Chương 16: Behead
Biên tập viên: Henyee Translations
"Besides, how are you going to stay safe once you return there?"
Although Guo Ye was worried about the safety of his uncle Tao Yungang, he couldn't just let Xu Ning die.
And in the bottom of Guo Ye's heart, he was very confident about Tao Yungang's skills.
This was not the first time Tao Yungang had been robbed. In the end, Tao Yungang had always escaped from danger.
This was the first time that Xu Ning had escorted carriages. Guo Ye was quite worried about Xu Ning's return trip.
"Don't worry, I will definitely not fight them hand to hand."
Xu Ning explained, "Just like what happened just now, as long as I don't make any sudden movements, they probably won't notice me. The guy found us just now because he was looking for our footprints. Moreover, the horse bandits won't expect me to go back."
"But, what will change if you go back?"
Guo Ye was still trying to persuade Xu Ning.
Xu Ning went silent for a while before saying, "Guo Ye, although this is my first time escorting carriages, I think those bandits aren't normal bandits."
"You…"
Guo Ye saw how serious Xu Ning was.
"You told me that previous horse bandits that had gone after Uncle Gang were asking for money, right?"
Xu Ning stared at Guo Ye.
"Yes…"
Guo Ye paused, he obviously realized something.
"But this time, the other party called out Uncle Gang's name, and Uncle Gang recognized his past enemy among them. So obviously, this time, their purpose is not to ask for money, but to seek revenge. They want to take Uncle Gang's life. "
"These people have clearly figured out Uncle Gang's routine. This is a targeted robbery. These people want to make Uncle Gang suffer."
Xu Ning's words made Guo Ye's heart tense up.
Based on this analysis, the nature of this robbery was indeed different.
"Uncle Gang gave me 50 taels of silver as payment, and so I have to show that I'm worthy of it."
Xu Ning had made up his mind.
He was not a reckless man; he did not want to die. But after weighing the pros and cons in his heart, Xu Ning felt that he could find some opportunities to help Tao Yungang and the others, while also protecting himself.
If the situation turned for the worse, Xu Ning would not rush forward and sacrifice himself. He would seize the opportunity to use his abilities to change the situation.
Both his predecessor and himself had received help from Guo Ye, and Guo Ye could only do so after receiving consent from Tao Yungang.
Xu Ning would not be able to live with himself if he walked away and never looked back.
Additionally, there was one thing Xu Ning did not tell Guo Ye.
If the extreme situation really happened, Xu Ning did not want to leave their corpses behind.
Therefore, he must return.
"Xu Ning, you…"
After seeing Xu Ning's determination, Guo Ye clenched his fists.
He knew that this good friend of his was one worthy of sacrifice for.
Xu Ning had received help from Guo Ye and was willing to stand up for his family.
"Go ahead then."
Guo Ye had a complicated look on his face. He patted Xu Ning's shoulder. "You must come back to the village alive… Be careful."
"Okay."
Xu Ning nodded.
Guo Ye didn't wait around, and he soon got on the horse with his knife.
He knew that he was a burden.
Guo Ye grabbed the reins, looked back at Xu Ning, and rode away.
Xu Ning watched Guo Ye disappear from his field of vision before he turned around and began walking.
…
The sun was scorching hot.
The battle on the mountain roads continued.
There were many people lying down on the ground.
Most of them who were killed in battle were horse bandits, but three people from the Tao Village were on the ground, god only knew whether they were alive or dead.
Guan Yinggou and several subordinates circled Tao Yunquan and another Tao Village man, both of whom were covered with blood and wounds all over their bodies.
Tao Yungang himself was fighting one-on-one with Zhan Sandao.
Judging by the situation, there was not much difference between the strengths of the two. Zhan Sandao was also in inner enrichment and had an intermediate realm external skill, but his actual combat experience was obviously more abundant.
"Tao Yungang, you really do have some tricks up your sleeves, no wonder you took my brother's arm! When I slaughter you later, I will leave your body intact!"
Zhan Sandao was excited about the fight against Tao Yungang.
Tao Yungang did not answer Zhan Sandao. He tried his best to resist the attacks.
No one noticed that a person was sneaking down from one side of the mountain.
Xu Ning was cautious. Before taking a step, he observed everyone's field of vision and made sure that no one noticed him.
Soon, Xu Ning was behind a big tree on the side of the mountain road.
He was less than 50 meters from the battlefield.
"Sure enough, we are at a disadvantage."
Xu Ning closely observed the situation.
Three of their people had been taken down, Tao Yunmeng and the remaining others were also struggling to stay alive.
Obviously, they would soon be taken down as well.
"Give up, Tao Yungang."
Zhan Sandao had already dismounted. His machete slashes gave off a sharp metal clink sound.
Zhan Sandao's attacks were oppressive. Tao Yungang was forced to only defend.
'Am I going to be buried here today?'
Tao Yungang still seemed resolute on the outside, but on the inside, negative emotions were brewing in his heart.
He was in the medicinal materials business for more than ten years, and right now was the most dangerous situation he had ever been in.
"Ah!"
On the other side of the battle field, as Tao Yunquan's hand was cut off, he let out a painful cry.
"Yunquan!"
Tao Yungang was worried.
This slight window of opportunity was caught by Zhan Sandao.
Zhan Sandao cut off Tao Yungang's left arm, blood flowed everywhere.
Tao Yungang, who was heavily wounded, was forced to retreat step by step.
It just so happened that the direction Tao Yungang was forced to retreat to was towards the big tree where Xu Ning was hiding.
"They're coming…"
After waiting for a long time on the sidelines, Xu Ning seemed to have an opportunity to cut into the battlefield and change the situation.
Xu Ning adjusted his breathing, stabilized his mood, and put himself in a state of high concentration.
Zhan Sandao wounded Tao Yungang's shoulder with another slice.
Tao Yungang seemed to have reached a desperate situation.
"What a shame, this is it."
Tao Yungang glanced at the direction of the Tao Village.
He had a look of determination in his eyes.
"What?"
Zhan Sandao noticed this change. "Are you trying one last time before dying?"
Sure enough, when Tao Yungang attacked again, the direction of his knife was extremely precise.
He completely gave up his defenses and attacked forward.
Tao Yungang had more and more wounds on his body.
Finally, he leaned against a tree behind him. Tao Yungang had no place to retreat.
"You really are something."
After seeing Tao Yungang's final resistance, Zhan Sandao was quite impressed.
But this still didn't change the fact that he wanted to kill Tao Yungang.
Zhan Sandao raised his knife, about to take one final swing.
Just as Tao Yungang was waiting for his life to end, he suddenly saw Xu Ning's figure appear behind the big tree.
He jumped forward with knives in both hands.
"Xu Ning!?"
Tao Yungang's heart was shocked.
"Who is it?!"
As an inner enrichment warrior, Zhan Sandao sensed danger.
But his movements were still a little too slow, as he felt a blade pierced into the skin of his waist.
'I was too careless!'
Zhan Sandao was very anxious.
If there was a sneak attack, normally he would have sensed it in advance.
But his attention was all on Tao Yungang, and he also didn't expect anyone to ambush him.
Zhan Sandao's waist and abdomen were torn open, blood flowed across his body.
He saw the face of the attacker clearly.
"You!"
Zhan Sandao recognized that the sneak attacker was the young man with the knife who had escaped before.
"How dare you?!"
Zhan Sandao was in disbelief.
Not only did this young man defeat his capable subordinate, but he also returned to the battlefield with incomprehensible courage!
"You really are an inner enrichment warrior."
Xu Ning noticed the terrifying body of the inner enrichment warrior.
Xu Ning would have cut open the waist of any ordinary person.
But after piercing the skin, his blade was stuck in Zhan Sandao's muscles, making it difficult to slice through.
The body of an inner enrichment warrior was terrifying.
"Zhan Sandao, die!"
Tao Yungang saw the sudden change in the situation, so he instantly activated his battle spirit and became violent.
Tao Yungang went after Zhan Sandao with a stab.
Xu Ning did not retreat, instead he moved forward, slicing in the same place. Zhan Sandao was completely wounded.
Zhan Sandao waddled back and forth.
"Save… save me!"
Zhan Sandao began to cry for help, as he felt his life passing by.
But Tao Yungang didn't give him this opportunity. Tao Yungang concentrated his strength in one swing and sliced forward.
Zhan Sandao's head rolled off his body.
Chương 17: Return Journey
Biên tập viên: Henyee Translations
"Boss!"
A horse bandit heard Zhan Sandao's cry for help. He was about to rush forward when he saw Tao Yungang slice his big sword, followed by Zhan Sandao's head rolling on the ground.
He cried out in horror.
"Boss… Boss is killed!"
He instantly lost his will to fight, and he screamed as he fled.
Zhan Sandao was not only the strongest person in the group, but also everyone's spiritual pillar.
But now that Zhan Sandao was killed, his mental pillar collapsed.
"Boss is killed?"
The other horse bandits were still besieging Tao Yunquan and the rest. They looked back and saw Zhan Sandao was dead, and they lost their fighting spirit instantly.
"Go, let's go!"
Their siege against Tao Yunquan instantly collapsed.
"Tao Yungang!"
Guan Yinggou was furious.
He thought that his missing arm was about to be avenged, but the situation changed in the blink of an eye.
He himself was not worthy of being Tao Yungang's opponent. If he had not taken refuge in Zhan Sandao's camp, he would never dare to seek revenge at all.
Zhan Sandao was killed, and he, who had lost an arm, was definitely not Tao Yungang's opponent.
"Run!"
Guan Yinggou gritted his teeth and went on his horse.
"Guan Yinggou!"
Tao Yungang immediately noticed Guan Yinggou's escape.
He also grabbed a horse and chased after him.
"All of this is because of you! Accept your death!"
Tao Yungang caught up with his horse and swung his sword.
Guan Yinggou was holding the reins with one arm, with no chance of dodging the attack, he fell down from the horse.
Guan Yinggou was seriously injured. He was dripping with blood as he screamed.
Tao Yungang didn't show any mercy. He immediately dismounted and swung at Guan Yinggou again.
"Yunquan!"
The horse bandits who had previously surrounded Tao Yunquan had either escaped or died. Tao Yungang quickly went to Tao Yunquan to check his injuries.
Tao Yunquan was missing a hand. There were many wounds all over his body.
Because of his excessive bleeding, his lips turned white and his consciousness was slipping away.
"I'll grab the hemostatic medicine!"
Xu Ning also rushed over. After seeing Tao Yunquan's injury, he quickly went to the donkey carriage.
The donkey carriage carried medicine in the case of accidents.
"How are the others doing?"
Tao Yunquan's injury stopped bleeding, but his whole body had lost its strength. He leaned on the wheel of the donkey carriage.
"Except for a few of us, the rest… are gone."
The man who fought with Tao Yunquan inspected the bodies of their three companions.
He was also slightly injured, but because of Tao Yunquan's protection, his injuries were less severe.
"I'm sorry everyone!"
Tao Yungang, who was on the verge of life and death, finally showed fatigue, and feelings of guilt came like a torrent.
He knelt on the ground and looked at the three dead companions. His eyes staring blankly.
Xu Ning stood aside and sighed.
Just a few days ago, everyone was drinking and chatting at the dinner table, but now, some had already lost their lives.
Xu Ning looked at the blood on the ground and the messy weapons, for the first time, he truly thought that the world of martial arts was horrifying.
Whether it was an ordinary person or a warrior, everyone was like a lone ship in a rainstorm, able to be capsized at any time.
"Uncle Gang…"
Xu Ning walked over and held Tao Yungang's shoulders.
He opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.
"Yungang."
Tao Yunquan stood up and dragged his injured body over.
He glanced at Xu Ning first and gave him a kind look.
Tao Yunquan did not see Xu Ning suddenly appear to help Tao Yungang behead Zhan Sandao. But he did see Xu Ning's blade being covered in blood after returning back to the battlefield. He respected the loyalty and courage of this outsider.
"Yungang, I understand how you're feeling right now." Tao Yunquan said to Tao Yungang, "but everyone made this decision when they accepted to work for you—they knew the risks."
"You paid our wages, and we escorted the carriage as our job. Moreover, you paid us generously and treated us fairly. We have no complaints. We didn't want to face this incident today, but what has happened has happened. You have to forgive yourself."
Tao Yunquan's words made Tao Yungang's eyes gently light up, but sadness and shame still hovered in his heart.
He had worked in the medicinal materials business for more than a decade, and he had witnessed his brothers being injured and forced to retire.
But this was the first time three people had died under his watch.
"I know."
Tao Yungang tried to comfort himself.
He stood up and looked at Xu Ning.
"Xu Ning, thank you for what you've done!"
Tao Yungang shook Xu Ning's hand. "If you didn't risk your life to attack Zhan Sandao from behind, all of us might have died here this time."
Tao Yunquan and the other person looked at Xu Ning with astonishment in their eyes.
They all knew that Xu Ning hadn't cultivated his internal skill and was in the intermediate realm of his Gale Knife Technique.
But he still risked his life to attack Zhan Sandao. This righteous act moved their hearts.
"You're too kind, Uncle Gang."
Xu Ning said to Tao Yungang, "Just like what Uncle Yunquan said, this is my job—this is what you paid me for. You and Guo Ye have also been helping me in the past. This is just a small repayment."
"Xu Ning… kid…"
Tao Yungang was unable to speak for a while.
After a long time, he stabilized his mood and asked, "Where is Guo Ye?"
"We took the bandit's horse, and I asked him to go back to the village first."
Xu Ning responded.
Tao Yungang's lips trembled a little. He patted Xu Ning's shoulder again and finally sounded relieved. "Guo Ye's greatest honor in life is having a brother like you."
"Okay, okay, let's get ready to go." Tao Yungang sorted out his emotions and said, "it's not wise to stay here for a long time. Let's clean up the battlefield and take our brothers… home."
Soon after, they roughly cleaned out the battlefield.
Because there were only four people left to ride the four donkey carriages, they untied the ropes for two of the donkey carriages and tied them to the other two donkey carriages, with two donkeys pulling each carriage.
The two horses left by the horse bandits were also taken by them.
After that, they set off on their return journey.
…
More than two hours had passed, and they still hadn't arrived at the Tao Village.
They suddenly heard a shout from the distance.
"Uncle!"
It was Guo Ye's voice.
Xu Ning and the rest looked over, and they saw Guo Ye with a dozen people behind him.
The leader was Tao Yunmeng, Xu Ning's previous instructor.
"They should be the rescuers Guo Ye brought."
Xu Ning instantly knew what was going on.
This was the advantage of a big village. If one person got into trouble outside, the whole village would help them.
The two parties met each other.
"Uncle, Xu Ning, you guys are still alive!"
After seeing Tao Yungang and Xu Ning in good condition, the weight on Guo Ye's shoulders were finally lifted.
"Brother Yungang, you are back."
It was Tao Yunmeng who was talking.
After Guo Ye fled back to the village, he immediately reported the situation.
The village quickly gathered people together, with Tao Yunmeng taking the lead to rescue them. Although a long time had passed and they didn't know what the current situation was, everyone was still determined to rescue them.
"We're back."
Tao Yungang nodded and turned his head. "It's just…"
Everyone followed his gaze and saw the bodies of their companions on the carriage. There was a moment of silence.
Everyone scattered behind the two donkey carriages and followed them.
The group finally returned to the Tao Village by sunset.
…
"Xu Ning, I will come back and thank you on another day."
After arriving at the Tao Village, Tao Yungang stopped Xu Ning before returning home. "I have to let my brothers rest in peace."
"Uncle Gang, don't worry about me, take care of yourself."
Xu Ning said.
Tao Yungang did not reply. He had to deal with the funeral of his brothers.
Guo Ye didn't talk much to Xu Ning either. They just looked at each other before he followed Tao Yungang and went away.
'Only with strength and power can I gain a firm foothold in this world and protect my family.'
On the way home, Xu Ning kept thinking.
He had made a decision. After a short period of resting, he would enter the inner circle of Yunze Mountains and seek more resources to improve his martial arts.
Soon, he arrived at the doorstep of his house.
Xu Ning pushed open the courtyard door. He finally felt a sense of warmth in his heart.
"I'm back!"
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