itching to act, they dared not risk approaching and merely followed, unwilling to give up.
"Uncle Hu, sorry for the trouble this time."
Mounted on his horse, Wei Yi thanked the burly man beside him.
This man was the captain leading the riders.
Lu Hu.
Although Lu Hu was not a direct descendant of the Wei Clan, he had married into it. With his Martial Spirit cultivation, he counted among the Wei Clan's renowned experts.
"You brat, why stand on ceremony with me?"
Lu Hu grinned.
"I heard from the clan head that you're planning to join the Overlord Sect? You'd better work hard, then. Don't disgrace the Wei Clan."
"I heard you used to be an Overlord Sect disciple too, Uncle Hu?"
Wei Yi asked curiously.
"Yes, but that was over ten years ago. Back then, I was just an ordinary disciple. Even after years of effort, I couldn't become a core disciple. Later, I left the Overlord Sect for certain reasons..."
At this point, a wistful look appeared in Lu Hu's eyes.
The two chatted for a while.
Lu Hu gave Wei Yi an introduction to the Overlord Sect's internal situation.
The party soon left Jinling City.
Just then, a party waiting outside the city caught Wei Yi's attention.
It also numbered several dozen, most of them powerfully built men in fitted martial attire. Each stood silent, eyes gleaming keenly. They were clearly elite martial artists of considerable strength.
But what surprised Wei Yi most was the lovely girl smiling radiantly in their midst. It was none other than Zhu Ling'er, his classmate in the same year, with whom he was on close terms.
"What are you doing here?"
Wei Yi asked in surprise.
"Why can't I be here?"
Zhu Ling'er tilted her head and countered with a broad smile.
She seemed very satisfied by Wei Yi's surprised expression.
"Uh, Uncle Hu, is there something you haven't told me?"
Wei Yi turned to Lu Hu beside him.
"These are all the clan head's arrangements." Lu Hu shrugged and explained with a chuckle, "Miss Zhu happens to be returning to the academy too, so we're traveling together. It'll be safer on the road."
Only then did Wei Yi understand.
His father must have feared he would encounter danger on the road and made these arrangements.
With the Zhu Clan party accompanying them, they would indeed be much safer.
"What?"
"You don't want to travel with me?"
Zhu Ling'er blinked and asked discontentedly.
"Of course I do. I couldn't ask for anything better than traveling with a beauty like you."
Wei Yi urged his horse forward.
"Hmph, that's more like it." Zhu Ling'er wrinkled her delicate nose, then smiled like a blooming flower again and could not help asking curiously, "I heard you caused quite a stir a while ago. All of Jinling has been talking about you lately. Tell me about it..."
"If you want to hear it, we'll have plenty of time on the road. I'll tell you all about it then."
"All right, let's get going first."
Soon, the two parties joined together.
Nearly a hundred people galloped onward.
The Wei Clan and Zhu Clan each had a Martial Spirit expert leading them. Together with so many Great Martial Masters and high-stage Martial Masters, their escort was undoubtedly quite formidable.
Not only did no bandits or brigands bar their way, but even quite a few of the martial artists following them to seize the Abnormal Fire left.
But when the party reached a stretch of plains-
A deafening thunder of hoofbeats suddenly rang out.
"Stop."
Lu Hu, riding at the front, spoke gravely. "A large force of riders is approaching!"
"Probably at least three to five hundred."
The Zhu Clan's guard captain also grew more serious.
The two had barely finished speaking when a long black line appeared at the edge of the plains.
It drew closer and closer amid thunderous hoofbeats-a great band of mounted bandits galloping toward them.
At the sight of their clothing and the black banner fluttering in the wind, Wei Yi's face immediately darkened.
The Blackwater Bandits!
"These bastards again."
"They really do haunt us like lingering ghosts."
These several hundred riders were all from the Blackwater Bandits.
Come to think of it, among the bandits and brigands around Jinling, probably only the Blackwater Bandits possessed such strength.
After all, even an ordinary second-rate force might not have several hundred fully equipped cavalrymen.
"I've dragged you into this."
Wei Yi turned to Zhu Ling'er and apologized.
"If you hadn't been trying to save me back then, you wouldn't have offended them."
Intelligent and perceptive, Zhu Ling'er naturally understood what Wei Yi meant.
She blinked and comforted him instead.
"What can a pack of clay chickens and pottery dogs amount to? You worry too much, Young Master Wei."
The Zhu Clan's guard captain spoke up as well.
He clearly was not worried in the slightest.
As he spoke, he waved his hand. The dozens of Zhu Clan guards in fitted martial attire took out the black-cloth-wrapped weapons on their horses-razor-sharp javelins.
They glinted coldly beneath the midday sun, every one undoubtedly a deadly weapon of slaughter.
Clearly, they had come prepared.
Wei Yi exchanged a glance with Lu Hu, and both immediately smiled.
Even the Zhu Clan had prepared. How could their Wei Clan have no defensive measures?
Wei Yi clapped his hands.
Click, clack...
A string of crossbow mechanisms sounded.
A powerful black crossbow soon appeared in every Wei Clan guard's hands.
With their cold sheen and vicious presence, the sharp crossbow bolts were no less formidable than the javelins. Braced on their arms in a row, the crossbows instantly took aim at the Blackwater Bandit cavalry charging toward them.
Even the worldly Zhu Clan guard captain could not help drawing a sharp breath. Dozens of powerful military crossbows-this was no small expenditure. No wonder they were so confident!
By comparison, their own preparations fell considerably short.
Giving Wei Yi a searching look, he could not help saying, "So you came prepared all along, Young Master Wei."
Wei Yi glanced at Zhu Ling'er, who remained as composed as ever beside him, and could not help inwardly praising her. At the same time, he smiled and said,
"Even if I didn't consider myself, I had to consider Miss Zhu."
"It doesn't matter if I put myself in danger, but I can't let Miss Zhu fall into danger with me."
Wei Yi's words were undoubtedly bullshit. He had never even known Zhu Ling'er would be traveling with him. Lu Hu and the Zhu Clan captain could not help rolling their eyes when they heard him. He was actually still in the mood to flirt at a time like this...
Zhu Ling'er, however, was immensely pleased, and her pretty face grew rosier.
Her gaze toward Wei Yi softened further as well.
Rumble...
Just then, the several hundred Blackwater Bandit riders came charging up.
They exchanged glances and gave their orders simultaneously.
"Throw!"
"Fire!"
Dozens of javelins and dozens of powerful crossbows unleashed their attacks at once.
The result was that a great swath of the charging Blackwater Bandit riders instantly fell.
Screams rang out incessantly, and blood sprayed.
The curtain quickly rose on a slaughter.
An ordinary party would never have been able to withstand a charge by several hundred Blackwater Bandit riders.
But the Wei Clan and Zhu Clan party this time was different.
Led by two Martial Spirit experts and supported by nearly a hundred elite martial artists at the high-stage Martial Master and Great Martial Master levels, they were outnumbered, but far superior in quality.
"Kill!"
At Wei Yi's command, all the Wei Clan martial artists immediately charged forward together.
Apart from a few guards who stayed behind to protect Zhu Ling'er, the Zhu Clan party charged forward as well.
Wei Yi showed no mercy whatsoever, the Qinggang Sword in his hand repeatedly harvesting the lives of these Blackwater Bandits.
His cultivation was currently stuck at tenth-stage Martial Master. Without receiving a breakthrough quest, he could not break through, but he could still gain skill experience.
For instance, the Thirteen Life-Seizing Swords still needed quite a bit of experience to reach the maximum level, LV20...