Chapter 7 Identity Exposed

"This..." Old Liu hesitated for only a moment before immediately saying, "As long as Brother Chu saves our lives, I will offer another five hundred taels of silver."

This time, he had truly bled significantly; he couldn't even earn this much silver in two years.

However, compared to his life, money was naturally not an issue.

"Brat! You dare..." Hearing this, the Hand-Breaking Butcher glared at Yan Chu with a ferocious expression, about to threaten him, but he saw that Yan Chu, who had been in the same spot just a moment ago, had already vanished.

Swish! A head, still wearing a confused expression, soared high into the air.

【Slayed mountain bandit, upheld justice, felt immense satisfaction, Experience + 20】

"Oh? Does this also count as obtaining satisfaction?"

That's right, they had no personal grudges against him. Counting it up, he was currently upholding justice, which likewise brought him immense satisfaction.

Yan Chu's ghostly figure wove through the Black Wind Stockade cavalry.

Although he had not Cultivated any movement techniques, his cultivation at the Peak of Qi and blood alone was not something these ordinary mountain bandits could evade.

"Ah!" 【Slayed mountain bandit, upheld justice, felt immense satisfaction, Experience + 20】

"Don't!" 【Slayed mountain bandit, upheld justice, felt immense satisfaction, Experience + 20】

"Spare me!" "Third Master, save me!" ...

As over a dozen screams rang out one after another, the pleasant sounds echoed in Yan Chu's ears. The headless corpses thudded as they fell off their horses, and the smell of blood wafted through the air.

A group of experience packs, just in time to solve his urgent need.

In the blink of an eye, all twelve butchers brought by the Hand-Breaking Butcher were dead.

Yan Chu stopped and shook the blood off his blade.

As expected, using a saber to kill is much more refreshing! It is much easier than palm techniques.

"Add all experience points to the Wind-Splashing Saber Technique!"

Yan Chu silently recited in his heart, and memories of endless Cultivation appeared in his mind.

A figure, unbothered by cold or heat, having Cultivated saber techniques for countless days and nights, gradually merged with him.

The next second, his gaze became much brighter, and his look at the saber in his hand became more intimate.

"Brat, you are courting death!!"

The Hand-Breaking Butcher hadn't even had time to make a move, yet in just a moment, his dozen or so subordinates had been killed like cutting vegetables. He could not help but be enraged, roaring as he raised his saber and charged.

"What's the rush? It'll be your turn soon!"

The blade flashed with cold light; Yan Chu took a step, charged, and slashed horizontally.

Clang! The sound of metal clashing rang out, and Yan Chu sheathed his saber.

【Slayed mountain bandit, upheld justice, felt immense satisfaction, Experience + 100】

The large saber in the Hand-Breaking Butcher's hand clattered to the ground. A thick line of blood appeared across his neck, his head rolled down, and a column of blood sprayed high into the air.

This slash had no technique; it relied purely on brute force.

Although the Hand-Breaking Butcher was also a First Realm Martial Artist, his Qi and blood strength was far inferior to Yan Chu's.

"He looked all bark and no bite, but I didn't expect him to be such a paper tiger!"

Yan Chu chuckled inwardly. He looked at the caravan members; at this moment, their eyes were full of awe.

"Young Master Chu, this is a total of one thousand three hundred taels. Thank you for saving our lives, Young Master."

Old Liu's posture was very humble at this moment; having seen Yan Chu make a move with his own eyes, he dared not speak so casually anymore.

"Hmm! Clean up and get on the road quickly!"

"By the way, collect all the silver from their bodies for me. Also, these dozen fine horses are a gift to you."

Yan Chu took the silver notes and stuffed them into his robes, instructing indifferently.

"Thank you, Hero Chu!" The caravan members all showed expressions of joy.

These dozen horses were worth quite a bit of silver; calculating it this way, they wouldn't lose too much on this trip.

"No need to thank me, just give me the equivalent in silver!"

"Uh..." The crowd was speechless; they had been happy for nothing.

However, since the other party had said so, how could they dare not give it? Immediately, everyone pooled together nearly two hundred taels and handed it to Yan Chu.

This was the only silver they had left on them. If anything else happened on this trip, they would all go bankrupt!

The smell of blood here would soon attract wild beasts in the mountains, so the group could only hurriedly pack up their goods and luggage, finish looting the bandits' corpses, and get back on the road.

The role Yan Chu was currently playing was that of a cold, stern saber-wielder—ruthless and sparing with words—so the others in the caravan dared not speak much either.

They walked until dawn, and the group finally moved far away from that mountain hollow. The next few days were peaceful.

This left Yan Chu, who had originally hoped that other bandits from the Black Wind Stockade would catch up, somewhat disappointed.

If he had known, he should have left one alive so the other party could lead him to the lair of the Black Wind Stockade. He had wasted ready-made experience.

【Host: Yan Chu】

【Cultivation: First Realm Martial Artist, Peak of Qi and blood】

【Cultivation Technique: Nine Yang Divine Art (First Level 1194 / 2000), Iron Cloth Shirt (Major Achievement)】

【Martial Skill: Rushing Thunder Palm (Major Achievement), Wind-Splashing Saber Technique (Entry 343 / 600)】

【Experience Points: 0】

Yan Chu hadn't been idle these past few days; the Wind-Splashing Saber Technique had gained two points of experience through continuous Cultivation.

On this day, as the caravan traveled through the mist-shrouded mountain forest, noisy sounds suddenly appeared nearby again.

"Hurry up, there is a village ahead. We should be able to reach it before dark, and we will stay there for the night."

"Brother He, we have been searching in these mountains for three days already. Is that person really still nearby?"

"Rest assured, the important passages within a hundred-mile radius have all been blocked by checkpoints set up by the Zheng Family guards. Other places are either layers of mountains or steep cliffs; that thief couldn't escape even if he could turn the sky upside down!"

The group hurriedly stopped and looked ahead nervously. They were terrified that another group of bandits would appear; they couldn't scrape together another one thousand three hundred taels of silver now.

Before long, four people appeared in front, all dressed in tight-fitting martial attire, vaulting and leaping through the trees with extraordinary agility.

"Who goes there?!" "Eh? Old Liu?"

Seeing the caravan, the four men were originally eyeing them like tigers, full of Killing Intent, but one of them actually recognized the caravan leader, Liu Fu.

Upon seeing that person, Liu Fu's face revealed pleasant surprise, "Steward He!"

So they knew each other! The tense standoff between the two groups immediately relaxed.

Old Liu began to step forward to chat with that Steward He, his tone extremely respectful.

Yan Chu stayed where he was without acting rashly, but his ears took in the entire conversation between the two.

It turned out that this Steward He was a steward of the Pingyang City Chamber of Commerce, and Old Liu also belonged to the chamber of commerce, though his status was lowly.

The reason Steward He and his group had entered the mountains was due to a commission from the Zheng Family of Longhua Prefecture to search the vicinity for a flower-picking thief named Hua Feifei.

This flower-picking thief was extremely bold. Not only did he steal the Zheng Family's heirloom Golden Silk Soft Armor, but he also abducted the Zheng Family Young Miss, Zheng Shilan. The head of the Zheng Family was furious and mobilized all the Family's resources to hunt him down.

Three days ago, Hua Feifei escaped into the Cangmang Mountain Range, and the people of the Zheng Family set up a perimeter within a hundred-mile radius, setting up checkpoints at all major traffic arteries to interrogate and search, determined to capture Hua Feifei.

Furthermore, the Zheng Family offered a bounty: whoever could find the tracks of Hua Feifei and retrieve the Golden Silk Soft Armor and the Zheng Family Young Miss would be rewarded with a Third Realm Cultivation Technique and three thousand taels of silver.

"Sigh! That Hua Feifei is a Second Realm Martial Artist and possesses exquisite movement techniques. If it weren't for the president's request, and since the Zheng Family is a major client of our Pingyang City Chamber of Commerce, I really wouldn't want to wade into these muddy waters!" Steward He couldn't help but complain.

"Steward He is an expert at the Late Stage of Qi and blood; even if you are not a match for that Hua Feifei, surely self-preservation is not a problem." Old Liu hurriedly flattered him.

"Hmm!" Steward He nodded. They were only here to help out; there was no need to confront that flower-picking thief head-on.

"You have been in the mountains for several days; have you come across any traces of that flower-picking thief?"

"Steward He, you jest. The Cangmang Mountain Range is so vast; how could it be so easy to run into someone by chance? However, we did run into a group of bandits from the Black Wind Stockade; it was fortunate that Brother Chu, who was traveling with us, allowed us to escape with our lives!"

Steward He looked in the direction Old Liu pointed towards Yan Chu. Suddenly remembering something, his eyes narrowed slightly, but this change was fleeting. The next second, he returned to normal and bowed to Yan Chu from afar.

Yan Chu narrowed his eyes, thought for a moment, and walked over to bid farewell to Old Liu.

"Ah? Why is Brother Chu suddenly leaving?" Old Liu was a bit confused.

Yan Chu smiled and said, "The destination is not far from here; I will walk the rest of the way myself."

At this moment, Steward He spoke with a half-smile, "Why is this brother in such a hurry to leave? Why not come with us to the Six Doors before leaving?"