Chapter 703 - What If You Just Bear With It First?

Han Wu checked the map and noticed that Kang City was only five kilometers away. He had learned from Guan Nan that the city was rich and that nearly every household practiced some form of martial arts. A large mine operated within the city, where many warriors went to purchase ores to upgrade their Divine Weapons.

That was also his purpose. He had obtained four Divine Weapons, and other than the Small Locust Blades that could use the common ores, the other three required special materials to optimize their upgrades.

Both Han Wu and Qin Shuang needed to purchase a large quantity of uncommon ores.

Qin Shuang had lost time after Master Huang captured her, but she had still managed to unlock three Divine Weapons. Each had unique effects, which required uncommon ores as well.

They hoped to find what they needed in the mine.

As they were planning their route, a group of people blocked their path. They wore ragged clothes, but their horses were strong and well-trained.

The group surrounded them, and the bandit leader spoke. “I’ve carved this mountain and planted these trees. If you want to pass—”

Han Wu couldn’t be bothered. “Stop talking. Just tell me how much.”

The bandit leader had never encountered someone so willing to part ways with their money and was stumped. He quickly named his price. “Ten gold coins.”

Qin Shuang had been ready to kill them and to protect the common folk, but Han Wu gestured for her to stand down. She decided to see what he would do.

Han Wu took ten gold coins from his bag and tossed them over.

The bandit leader grinned as he accepted the money. He had spent years as a bandit but had never met someone so cooperative. Still, he had already noticed that Han Wu’s bag held far more than ten gold coins. Greed took hold, and he decided to squeeze Han Wu dry.

“I meant ten gold coins per person,” the bandit leader commanded.

Han Wu feigned reluctance and took out another ten gold coins. The bandit leader accepted them eagerly. The money came too easily to him, and it only fueled his greed.

“Your woman is very pretty. She’s worth at least twenty gold coins. You still owe me ten more,” the bandit leader claimed.

Han Wu frowned as if further inconvenienced. “Hey, isn’t that too much? You asked for ten at first, and now you want thirty. Aren’t you going back on your word?”

“So what? I can’t eat or drink on reputation alone. Pay up, or I will take her. Look at that pretty face and slender body. What do you think will happen if my rough brothers get their hands on her?”

Han Wu growled and produced another ten coins. This was the last of his gold.

The bandits had no intention of stopping at thirty. They probed his limits and tested his background. Usually, those with powerful backing would have threatened them by now. Han Wu hadn’t, which suggested he had none. To them, a commoner without backing was livestock. They had no reservations about killing such people.

The bandit leader revealed his true intent. “Never thought you would be so obedient. I will give you a chance now. I like your woman. Hand her over, and I might spare you.”

The surrounding bandits jeered.

“Leave your horse and your clothes. You can leave this place naked.”

“Hey, I think he looks quite good too. His skin is tender and soft. He might be as good as a woman. Why don’t we capture him and have fun as well?”

“Hell yeah!”

The bandits spoke carelessly, as if the two were helpless livestock.

Han Wu memorized their faces and identified their leader. With that, he chose to end them.

“Qin Shuang, you can attack, but keep that one alive.” He pointed at the bandit holding the gold.

Qin Shuang had been itching to kill them from the start. She summoned her first Divine Weapon, which took the form of a feather. It looked soft, but it was deadly, capable of killing with a subtle force.

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

“Feather Dart, go!” She tossed it into the air, and it split into hundreds of feathers that shot toward the bandits.

The bandits were struck. Most were hit by at least five feathers, while some were hit by ten or more. The injuries seemed minor at first. The feather tips were small, no more than pinpricks.

One of the bandits, hit by many feathers, scoffed and tried to remove them. “I expected something powerful, but is this it?”

Unexpectedly, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remove them. The feathers seemed embedded in his body.

“What kind of trick is this? I can’t remove them.”

“I can’t remove them either.”

“Damn! It's as if these feathers are growing out of my muscles!”

As they struggled to remove them, Qin Shuang shouted, “Lightning!”

The feathers started releasing arcs of lightning. Each feather carried a powerful charge, and the energy surged through the bandits at her command. Those struck by fewer feathers were paralyzed, while those struck by more were burned to charcoal. Even after discharging their energy, the feathers remained lodged.

Qin Shuang summoned her second Divine Weapon, the Wing Banner, to finish the rest. When she swung it, lightning orbs appeared. They moved slowly and could be easily avoided. However, the feathers embedded in the bandits reacted to them. They stood on end and turned into miniature lightning rods that drew the lightning orbs toward their targets. The paralyzed couldn’t escape, and even if they could move, they couldn’t outrun lightning. Soon, the remaining bandits died.

The bandit leader was the only one untouched by the Feather Dart. He quickly whipped his horse to escape. Qin Shuang summoned her third Divine Weapon, the Sparrow Bow. The beautifully crafted longbow, modeled after the Thunder Sparrows, fired arrows infused with potent Lightning Energy.

Qin Shuang pulled the string, and an electric arrow formed, crackling with energy. With a sharp whoosh, the arrow struck the bandit leader’s horse. The horse convulsed under the surge of lightning and collapsed.

The bandit leader was also affected and couldn’t stand up. He realized how powerful they were and tried to beg for mercy. “Warrior, please forgive my offense. I failed to recognize you! Please, I have a family to feed. Please let me go. I will return the thirty gold coins, and I will even give you another forty. Just ignore me and let me go.”

Han Wu smiled and approached him. “Forty gold coins don’t sound bad. But you have eighteen men with you. Each of you costs forty gold coins, so you still owe me 720 gold coins! Also, I think you are especially ugly. Instead of forty gold coins, you should be paying me eighty.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to pay. You seem quite durable. If I disregard your face, you should be as good as a mare. Why don’t you let my good old stallion have a round of fun?”

A chill ran down the bandit leader’s spine as he looked at Han Wu’s smiling face. He had thought himself the villain, but Han Wu was more ruthless.

“Alright, alright! I will pay!” the bandit leader shouted in a panic.