Chapter 45: A Head-Shattering Arrow

The poor bandit with the scar did not know that Lei Qing’s Fighting Qi cultivation had reached Bronze Peak, just one step away from Silver-rank. His swordsmanship had also been repeatedly tempered and improved, eventually reaching the stage of minor success. Furthermore, the martial techniques and battle manuals of the Lei Family emphasized speed, momentum, and unpredictability. Since the bandit was a full major realm lower than Lei Qing, beheading him in a surprise attack was only natural.

The chestnut hunting horse he was riding did not know its Master was dying and continued to carry him forward. After galloping for several yards, the bandit helplessly rolled off the horse. His blood dyed several white wildflowers red, adding a sinister beauty to them.

Killing the enemy with a single sword strike not only left the enemy’s twenty-plus horsemen blind with shock, but also left Jiang Yu’s group dumbstruck and unable to believe what they saw.

However, after killing one man, Lei Qing did not stop. He urged his riding horse to charge further into the midst of the bandits. Horseback combat is different from foot combat. When two horses rush past each other, attacking at the moment they cross is not only a test of strength and confidence, but more importantly, a test of courage. Life and death are decided in that single instant.

The Lei Family established its home through martial arts, earning titles on the battlefield. Most male descendants joined the military. Therefore, their understanding and research of horseback combat must have been deep. Although Lei Qing was a playboy, due to men’s natural love for horses and family rules, he had learned horsemanship and horse combat since childhood.

“Swish~”

An arrow shot from behind Jiang Yu, tracing an arc in the air. Dark mist could be faintly seen swirling around the arrowhead. After flying swiftly for over ten yards, it pierced a bandit’s forehead with a thud.

Amidst cries of agony, the bandit fell from his horse, twitched twice, and died.

A head-shattering arrow.

What precise archery. Jiang Yu looked back in shock and saw Zuo Qianqian holding an empty bow, its string still vibrating. After establishing her dominance with one arrow, Zuo Qianqian calmly drew another arrow and continued to shoot.

Meanwhile, Lei Qing urged his horse into the enemy group. The Qingfeng Sword bloomed like bright fireworks, sword light dancing wildly and sparks flashing. In an instant, three or four men were hacked down like melons and vegetables. The enemy cried out in pain, with a chorus of wails. Their morale plummeted to an all-time low. Seeing Lei Qing, covered in blood, slaughtering people like a god or ghost, with companions falling from their horses wherever he passed, everyone was chilled to the bone. They had no fighting spirit left. The lucky ones fled on their horses in terror.

“What are you waiting for, brothers, kill, kill, kill.” Seeing Lei Qing’s god-like posture, Jiang Yu’s blood boiled. His sallow face turned red. He drew his Yanling Sword, roared behind him, and then spurred his horse to lead the charge.

The rest of the group instantly transformed their shock into admiration for Lei Qing. At Jiang Yu’s command, they howled, waving their curved swords, and charged into the bandit group.

Swish swish swish, the four archers hiding behind the carriages and within the ranks also drew their bows. Although their archery was not as exquisite as Zuo Qianqian’s, at a distance of only ten-plus yards and shooting from a stationary position, they were quite accurate. Two out of four arrows hit enemies who were in panic and didn’t know how to block or dodge.

“Yi~”

After killing one more person, Zuo Qianqian gave a low, feminine command, urged her horse forward, and continued to shoot arrows while on horseback. However, Zuo Qianqian’s horsemanship was poor; she could barely ride. Controlling the horse while shooting was difficult. She managed to shoot two or three arrows before the battle ended, but they were all wildly off-target, making her blush.

Fortunately, this battle did not require her to charge, and the victory was already secured. With Jiang Yu leading the charge, Lei Qing could focus on pursuing the fleeing bandits. Although his riding horse was not fast, driven by Lei Qing’s pure Thunder Fighting Qi and the unity of man and horse, its speed increased significantly. He chased down several bandits in succession.

In this short battle, out of just over twenty riders, half died under Lei Qing’s sword. Zuo Qianqian killed two. As for Jiang Yu, his strength was not weak either. Although he couldn’t fight a Bronze-rank fighter, he killed those bandits, who were not even Black Iron-rank, with great efficiency.

After continuous pursuit, the last bandit was caught by Jiang Yu, who was as pumped up as if he had taken chicken blood, after running for a certain distance. Jiang Yu beheaded him with one swing of his Yanling Sword. He looted the corpse and then led the horse back.

Horses were very valuable. To do business, Jiang Yu had mortgaged almost everything he had, with a large part of the expense spent on buying horses. Even a riding horse was worth several gold coins.

Next came the looting of spoils. Horses, weapons, bows, and crossbows were all valuable items. Jiang Yu’s group, used to being poor, didn’t spare the bandits’ tattered leather armor. They stripped them bare. The naked corpses were piled up together. In this desolate wilderness, there was no need to deal with the corpses; various beasts would smell the blood and come to clean them up.

After this small battle, Jiang Yu’s mouth was split in a grin. Because the bandits’ morale collapsed under Lei Qing’s unparalleled heroism and they had no will to fight, only two of his brothers suffered minor wounds. Moreover, they had gained so many spoils at once. These bandits had some money on them. But what pleased him most was that his brothers had suffered no losses.

A moment later, Jiang Yu listed the spoils and handed them to Lei Qing with respect: “Boss Zuo, here is the list of spoils.” This was a world where strength ruled. Before, he had called him “Brother Zuo,” but in an instant, it changed to “Boss Zuo.”

“Just pick two good horses for us,” Lei Qing waved his hand casually. “Handle the rest yourself.”

“Yes, Boss Zuo. Once we reach Qingshi Town, I will sell the spoils and convert them into cash for you,” Jiang Yu said respectfully.

Lei Qing glanced at him faintly. Seeing that he didn’t seem to be lying, he said, “The brothers also put in effort. Let’s share the spoils together.”

“No, no, that won’t do. First, Boss Zuo killed more than half the enemy alone. Second, you protected our goods. We simply cannot share the spoils with you,” Jiang Yu hurriedly shook his head, saying with a serious face, “Although I, Jiang Yu, am weak, I have my own principles in life. After we sell our goods this time, I will still give you twenty percent as respect.”

Lei Qing did not refuse. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and said lightly, “Respect me? Hehe, I am just passing through here. I will only stay in Qingshi Town for a few days and then leave. It is unlikely I will look out for you in the future. Is it worth such an investment?”

“You misunderstand, Boss Zuo. This is not an investment,” Jiang Yu shook his head and said seriously, “If it were not for your intervention this time, we would have lost our entire capital, and our brothers and their families would be left to suffer. To be honest, this trip was very profitable for us. Even if we give you twenty percent, we will still make a good profit. After all, we can save the money that would have gone to the Three Major Bandits. And we are not asking you to protect us. Because it is clear that one of the Three Major Bandits abandoned righteousness for profit. Business on this route probably cannot continue. We will think of other ways to do small-scale business, just to keep food on the table for the brothers.”

“Hmm, then I will accept it without refusal. Also, if you need any of the spoils, you don’t need to sell them; just give me the cash value,” Lei Qing glanced at him calmly with his eyes and did not say more.

With more than twenty horses, everyone’s travel burden would be reduced somewhat. Because Jiang Yu feared unrest, they traveled day and night. By the early morning of the second day, when the sky was still faintly bright, Qingshi Town appeared in everyone’s sight.

Arriving here, Jiang Yu finally let out a heavy sigh of relief. It was safe now. This Qingshi Town belonged to the territory of the Li Chamber of Commerce. Although the Three Major Bandits were famous, they dared not run to Qingshi Town to wreak havoc, no matter how much courage they had.

…