"Well, I rode horses for some time while I was in the north."
"No wonder."
Dawn Lotus pursed her lips and tightened her grip on the reins. After some time, she managed to control her horse to get close to Happy.
While they were close to each other, Happy could smell a faint fragrance about her. When he looked closely, he saw that her cheeks and neck were flushed red and there were beads of sweat on her brow.
Dawn Lotus seemed to have noticed Happy's slightly heated gaze. Since she wasn't overly familiar with him, her cheeks became even redder. She quickly lowered her head and instinctively clamped her t.h.i.g.hs around the horse's belly.
"Walk!" The horse moved forward so that she could take refuge in the distance.
Happy realized that he had just looked at her impolitely and turned his head to look toward the east. It just in time to see a blurry black figure nimbly fuse into the shadows behind the courier station.
"Protect the items!" he shouted loudly, and without hesitation, he struck his horse.
With a whoosh, he jumped up. He executed his Cloud Treading Steps, and with a few steps, he reached the corner of an eave in the courier station. With a few more steps, he landed on the courier station's roof. He could now see around the walls without missing a single spot.
Whoosh!
Eleventh Crane was not slow either. The moment Happy flew up and landed on the roof, he also jumped up from his horse to land beside Happy. He looked around vigilantly, his wooden bow already in his hands.
The guards of the Murong Clan had been shocked awake. They drew their weapons and rushed to guard the carriage from all sides. They looked around in a flurry of motion as if they were up against a great enemy.
Ghost's Worry, Xu Lang, Orchid Researcher, and Dawn Lotus were at a loss at that moment. They were on horseback, and they did not know whether they should face their enemies from such a position or if they should abandon their horses and face their enemies like Happy and Eleventh Crane.
Before the four of them could make a decision, Happy and Eleventh Crane noticed the enemy on the roof. A few black figures crouched in the shadow at a corner of the courier station. They were very inconspicuous, but when they saw that the guards had been alerted, rows of torches suddenly appeared beyond the wall. Dark figures leapt in from outside in a continuous stream.
"Kill them!"
"Leave not a single person from the Murong Clan alive!"
"Brothers! Attack!"
The group who had snuck in was powerful, and it was the one which had been lurking outside the courier station earlier. There were more than thirty people, and all of them had reached Gate Realm. They earned a living by robbing carriages and wandering merchants.
They had been discovered by Eleventh Crane a long time ago, but their spy was incredibly alert. Hence, they had left on their horse, and the competition between Happy and Eleventh Crane had ended without ever starting.
The bandits were also very smart. They did not attack during the day, but chose to attack the courier station where the carriage had settled for the night when everyone's wariness had been reduced. They chose to attack a courier station where only two soldiers were on guard…
However, their plan to ambush the courier station had failed. Happy's extraordinary alertness not only made the four guards react to the situation, the two soldiers standing guard at the entrance also rushed in from outside.
"How dare you!"
The soldiers might be of low rank, but they were filled with righteousness! They shouted in anger and showed no fear toward the bandits who entered by climbing over the walls. With their spears, they rushed to face them…
Almost at the same time, the six people heard the clear notification from the system.
"Ding!
"Triggered mission: Protect courier station!
"While protecting the carriage, you are to help the soldiers of the courier station protect the station. You must protect the officials so that they are not killed. Once you finish this, you can continue onward to Beijing and carry on with the item protection quest. Once you finish the second step, you will gain the favor of the court. Once you finish the third step, you will gain the favor of the soldiers and officials in the courier station…"
"Attack!"
By the time the system finished its notification, the two soldiers at the courier station had already engaged the bandits who had jumped over the wall. They were swiftly surrounded and sank into an incredibly dangerous situation.
Happy had his weapons ready, and his lancet knives turned into two streams of light. The people in black who were closest to the two soldiers were instantly pinned to the ground, which temporarily resolved the danger for the soldiers…
Eleventh Crane had his wooden bow in his hand. He released the bowstring, and three arrows shot into three different directions, landing in the crowd of bandits.
Three grunts rose from below, for three bandits in black were shot through by the arrows. They staggered out of the battlefield, but when Eleventh Crane swept his gaze over them, he frowned.
Even though his accuracy was pretty good, the result was nor the same. Happy's throwing knives had managed to take the lives of the two people they hit, while his three arrows had only managed to reduce the fighting power of the three men in black. The difference between the two was instantly shown.
Happy did not mind this.
What mattered to him were the three completion rates for the unexpectedly triggered mission. The more perfectly they wanted to complete the mission, the more difficult it would be, but they could also receive even greater rewards.
Two lancet knives appeared in his hands, and his Green Jade Shrouded in Heavenly Silks was swiftly equipped!
"Cover me!"
With hands behind his back, Happy jumped off the roof, flew in the air, and landed in the middle of the men in black who surrounded the soldiers.
"Orchid Researcher, Dawn Lotus, protect the carriage! Xu Lang, let's go!"
When he saw Happy land among the bandits by himself, Ghost's Worry finally reacted to the situation. He struck his horse and jumped high into the air. With a whoosh, he drew out a black broadsword, which was half a foot in breadth, from behind his back.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Arrows were continuously released. Eleventh Crane remained on high ground and aimed at the men in black without any pressure. His quiver was emptied soon, but unfortunately, after the first round, his accuracy had dropped from 100% to 50%.
Even so, with Eleventh Crane providing cover from high ground, Happy managed to land beside the soldiers of the courier station. The moment his toes touched the ground, he nimbly avoided the weapon that aimed for his c.h.e.s.t. Metal clashed against metal, and he clenched his fists, which were placed by his waist and equipped with the Green Jade Shrouded in Heavenly Silks!
"Get lost!"
Bang!
The men in black who were struck felt as if they had run headfirst into a speeding train. They knocked into the people behind them, and the orderly formation behind them was instantly destroyed.
Chapter 88 - Horse Plate
During the first clash, six of the thirty-six people who had leapt into the courier station died and more than half had been hit by arrows. When Happy charged into the crowd and knocked over many people, the entire situation instantly changed.
"Kill them!"
Ghost's Worry and Xu Lang pounced on the bandits from outside the encirclement. They roared, and using the remaining confusion from Happy's charge, they killed two injured men in black. They met up with the two soldiers in the courier station, and their group entered a stalemate against the bandits.
Eleventh Crane stood high on the roof to limit the bandits' movements, while the five people on the ground defended the soldiers. There were also six people guarding the carriage.
Once the bandits lost a few more of their people, their strength was greatly damaged, and panic rose on their faces.
"The e
nemies are too troublesome! Let's go!"
The bandits' retreating speed was definitely top class. They did not linger around to fight any further. They threw hidden weapons at Happy and his group, and all those who could still move leapt over the wall. They did not drag out their retreat.
Happy stopped. He pulled back his arms in an arc, and his Green Jade Shrouded in Heavenly Silks were struck by a sharp, small, shiny, and black metal weapon. It fell on the floor with a loud clang.
When he looked up, aside from a few men in black who were heavily injured and could not move, he saw around a dozen corpses left sprawling all over the courier station's courtyard.
"Thank you, everyone!
"Young swordsmen, you are indeed great people from the Murong Clan. The courier station has been protected, and it is all thanks to all of you!"
A government official dressed in court attire appeared from somewhere. He arrived in front of Happy and his group with a bright smile on his face, looking cordial and grateful. He elegantly put his fist in his palm and thanked them.
The six people looked at each other at a loss…
The person before them was probably the government official in charge of the courier station and the person the system had asked them to protect. Yet they wondered where he had been during the fight.
"It was nothing to us."
Happy was the eldest senior brother of the Murong Clan. The alertness, skills, and courage he showed during the battle had filled the other five full of admiration for him. At that moment, he was just like their leader, so it was only natural that he spoke on their behalf.
The official continued thanking them, and he even invited them into the courier station again so that he could have the chance to show his responsibility as lord of the station and prove his gratitude. But Happy rejected his offer by giving the excuse that they had to protect the carriage and be on guard against the bandits who might return.
The system gave a notification at that moment.
"Successfully protected the carriage. Successfully protected courier station official. No courier station soldiers died. Quest was completed perfectly!
"All participants will receive three high-grade Jinchuang Ointments!
"All participants will receive one Horse Plate!"
An exquisite wooden plate appeared in the six people's hands.
[Horse Plate: Contains an autogenous dimension. It is capable of summoning a horse from within it at any time.
[When horse returns to the dimension, it will be able to restore its stamina to 100% after one day, and its HP will be restored at 10% of its HP recovery speed, aside from times when it is heavily injured!]
'A Horse Plate…'
"This is good stuff!" Xu Lang lovingly c.a.r.e.s.sed the plate, feeling reluctant to part with it. His gaze sparkled. "I heard from netizens that only those who spend a lot of money to buy horses can receive this. Tsk, tsk! This is great! Now we can summon horses at any time we want. Could it be that we are considered to have received the horses the Murong Clan reserved for us through this quest?"
"I suppose you can say that."
Eleventh Crane turned around the Horse Plate and observed it, then he tested it out on the spot. In a moment, he managed to put away his horse. Then, he summoned it again. It was incredibly convenient. After that, he put away the Horse Plate with great satisfaction.
"If we didn't manage to clear this quest, we wouldn't have been able to take the horses with us. Even if we did manage to complete the main quest, we wouldn't have them. And there is a possibility that the subsequent sub quests would be even more difficult."
"That's right. When we continue down the road, we can ride on horses while we're on smooth ground. We'll be faster that way," Happy added once Eleventh Crane finished speaking.
The group nodded, and their gazes landed on the men in black's corpses.
"What are we supposed to do with them?"
Xu Lang pointed at the corpses who had yet to disappear along with the weapons scattered beside them.
"You handle it." Happy swept his gaze over the weapons, then looked away.
"Senior Brother Happy, I heard that you've obtained around a hundred Wolf Pelts from the Great Wolves' spawn point, and you're now very rich. We're poor people here, so we won't hold back on looting, you know?"
Happy smiled and brought out a leather wineskin from his Universe Bag.
"We're wanderers. How can we not have wine when we're on a night's watch?"
He unplugged the wineskin and took a full swig before he threw the wineskin at Ghost's Worry, who was the closest to him.
"Hey! It's high-grade Red Daughter!" Ghost's Worry's eyes lit up!
Happy was also a little astonished. This boy looked to be gentle and quiet, but he was actually a great wine taster. He could tell that the wineskin contained Red Daughter just from the aroma wafting out from inside it. Ghost's Worry tilted his head back and drank two mouthfuls without putting on any pretence. A barely noticeable flash of red rose on his face.
"Great wine!"
He tossed the wineskin to Xu Lang.
Xu Lang smacked his lips and went forward to sniff at it. He pinched his nose and took a sip before he coughed violently and shoved the wineskin to the two girls beside him.
"I don't drink."
Orchid Researcher's face turned pale. She shook her head vigorously and ducked behind Dawn Lotus.
"Let me."
Dawn Lotus did not hold back. She did not feel that sharing a wineskin with a few other people was unhygienic either. She wiped the mouth of the wineskin and took a few gulps, and two red spots swiftly appeared on her petite face. She looked as charming as a flower.
"Not bad!"
"How bold!"
Dawn Lotus wiped the mouth of the wineskin again, and under the few other men's praises, she shoved the wineskin to the last person.
"Big Brother Crane."
"Alright." Eleventh Crane chuckled and took the wineskin.
"I'm going to have to use your wine to give you a toast. A toast to you, my young senior brother. You live up to your name as the Blue-robed Noble Sword User. You're better than I am!" Once he finished speaking, he took a huge gulp from it.
"Good wine! Here!" Then, he tossed the wineskin back to Happy's hands.
Happy did not have any misgivings. He took back the wineskin with the thick aroma of wine wafting from it and chugged down the clear and refreshing wine down his throat. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down. Wine trickled down the corners of his mouth, and soon, his c.h.e.s.t was wet.
He only stopped after he drained half of the wineskin!
"Feels good! Haha!"
Happy wiped his mouth and laughed. He did not mind that his clothes had been drenched. He jumped up onto the roof of the carriage and sat down before he lay down on the roof. The other five were shocked by the sight. Happy's usual elegant demeanor as the eldest senior brother was not destroyed by his actions; instead, he gave off the wild air that only true wandering martial artists would have. The two completely different demeanors seemed harmonious.
The five could say nothing about it.
Eleventh Crane watched Happy continue drinking the wine. He originally thought that he had understood Happy, but now, he was in doubt. For some reason, he could sense two presences from Happy.
One of them was the air of a leader, and it also naturally gave him the presence of a powerful martial artist.
The other was the gloomy air of a m.a.t.u.r.e man who would reveal that he had some trouble on his mind after he drank wine. It was gloom only those who had experienced great ups and downs in life would experience.
Coincidentally, Eleventh Crane was another such person!
When he sensed the worries and pain carefully hidden in Happy's actions, he remembered his past self. He sighed deeply and jumped onto the roof. He then grabbed the wineskin from Happy's hand.
"I'll drink with you."
Happy cast a profound glance at the man's side prof
ile, which was hidden by the shadow created by the moonlight. He did not try to hide the small smile on his lips.
"Alright," he said softly and brought out another wineskin filled with Red Daughter from his Universe Bag.
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Two wineskins knocked into each other on the roof of the carriage under the moonlight. Their bold and unruly action and the aroma of the wine that drifted from the roof made the two boys and girls on the ground yearn to join them. Even Orchid Researcher, who had avoided drinking such strong wine, felt a little disappointed with herself. She began to regret her lack of courage for not tasting the wine just then.
Chapter 89 - Ambushed
"Senior Brother Happy! There's another group of bandits in front…They're on horseback this time!"
Orchid Researcher stood on the roof of the carriage and saw blurry black dots as well as dust flying in the horizon. Upon noticing them, she quickly gave a warning to Happy and the others, who rode on their horses in front of the carriage.
Right after she finished speaking, two horses charged at the two sides of the carriage!
"Eldest senior brother! We'll have to trouble you to hold the line again. Young Worry and I will be going ahead to warm up!" Xu Lang only turned his head to shout after he rushed out of their group. It was a typical case of acting first before reporting to someone else.
"Go. Be careful."
Happy smiled and did not move.
After drinking yesterday, he still felt that his head was a little dizzy.
The relationship of the six people had become closer. Happy was also sure that with Xu Lang and Ghost's Worry's abilities, the nobodies before them would not be their opponents. After all, the two of them had dealt with many groups of bandits while they were on their way.
Eleventh Crane, Orchid Researcher, and Dawn Lotus did not move. They simply allowed the duo to charge forward on their horses to meet the bandits. The four of them continued escorting the carriage while they chatted about nothing with each other.
Sword Among Us c1-1268 Page 49
