Outside the carriage, over a hundred bandits armed with weapons and fierce expressions had surrounded the carriage. The dozen or so men under Chu Xiu's command showed faces of terror and despair. They were ordinary servants of the Chu family, knowing some fist techniques, barely reaching the Body Tempering Realm. In single combat against these experienced bandits they would struggle, let alone now when the opposite side numbered over a hundred.
Chu Xiu stepped down from the carriage and said indifferently:
Chu Xiu: "If you heroes wish to rob for money, I still have several thousand taels of silver here. If you want them, take them. As for other things, as you can see, this isn't a merchant caravan, and there's nothing else of value."
The bandit leader was a giant of a man with disheveled hair, holding a ferocious-looking tiger-head gold-seizing blade in his hand. The wide blade dragged on the ground, the copper-carved tiger head on the hilt covered in bloodstains—clearly, this blade had tasted much blood.
Bandit Leader: "Several thousand taels of silver is no small sum, but unfortunately your life is worth far more than that. Boy, speak—how do you wish to die?"
Chu Xiu looked at the bandit leader, his expression unchanged:
Chu Xiu: "It's all buying lives with money. Someone paid to buy my life, so naturally I can now pay to buy my own life. You know my identity. Step aside now, and however much silver you want in the future, just name your price."
The bandit leader dragged his blade over and laughed loudly:
Bandit Leader: "They all say the Chu family's second son is a cowardly waste. Looking at you now, you've got quite some guts. Unfortunately, you're a step too late. Though this master is a bandit, I also keep my word. So you might as well accept your fate and be on your way!"
Chu Xiu shook his head and sighed:
Chu Xiu: "Since it's all spending money, and I can't buy my own life, then I can only buy your lives instead!"
The bandit leader's expression darkened. But before he could say anything, Chu Xiu actually charged directly at him at high speed, as if planning to capture the bandit chief first to capture the bandits.
Bandit Leader: "Seeking death!"
A hint of ruthlessness flashed in the bandit leader's eyes. His tiger-head gold-seizing blade swept out, the blade momentum overbearing, the wind roaring with fury! He was a martial artist of wild origins, having only learned some crude external skills to forge his bones and tendons, not even proper blade techniques.
But he was born with great strength. A heavy weapon like the tiger-head gold-seizing blade danced in his hands as if it were a toy. This blade sweeping down—even wearing armor, one would be cut in two. At the same Body Tempering Realm, the gap between martial artists of the same rank could still be quite large. Previously, that Li Tong was also at the Body Tempering Realm. He was even from the Li family's collateral branch, cultivating the Li family's internal techniques, yet his actual combat experience was pathetically weak.
Meanwhile, this bandit leader before him had not a trace of internal power, but his attacks were decisive and ruthless. If Li Tong fought him, he would likely be cut down in one blade. But Chu Xiu was not Li Tong. Facing this powerfully heavy blade, Chu Xiu was extremely calm. His strength was inferior to this bandit leader's. Facing that powerfully heavy tiger-head gold-seizing blade, he probably couldn't block even one strike.
So when that blade swept toward him, his figure suddenly stopped. The true qi of the Primordial Skill circulated within his body—only a thin thread, not very effective, but better than nothing. At least Chu Xiu had only cultivated for a few days, yet his true qi quantity already exceeded what he had accumulated from the Vast Sea Heart Method cultivated for several years. A fist struck out. Chu Xiu's fist landed on the wide blade body, causing the tiger-head gold-seizing blade to deflect slightly, passing by Chu Xiu's side with extreme danger. A hint of surprise flashed in the bandit leader's eyes—he hadn't expected this waste of a young master to actually dodge his blade. But immediately after, the bandit leader directly exerted force in his wrist, transforming the slash into a horizontal sweep, cutting toward Chu Xiu's waist. But Chu Xiu rolled, appearing disheveled but dodging this sweep. Moreover, though this bandit leader attacked fiercely and Chu Xiu dodged in a disheveled manner, in reality Chu Xiu didn't suffer any major injuries. After over ten consecutive moves failed to overcome his opponent, the bandit leader was growing anxious—not afraid of killing Chu Xiu, but unable to save face.Before so many of his subordinates, he couldn't even handle a waste of a young master—wouldn't that make him seem more useless than waste?
His heart grew chaotic, and his movements became somewhat messy, completely abandoning his own defense in mad attacks. Just at this moment, a hint of sharp light flashed in Chu Xiu's eyes. After dodging a blade, his figure directly dropped low, suddenly pressing close to the bandit leader. A flash of silver light burst from his sleeve, directly slashing toward the bandit leader's neck! Swift blade unsheathed—Azure Dragon in the Sleeve!
The bandit leader was also battle-hardened. The instant he saw that silver blade light, he immediately felt his scalp go numb. An extremely strong sense of crisis came over him. His body forcibly twisted, retreating backward, avoiding this fatal blade. But who would have thought Chu Xiu would change his blade momentum, twisting like a swimming dragon, slashing downward—one blade cutting into his shoulder, nearly severing his entire arm! The bandit leader clutched his blood-gushing arm and retreated backward, fear showing in his eyes. If he hadn't dodged quickly just now, that single blade would have taken his life! Chu Xiu stood in place holding the short blade. He felt nothing in particular. He had obtained this Azure Dragon in the Sleeve too recently, lacking practice. If given a few more days to become more familiar with it, this bandit leader absolutely wouldn't have dodged that blade.
A hint of ferocity flashed in the bandit leader's eyes:
Bandit Leader: "Kill! All of you, attack together! Kill them all for me!"
The word "kill" had just left his mouth when sounds of shouting and killing came—but not from the bandit leader's side. From another wave of people.
That group numbered only several dozen, half the size of the bandit leader's forces, but each one attacked with extreme ruthlessness, cutting down a swath of people immediately upon arrival.
Among them, a man in his thirties was their leader. He had a sallow complexion, and though not short, he was gaunt. But he dragged a heavy sword in his hand, quite mismatched with his physique.
At this moment, Gao Bei emerged from somewhere, coming to Chu Xiu's side and asking carefully:
Gao Bei: "Young Master, this servant didn't come too late, did he?"
Chu Xiu stared at the battlefield while saying carelessly:
Chu Xiu: "Not bad. Just in time."
Though Chu Xiu had only just entered the martial path, he was after all from a martial arts family background, with broader knowledge than some wild-origin martial artists. Chu Xiu could tell just from the sallow-faced man's dragging-sword walking posture—this person was definitely different from that wild-origin bandit leader. He was a martial artist with authentic martial arts heritage! At this moment, seeing this scene, the bandit leader couldn't help shouting with red-rimmed eyes:
Bandit Leader: "Ma Kuo! What the hell are you trying to do?!"
Ma Kuo grinned with a cold smile:
Ma Kuo: "What am I doing? Of course I'm going to do you! Lian Laosan, you've relied on being an old-timer in Shangmang Mountain to steal my business not once or twice. This time, I'll send you to meet the King of Hell!"
As his words fell, the heavy sword in Ma Kuo's hands crashed down. From stepping forward, dragging the sword, raising the sword, to slashing—this chain of movements exerted force to the extreme in every motion. Just an ordinary vertical slash, yet one part of force allowed him to exert three parts, far stronger than that wild-origin bandit leader.
This sword fell. Because the bandit leader's shoulder was wounded by Chu Xiu, he couldn't grip his blade with both hands. The tiger-head gold-seizing blade was directly sent flying. He wanted to escape, but Ma Kuo's footwork was incomparably agile, directly chasing after him and cutting him in two at the waist with one sword. Shaking the blood off his sword, Ma Kuo turned back and gave Chu Xiu a sinister smile. Gao Bei beside him had been frightened by the scene of Ma Kuo cutting a man in two with one sword, and shuddered upon seeing this smile.
Chu Xiu merely cupped his hands toward Ma Kuo:
Chu Xiu: "This time, many thanks to you, hero, for your assistance."
Ma Kuo dragged his heavy sword over and said with a fierce grin:
Ma Kuo: "Boy, aren't you afraid I'll black-eat-black?"
Chu Xiu spread his hands:
Chu Xiu: "Chief Ma should know my identity. The conditions I promised you, you've also seen. Killing me would get you several thousand taels of silver at most. But not killing me, what you get is various refined ores—enough to let your men replace all their scrap metal."
Previously, when Yue'er encouraged Chu Xiu to take the Yuanbao Town route, Chu Xiu could guess from that moment that his second mother acted ruthlessly enough. Even against him, an illegitimate son with almost no chance of inheriting the family head position, she showed no mercy at all—most likely not wanting him to return to the Chu family at all.
So earlier, Chu Xiu had sent Gao Bei to make a trip to Shangmang Mountain. If his second mother could pay bandits to kill him, then Chu Xiu could pay bandits to protect him. In any case, it was all business of spending money. However, Chu Xiu didn't have much silver on him, so he promised the bandits some refined ores. These were specialties of the Chu family's Southern Mountain mines, and also the only pitiful bit of power Chu Xiu currently commanded.
Ma Kuo asked somewhat suspiciously:
Ma Kuo: "You're really not lying to me? As far as I know, those refined ores your Chu family mines are all accounted for. You're willing to give them to me?"
To be a bandit naturally required equipment as well. His men didn't lack weapons, but they were all swords and blades forged by ordinary blacksmiths. Meanwhile, the refined ores produced by the Chu family's Southern Mountain mines were true treasures, used for forging sharp blades. This time, besides the fact that those coming to kill Chu Xiu were his old rivals, another reason he acted was that the conditions Chu Xiu offered truly moved his heart.
Chu Xiu said indifferently:
Chu Xiu: "Chief Ma, you should know why these people came to kill me today. Even the Chu family has people who want me dead outside—would I still care about the Chu family's materials?"
Saying this, Chu Xiu directly took out a paper and handed it to Ma Kuo:
Chu Xiu: "This is my written order, bearing my seal. Chief Ma, send someone with it to the Southern Mountain mines. You can directly obtain a batch of refined ores at low prices. Of course, move quickly. I'm still the manager of Southern Mountain mines now, but who knows when I won't be anymore."
Having obtained what he wanted, Ma Kuo nodded in satisfaction, muttering:
Ma Kuo: "You big families have so much dog-shit and messy business. But you, boy, are quite clean and decisive. If there's such good business in the future, you can still find me. In any case, it's all killing. My Qilian... I mean, my Ma Kuo's men are all quite efficient."
After saying this, Ma Kuo directly dragged his heavy sword, called back those still chasing bandits, and departed. Behind him, Chu Xiu watched Ma Kuo's retreating figure, a contemplative look in his eyes. Qilian? Bandits? Bandits with martial arts heritage?
After a moment, Chu Xiu suddenly thought of something. He seemed to already know the other's identity. This kid Gao Bei had quite good luck—sending him to randomly invite a wave of bandits, and he ended up inviting someone with quite a background. After Ma Kuo and the others had all left, Chu Xiu finally turned his gaze toward the carriage, a chilling smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.