"Re-really?"
The old boatman wiped off his tears. The great fame of the Murong Clan gave him a bit of hope.
Young Huan also stretched her neck out from the old man's bosom. She stared at the blue-robed boy with his sincere expression and resolute gaze, and a delighted expression appeared on her face. She nodded her tiny head vigorously.
While he was on his way, he had to figure out how to handle some eighty-to-one-hundred mountain bandits in Black Wind Mountain.
"...Those thrice cursed mountain bandits!"
"The gods must be blind!"
Under the old boatman's lead, Happy came to a small village that was near the river. There were only about twenty families in it, and there were people surrounding one house at that moment. From the distance, Happy could hear all sorts of curses that criticized the world.
"The mayor is here, make way!"
The people at the door quickly moved back and made way for the old boatman and Young Huan, who had expressions of dejectedness and grief.
Happy entered the house after them. A man who had a bloodless and agonized face lay on the bed. He stared at the roof with unfocused eyes, and by the looks of it, he was Young Huan's father and also the man who had lost his Xiu Niang.
Translator's Note:
[1] Xiu Niang: is actually supposed to be seamstress, but my gut is telling me there is no way the old man is going "Oh, what are we supposed to do without the seamstress?!" so I think it's a name.
Chapter 23 - Did Not Leave Far
"Cured Young Huan's father of his illness. You left a favorable impression on the villagers in Water Revival Village [1]. You gained 10 reputation points."
After Happy used up one Jinchuang Ointment, Young Huan's father instantly became better, but unfortunately, even though his injuries were better, it was useless. Young Huan's father still watched the ceiling with unfocused eyes. It could be seen that this man could not accept the heavy shock of not being able to protect his own woman even though he was a man. In fact, the thought of dying had already bloomed in him.
Happy sighed in his heart and swept his gaze past the villagers around him. He placed his fist in his palm and asked to learn of the details regarding the bandits from Black Wind Mountain plundering the village as well as when they had left.
The boatman, who also happened to be the mayor, used that moment to introduce Happy's status to the people.
When the villagers learned that he was a disciple of the famous Murong Clan in Gusu City, they were instantly worked up. Even Young Huan's father pushed himself up from the bed with one hand over the wound on his c.h.e.s.t. Hope was relit in his eyes.
"Young swordsman, I beg of you, please catch up to the bandits and save Xiu Niang. I, Gan Daniu, will be willing to serve you in the future. I will use my entire life to repay you!"
"Big brother, please save my mother."
Happy was shocked when he saw Young Huan and her father suddenly kneel on the ground. When he saw that the mayor had started to show signs that he wanted to kneel as well, he quickly held the old man and pulled Young Huan and her father off the ground.
At that moment, the villagers by the side cut in and gave him a timely reminder.
"Daniu, stop dilly-dallying! Those crooks from Black Wind Mountain aren't too far away yet. Take the young swordsman with you and catch up to them! You might be able to save Xiu Niang if that's the case."
"They aren't too far away yet?"
When Happy heard this, his eyes lit up, and his spirits were greatly lifted.
Triggered missions would indeed not be too hard and over-the-top. If he really had to rush into Black Wind Mountain to save Xiu Niang with his current abilities, he would not be able to do so even if he had ten lives, but if he only had to fight against a small group of villains from Black Wind Mountain, he had a good chance to win!
"Let's go!"
He did not say anything else and just pulled Gan Daniu out of the village. There were two young men who volunteered to fight, and they picked up their hoes and wooden clubs and caught up to them.
They could not let it slide that someone from their village had been harmed, and they wanted to help.
Happy confidence immediately received a great boost.
While they were on their way, the trio told Happy the details about the villains from Black Wind Mountain, and immediately, Happy felt the passion burning in his heart extinguish...
"Accepted mission: Save Xiu Niang!
"Mission complete requirements: Save Xiu Niang and don't let her die. Protect villagers Gan Daniu, Zhu Zi, and Tie Dan. Kill ten Black Wind Mountain Bandits, and kill the Third Bandit Chief, the strongest martial artist from Black Wind Mountain who is at Gate Realm!"
They might be a small group of mountain bandits, but he was quite certain that if he had to rush at them alone, he would come out with not a single bone left.
While Zhu Zi and Tie Dan looked like they were sincere and loyal, they were still just villagers, and they would not be of much use. Gan Daniu was even injured. Once both parties came into contact with each other, it would be very difficult for Happy to get out of the situation. Unless he killed all the villains from Black Wind Mountain, it was inevitable for him to be injured.
By the looks of it, he could not rely on only passion to be chivalrous.
Happy began thinking of a plan.
He had originally come to practice his Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Sword on Black Wind Mountain Bandits who were separated from their group and earn some money to buy lancet knives. He did not think that he would trigger a storyline. Fortunately, he had some Jinchuang Ointment and two sets of lancet knives in his Universe Bag, or else, he would really not have the confidence to handle a group of villains from Black Wind Mountain who even had a powerful martial artist protecting them.
And that powerful martial artist, the third bandit chief of Black Wind Mountain, might be even more powerful than Third Tomb Robber!
By the looks of it, Happy was destined to clash heads against all the people who were ranked third in this life.
'I'll have to act according to circ.u.mstances.'
Happy thought for a long time, but he simply could not think of a good plan for a new player to handle a powerful martial artist in Gate Realm. He could only proceed with caution and start planning when he caught up to the group from Black Wind Mountain.
"Move!"
"Stop being so slow, you wench! You'll see how I'll handle your soft body when we get back to the mountain stronghold. That big, honest fool sure is lucky to have such a beautiful and petite wife."
"Bah!"
Ten men in black escorted a carriage with a few huge boxes on a winding mountain road. They pushed a few bound women forward, which slowed them down. There was a rather pretty woman in the carriage with hate shining in her eyes. She turned her head around and spat on the face of one of the bandits.
"Interesting!"
That man had the face of a villain, and he was dressed in a brocade robe. He was not angered by the action, and instead laughed. He did not take it to heart and just wiped off the drool on his face. His eyes sparkled, and he laughed sinisterly. His gaze traveled up and down Xiu Niang's body, and the sinister air around him grew stronger.
"Heh heh, I heard your name is Xiu Niang. I've had my eyes on you since a long time ago. Now… I won't say anything else. When we go back to the mountain stronghold, if you become my wife, I'll make sure your family will have a good life."
"Dream on!" Xiu Niang was a firm and unyielding woman. With resentment and shame on her face, she cursed him. "The officials will definitely come up the mountain and annihilate all of you, you shameless bastards!"
As she spoke, she was shoved forward by the man in the brocade robe. She then reluctantly moved her feet.
"That's Xiu Niang?"
Not too far behind them was a bush, and there were four people hiding in it. They were, naturally, the group chasing after Black Wind Mountain—Happy and the villagers.
He pushed down Gan Daniu whose eyes were filled with fury.
"Yes!"
Gan Daniu nodded violently before he gritted his teeth and cursed. "Those blood-s.u.c.k.i.n.g bastards… Young Swordsman Happy, let's go up there and fight them!"
"Do you want to save your wife?" Happy gave the man a vicious glare. "If you want your wife to live, do as I say."
Gan Daniu's mind instantly became clear. He quickly nodded and said that he was willing to do whatever Happy said so long as Xiu Niang was saved from the hands of those trash. Zhu Zi and Tie Dan also showed that they were willing to listen to commands.
Happy felt at ease when he heard this!
The situation was still rather good.
Black Wind Mountain had not just captured a few women, but also had a lot of stolen goods with them. They would not be able to get to the area of Black Wind Mountain so Happy should still have a chance to save the captives.
However, his priority was to ensure that the normal villagers who came with him and the women were safe.
The trio were first stunned, but when they saw the certainty in Happy's gaze, they quickly hid in the forest.
After that, Happy brought out a lancet knife from his Universe Bag. He hid it behind his waist, took hold of his Noble Sword, and quietly followed behind them while he kept himself hidden!
...
Shick!
The mountain bandits from Black Wind Mountain were in high spirits after they plundered Water Revival Village and stole their valuables and women. They would occasionally point at the women in front of them and even grope them to satisfy their l.u.s.t. Sometimes, they would let out lecherous sneers, which lasted until a sonic boom suddenly rose from an area near them. Then, a knife shot through a mountain bandit's neck, and it was only then that the group noticed that there was an enemy nearby.
"Who is it?!"
The man who wore the brocade robe and had the villainous face was, naturally, Third Bandit Chief of Black Wind Mountain. When he saw that one of his brothers had been attacked right in front of his eyes and fell to the ground while convulsing, he roared in anger. While the bandit covered his bleeding neck and the lancet knife with one hand, the third bandit chief lifted his shining axe and rushed toward the place from which the sound of the hidden weapon had come.
"Leave behind two of our brothers to watch over the women. The others, follow me!"
Once Third Bandit Chief gave his order, the other mountain bandits also brought out their weapons in righteous indignation. They leapt into the tall bushes by the side of the road.
"Where is he?!"
"After him!"
Right after they leapt behind the bush, they heard the sounds of someone swiftly running away, and that sound came from the distance. Without another word, the group of people went to chase after that sound and kill whoever their attacker was, but they did not expect that the third bandit chief would scowl, raise his palm, and order his men to stop.
"Careful, the enemy might be luring us away!"
Happy's expression froze while he was hidden in the dark. 'Are NPCs supposed to be this hard to trick?'
"Chief, Fourth Leg can't die in vain!"
However, the other mountain bandits were not happy with this.
The third bandit chief might have been more alert than the others, but it was not easy for him to swallow the grievance either. A murderous glare shone in his eyes, and after he hesitated for a few moments, he growled, "Chase after him!"
Once he said that, he returned to the group that was tasked to watch over Xiu Niang and the others.
Chapter 24 - Throwing Knives Show Their Might
Even though Third Bandit Chief was not lured away by Gan Daniu and the others as Happy expected, the group from Black Wind Mountain was still divided into two, and their chances for saving the women had just risen greatly.
Happy was happy. He was prepared to turn back to help Gan Daniu and the others handle the seven lackeys!
Even though the mountain bandits' fighting abilities were so good that they were better than the local rascals when they decided to be ruthless, the Lancet Knife Throwing Technique was not like a normal martial art. It was a skill that required a great deal of money and time to be trained, and both its lethality and ability to stay hidden were much higher than those of a normal martial art. In fact, it had the advantage to kill others in one shot before a battle.
As long as the throwing knife hit a person's vital spot, they would die before even getting close to Happy!
This was why Happy had been willing to spend a few days to practice his skills to throw knives. There were plenty of times when the lancet knives could help him achieve goals that other martial arts could not achieve.
He had not spent around three thousand taels of silver crumbs over the past few days in vain!
Once Third Bandit Chief left, Happy was prepared to go back into the bush, but suddenly, the sound of the carriage speeding up rose behind him, and Third Bandit Chief's fierce barks made Happy stop in his footsteps.
"Hurry up! Just a little more, and we'll reach the outer sentry post. Once we're there, hand the women over and have our men bring them back to the mountain stronghold. Then, we'll go back and take revenge for Fourth Leg!"
"Got it, Third Bandit Chief!"
"Hey, wenches, get in the carriages! Did you hear me?!"
When he spread the bush to look, Happy saw the two mountain bandits chasing the captured women into the carriage. They were prepared to hurry back to Black Wind Mountain. This made a crease appear between Happy's dashing eyebrows.
Shick!
With a flick of his wrist, the lancet knife sliced through the air.
His timing was perfect. While the two mountain bandits were busy chasing the woman to the carriage and their companions were busy chasing down the "murderer", they were not on guard at all. The lancet knife hit its target again and sank deep into the back of one of the bandit's c.h.e.s.t.
"Killed one mountain bandit in Gate Realm. Received 20 chivalry points. Received 10 reputation points!" the system told him.
"Damn it!"
When Third Bandit Chief heard the sound of the knife slicing through the air, he knew that an accident had occurred. He cursed and turned his head around. When he did so, he saw another one of his brothers fall to the ground. He instantly became filled with rage and no longer cared about anything!
He used his lightness skill and jumped with ease into the air to soar like a huge bird. When he looked down, he immediately discovered a blue-robed boy hiding behind the bushes and trees. He was the one who had attacked them and killed his brothers.
"You brat! Die!"
The person who had killed two of his brothers was actually someone so young?!
Third Bandit Chief was a despicable man who did many evil things, and at that moment, he was unable to contain his rage; he felt as if he had been toyed around and humiliated. He brandished his axe and roared in the air! His shining greataxe swung down with a momentum that could split open mountains and went straight for Happy's head.
"Idiot."
Happy originally intended to avoid the fury of Third Bandit Chief, who was one of the most powerful martial artists in Gate Realm, but when he saw the man jump into the air where he had no way of drawing force from anything else, he could not help but push down his urge to run away. A strange smile appeared on his lips.
He calmly swiped his hand across his waist!
He threw his knife with well-practiced ease. His third lancet knife grazed past Third Bandit Chief's fearsome axe as if it had eyes attached on it.
Third Bandit Chief saw the throwing knife rush at him, but he did not have time to change his attack.
He tilted his head to the side, but even though he managed to avoid the life-threatening danger of the lancet knife hitting his face, a clear trail of blood still appeared on his face. In a panic, he lost his balance in the air!
Naturally, Happy would not miss such a good chance. He turned around an
d with an even faster throw, another lancet knife "shot out" from his waist, as if Happy had just performed a magic trick.
This time, Third Bandit Chief did not manage to dodge it, because his body had lost its balance.
Pain exploded in his lower body. The lancet knife had sank into his t.h.i.g.h. Third Bandit Chief rolled on the ground as if he was a kite that had its string snapped. He crashed in an extremely pathetic manner, and even the mountain bandit by the carriage was shocked.
Cling! Clang!
Third Bandit Chief rolled on the ground and knocked away the lancet knife with his axe as if he had already predicted it a long time ago. While supporting his injured leg, he quickly got up.
Happy had nothing to say about this. He could only lament that it was a great pity.
If he managed to hit Third Bandit Chief with another knife, the conclusion of the battle would have been as clear as day.
'It's just one more knife…'
But this was good as well.
In his anger, Third Bandit Chief had accidentally revealed his weakness, and it resulted in a throwing knife in his leg. This meant that he would definitely not be able to move well in the subsequent fight. Compared to the absolute disadvantage at which Happy was in previously, this was something that spurred him on.
"And who are you?"
Third Bandit Chief glared at the blue-robed boy before him with regret and hate in his heart. The disdain that previously existed in his eyes had disappeared without a trace, replaced with incredible solemness.
"I am a disciple of Gusu City's Murong Clan, Happy. Today, I've come based on orders of my clan to annihilate Black Wind Mountain!"
Happy's tone was calm, and the next moment, his Noble Sword was out of its sheath with a loud cling. He pointed it at Third Bandit Chief, and a calm presence spread out from him to fill the forest.
When he heard those words, Third Bandit Chief said nothing, but there was a strange expression on his face.
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