This Jianghu Was Too Dangerous!

One day, a visitor arrived outside the gates of Green Bamboo Mountain.

He was a young man in fine clothes, riding a spirited horse.

He galloped up to the gates, and just as the lackeys guarding them were about to question him, he leaped from his horse without a word of nonsense. In an instant, he was at the gates, drawing his sword and striking!

A cold gleam of sword light flashed and vanished. Then more than a dozen fine heads soared into the air, and scalding blood dyed the snow-covered gates a dazzling scarlet.

After killing them, the young man did not even blink. He sprang forward and charged deeper into the stronghold.

Only then did the warning gong ring out across the entire stronghold.

Led by their bosses, great and small, the lackeys tried to stop him along the way, but their resistance lasted only a short while before it collapsed.

The young man was simply too fast.

His movements were fast, and the sword in his hand was faster still.

Wherever he passed, men and horses toppled and heads went flying.

Meanwhile, Chen Ye was peeking out from behind a large rock halfway up the mountain.

When he saw flesh and blood flying, Chen Ye's pupils contracted sharply, and he tucked himself even farther out of sight.

The young man was simply too powerful.

He had dared to storm Green Bamboo Mountain all alone, killing lackeys as easily as chopping melons and vegetables. From the looks of it, he was definitely a top figure in the jianghu.

With Chen Ye's current trifling skills, he would die the moment he showed his face.

Meanwhile, the young man fought his way to the mountaintop at breakneck speed. Then the chief's furious roar came from the Gathering Hall.

"The Mu Clan has gone too far! You..."

Chen Ye could not make out the rest, as it was drowned out by battle cries.

The cries came quickly and faded just as fast.

In no more than the time it took an incense stick to burn, an eerie silence settled over all of Green Bamboo Mountain. Only the wailing of the cold wind through the mountain forest remained.

Was it over?

Chen Ye was filled with doubt and dared not move.

Just then, the crisp clatter of hooves approached from afar, followed by a hearty laugh with a teasing note.

"Third Young Master Mu, weren't you a little too fast? We agreed to storm Green Bamboo Mountain together, so how did you settle everything on your own?"

Chen Ye's heart stirred, and he quietly looked over.

The young man who had been like a god of slaughter was walking calmly down the mountain path, a blood-dripping sword in his hand.

At the foot of the mountain, a man and a woman were watching him with smiles.

The man was tall and elegant, with a folding fan in his hand and an extraordinary bearing. The woman was pretty and graceful, her lively eyes full of laughter.

Neither of them was ordinary, whether judged by their clothing or their bearing.

"They were just a bunch of bandits and brigands. Why waste so much effort on them?" Mu Jianqing, the Third Young Master Mu, said in a flat tone, as though he had merely done something insignificant.

The pretty woman covered her mouth and giggled, her voice like an oriole singing as it emerged from a valley. "Third Young Master Mu, you're truly impressive. Tian Ying, the chief of Green Bamboo Mountain, was only a second-rate fighter, but his Gold-Splitting Fist had a fearsome reputation in these parts, and he was quite troublesome. I never imagined he would be so helpless against your sword."

Chen Ye heard every word, and his heart shook violently.

Tian Ying, the chief, was dead?

A second-rate expert had been killed so effortlessly?

After the three had exchanged a few compliments, Xiao Che, the man with the folding fan, asked, "Brother Mu, now that the bandit chief has been executed, what should we do with this enormous stronghold?"

"What else?" Mu Jianqing wiped the blood from his sword, his gaze icy. "Naturally, we burn it down as a warning to others."

"Of course we should burn it," the woman, Lin Wan'er, said with a smile.

"But I hear these bandits have occupied Green Bamboo Mountain for years and amassed considerable wealth. It would be such a pity to burn it all. Why don't we... go up and search the place first? We can set the fire afterward."

Mu Jianqing frowned slightly.

He had come up the mountain with his sword solely to make a name for himself, and had no interest in gold or silver.

His Mu Clan was the wealthiest in the region, and he did not lack that little bit of money.

But seeing that his friends Xiao Che and Lin Wan'er both looked tempted, he could hardly deny them, so he nodded.

"Very well."

As the three walked, chatting and laughing, toward the rear of the stronghold, where the storeroom stood, Chen Ye did not dare delay for a moment. He crouched low and raced down the mountain along a patrol path without looking back.

He ran several li in one breath. Only after he was completely clear of Green Bamboo Mountain did he stop, bracing himself against a large tree as he gasped for breath.

Then he looked back toward Green Bamboo Mountain, his heart full of doubt.

Wasn't the jianghu in this world a little too terrifying?

He had just thought Green Bamboo Mountain, with a second-rate expert in command, would be safe for a while. To his surprise, it had been wiped out in the blink of an eye.

Chen Ye no longer dared rely on the slightest bit of luck. He ran toward the official road in the distance.

He dared not visit any nearby towns.

After all, no one knew whether those three harbingers of death would stop in a town to rest.

If he ran into them, his burly build and the fact that he had come from Green Bamboo Mountain would make it hard for him not to draw attention.

To be safe, Chen Ye bypassed the nearest town and traveled more than forty li. It was already dark by the time he reached a town called Pingyang.

The town was not large, but many merchants and travelers passed through, making it quite lively.

Chen Ye found a corner and tidied himself up a little, making himself look less disheveled before entering the town.

Chen Ye had always kept all his belongings on him, a habit that now came in handy.

He found a cheap inn and stayed the night. After resting, he began wandering around town.

Then he made a surprising discovery.

Pingyang Town actually had a martial arts school.

Full of anticipation, Chen Ye immediately went inside and explained why he had come.

But the steward in charge of admissions merely looked him up and down a few times before shaking his head.

"At your age, your bones have long since set. You've missed the best time to practice martial arts, so your achievements will be limited."

"More importantly, you need three local guarantors to enter our school. Your identity is unknown, so we can't accept you."

The steward spoke politely, but his attitude was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

Chen Ye had been turned away, and he was deeply disappointed.

And indeed, that was how it was. People who ran martial arts schools valued their reputation and lineage above all else. How could they casually accept someone of unknown origins?

Chen Ye walked out of the school dejectedly and wandered the streets without direction, his heart growing heavier.

He could not even get into a minor school like this, let alone one of the truly famous sects.

What should I do?

As he racked his brains for a solution, a commotion not far ahead caught his attention.

A huge notice had been posted on a wall, and a long line had formed in front of it.

Curious, Chen Ye went over for a look. When he saw what the notice said, he could not help but stare.

The authorities were recruiting laborers to transport provisions to the army fighting in the north.

The pay and rations were not much, but a steady stream of people was lining up to apply.

"Brother, this work is hard and exhausting, and the pay is poor. Why are so many people scrambling to do it?" Chen Ye asked in puzzlement, stopping a man who was also standing in line.

The man glanced at him and grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Brother, you're from out of town, aren't you? Then you wouldn't know."

"Being a laborer for the army is hard, but at least you get enough to eat, don't you?"

"Most importantly, once you join the supply convoy, you can learn the body-tempering method taught throughout the army. It's a skill that can produce internal force!"