As the first rays of morning sun broke, a disorderly column of men surged from the forest.
Black-robed constables, gray-clothed constables, and linen-clad Hunters were all jumbled together, completely erasing any semblance of the imposing, majestic air such a force should have had.
Even the troop's equipment was a motley assortment.
The black-robed constables were equipped with standard-issue steel sabers, but only some of the other constables held long sabers; the rest merely carried Water and Fire Staffs.
As for the Hunters, the better-off ones had hunting bows, while the poorer ones had nothing but a steel pitchfork.
Su Mu, mixed in with the crowd, ran along with the flow, unable to stop himself from complaining internally.
'This is the ragtag mob they sent to suppress the bandits?'
'No wonder Xing Zhao Fu suffered such a crushing defeat and was forced to flee last time.'
'He recruited all these people and just threw them into battle without any training.'
'And if that wasn't bad enough, you'd think he'd at least provide some decent equipment.'
'Are we here to eliminate the bandits, or are we just serving them our heads on a platter?'
"Charge!"
The Black Dragon Stronghold was now faintly visible ahead. With a CLANG, Xing Zhao Fu drew his saber, pointed forward, and roared, "For every bandit you kill, you'll be rewarded with twenty taels of silver! Slay their leader, and the reward is one hundred taels! For those who fall in battle, their families will receive a pension of one hundred taels of silver! I, Xing Zhao Fu, will provide for your wives, children, and parents!"
'Who would believe that load of crap? He won't even shell out for basic equipment, and we're supposed to believe he'll pay a bounty?'
Su Mu scoffed internally.
But the crowd's reaction left him dumbfounded.
The Hunters and constables alike all grew wildly excited, as if they were on steroids.
Su Mu had still underestimated the allure silver held for these men.
As the saying goes, great rewards make for brave men.
Spurred on by the promise of silver, the men began to roar madly, their eyes fixed on what lay ahead.
"Charge! Kill the bandits!"
Su Mu watched, dumbstruck, as Xing Zhao Fu led the charge himself.
'Xing Zhao Fu's bravery exceeded his expectations, but this was just a little too... brainless, wasn't it?'
'Wouldn't it be better to enter the village stealthily?'
'Why shout so loudly? Are you afraid the Black Dragon Stronghold won't know you've arrived?'
Su Mu was once again treated to a display of Xing Zhao Fu's leadership skills.
'What a useless fool.'
THWIP!
As if in response to Su Mu's thoughts, a black shadow fell from the sky with a sharp whistle. The arrow pierced the neck of a constable charging at the very front.
Fresh blood splattered.
The pungent stench of blood instantly filled the air.
Then, more black dots appeared in the sky.
Xing Zhao Fu let out a great roar and leaped into the air, his steel saber a blur in his hand.
With a series of CLATTERS, countless arrows were hacked out of the air and fell to the ground.
'Say what you will, Xing Zhao Fu might be a brainless idiot, but his skills were the real deal.'
'He could leap more than a meter high, and his saber technique was so tight it was like a watertight defense. His martial arts had definitely reached a state of great mastery.'
Su Mu watched, admitting to himself that he was no match.
Wielding his mulberry wood bow to deflect incoming arrows, Su Mu charged forward with the main force.
'It was stupid.'
'But not charging wasn't an option.'
The main force was howling as they rushed forward, their sabers, spears, and staffs swinging so wildly that he was nearly struck several times.
'If he just stood still, he might get conveniently cut down by a friendly blade and then trampled underfoot.'
As the volley of arrows ended, roars echoed down from the mountain.
The Hunters seized the opportunity, all aiming up the mountain, drawing their bows and letting their arrows fly.
Su Mu also nocked an arrow, but his gaze shifted to glance at Yang Jin.
As expected of someone with a military background, Yang Jin remained calm under pressure. His steps were light as he charged, his breathing perfectly steady, and he even had the spare capacity to continuously fire off arrows.
Su Mu felt a surge of lingering fear. 'If Yang Jin had really followed Xing Zhao Fu's orders and tried to shoot me in the back amidst the chaos, I really might not have been able to dodge it in this chaotic environment.'
"Xing Zhao Fu, come here and die!"
Suddenly, a voice boomed from the mountain.
The surrounding battle cries couldn't even drown out this person's voice. The moment it rang out, a figure was already whistling down from the summit.
The man brandished a long spear, which moved like a venomous dragon, emitting a sharp sound as it cut through the air, stabbing straight for Xing Zhao Fu's chest.
CLANG! CLANG!
Xing Zhao Fu fiercely swung his Constable Saber.
Amidst the clash of metal,
both men slid backward several yards.
"The second-in-command of the Black Dragon Stronghold!"
Xing Zhao Fu's voice was urgent. "Wei Yongfu, what are you waiting for? Make your move!"
The moment his voice fell,
a figure leaped out from among the group of Hunters.
The man was burly, his face a dark, ruddy color. He advanced swiftly, dragging his saber behind him in a reverse grip.
In just two steps, he was in front of the Black Dragon Stronghold's second-in-command.
SWOOSH!
A streak of white light flashed by, the ring of the blade so sharp it made one's head spin.
The strike was as fast as a thunderbolt.
The Black Dragon Stronghold's second-in-command didn't even have time to dodge and hastily brought his long spear up to block.
CLINK!
The saber's edge slammed heavily against the spear's shaft.
The ironwood shaft vibrated violently, and the Black Dragon Stronghold's second-in-command nearly lost his grip.
A look of horror spread across his face.
But the flash of the blade gave him no time to react. It shot up along the spear shaft as fast as lightning, about to slice off his fingers.
Su Mu saw it all clearly and almost cheered out loud.
Having reached great mastery in the Submerging Wave Saber Technique, Su Mu could already discern the essence of Wei Yongfu's saber arts.
If Xing Zhao Fu's martial arts had reached great mastery, then Wei Yongfu's saber technique had likely reached Perfection.
Su Mu reckoned that while his own martial arts might allow him to contend with these three, their raw strength was far greater than his.
If he were to step into the fight, he would be dead without a proper burial in ten moves at most.
The continuous CLANGING and CLINKING echoed across the field, even suppressing the roars of the surrounding battle.
Wei Yongfu and the Black Dragon Stronghold's second-in-command traded blow for blow, fighting speed with speed, exchanging dozens of moves in the span of a few breaths.
Just then, an arrow suddenly shot forth, skimming along the ground and heading straight for the lower leg of the Black Dragon Stronghold's second-in-command.
THWIP!
By the time the Black Dragon Stronghold's second-in-command realized something was wrong, it was already a step too late to dodge.
The arrow tore a chunk of flesh from his calf, causing him to cry out in pain.
He swung his long spear frantically, barely managing to force Wei Yongfu back a step, but his own footing was already faltering.
That old fox Xing Zhao Fu seized the opportunity, flashing behind the Black Dragon Stronghold's second-in-command and slashing down with his saber.
The Black Dragon Stronghold's second-in-command had just avoided the sneak attack and forcefully repelled an evenly matched opponent in Wei Yongfu; his strength was already spent.
How could he have any energy left to block Xing Zhao Fu's surprise attack?
In an instant, blood flew. The flesh on the back of the Black Dragon Stronghold's second-in-command was split open, a mangled, bloody mess.
He screamed and fell forward, on the verge of being killed in the group attack.
Suddenly.
An enraged roar.
The sound was so loud that even Su Mu, a great distance away, found it deafening, his very qi and blood roiling in his chest.
Following that, a brawny, whiskered man descended from the sky, throwing a punch at Wei Yongfu and a kick at Xing Zhao Fu.
Wei Yongfu and Xing Zhao Fu struck out at the same time.
A violent blast of energy exploded outward.
Wei Yongfu staggered back several steps—STOMP, STOMP, STOMP—leaving a trail of deep footprints. The long saber in his hand was now only a broken stump.
Xing Zhao Fu fared even worse. He was sent spinning backward, vomiting blood, and slid several yards across the ground.
His steel saber had flown off to god knows where.
He couldn't even get back up.
"Big Brother!"
the second-in-command of the Black Dragon Stronghold cried out.
The whiskered man stood proudly, licking his lips.
"You there, fellow. If you agree to become the third-in-command of my Black Dragon Stronghold, I can spare your life."
He said, looking at Wei Yongfu.
Wei Yongfu's eyelids drooped. He didn't say a word.
But he answered the leader of the Black Dragon Stronghold with his actions.
The ground beneath his feet exploded. He moved, and the broken saber moved with him.
The light of the blade was like a flowing river, cleaving straight down at the head of the Black Dragon Stronghold's leader.
...
Su Mu lowered his head, then raised it again to look around.
All around him, a dense throng of men were locked in a chaotic slaughter—men from the South City Bureau and men from the Black Dragon Stronghold.
At his feet, a figure lay bleeding from all seven orifices, writhing like a maggot.