"Just charge forward and hack them to pieces! I want to see how they can possibly resist!"

Upon hearing this, the faces of the Cross-sword Five Tigers changed, and they immediately drew their swords, standing in front of Nianxin and Nian’an.

Nianxin and Nian’an exchanged glances and laughed heartily:

"Fine, if we don’t completely beat you into submission, you won’t willingly pledge your loyalty. Today, let’s see whether your thousand-strong force is superior or if we sisters have the upper hand."

With that, they stood up and stepped outside the pavilion.

They were about to come to blows at any moment.

But just then, an angry voice resounded:

"Who are you? Let go of me! Dare to spoil my plans, and you’ll be risking your lives!!"

As they spoke, several bandits dragged a woman dressed in black into the scene, then threw her to the ground with a flick of their hands.

One person said to the Village Chief of Niu Jiao Village:

"Big Master, this woman was skulking around in night clothes during the day and seemed to harbor ill intentions against us.

"So, we captured her and await your decision."

Chu Qing glanced at her. This woman in black was none other than the female assassin who attempted to kill the scholar last night.

She was incredibly foolish, and her martial arts were rather unremarkable.

Judging by her looks, she was around thirty, glaring resolutely, and surveying the surroundings. Despite being surrounded, she showed no fear, only gritting her teeth and saying:

"You dare to deal with me?

"I am blessed by the gods; if you dare harm me, you’ll all soon meet your doom!!"

Hearing her boastful words, even Nianxin and Nian’an, who were about to strike, couldn’t help but gather around her on either side.

Nianxin laughed loudly:

"What spirit! It’s a pity that someone so bold doesn’t join our Green Forest Dao. Why not become one of us? We’ll unite the Green Forest, drink large bowls of wine, eat large chunks of meat, and divide gold by the scales. Wouldn’t that be exhilarating?"

The woman shook her head repeatedly at Nianxin:

"I have no interest in the Green Forest’s enterprise... In this life, I have a great vendetta that must be avenged before I can find peace.

"If this matter remains unresolved, nothing else matters."

"Oh?"

Nianxin scratched her head:

"I see your martial arts are unremarkable. Perhaps your great enemy isn’t much either.

"Why don’t you tell me about this enmity, and I’ll help you kill them?"

The woman shook her head repeatedly at this:

"No, no, you don’t understand... he... he..."

She paused, falling into deep thought.

Her expression changed from calm to confused, interspersed with pain.

After a moment, she clutched her head and let out a painful groan:

"The hatred runs deep as the sea... so deep as the sea...

"But what kind of hatred... why can’t I remember anything...

"In any case, this hatred is higher than the mountains and deeper than the sea. No matter what... I must personally kill him..."

"Where did this crazy woman come from!?"

Earlier, the chief who had been speaking looked displeased. They had a grand plot underway, and wasting time here was out of the question.

He immediately waved his hand:

"Kill her!!"

With a clang, someone immediately drew a sword, ready to decapitate the woman.

But at that moment, Nianxin stepped forward, casually grabbed the blade, and crushed it with a single grip.

This feat was truly astonishing, as no one expected such a delicate-looking girl to strike with such ferocity.

The expressions of the chiefs changed, and the Village Chief of Black Dragon Stronghold shouted angrily:

"Kill—"

The word was barely out when a distant shout of ’Kill’ echoed back.

Startled, he wondered how there could be an echo in a place that wasn’t even a ravine?

From their vantage point, Chu Qing and Gentle could see another group approaching from afar.

Judging by the look, they seemed to be disciples of the Iron Blood Hall.

Under the leadership of a middle-aged man, they charged into the bandits. Within moments, several people were already dead.

The bandits of Lianshan Seven Strongholds suddenly woke up from a dream:

"We were too careless, and the movements have alerted Dingxing City... They’ve actually come to kill us!!"

"Blame these two women for ruining our plans. Let’s kill them first, then contend with the Iron Blood Hall!"

However, Nianxin and Nian’an exchanged a glance. Nianxin leaped into the air while Nian’an grabbed her ankle.

In a swift move, Nianxin also picked up the woman in black from the ground.

Nian’an shouted out:

"Run!!! What kind of bandits fight with officials?

"Five Tigers, start running!!!"

Before the seven chiefs could react, the group sped away swiftly like the wind...

This left the seven chiefs pounding their chests in frustration. Had it not been for these interruptions, they might have already approached Dingxing City, perhaps even raiding inside by now.

How could they waste time here?

They certainly wouldn’t face the Iron Blood Hall unprepared.

But things had reached this stage, and there was no point in saying anything.

Each one roared in anger:

"Let’s fight them!!!"

"It’s not Lu Zhiwei or Tie Lingyun who’s here!

"The one leading them is Liu Yulai!

"Slay this person and take Dingxing City, and I’ll treat all brothers to drinks and feasts!!"

A series of angry shouts came from the crowd, and Chu Qing, hearing these words, turned his attention to the middle-aged man leading the Iron Blood Hall.

His eyes narrowed slightly:

"So he’s Liu Yulai?"

Turning his thoughts, he said to Gentle:

"Stay here... If anything goes wrong, call for me."

Though Gentle’s martial arts skills were more than enough to protect herself, the unexpected turn of events with the Iron Blood Hall meant Chu Qing had to give extra instructions.

Gentle nodded obediently.

Chu Qing pulled a black cloth from his sleeve to cover his face, then handed the Cyan Night Sword and the saber to Gentle for safekeeping.

Only then did he crouch down and blend into the chaotic fray.

As soon as he entered, a bandit raised a sword to attack him.

Chu Qing casually struck with his palm on the person’s chest and abdomen. With minimal force, his palm force shattered the person’s heart.

Seizing the long sword from him, Chu Qing reversed it in his grasp, and with single-handed precision, he wove through the crowd—sometimes striking with his palm, sometimes with his fists, scattering the bandits in all directions. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

In just a short time, he was close to Liu Yulai’s vicinity.

This man, known as Qingyang Hand, used his iron hands to capture and grapple, able to take lives between the opening and closing of his hands.

In this chaotic battle, he was a standout.

The bandits of Lianshan Seven Strongholds knew that if they didn’t take this man’s life, the chances of winning today were slim. They had their subordinates hold off the rest, even if it meant sacrificing lives to delay the Iron Blood Hall’s people, while the seven chiefs faced Liu Yulai together.

Despite being in such a predicament, Liu Yulai remained calm, advancing and retreating with poise, seamlessly blending offense and defense.

Facing the combined might of seven, he was naturally outmatched, but he didn’t rely on his own strength to turn defeat into victory. He simply needed to buy time. The bandits of Lianshan Seven Strongholds couldn’t hold off his subordinates for long. Once he broke through, the situation would reverse.

Observing his demeanor, Chu Qing knew that this man had extensive battlefield experience, with mental resilience far beyond the ordinary.

He also noticed one disciple of Iron Blood Hall, though fighting the bandits, kept casting glances behind Liu Yulai.

A thought struck Chu Qing’s mind.

This mission was mainly to prevent Mirror of Sin from targeting Liu Yulai.

Whether Liu Yulai lived or died didn’t concern Chu Qing.

But he needed this opportunity to alert Mirror of Sin that Sword Ghost was still alive.

He was worried about whether someone from Mirror of Sin would show up.

Now it seemed... they had indeed arrived.

Just then, Liu Yulai clashed palms with the Village Chief of Niu Jiao Village. Engaging seven alone, his inner strength was inevitably exhausted. This strike caused him to stagger and retreat.

At this moment, the Iron Blood Hall disciple, whose gaze had stayed on Liu Yulai’s back, suddenly leaped into the air.

His eyes were filled with murderous intent, and his sword aimed sharply at Liu Yulai’s back, seeking to take his life!

But just before the sword struck Liu Yulai’s back, a sword blade suddenly pierced through the attacker’s arm.

Before he could even react, his neck was seized from behind.

A voice whispered into his ear:

"With me here, your Mirror of Sin shall accomplish nothing."