If it were not for the boy's lancet knife still stuck in his t.h.i.g.h, once Third Bandit Chief sized him up, he might have already crouched down by the side of the road with his hands over his abdomen as he laughed madly.
A teenager wet behind the ears actually had the guts to arrogantly declare that he wanted to annihilate Black Wind Mountain, and he even came alone…
Did he not know that the person in charge of Black Wind Mountain was a famous powerful martial artist in Blessed Realm who went by the name of Farewell Black Tiger?
However, the Murong Clan was indeed a name that he did not dare to look down upon.
After all, that clan's might was not something their small Black Wind Mountain could afford to provoke.
But, naturally, if a disciple of the Murong Clan also looked down on Black Wind Mountain, that would not do. So, he could only kill the boy. And he did not have to worry, because this was the wild…
Third Bandit Chief's eyes sparkled.
"Brat, you have guts! You say you're a disciple of the Murong Clan, but I won't believe you until you show proof! Call the people from the Murong Clan over!"
Happy knew exactly what Third Bandit Chief was thinking. He quietly circulated Complete Reality Qi Cultivation Technique to restore the qi he lost while he said, "Hmph, don't worry. I'm the only one here, and I alone will be enough to handle all of you…"
"Conceited brat!"
Before Happy could finish speaking, Third Bandit Chief put on a fierce expression. He did not care about the injury on his t.h.i.g.h. With loud stomps, he rushed twenty-six feet forward. "How dare you attack Black Wind Mountain alone?! I'll make sure that you… won't be able to go back!!"
Whoosh!
Another throwing knife flew out.
However, this time, Third Bandit Chief was clearly on guard against it. Without much effort, he knocked away the lancet knife. His speed did not decrease, and he instantly arrived in front of Happy.
Before he arrived, the force he brought with his momentum had already crashed into Happy!
The powerful stream brought by an extremely powerful martial artist in Gate Realm made Happy's blue robes flutter loudly, but he did not seem to have felt it. He stood tall with the wind against his face as if he had not noticed the killing intent in the bandit's eyes.
He slowly positioned the Noble Sword horizontally across his c.h.e.s.t to receive Third Bandit Chief's greataxe, which came at him as if it weighed one thousand pounds, and was as swift as lightning.
'Greenhorns are truly greenhorns…
'He's just asking for death by using a sword against an axe!'
A cold sneer that chilled bones showed up on Third Bandit Chief's lips.
Chapter 25 - Class A Battle Assessment
When it came to weapons, swords were the gods of weapons, blades were the ancestors of weapons, and axes were the tyrants who dominated over everything with brute force!
Axe techniques placed emphasis on achieving victory through force, an indomitable force! It overpowered everything through its momentum alone! Before a battle even started, they would intimidate the enemies!
While all martial arts of the same category, such as sword techniques and blade techniques, were nimble and showed ingenious skill, axes also had their unique tricks and advantages. They had an advantage in terms of power, lethality, and defense. In these areas, they were above the other martial arts.
Third Bandit Chief had already reached the peak of Gate Realm. Even if his Five Continuous Axe Strikes had yet to reach Grandmaster Realm, he was still extraordinary skilled. He had already reached the tenth realm's threshold, and he could exchange blows tit-for-tat against a normal disciple of the Murong Clan. Even though he had an injury on his leg, he still had an overwhelming advantage.
Whoosh!
A powerful wind blew past Happy's face!
With a momentum to tear through everything, the shining axe slashed at the air beside Happy and tore away a piece of his blue robe. Instead of attacking as he had prepared, Third Bandit Chief turned his vertical slash to a horizontal slash midway. His movements were free and bold, but also extraordinarily smooth.
Happy's heart tensed. From this, he could tell that not only was Third Bandit Chief's Arm Strength not weak, he also had a certain degree of skill with Five Continuous Axe Strikes. It was practically impossible for Happy to win using Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Sword.
In terms of weapons, since the Five Continuous Axe Strikes required an axe, its attack and defense were astonishing. While the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Sword was nimble, it was very difficult for it to hurt Third Bandit Chief. Besides, the man's qi was great and profound. With the addition of the power from his qi realm, the disparity between them became even greater. If they fought for a long time, it would be disadvantageous for Happy.
'No! I can't drag this on. I must save Xiu Niang, Gan Daniu, Zhu Zi, and Tie Dan, so I have to finish this fight as quickly as possible!'
His gaze darkened!
When Happy had to exchange the second blow, he resolutely put away the Noble Sword.
He abandoned his sword and swiftly went into the shadow cast by Third Bandit Chief's vicious axe. Then, with his palms, he fought against Third Bandit Chief, who had already reached the peak of Gate Realm.
At that instant, the women who watched the fight cried out in terror. All of them believed that the young swordsman who had appeared out of nowhere would undoubtedly be killed by the ruthless and brutal third bandit chief.
Yet while Happy's actions seemed foolish and dangerous, he actually was full of confidence. It didn't matter to him that he exposed himself to the danger of being cut in half by the continuous axe strikes if he was even the slightest bit careless.
The Five Continuous Axe Strikes came from Eighteen Forest Strongholds. The technique was pretty good, but it was much slower than Shaolin's Long Fist.
Once he cast aside his weapon, Happy's movements instantly became much faster. The blue figure turned and flipped, avoiding the fierce wind from the axe a few times. While he moved, he blocked Third Bandit Chief's elbow and forearm, and he closed the distance between them with ease until he arrived at a spot very close to Third Bandit Chief. At that moment, Third Bandit Chief's expression changed!
Everything had its own advantages and disadvantages.
Even though Third Bandit Chief held a greataxe, which was much more dangerous than Happy's palms, when it came to extremely close-quarters combat, axe techniques which could move around freely and boldly felt as if they had run into an invisible wall. They could not effectively bring out the intimidating force they should!
"Ha!"
Once he moved in front of Third Bandit Chief, Happy instantly stopped holding back. He struck repeatedly while neutralizing Third Bandit Chief's attacks. At the same time, he struck the man's elbows, used Pierce-the-heart Consecutive Palm Strikes, Golden Dragon Stretches Claw, Lotus Palm, Eagle Claw Palm, and some of the other ruthless techniques of Shaolin's Long Fist which he had never used before. He held nothing back and used all his fiercest attacks on Third Bandit Chief.
Before that, Happy had used wild wolves and local rascals as his sparring partners. While he practiced Shaolin's Long Fist, he had deliberately showed mercy. He never struck their vital parts so that he could stretch out the time to use those creatures and people as his sparring partners.
Every single one of his strikes aimed at Third Bandit Chief's seven orifices, heart, and all the other important pressure points on his body. The lethality of a tenth realm Shaolin's Long Fist was very astonishing.
Happy delivered half of the moves of Shaolin's Long Fist, and Third Bandit Chief had to receive all the blows because he could not withstand Happy's attacks due to the weight of the axe holding him down. Finally, Happy kicked him, and he was sent backwards. Even when he lost his balance, Happy did not let him go. He pulled his hands back to his waist before he flung them out viciously.
Thud! Thud!
Third Bandit Chie
f grunted in pain, and a lancet knife was buried deep in his right elbow and another in his lower abdomen. He then fell on the ground powerlessly. The throwing knives had sank deep into his body. His foot twitched, and he breathed his last!
"Third-third Bandit Chief!"
The mountain bandit who was in charge of guarding the carriage finally realized that he was in danger.
He absolutely did not expect that the wise and powerful third bandit chief would be so easily killed by a teenager still wet behind the ears. But once it happened, it was too late to do anything.
The bandits was scared out of his wits, but just when he wanted to run, a throwing knife came after him as if it had eyes.
"Urk!"
Thud!
The mountain bandit's corpse fell to the side of the road in dejectedness.
Happy lowered his head in astonishment and looked at his hands. He then looked at Third Bandit Chief's corpse not too far in the distance. Disbelief and excitement appeared on his face.
The realm of his skills had increased!
The system determined that he had fought in a Class A fight again.
His fight against Third Bandit Chief had not only slightly improved Happy's Long Fist, but Third Bandit Chief's death also made the eight realm Lancet Knife Throwing Technique rise to the ninth realm.
Hence, it was no wonder then why he had sensed that his throw had become smoother, faster, and the sound the knife made had become barely audible.
"Who is it?!"
At that moment, many footsteps and loud shouts suddenly rang from the distance.
"Ah! It's the third bandit chief!"
"This boy did this?!"
"Men, let's attack together! We have to take revenge for the third bandit chief!"
"Kill him!"
"Young swordsman, be careful!"
"Young swordsman, run!"
Third Bandit Chief's death caused the women on the carriage to see the light and hope of survival. They finally reacted to the situation and cried out words of warning repeatedly.
Happy swept his gaze past the seven black-robed mountain bandits. For some reason, he was… abnormally calm.
It was very strange.
Happy's heart might have been calm, but it did not mean that his moves were calm too.
He practically did not think. Two lancet knives shot out as quick as lightning and sank into the forehead and c.h.e.s.t of the two mountain bandits who were at the forefront of the group.
The two men shuddered and slumped down on the ground in disbelief!
Seven became five.
Happy seized the chance and threw out two more knives.
The ninth realm Lancet Knife Throwing Technique created a miracle again. Two more mountain bandits turned because of the momentum of the knives that sunk into their bodies and fell while in the middle of their charge.
The mountain bandits were quite pitiful. Before they could even get close, their numbers had already dwindled to half of what they had at the start.
When they realized that the situation was not right and were so alarmed that they could not move forward, Happy threw a few more knives calmly, and all of the men fell to the ground.
When Happy saw all of the mountain bandits fall dead without being able to resist, he stopped attacking. He could not help but remember the night he spent in the Murong Clan's sword tomb.
His Lancet Knife Throwing Technique's realm might have already surpassed that of the Third Tomb Robber…
Chapter 26 - Chain of Missions
"Xiu Niang!"
"Ying Zi… He Hua…"
Gan Daniu, Zhu Zi, and Tie Dan quickly moved past the corpses of the Black Wind Mountain Bandits. In a flurry of motion, they led the women who were captured out of the carriages before they turned around and fell prostrate in front of Happy.
"Thank you, savior!"
"Thank you, savior!"
At the instant the group of people prostrated on the ground, the corners of their eyes became wet.
Happy felt as if his heart had been touched by something. Without thinking, he bent down and helped everyone to their feet. "This is something I should do. Please, get up quickly. We are near Black Wind Mountain, so we shouldn't stay here for long. Hurry up and take your things, then leave this place."
"Yes, we'll listen to you, savior!"
"Zhu Zi, Tie Dan! Hurry, drive the carriage back!"
Gan Daniu seemed to have some prestige among the trio, for the other two quickly did as they were told. It was easy for them to get off the mountain. Soon, they disappeared from Happy's sight.
When he registered what happened, he remembered that he had not just killed ten mountain bandits in his trip, but even the third bandit chief of Black Wind Mountain whose abilities were much higher than his own. This meant that they should have quite a lot of money on them.
He flipped over the corpses and searched them. Besides around one thousand four hundred taels of silver crumbs, he also found two hundred gold notes on the third bandit chief. He got himself a torn brocade robe as well, along with a Snow Axe. The latter was actually a masterpiece of the lowest grade, which surprised Happy a great deal. Furthermore, he also received Five Continuous Axe Strikes manual.
"Now I won't have to worry about not having any new martial arts."
He had already saved Xiu Niang and did what he had to do, but the system had not given him a notice that he had received the rewards he should have…
Curious, Happy brought up his Quest and Mission Log to look at it. Upon seeing it, a chill instantly crept down his spine!
Just as he expected, his mission had not ended yet!
[Quest and Mission Log:
[Chain of Missions (1): Save Xiu Niang (Completed)
[Triggered Mission (2): Black Wind Mountain's rage
[Since you killed the third bandit chief of Black Wind Mountain near the outer sentry post of Black Wind Mountain and were discovered by the sentries of Black Wind Mountain, all of Black Wind Mountain has now come to know of the third bandit chief's death. The chief bandit is extraordinary angry, but once he remembered the Murong Clan's impressive might, he decided to seek revenge on Water Revival Village.
[He has ordered Second Bandit Chief to gather together fifty great fighters of Black Wind Mountain to slaughter Water Revival Village once night falls. They will kill all the men, women, young, and elderly in Water Revival Village so that they will be buried with the third bandit chief!]
Once Happy finished reading the mission log, the belated system notification finally arrived.
"Will you receive the mission: Black Wind Mountain's rage?
"If you choose to give up, you will be seen as automatically giving up the mission rewards for 'Save Xiu Niang'. All the reputation points you received from killing the bandits from Black Wind Mountain will be reduced to zero and the same will happen to your Martial Artist Chivalry Points! You will also no longer have a favorable impression with the villagers of Water Revival Village!"
Happy could say nothing about this and just s.u.c.k.e.d in a sharp breath!
It was not because of how harsh the punishment of giving up the mission was, but that Black Wind Mountain had actually gathered together fifty Black Wind Mountain Bandits for their revenge!
There was also Second Bandit Chief in their group this time, and he was at the peak of Gate Realm, but he was much more level-headed than the third bandit chief. Happy simply could not figure out how he could stop the bloodshed.
His joy for obtaining a great reward was completely gone. He felt anxious and uneasy, and he burned with impatience!
Even though his rewards were very great and he would not be greatly affected by the backlash of the rejected the quest since he could withstand some of the punishments the system would deliver on him, he knew that he could not turn a blind eye to what would happen.
If he knew that he would get Water Revival Village slaughtered because of him, that Gan Daniu, the old boatman, and the adorable and intelligent
Young Huan would be killed… he could not just sit by and watch the tragedy happen!
He would not!
Happy clenched his fists tightly. His eyes shone with a resolute glare that spoke of him never going to turn back.
Reinforcements?
The people Happy knew were not in Gusu City, and he usually did not communicate with other people… besides him…
Happy frowned. He had thought of one person.
When he thought of the words that person had said to him the morning, Happy could not help but be a little hesitant.
However, when he remembered that this matter concerned the survival of Water Revival Village and there were just a few hours left until night, he knew that time was short and he did not have time to delay the matter any further. Hence, he made his decision and decisively took out a piece of paper and a brush from his Universal Bag. He wrote a sentence on the paper followed by his own name at the spot reserved for the sender before he rolled the piece of paper into a small scroll.
Once he finished with it, he brought out a quiet, obedient, snow-white messenger pigeon from his Universal Bag. He placed the paper into a small bamboo tube at the messenger pigeon's leg, and once he verified that everything was set, he had the messenger pigeon fly high into the sky. It swiftly disappeared from his sight.
When he released the messenger pigeon, Happy breathed out in relief. Then, he waited in his spot.
The battle had allowed him to realize one dangerous fact: A person had to change according to their environment and the situation!
There were plenty of times when a person would run into matters they could not settle on their own.
And he had nothing to say about it.
...
Several miles away from Gusu City was a tavern. A few young people drank wine there while they chatted about everything and nothing. They spoke about their encounters in their sects and clans and the quests they had received from them. Even though they were normal and ordinary, there was no lack of joy in their interactions. Occasionally, laughter would burst out from them.
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