44: Chapter 44 Admiration

Chu Yang crouched down, patted the girl's shoulder, and comforted her, "Don't worry, we'll help you find your family. You can trust us."

"Thank you... thank you!" The girl wept with gratitude.

"Then come with us for now. Safety is the priority." As he spoke, Chu Yang helped the girl to her feet and turned to his companions. "We need to figure out how to rescue her family, and while we're at it, see if there are any more clues around here."

"Alright, let's start the search now." Daoist Wangchuan nodded, his expression serious.

Chu Yang led the girl away from the small room, continuing to explore the unknown depths. Along the way, the Little Girl kept telling them about her and her family's experience of being captured by the bad guys. It turned out that several vicious bandit gangs had recently appeared in this area, often wreaking havoc in the surrounding regions, and many innocent people had been harmed.

Hearing her story, a sense of mission welled up in everyone's hearts.

"We will definitely drive those guys away." Chu Yang's tone was resolute.

At that moment, they arrived at an exquisitely decorated room. Inside was a luxurious desk, upon which lay a tattered map and an unsealed letter. Chu Yang picked up the letter and skimmed it. It contained details about the bandits' hideout and some scheming content.

"This is the plan for their next move!" Chu Yang excitedly told his companions.

After looking at the markings on the map, Daoist Wangchuan said, "Based on the information on this map, we can track those bandits directly to their den."

"Good, then let's not waste any time. We set off now!" Chu Yang said firmly. "This time, we're going to completely wipe out these villains!"

Everyone immediately prepared for action. Just as they were about to leave the room, they suddenly heard hurried footsteps and fierce shouts coming from outside the door.

"Someone's coming! We might be exposed!" Qing Luo lowered her voice.

Sure enough, the next second, the door was violently kicked open. Over a dozen fierce-looking bandits swarmed into the room menacingly. Leading them was a tall, burly man with a full beard.

"It's these brats who ruined our plans! Capture them alive and take them back to the camp!" the bandit leader roared, his eyes filled with rage.

Chu Yang and the others quickly entered combat stance. Facing the oncoming bandits, they didn't retreat in the slightest. Chu Yang held his longsword horizontally before his chest, looking coldly at the opponents. "Think you can capture us? Not that easy!"

The bandit leader sneered and waved his hand. His dozen or so underlings immediately charged forward. Chu Yang's figure flashed, his longsword dancing like a dragon as he slashed at the nearest bandit. That bandit had no time to react before the sword energy sliced through him, blood instantly spraying out.

"This kid is too strong!" one bandit exclaimed, but before his voice faded, he was cut down by Bi Luo's greatsword.

Daoist Wangchuan chanted an incantation. A thunderous light shot from his fingertips, striking several bandits who were closing in. Immediately, several enemies fell to the ground, convulsing uncontrollably.

Nangong Han's whip moved like a venomous snake, weaving freely through the crowd. Any enemy caught by it could not escape. Qing Luo nimbly dodged and weaved, occasionally thrusting her dagger into vital points of the enemies.

The Little Girl cowered to one side, her eyes filled with fear and awe. Watching Chu Yang and his companions wield power like deities, she felt a sliver of comfort.

The battle quickly escalated to a white-hot stage. Although the bandits outnumbered them, under the combined efforts of Chu Yang's group, they were steadily forced to retreat. Seeing the situation turning unfavorable, the bandit leader bellowed, "Retreat!"

The few surviving bandits hastily withdrew. The bandit leader glared at Chu Yang's group unwillingly, grinding his teeth. "Just you wait. You got lucky this time. Next time, we won't let you live!"

Chu Yang sneered, "We'll be ready to receive you anytime!"

After all the bandits had fled, Chu Yang turned to look at the Little Girl. "Little Girl, are you alright?"

The girl shook her head, a grateful expression on her face. "Thank you, big brother. I've never seen such powerful people before."

Chu Yang patted her head and smiled. "Don't be afraid. We're here. Next, we're going to eliminate those bandits and rescue your family."

The Little Girl nodded, a light of hope igniting in her eyes. "I... I want to go too! I want to help you!"

"Mm," Chu Yang said gently. "You can help us by providing information. But you must be careful."

Daoist Wangchuan stepped forward and carefully examined the map on the table. "This map is annotated in great detail. We should be able to find their hideout smoothly. But we can't let our guard down. After all, it's a bandit den."

Bi Luo also nodded in agreement. "Right. Those guys have definitely set up many traps. We need to be even more careful."

"Then it's settled. Let's go!" Chu Yang said decisively. "We absolutely cannot let these villains continue to harm the people."

The group left the ancient castle and, following the directions on the map, set off on the road to the bandit camp. As they got closer, the surrounding atmosphere grew increasingly tense. They passed through desolate valleys, crossed perilous mountain ridges, and finally arrived in a hidden, dense forest.

Deep in the forest, a simple wooden fortress was faintly visible. Sentries patrolled the perimeter, vigilantly looking around. Chu Yang signaled everyone to halt and whispered instructions, "We'll split into two teams. One team attacks head-on to draw their attention, while the other takes the opportunity to flank from the rear for a surprise attack."

"Alright," everyone expressed their agreement.

"Bi Luo and I will handle the frontal assault," Chu Yang said. "Daoist Wangchuan, Nangong Han, you take the Little Girl and flank from the rear, ready to launch the surprise attack."

After the plan was decided, the group silently split into two teams. Chu Yang and Bi Luo charged out of the forest first, launching a fierce assault on the watchtower ahead. For a moment, alarm whistles sounded and battle cries shook the sky.

Just as the enemies concentrated their firepower to engage, Daoist Wangchuan and Nangong Han, with the Little Girl, had already quietly approached the rear of the fortress. The two agilely scaled the wall, leaped down, and silently dispatched several guards.

Just as Chu Yang and Bi Luo were fighting fiercely, a series of explosions suddenly erupted from the rear of the fortress. Flames and thick smoke instantly billowed upward, throwing the enemies into chaos.

"Success!" Bi Luo roared excitedly.

Chu Yang seized the opportunity to intensify his offensive. His longsword moved like lightning, swiftly cutting down enemies as he advanced step by step toward the central area.

At that moment, a sinister voice echoed within the fortress. "You dare to barge in here? I don't think any of you will leave alive today!"

A figure clad in black robes, wielding a giant hammer, appeared before everyone. It was that bandit leader. His eyes filled with venom, he slowly raised the giant hammer in his hand and brought it crashing down toward Chu Yang.

Chu Yang responded calmly. With a light upward flick of his sword tip, he deflected the opponent's attack. "You think such tricks can defeat me?" he sneered.

The battle erupted once more, their clash exceptionally fierce. Meanwhile, intense fighting continued to unfold in other areas.

"How are these guys so tenacious!" a villager exclaimed in amazement. "It's truly admirable!"

Chapter 44: Admiration