Their eyes met for three seconds.
Lin Shan slowly drew his ring-pommel saber. The black-clothed man outside, holding his own saber, slowly approached the Escort Carriage . Just as he was about to get close, he suddenly saw someone hidden underneath the carriage.
The black-clothed man stopped, looked left and right, and seeing that none of his companions were paying attention to this side, he said,
"Sorry to bother you."
Before he finished speaking, he turned and left, chasing after another person to attack.
"?!"
Lin Shan couldn't help but sigh. This was the true martial world. Everyone only had one life, so naturally, even the robbers cherished it immensely.
He turned to look at Master Pu, who was hiding under the carriage. This old fellow seemed completely unaware that a crisis had just passed him by, and was still looking towards Chief Wang's battle.
"Why do I feel like there aren't many of our Escort on the field?"
As Lin Shan watched, he also noticed something was off. Most of the porters and escorts on the field were ordinary people, but Chief Wang had over a dozen Escort under him!
Any Escort was at least a Postnatal Qi-Exchanging Realm Martial Artist, and those with more seniority, like Master Pu, even had the Viscera-Refining Realm.
Although the black-clothed men on the field were all Martial Artists, with over a dozen Martial Artists on their side, coupled with so many strong men, they should have been able to put up a fight.
"You're still too green, kid! The robbers are waiting at their leisure, having prepared for a long time. After the rain of arrows, they charged forward with full momentum. These people outside can just wear down their sharp edge.
When the time is right, the Escort will make their Move, and we will be the ones waiting at our leisure. The tables will turn." Master Pu said with an air of seniority.
After hearing this, Lin Shan really wanted to retort, 'Aren't you guys playing with people's lives?'
But in the end, he didn't say anything. These porters and escorts who followed the Escort agency to make a living, who usually raised and fed horses and did odd jobs, had to be cannon fodder when danger struck.
He couldn't change their fate by himself, other than silently mourning for them.
This world was about the strong preying on the weak. The weak had no right to survive.
The lives of the Escort were considered more precious than those of the servants. For the sake of victory, it was natural for a Fellow Daoist to die rather than oneself.
Anyway, if ordinary people died, they could just recruit more. There were as many as they needed. Which Escort hadn't climbed up from being an ordinary person through life and death?
...
Seeing that more than half of the porters were dead or injured on the field, the time was about right. A signal arrow soared into the distance, seemingly a secret signal between the Escort . Master Pu kicked Lin Shan out of the carriage.
"Kill!"
Lin Shan: "???"
It's one thing to make a Move, but did you have to kick me?
Lin Shan guessed that this old fellow was afraid he would be timid and just watch, so he forcibly kicked him into the fray. At the moment, he didn't have time to think too much. Just then, a black-clothed Scarface with a big build walked towards him.
This person in front of him had probably killed too many people, as the blade of his saber was already nicked. Drops of blood fell from the tip of the saber onto the ground. His face mask had been thrown somewhere, and the saber scar on his face looked a bit ferocious when he smiled.
"Gulp."
Lin Shan's throat tightened. This was his first time fighting someone, and it was only natural to be nervous. His mind was a mess, and the "Qingfeng Swordplay" that he had practiced countless times, he couldn't recall no matter how hard he tried.
The Scarface opposite him didn't know what Lin Shan was thinking. He hadn't seen such a young novice in a long time. Excitedly, he raised his saber and ran over, chopping down fiercely!
Lin Shan didn't have time to think. Subconsciously, he lifted his ring-pommel saber.
"Clang!"
Their positions crossed. Lin Shan felt his tiger's mouth go numb, and his wrist felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer. It was as if the person opposite him wasn't a person, but a majestic and strong bear.
At the same time, a powerful force, following the clash just now, entered his body from the saber through his palm, attempting to damage his Meridians and erode his muscles and bones.
"Could it be hidden force?"
Lin Shan's heart sank. Hidden force was a unique ability of the Postnatal second Realm, Viscera-Refining. However, the Scarface black-clothed man in front of him was clearly still in the Qi-Exchanging Realm like him.
It could only be said that the person opposite him was infinitely close to Viscera-Refining, with one foot already stepping through the threshold, and had even grasped the basics of hidden force.
Fortunately, Lin Shan cultivated an Innate Skill. Although the Eternal Spring True Qi in his body was gentle, when faced with the invasion of foreign True Qi, it still surrounded it without hesitation and easily annihilated it in a few Moves.
"Huh?"
The person opposite him let out a slight exclamation of surprise, somewhat astonished that Lin Shan could neutralize the hidden force. But without any unnecessary words, he took the opportunity to close in again.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
In an instant, they exchanged dozens of blows. Lin Shan parried left and right. The person opposite him was not only powerful, but every Move was lethal! He was clearly a veteran who had been immersed in the Qi- Exchanging Realm for many years and had experienced countless battles. His Moves and techniques were far superior to his, and he was repeatedly forced into dangerous situations.
Although Lin Shan had also cultivated to the Qi-Exchanging Realm, he was just a novice who had just become a Martial Artist and didn't even have any combat experience. If it weren't for the abundant and continuous True Qi from his Innate Skill, anyone else who encountered this desperate brute in front of him would have collapsed long ago!
The Scarface black-clothed man looked at Lin Shan in surprise again, not expecting this kid, who looked delicate and frail, to be able to fight back and forth with him. Especially the True Qi in his body seemed to have endless reserves, which was truly extraordinary.
But let's see how long you can last?
Seeing himself at a disadvantage, Lin Shan's eyes also narrowed slightly. He knew his combat experience was insufficient, but his Innate True Qi was superior to the opponent's in quality and recovery. As long as he could drag it out, he might be able to wear down and kill the opponent with his stamina in the end.
And Scarface seemed to have guessed his plan and began to accelerate his attacks, even fighting desperately at the risk of his own life!
"What kind of brute is this? He's fighting for his life right from the start?"
Lin Shan quickly dodged. He didn't want to trade injuries with the person opposite him. People who lived by the sword were ruthless to others and even more ruthless to themselves! If you competed with him in ruthlessness, even if you were lucky enough to survive in the end, how would you stand among so many enemies around you?
Their figures flickered, moving back and forth. When their weapons clashed, a white shadow flashed by, and occasionally, sparks appeared when they rubbed against each other. The whooshing sound of saber wind was mixed with the fierce sound of a sudden storm. For a moment, both of them were slightly out of breath, and their physical strength was severely depleted.
At this moment, the Scarface black-clothed man took advantage of Lin Shan's dodge and extended a strange and tricky saber from the side. It was simply a divine Move that was impossible to defend against! Lin Shan's pupils reflected the saber tip that was about to be lifted. He suddenly saw the nicked gap on it and chopped down fiercely, aiming right at it!
"Clang!"
Scarface saw that his surprise attack had not worked and felt a slight regret, but he was still very confident in himself. Through the exchange of blows just now, he had thoroughly discovered that Lin Shan was a novice who didn't even know basic saber techniques and was led by his rhythm from beginning to end.
However, this kid's skill was truly somewhat unfathomable. He was always stubbornly resisting like a cockroach, which made him feel a little impatient, and his heart became inexplicably anxious.
And Lin Shan had gradually adapted to the fight. He had managed to persevere by relying on the stamina of his Innate Skill and had discovered the opponent's fatal weakness through the attack just now: the weapon with a nicked blade!
Therefore, during the occasional close combat, he intentionally or unintentionally struck the nicked gap on the opposite side's blade and deliberately showed weakness to paralyze Scarface's attention, keeping him in the pleasure of suppressing him until his ultimate goal was achieved.
"Clang~"
The two clashed again and separated.
"Clatter!"
Half of the blade fell to the ground.
The two instantly jumped out of the fighting circle and quickly checked whose saber was broken.
Scarface looked at the broken saber in his hand with a blank expression. For a moment, he hadn't paid attention and forgot that the saber in his hand was already nicked. When he clashed forcefully with Lin Shan, who was also a Martial Artist, coincidentally...
His weapon was finished!
Lin Shan was stunned for a moment, not expecting that his casual thought during the battle would actually work and be validated. He was instantly overjoyed.
Strike while the iron is hot!
The ring-pommel saber in his hand suddenly felt light, and the Qingfeng Swordplay in his mind seemed to have been recalled all at once.
Scarface was also experienced. He threw away the broken saber in his hand, rolled on the ground, and began to look for any remaining weapons on the ground.
Of course, Lin Shan didn't let up. He chased after the Scarface black-clothed man and hacked wildly. The situation instantly reversed, and he hacked with great satisfaction. His random saber technique suddenly became fierce and flowing, beating the opponent without any ability to retaliate.
Scarface dodged on the ground, covered in dust and dirt, and almost vomited blood from frustration! Several times, he almost reached a weapon near a dead body, but Lin Shan's saber forced him away.
The two chased and rolled for a while, and Lin Shan couldn't help but marvel at Scarface's incredibly tough psychological fortitude. As expected of someone who did the job of a robber, under the threat of death, he managed to avoid getting hit by a saber.
As the two were fighting fiercely here, a long howl suddenly came from a distance.
"You've lost!"
Lin Shan glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw that fifty steps away from the fighting circle, Chief Wang was sent flying by the black-clothed leader opposite him. He fell to the ground with disheveled hair, struggling to stand up, propping himself up with the long spear in his hand.
His chest was covered in fresh blood, and blood was still flowing from the corner of his mouth.
Although the black-clothed leader, his opponent, had some torn robes, he was generally unharmed and still stood tall!
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Chief Wang had no chance of winning, and the tide had turned.
The Escort and the black-clothed men were originally evenly matched, and everyone fought desperately, waiting for the high-level experts to win. The Escort had also been waiting for Chief Wang, a first-class expert, to defeat the great enemy and decide the outcome.
But the result was that Chief Wang himself was in danger and the defeat was already decided. When the black-clothed leader became free, none of those present would survive!
Everyone on the field paused for a moment, beginning to weigh the pros and cons.
Knowing that it was impossible, no one was willing to wait for death.
As for how to choose next, the experienced Escort who had traveled north and south naturally knew what to do.
In an instant, over a dozen figures repelled their enemies and scattered like birds and beasts!
Seeing this scene, the disheveled Chief Wang laughed tragically.
"Alright, brothers, let's go our separate ways! If anyone survives and goes back, tell the Shopkeeper for me that I am grateful for his kindness and will repay him with my death!"
His loud voice echoed through the valley. After speaking, Chief Wang forced himself to stand up, held his spear, and charged towards the opposite side.
At this moment, in the fighting circle in the distance, the Scarface black- clothed man, who had been fighting for his life under Lin Shan's saber, finally picked up a steel saber. He finally stood up with a carp jump and looked left and right.
"Hmm? Where are they?"
...
Lin Shan had already decisively abandoned his opponent when the others scattered and cleverly followed the crowd, heading towards the mountain forest. Hearing Chief Wang's final cry, he couldn't help but feel a surge of sadness. A dignified first-class expert of the martial world, a heroic figure, had just silently perished in a foreign land.
Even in the Lin Family, a wealthy and influential family in Clear River County, there were only a handful of first-class experts, and losing one was a significant blow.
"The mortal world is like a tide, and people are like water. I only sigh at how few return to the martial world!"
As he sighed inwardly, he seemed to see a figure running even faster than himself in front of him. As he fled, the figure looked more and more familiar.
"Master Pu!"
Master Pu, who was focused on escaping in the forest ahead, took a moment to look back and couldn't help but curse inwardly, 'It's this little brat again.' He had so many tricks up his sleeve and was clinging to this old man!
He grumbled impatiently, "Kid, just keep up!"
...
In the valley, corpses lay everywhere.
Chief Wang knelt on the ground, his chest impaled by his own long spear in mid-air. Blood dripped down drop by drop. He had been dead for a long time.
The black-clothed leader sat cross-legged nearby, circulating his energy to recover.
"Lord protector, the battlefield has been cleaned up."
A black-clothed man came to report. He looked at the dead Chief Wang beside him and was shocked that a dignified first-class expert in the martial world had died so inexplicably at the hands of the Protector. Until his death, he didn't understand who he had offended. If he knew the truth, he might have...
"You have two hours. When the time is up, you must return and transport this batch of Escort Carriages to Yongchang County before sunset. I won't wait for you if you're late!"
The black-clothed leader, referred to as the Protector, didn't even lift his eyelids and continued to circulate his energy to recover his internal force.
The black-clothed men in the valley praised the "Protector's brilliance" after hearing this. After looting the treasures from the dead bodies on the ground, they eagerly formed groups of two or three and chased into the mountains.
After all, killing and arson brought wealth. Who wouldn't be happy to earn extra money? Two hours was enough for them...
...