Chapter 28: Chapter 27: The Escort Lives and Dies with the Cargo?
The weakness of the Iron Armor Sect’s Martial Artists was obvious: they were too slow.
Each of them had cultivated their Horizontal Training Techniques to a profound level, and their defense and strength were indeed astonishing.
When facing Martial Artists of the same rank, if you couldn’t break their defense, defeat was a foregone conclusion. You would inevitably be worn down and killed.
But if you were like Chen Yuan—stronger than them and armed with a Weapon that could pierce their defense—the result was a complete slaughter.
The two remaining Iron Armor Sect disciples couldn’t even dodge Chen Yuan’s blade. He cut them down in an instant.
The senior brother of the Iron Armor Sect was practically driven mad with rage, his eyes bloodshot.
He had brought his martial brothers here to hunt down the Qingfeng Escort Agency, and now every last one of them was dead.
Even if he managed to bring the Cyan Dragon Blood Drink back, his merits wouldn’t outweigh his failures. He would surely face severe punishment from the Sect.
"What kind of skill is hiding and launching sneak attacks? If you have any balls, fight me head-on! I’ll crush your skull today!"
The Iron Armor Sect’s senior brother roared and threw two stools at Chen Yuan.
"Fine. As you wish!"
Chen Yuan slashed out. Surging Saber Qi instantly pulverized the two stools.
The saber hummed as the Autumn Wind Slash fell. An overwhelming torrent of Sword Aura surged toward the Iron Armor Sect’s senior brother.
This move could easily slaughter the Iron Armor Sect’s Blood Movement Realm Martial Artists, but it had little effect on their senior brother.
He bellowed, black-gray True Qi erupting around him. He spun the Iron Conical Hat in his hand like a windmill, smashing it wildly at Chen Yuan.
Although the Cyan Dragon Blood Drink was sharp, it couldn’t shatter the thick Iron Conical Hat outright, only hack it to pieces.
Some of the Sword Aura struck the senior brother’s body, producing the sharp clang of striking Golden Iron.
A portion of the Sword Aura tore through his Protective True Qi, leaving a gash on his body, yet not a single drop of blood flowed out.
After reaching Minor Achievement in the Iron Armor Sect’s Iron Chain Cross River Skill, he could control his Qi Blood. He could completely prevent blood loss from superficial wounds that didn’t reach his organs.
In the blink of an eye, the senior brother broke through Chen Yuan’s guard, closing the distance to less than two feet.
The Iron Conical Hat in his hand finally gave way, shattering into several pieces under Chen Yuan’s saber.
"Die!"
The Iron Armor Sect’s senior brother opened his arms wide, intending to lock Chen Yuan in a crushing bear hug.
A dazzling Sword Aura fell from Chen Yuan’s saber. The senior brother shifted just enough for the blade to slide past his neck and strike him hard on the shoulder blade.
The gash was deep enough to reveal bone, but in the next instant, his scapula shifted. Muscle and Qi Blood surged to the wound, clamping down hard on the saber’s edge.
A savage grin appeared on the senior brother’s face.
’This guy’s Saber Technique is fast and ruthless, his Inner Strength is profound, and his explosive power is astonishing.’
’Fighting him normally is too disadvantageous. Only by trading blow for blow, life for life, can I hope to kill him.’
Just as he was about to lock Chen Yuan in his arms and crush him, Chen Yuan abandoned his saber. His hands coiled around the senior brother’s arms like agile serpents.
Using Silk Binding Strength to overcome hardness with softness, he instantly neutralized the Power in the senior brother’s arms.
Then, Chen Yuan gathered his acupoint inner strength. Pushing the Surging Waves and Flowing Clouds Technique to its limit, he exerted the force of his arms—enough to split gold and shatter jade—and twisted!
With a series of CRACKS, Chen Yuan twisted and broke the senior brother’s thick arms, bending them at a grotesque angle.
The senior brother let out a wretched howl. No longer able to control his Qi Blood, blood instantly sprayed from the wound on his shoulder.
Chen Yuan wrenched his saber free. With nothing left to stop him, he swung the Cyan Dragon Blood Drink. His opponent’s head hit the floor.
The entire hall fell silent for a moment, then erupted in a wave of cheers.
Some of the onlooking Jianghu People cheered, others whistled. A cacophony of accents from north and south filled the hall of the Yellow Dragon Posthouse.
Killing wasn’t a rare sight in a place like this; they were all used to it.
But Chen Yuan’s performance just now, fighting against many, had been simply magnificent.
First, he killed the weaker opponents to avoid being surrounded.
Then, he went Attack Against Attack, clashing head-on with the senior brother and forcing him to take a desperate risk, only to reveal a trump card and counter-kill him at his own game.
You could say that in the entire fight, not a single one of Chen Yuan’s moves was wasted.
Such clean and decisive killing was a true thrill for this crowd of hardened men who lived and died by the blade.
Chen Yuan flicked the blood from his saber, spattering a line of red drops across the floor.
’It’s a good saber, but it doesn’t have a scabbard. I’ll have to find a place to get one made.’
Just then, Jin Kaiyuan of the Qingfeng Escort Agency walked over and gave a deep, respectful bow.
"Thank you for saving our lives, Young Hero. All of us at the Qingfeng Escort Agency are eternally grateful. May I be so bold as to ask your name? We will etch it into our hearts and never forget your kindness."
Chen Yuan gave a dismissive wave.
’My only intention was to take the saber, not to save them.’
’I don’t really care about the Iron Armor Sect, but there’s no need to leave my name and invite trouble.’
The Female Darts Master, Qingqing, stared at the Cyan Dragon Blood Drink in Chen Yuan’s hand. She hesitated, and just as she was about to speak, Jin Kaiyuan gave her a sharp tug, forcing her to hold her tongue.
Jin Kaiyuan’s apprentice, who had always been infatuated with Qingqing, had his eyes fixed on her.
Seeing her expression, he instantly understood what she wanted to say and announced loudly, "Thank you for saving our lives, Young Hero, but that Cyan Dragon Blood-Drinking Saber is the property of the Qingfeng Escort Agency. I wonder if you might return it?"
Jin Kaiyuan’s expression changed drastically. He started to intervene, but a chilling glare from Chen Yuan froze him in his tracks.
Chen Yuan turned his head, a wry, humorless smile on his face as he looked at the young Darts Master in his early twenties. "Return it? When the Iron Armor Sect had this saber a moment ago, why didn’t you ask them to return it?"
"The villains from the Iron Armor Sect are arrogant and tyrannical. You, Young Hero, stepped in to right a wrong and help the weak. Naturally, you are different from them."
"The rule of our Qingfeng Escort Agency has always been: As long as we live, the cargo is safe. If the cargo is lost, we die. Please, Young Hero, do us this favor and return the Weapon."
The young Darts Master finished his speech, feeling quite pleased with himself.
’I’ve praised this Young Hero to the high heavens, crowning him with titles like ’chivalrous hero’ and ’champion of the weak.’ How could he possibly refuse to return the Cyan Dragon Blood-Drinking Saber now?’
’After this, I’ll have single-handedly saved the day and retrieved the Weapon. Qingqing will surely look at me with new respect, and Master will see me as the agency’s successor. My future is bright.’
"As long as you live, the cargo is safe? If the cargo is lost, you die? Then you can go right ahead and die!"
A flash of saber light. The young Darts Master’s head flew into the air. Blood spurted from the headless torso like a fountain, drenching Qingqing, Jin Kaiyuan, and the others.
Qingqing wanted to scream but violently clamped a hand over her mouth. She could only stare at Chen Yuan in abject terror, not daring to make a sound.
Chen Yuan turned his emotionless gaze to Jin Kaiyuan and the others. "Is that your rule, too? ’If the cargo is lost, you die’?"
Jin Kaiyuan shuddered and immediately said, "The Qingfeng Escort Agency’s cargo was already stolen by the Iron Armor Sect! This is your saber, Young Hero. It has nothing to do with the Qingfeng Escort Agency!"
Chen Yuan snorted and turned to leave, but he still felt a little annoyed.
’I remember in the original storyline, the player ran into the Iron Armor Sect stealing the cargo, helped out, and got the saber back. The item then logically became the player’s. It all went so smoothly.’
’So how come when it’s my turn, I always run into so many clueless idiots?’
’It was like this with Duan Mubai, and now it’s happening again with these people from the Qingfeng Escort Agency.’
In truth, Chen Yuan had "fast-forwarded" through this part of the plot and forgotten some of the details. He had acted too soon.
In the original story, the player entered the posthouse after the fighting had already started and people were being killed. Only then did the player intervene.
By that point, all the young Darts Masters from the Qingfeng Escort Agency were already dead, leaving Jin Kaiyuan all alone.
As a Jianghu veteran, Jin Kaiyuan would never have been so clueless.
Besides, as the sole survivor of his agency, he would have been completely disheartened. Why would he have cared about some escorted cargo?
If Chen Yuan had acted a bit later, the outcome would have been roughly the same.
Only after Chen Yuan had completely left did Qingqing break down, crying loudly.
"Stop crying! He deserved it!"
Jin Kaiyuan said through gritted teeth, "That fool almost got us all killed!"
"Why is everyone in the Jianghu so unreasonable? That was clearly our cargo!"
Qingqing sobbed, her eyes filled with terror and confusion.
Just then, the Posthouse Chief arrived with several armed Posthouse Soldiers.
The Posthouse Chief was an appointee of the Court, but he was also a local Jianghu powerhouse. Otherwise, he’d never be able to control the wild, rebellious Jianghu People who lived by the blade and passed through his post.
"It’s not that Jianghu People are unreasonable," he began. "It’s just that they reason with their fists and their blades, not with their mouths."
The slightly plump Posthouse Chief, who sported a thin mustache, shook his head gently. "That man just now was merciful enough to only kill that one. He truly earned the title of Young Hero."
"The one who died was full of petty schemes. He thought he could flatter the man, pressure him with morals, and force him to return the Weapon. He was truly an idiot."
"My friend, and I don’t mean to criticize, but I’ve seen countless escort teams. It’s always a group of veterans leading a few rookies. When have you ever seen one veteran leading a whole group of rookies?"
"You’re lucky you didn’t all die on the road."
The surrounding Jianghu People nodded in agreement.
The kid was utterly clueless. He had a bit of low cunning but couldn’t read the situation at all.
He saw a young, handsome man and assumed he was some noble Young Hero from a famous sect that he could easily manipulate with words.
Little did he know that this was a man who had just killed eight Iron Armor Sect Martial Artists—leaving severed limbs and spilled guts all over the floor—without so much as blinking. How could such a person be simple?
Trying to be clever with a killer like that is just courting death.
Jin Kaiyuan gave a bitter smile.
’He was right. It was just good luck.’
’If their luck had been bad, they would all have died here today.’
"Alright, my friend, what’s done is done. It’s no great loss. An idiot like that would have ruined your agency sooner or later anyway."
The Posthouse Chief patted Jin Kaiyuan’s shoulder and gave him a warm smile. "But before you leave, you still need to settle the bill."
"So many broken tables and chairs, the floor needs repairs... and all these severed limbs are just terrible for one’s appetite. I have to arrange for someone to clean the floors."
"That will be three thousand taels of silver. If you don’t have enough silver, you can leave the young lady here as collateral."
The Posthouse Chief waved his hand, and the Posthouse Soldiers behind him surrounded Jin Kaiyuan and his people.
’The Iron Armor Sect guys are all dead, and that last fellow was obviously not someone to trifle with. If I don’t get the money from you, who else is there?’
Jin Kaiyuan nearly spat out another mouthful of blood. He forced a smile that was uglier than a grimace. "I’ll pay!"
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