Chapter 64: Ambush And Killing (I)

The man saw that his elder brother remained silent, so he too held his tongue and walked on quietly. The two brothers had once lived in Jiunan City, but after it was overrun by the rebel army, they fled and came to Songyi City.

After settling outside Songyi City, they survived by hunting. Unexpectedly, the turmoil caused by the rebel army spread further, reaching this place as well. Hunting became increasingly difficult, and with no other choice, they were forced to live as bandits.

Although their martial techniques were decent, possessing skill with weapons did not guarantee them proper employment. The wealthy families dared not employ men like them, whose origins were unclear.

The stronger such men became, the greater the potential disaster they could cause if things went wrong. When Lin Zheyu had first arrived in Songyi City, he faced the same plight. Despite his scholarly learning and mastery of calculation, no one was willing to hire him or recommend him. Only temporary jobs involving menial and backbreaking labor would take him.

After many attempts, he finally found a livelihood as a storyteller. Fortunately, his storytelling skills were excellent, and he managed to earn a measure of fame. Moreover, when Jia Yanming once tried to poach him but failed, he gained a reputation as a man who knew gratitude and loyalty. It was for this very quality that Xu Jingwu came to value him, allowing him to join the Feihong Gang.

"Big Brother, why don’t we join the Nine Nether Sect as well, and worship that so-called Nine Nether Demon God?" one of the men in the rear suggested.

Recently, within the bandit forces of Lion Valley, a new sect had risen. It was called the Nine Nether Sect, and it was devoted to the Nine Nether Demon God.

Just hearing the name Nine Nether Demon God made it sound like a cult of evil. Yet what of it if it was a cult? As bandits, they already lived in shadows, shunned by the world. In these troubled times, survival mattered more than notions of righteousness or evil.

"That’s right, Big Brother. I heard that if we join the Nine Nether Sect, we can get food and provisions through their channels," another man added.

"Don’t be hasty. We will observe a little longer. If there is truly no other choice, we will decide between joining the Nine Nether Sect or the City Guard of Songyi City," said the leader after a moment’s thought.

Something about the Nine Nether Sect did not sit right with him, and doubts gnawed at his heart. Hearing his words, the group fell silent once more and trudged forward in quiet.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Lin Zheyu moved swiftly through the forest, his figure light and ghostlike, not making the slightest sound. Since reaching the fourth stage of the Golden Goose Technique, his speed had far surpassed that of ordinary Blood Qi Realm cultivators. After he unleashed his full power, he quickly caught up to the bandit gang.

The bandits were numerous, no fewer than 68 in total. Their expressions were tense, weapons clutched tightly in their hands as they kept constant watch on their surroundings.

"Chang Feng, do you sense anyone following us?" asked the leader, turning toward the middle-aged man behind him after they slipped through several secluded mountain paths.

Chang Feng was an experienced herb gatherer with an extraordinarily keen sense of smell, able to detect even the faintest unusual scent. Relying on Chang Feng’s ability, they had often uncovered lurking figures harboring ill intent in the shadows.

"Nope," said Chang Feng after sniffing the air.

"Good. Keep moving forward. Head straight for the secret base, and stay sharp," ordered the leader.

The group continued through one hidden path after another, making their way deeper into the valley. Whenever they passed through a patch of unusual grass or flowers, they would take out a dark-green powder and scatter it over themselves, though its purpose remained a mystery.

"They are certainly cautious," murmured Lin Zheyu.

He trailed far behind them, keeping a wide distance. Remembering the painful lesson he had learned from Ma Wangcheng earlier, this time he carefully skirted around any strange thickets or groves to avoid picking up unusual scents on his body. Fortunately, the bandits had not gone far; otherwise, they might have truly slipped away.

There it is. The bundle in that man’s hands must be the loot they just stole!

he thought as he drew nearer. With a sudden movement, Lin Zheyu darted forward, swiftly closing the distance.

In the dense forest, the trees rustled with a sharp whisper. As the breeze drifted past, the bandit named Chang Feng sniffed the air and caught a faintly different scent. His expression instantly changed.

"Not good, someone is approaching..." he cried in alarm.

Before he could finish speaking, several throwing knives shot out from the thicket, their gleaming edges slicing through the air with terrifying speed.

"

Aaahhh!

"

A chorus of screams echoed through the forest as throwing knives pierced the foreheads of 5 bandits with a sickening thud. Skulls shattered on impact, and the blades sank deep into the bone. Their eyes widened, the light within them slowly dimming, leaving only shock and unwillingness behind.

The bandits reacted swiftly. As their companions fell, those nearby raised their crossbows and unleashed a volley of bolts toward the direction from which the knives had flown. Dozens of arrows hissed through the air in unison, tearing toward the spot where Lin Zheyu had been standing moments earlier. Yet they struck nothing, for the instant his knives had flown, he had already shifted position.

Swish, swish, swish.

From another part of the dense forest, five more throwing knives streaked forth, each one striking true as they buried themselves into the skulls of 5 more bandits. The head was a fatal weak point. Unlike wounds to the body, a knife driven into the skull left no chance for resistance or rescue. Once the blades pierced their brows, death was certain.

"A master!" gasped someone.

Another 5 comrades collapsed, and the leader was struck with terror. Clutching his broadsword, every muscle taut, he swept his gaze around the forest, yet he could not find the enemy’s location.

The throwing knives flew with such incredible speed that even if he tried, he could not hope to block them. Such terrifying force and speed proved that this foe’s strength was far beyond his own.

"Who... who is this senior..." he muttered, his voice trembling.

Thud.

Before he could finish speaking, a silver-white blade flashed through the air and sank into his temple. His voice cut off abruptly. The light in his eyes faded in an instant.

"Big Brother!" the man beside him shouted, his face twisting with rage and terror.

He cast one last glance at his brother’s lifeless body before spinning around and fleeing into the forest. The enemy’s strength was terrifying. To kill his elder brother with a single throwing knife was something only the Blood Qi Realm expert from the merchant caravan could have done, so he was certain that man had come to hunt them down.

Earlier, they had relied on soporific powder and smoke to launch their ambush. Though they had managed to seize some silver and goods, more than a dozen of their comrades were slain by that man’s blade. That man’s strength was terrifying.

Outside, when there were supplies to protect, that expert still had to exercise caution, wary of other bandits watching from the shadows. But here in the forest, with no restraints, he could strike from concealment without a shred of mercy. That was far more terrifying than anything they could possibly withstand.

Thud, thud, thud.

Throwing knives kept streaking out from the dense forest. The bandits never even glimpsed the figure behind them, and panic spread rapidly through their ranks. Once the first man fled, the others lost their nerve. No longer caring about the loot, they scattered in all directions.

Lin Zheyu watched the bandits scatter through the woods, but did not waste his blades on them. Instead, he fixed his attention on the few men carrying the bulging bundles and darted after them. His supply of throwing knives was limited. He had prepared only 30, as carrying too many would have been impractical.

Thud.

A cold gleam flashed as a throwing knife whistled through the air and pierced the back of a bandit’s skull. The man pitched forward, shuddered a few times, and fell still. The other two bandits carrying bundles were so terrified by the sight that they dropped their loads and hurled themselves into the undergrowth.

In the blink of an eye, a dozen corpses remained strewn across the ground, along with 3 abandoned bundles. The rest of the bandits had vanished without a trace.

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

From within the thicket, a lone figure emerged step by step. It was none other than Lin Zheyu, who had been stalking them all along. He walked forward, picked up the 3 bundles lying on the ground, and weighed them in his hands. They were surprisingly heavy.

Suddenly, Lin Zheyu’s expression shifted. A flash of his blade cut through the air, cleaving a colorful 3 to 4-meter-long snake neatly in two. This place was not far from Lion Valley, lying on the outer reaches of its territory. The mountains and forests were shrouded year-round in poisonous mists and were crawling with venomous insects and snakes. Along the way, Lin Zheyu had already encountered more than a few of them.

Having retrieved the bundles, he did not bother chasing the fleeing bandits any further. Instead, he quickly withdrew from the forest. The stench that hung in the mist was foul, and he suspected it might contain some sort of toxin.

Tying the bundles securely to his back, he moved swiftly through the woods. Once he left the outskirts of Lion Valley, the surrounding mists dispersed, and the suffocating stench faded away. He continued for another kilometer or so.

Whoosh.

Suddenly, an arrow shot out from the thicket. Lin Zheyu twisted his body to the side, his long saber flashing as it cleaved the arrow neatly in two. At the same moment, a throwing knife shot from his sleeve, its cold gleam sharp and merciless.

With a wet thud, the knife buried itself in the brush, and a pained scream echoed from within. A bandit rolled out from the bushes, raised his crossbow, and loosed three bolts in Lin Zheyu’s direction with a sharp swish.

Pa, pa, pa.

The blade flashed, and with a single stroke, his edge split all three bolts in half. At the same time, his left hand darted out, releasing another throwing knife. With a dull thud, the blade sank into the man’s forehead. The man’s eyes widened, burning with venomous hatred as he glared at Lin Zheyu before he exhaled his last breath.

Lin Zheyu walked up to the corpse and began searching it. The fellow was nothing but a pauper, carrying only a few bottles of medicinal powder, a crossbow, and a dozen bolts.