164: bandits

"On alert!"

The sharp shout of the guard leader, Zhao Iron Eagle, resounded through the camp.

Almost at the same time as the whistle blew, the sound of rapid hoofbeats and whistling came from the other side of the low slope; judging by the sound, there were at least a dozen riders!

The caravan guards reacted extremely quickly; over twenty men swiftly formed a formation with spears pointed outward and archers nocking arrows to their strings. The drivers hid under the wagons or inside them, clutching their daggers.

Chen Linsheng looked up and saw more than a dozen riders appearing atop the low slope.

These people were dressed in a motley fashion, some wearing worn-out leather armor, others in simple coarse cloth, and their weapons were a diverse mix—scimitars, iron axes, maces, and even some with homemade long-handled scythes. Each had a fierce expression, their eyes gleaming with greed.

They were horse bandits.

Leading them was a one-eyed burly man with a face full of scars, riding a piebald horse and holding a large Ghost-head Blade. He scanned the caravan's formation, a hint of wariness flashing in his single eye, yet he still grinned and said, "Friends from the Shunfeng Trading Company, passing through our 'Black Wind Gully,' according to the rules, leave three wagons of goods, and we'll let you through."

Zhao Iron Eagle rode out from the formation and said coldly, "The 'toll' for Black Wind Gully has always been one wagon of goods. Since when did it rise to three?"

The one-eyed man sneered, "Leader Zhao, times have changed. With the ruins appearing in the north, all sorts of characters are flocking here, and the brothers need to eat, don't they? Three wagons, no negotiation."

Behind him, the horse bandits all raised their weapons, hooting and hollering in support.

Zhao Iron Eagle's face darkened. Although the caravan guards were well-trained, the opponents had the advantage in numbers and were cavalry; if they really fought, even if they won, they would suffer casualties, and the goods would likely be damaged.

While the two sides were in a standoff, Chen Linsheng suddenly bent down and picked up a few thumb-sized pebbles from by his feet.

His movements were casual, as if he were just aimlessly playing with the stones.

The next moment, he flicked his wrist.

"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"

Three pebbles whistled through the air, moving so fast they left only afterimages!

"Thud! Thud! Ah—!"

Three muffled sounds rang out almost simultaneously!

A pebble embedded itself right in the center of the one-eyed man's Ghost-head Blade, sending sparks flying and making his hand go numb; on the left, a horse bandit's scimitar was hit on the hilt and flew out of his hand; the horse bandit on the right with the long-handled scythe was even worse off—the pebble accurately struck the pulse point on his wrist, causing him to drop the scythe in agony as he clutched his wrist and screamed.

The entire field fell silent.

All the horse bandits, including the one-eyed man, looked in shock toward the direction the stones had come from—at the young man in dark green martial attire sitting on a rock.

Chen Linsheng patted the dust off his hands, stood up, and cupped his hands toward Zhao Iron Eagle. "Leader Zhao, I apologize for my abruptness."

Zhao Iron Eagle gave him a deep look, surprise flashing in his eyes, then turned back to the one-eyed man and said coldly, "Still want three wagons?"

The one-eyed man's expression shifted. After staring at Chen Linsheng for a few breaths, he suddenly pulled the reins. "Withdraw!"

The dozen or so horse bandits, as if granted a grand pardon, turned their horses around and disappeared over the low slope in the blink of an eye.

The crisis averted, the people in the caravan breathed a sigh of relief. When they looked at Chen Linsheng again, their gazes were vastly different.

Zhao Iron Eagle rode up to Chen Linsheng, dismounted, and cupped his fists. "Thank you for your help, Brother Chen. I neglected you before."

Although he had been at the front, he had been observing everything. Those three pebbles were perfect in terms of power, accuracy, and timing. Especially the strike on the blade that numbed the one-eyed man's hand; it seemed simple but required an extremely high Realm of control over power.

This young man was definitely not simple.

Chen Linsheng returned the gesture. "Leader Zhao is too polite. Since we are in the same caravan, it is only right that I help."

The steward, Manager Zhou Fu, also rushed over with a smile on his face. "Brother Chen has such impressive skills! When we camp tonight, we must treat you well."

Chen Linsheng said a few humble words and returned to his original spot.

After this incident, his status in the caravan quietly changed. The guards would proactively nod in greeting when passing him; when distributing supplies at camp, Manager Zhou Fu specifically had someone send an extra skin of fresh water and two pieces of dried mutton to him.

As night fell, the caravan set up camp in a hollow with a water source.

Campfires were lit, and the guards took turns keeping watch. Chen Linsheng chose a sheltered spot slightly away from the camp, sat cross-legged, and began to Cultivate the Hunyuan Pile Posture Technique.

As the posture technique began, his blood and Qi naturally circulated, resonating with the Qi vortices in his five internal organs. The thin Origin Qi in the world was slowly drawn in, seeping through his pores and circulating in a full cycle within his body, tempering his bones, muscles, and skin.

The night wind swept across the wilderness, carrying the long howls of wolf packs in the distance.

Chen Linsheng closed his eyes and focused, his mind sinking into his body.

He could feel that in this bitter cold frontier, although the Heaven and Earth Origin Qi was thin, it had a rough and vast quality that was particularly beneficial for tempering the physique and honing the will. Under the nourishment of the Origin Qi, the pale golden Qi membrane of the Golden Robe Skill seemed to become a bit more solid.

After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly felt something and opened his eyes.

At the edge of the camp, Zhao Iron Eagle was walking toward him, carrying a small wineskin.

"Brother Chen, not resting yet?" Zhao Iron Eagle sat down by the campfire and handed over the wineskin. "Northern frontier 'Shaodaozi'—it'll help ward off the cold."

Chen Linsheng took it and had a sip. The liquid was scalding and spicy, burning from his throat down to his stomach like a knife, then turning into a stream of heat that spread through his limbs.

"Good wine," he praised.

Zhao Iron Eagle smiled, took a gulp himself, and watched the flickering fire. He suddenly asked, "Brother Chen's hidden weapon skill—did you learn it from a famous master?"

"I just practiced it on my own," Chen Linsheng said.

Zhao Iron Eagle glanced at him but didn't press further. Instead, he said, "Thanks for earlier today. That one-eyed man is the second-in-command of Black Wind Gully, known as 'Lone Wolf,' with a cultivation in the Late-stage Flesh Tempering Realm and leads over thirty desperadoes. Usually, when our trading company passes by, paying one wagon of goods settles it. Today he hiked up the price; I'm afraid someone behind the scenes instructed him."

Chen Linsheng's heart stirred. "Someone instructed him?"

"Mhm." Zhao Iron Eagle lowered his voice. "With the ruins appearing, all factions want a piece of the pie. What the caravan transports to the northern frontier isn't just goods, but also news, intelligence, and even... some things that can't see the light of day. It's not surprising that someone doesn't want the Shunfeng Trading Company to arrive smoothly."

He paused and said, "Brother Chen, your martial arts are superb. If you are willing to temporarily serve as a Guest Elder for the caravan until we reach Blackrock Town, Steward Zhou is willing to add another ten taels of Silver to your pay. What do you think?"

Chen Linsheng pondered for a moment and nodded. "I can do that."

"Good!" Zhao Iron Eagle smiled and raised his wineskin. "Then for this journey, we'll be relying on you, Brother Chen!"

The two wineskins clinked together softly.

The firelight danced, reflecting their calm faces.

In the distance, deep in the wilderness, the sound of hoofbeats could be heard again, soon disappearing into the wind.

Nights on the frontier were never peaceful.

In the following days, Chen Linsheng felt the massive gap between Jiuqu Prefecture and the frontier. Compared to the frontier, Jiuqu Prefecture was entirely a land of kind and honest people.