Chapter 32

Zhou Lu admitted his mistake, which made Ke Ling feel much better. However, seeing the fat man cowering in the corner, unable to even speak, Ke Ling suddenly felt a bit sorry and heartache for him. Although this fat man was a bit sleazy, he was indeed a good person. Letting the purple electric marten escape earlier was not entirely his fault, but Ke Ling was indeed very angry at the missed opportunity, especially with Zhou Lu's despicable questioning of the eldest brother, which made her lose her temper. After the outburst, Ke Ling felt a bit regretful. Out of a girl's pride, she was too embarrassed to apologize to Zhou Lu. Ke Ling helplessly gave Xiao Luan a look. Xiao Luan smiled bitterly, gave Ke Ling a scolding glance, and walked to Zhou Lu's side to comfort him, "Zhou Lu, don't listen to your senior sister Ke Ling. The eldest brother has excellent martial realm cultivation and alchemy skills. His cultivation level is even higher than the centurions of the Eagle Wing Army. How can you compare yourself to him?" Zhou Lu, comforted by Xiao Luan, opened his mouth in "gratitude" but still couldn't speak. Xiao Luan turned to Ke Ling and said urgently, "Ke Ling, the purple electric marten's den may not just have one. Let's hurry and find it; there might still be some discoveries." She then turned back to Zhou Lu and said gently, "Zhou Lu, you were originally in the Eagle Wing Army, so you must have learned archery. I specifically brought you here today, so whether we can get the cloud gold crystals depends entirely on you." "Don't worry," Zhou Lu patted his chest and said, "I'm not called a battle hunter for nothing. I won't let you down." Xiao Luan and Ke Ling looked at this fat man, who had just been scolded and was trying to regain some dignity, and smiled at each other. Ke Ling muttered softly, "I hope so..." Xiao Luan and Ke Ling took the lead, holding their mining picks and ran towards where the purple electric marten had appeared earlier. Zhou Lu cautiously followed behind. This mountain area was extremely remote. Xiao Luan had to ask over a dozen old hunters in the mountains to find out that there were purple electric martens here. Yesterday, the two women studied the mountain map for a long time and analyzed the habits of the purple electric marten, deciding to come out early in the morning while the fog had not yet dissipated. This was the most active time for the purple electric marten to come out for water and food, making it the easiest time to spot them. The crevice in the rocks just now might very well be hiding the den of the little marten. "Let's hurry," Ke Ling urged, and the two women's steps quickened. The dense forest was just behind the crevice, and the mist had not completely dissipated, creating a mysterious and solemn atmosphere in the forest. Xiao Luan was thinking about her Moon Trace Blade and felt quite excited. Although the purple electric marten had escaped earlier, finding its den so easily was still a good omen. The two women eventually started running with their mining picks. Ke Ling jumped onto a large green rock first, then reached back to pull Xiao Luan up. Xiao Luan's eyes were full of joy, and she pointed ahead and said softly, "Ke Ling, look, there, there. If we jump over that big rock, we should be able to find the traces of the purple electric marten." Ke Ling also showed joy, and the two women simultaneously jumped onto the big rock. The dense forest was right in front of them. At that moment, the two women's pupils suddenly contracted, and a chill ran down their spines, making their hair stand on end. They saw, less than thirty steps away in the misty forest, two tall and powerful horses carrying two large, muscular men galloping out from behind an ancient tree. In the forest behind them, countless fierce riders were charging towards them like locusts. The two men on the horses, whom Xiao Luan and Ke Ling could even see the ferocious and bloodthirsty look in their eyes, each held a heavy ghost head knife. They spurred their horses, and the two horses charged through the dense forest like demons. "Sand bandits..." "Run quickly." Xiao Luan and Ke Ling, pale with fear, turned and ran, using the mountain rocks to gain momentum. "Rustle," the loose rocks slid, and Xiao Luan almost fell. Ke Ling pulled her up in a hurry, and the two women panted heavily, running desperately through the chaotic rocks. No one expected to encounter sand bandits on this remote path behind the Array Fire Pavilion. In the harsh wilderness, only three-tenths of the area was rich in mineral resources, and this three-tenths was almost entirely occupied by powerful tribes. The remaining seven-tenths, mostly barren land, often saw roving sand bandits. Some sand bandits were formed by uncivilized and primitive tribes, while others were groups of ruthless criminals who roamed around burning, killing, and looting. The seven-tenths of barren land in the wilderness had very few usable resources, so the sand bandits did not engage in production but lived by robbery. They not only robbed food but also minerals, iron tools, leather, livestock, and women... Wherever the sand bandits passed, they left nothing behind, like locusts. The worst fate was for the elderly, children, and women. The elderly and children, being weak, were often killed on the spot, and the women were repeatedly raped by the entire band of sand bandits until they died in pain. In recent years, the Eagle Wing Army and the Fox Hunt Army had fought hard on the western border of the tribes, and the bandit problem had been largely suppressed. It had been a long time since there had been any news of sand bandits invading. Who would have thought that on this peaceful morning, the sand bandits would find this remote path behind the mountain and sneak up. If they were caught by these sand bandits... Xiao Luan and Ke Ling were terrified, unable to imagine the cruel fate that awaited them. They were focused on alchemy and were only at the third level of the Totem Heart Sutra, far inferior to the ruthless sand bandits. The two sand bandits quickly turned a corner and suddenly saw the two women behind the rocks. They were also shocked for a moment. They had not expected that their carefully planned raid would be discovered on this unknown path. The ferocious killing intent in the eyes of the two sand bandits flashed and disappeared. They pulled the reins, one in front and one behind, and the two horses suddenly sped up, chasing the two women like a gust of wind. "We can't leave any witnesses." Hearing the galloping hooves behind them, Xiao Luan and Ke Ling used all their strength to run, but they were on a slope, and the rocky ground was difficult to navigate. How could their running speed compare to that of the horses? Seeing Zhou Lu, who was still standing on the mountain path, not understanding the situation, Ke Ling shouted anxiously, "Sand bandits, Zhou Lu, run quickly." The hooves of the horses galloped out of the forest and onto the mountain path in an instant, and the speed of the two horses increased dramatically. The hooves were so close that the hot breath from the horses' nostrils could be felt on the women's necks. Ke Ling and Xiao Luan ran for their lives, and a gust of evil wind cut down on them at a speed they couldn't avoid. They could even imagine the heavy ghost head knife being swung by the sand bandit. The two women were so scared that their legs turned to jelly, and they felt as if their souls had left their bodies. "We're done." The two women were pale with fear, thinking they would not survive today. Zhou Lu, who had been standing on the mountain path, was stunned when he heard the word "sand bandits." As the two women ran down the slope, the sand bandit and his horse just turned the corner, and Zhou Lu's face twisted. His fat body suddenly jumped up, stepping on a rock and spinning in the air. He used another rock to gain momentum, leaped up, and with ghostly speed, took out his longbow. He swung his upper body, pointed the longbow at the sand bandit, and pulled it taut. The entire movement was surprisingly fluid, like a fat bird gliding through the air with grace. Ke Ling and Xiao Luan were mesmerized. They had never thought that a fat body could perform such an elegant move, more graceful than a crane spreading its wings in the mist. The two women then saw a bolt of lightning flash before their eyes. The two women, too scared to stand, fell to the ground and turned to look back. They saw a jet of blood spurt from the neck of the muscular sand bandit. The arrow pierced the sand bandit's neck like a punctured airbag, and the force of the arrow shot the heavy man off his horse, rolling several yards and crashing into a rock by the roadside. The horse neighed and reared up. "Clang," the ghost head knife fell to the ground with a light sound. Everything happened in an instant when the sand bandit appeared. "How is this possible?" Xiao Luan and Ke Ling were awakened by the sound of the ghost head knife falling. They were shocked, their mouths wide open, and they were momentarily stunned. "We, we're not dead? The sand bandit is dead?" The two women, who had narrowly escaped death, turned around and saw Zhou Lu, not far from them, still in a half-turned shooting stance, his longbow gleaming with a fierce aura. At that moment, the fat figure seemed to have the might of a mountain. "Strong archer!" Ke Ling was stunned. Ke Ling had never thought that the fat figure could burst with such power, and she had never thought that the fat man could use the strong archer technique to such a masterful level. At a distance of over ten yards, using a bow to kill was as easy as pointing and shooting, and the arrow reached the enemy even faster than the ghost head knife. This was beyond the realm of miracles. The strong archer technique emphasizes using a spiral shooting method to increase the speed and power of the arrow, making the arrow as fast as lightning, shortening the distance between the shooter and the target, and making the arrow arrive like a close combat. This technique is something that even many centurions and decurions cannot achieve. "Zhou Lu is so strong... Is he really just an ordinary Eagle Wing Army soldier?" Ke Ling was both surprised and moved. She had just been scolding Zhou Lu for being so clumsy, unable to shoot a purple electric marten, but who would have thought that in such a dangerous situation, this fat man would suddenly burst with such incredible strength, shooting down a powerful sand bandit with a single arrow and saving them... And could even the eldest brother achieve such a powerful shot? Ke Ling shivered. But there was no time to think too much, as the second sand bandit's horse had already turned the corner and was galloping towards them. "Run quickly." The two women struggled to stand up, supporting each other and limping towards Zhou Lu. Their hair was disheveled, and their leather armor was drenched in sweat. At this moment, Zhou Lu became their mainstay, and his fat body gave them a sense of security, as if they would be safe as long as they got closer to him. The tall horse was already behind them like a ghost. The sand bandit leader, with his face painted with savage patterns, had a look of hatred in his eyes. He pulled the reins, and the horse reared up, stomping towards the two women. At the same time, the sand bandit raised his ghost head knife, using the momentum of the horse to swing it down, aiming to kill both women in one stroke. This was crucial for the success of their raid, and the sand bandit did not want to leave any witnesses. "Whoosh." A sharp whistling sound came at lightning speed. Zhou Lu's fat body trembled, and the ten totem veins in his body activated simultaneously. He took a step and glided forward, covering several yards in a few steps. He leaped from the high slope, drew his bow, and nocked an arrow in mid-air. At that moment, the sand bandit on the horse flicked his left hand, and a thick leather shield appeared in front of his chest, the fine scales woven into the shield slowing the arrow's momentum. However, the powerful spiral force of the arrow made the sand bandit's arm jerk, and the shield was deflected. The sand bandit's arm went numb, and his body leaned to the left, but the bloodthirsty look in his eyes intensified, and a mocking smile lingered on his lips: I saw your shot earlier; I won't be caught off guard. The left hand's shield was deflected, but the right hand's ghost head knife did not stop. A sharp blade swung down at the two women, the momentum from the horse's descent making the knife abnormally fast. The sand bandit planned to kill the two women first and then deal with the archer. At that moment, a bolt of cold light appeared in front of the sand bandit. "Whoosh." Another almost imperceptible whistling sound came from somewhere, taking advantage of the gap left by the deflected shield. The timing was perfect, not a moment too early or too late, and the arrow grazed the edge of the shield. The arrow was like a bolt of lightning, and with a "thud," it pierced the sand bandit's throat. The force of the arrow threw the sand bandit's heavy body into the air, and he flew flat, the ghost head knife falling from the sky and cutting off his own legs in a light sound. However, the sand bandit was already dead and could not scream. The two arrows were perfectly timed, first deflecting the shield and then taking advantage of the gap, like a combination of moves, calculating every reaction of the enemy to the millimeter. Only then did Zhou Lu, who had leaped from the slope, land and put his longbow back on his back. He looked at the sand bandit flying in a parabolic arc and sneered: I knew you would be prepared; I wouldn't just shoot one arrow. Ke Ling and Xiao Luan could no longer remain calm; they were utterly shocked. These two bandits, who were the elite among the bandits, had experienced countless battles and were exceptionally brave. Their hands were stained with countless lives, and their knives had taken countless lives. And this morning, they were both killed by a single arrow from an ordinary alchemist. Zhou Lu's two shots were so clean and powerful that they left the two women in awe. Ke Ling and Xiao Luan panted heavily on the mountain path, having run down the slope and been terrified, almost exhausting all their strength. They had seen Zhou Lu's two shots with their own eyes, two consecutive strong archer shots. The interval between the two shots was so short that it could almost be called a double strong archer shot. This required a much higher level of skill in archery than a single strong archer shot. If the timing of the two shots was off by a fraction, both arrows might have hit the shield, or one arrow might have deflected the sand bandit, and the other would have missed. In that case, the two women would have been killed by the ghost head knife. The fat man who had been following them, meek and sleazy, had such a masterful level of archery? Zhou Lu's miraculous archery left the two women in awe. In the forest behind them, the sound of hooves like a rising tide came from the distant dense forest, and the figures of countless sand bandits appeared in the mist, rushing towards the mountain path with bone spears and stone clubs, like locusts in the mist. Countless sand bandits, not a single one making a sound, swept over the land like ghosts. The three of them turned to look behind them, feeling their scalps tingle and their hearts race. So many enemies, even if Zhou Lu were made of iron, he would be crushed to pieces. Zhou Lu was anxious, his forehead covered in black lines, and he ran behind the two women. To escape, they had to seize the horses. Zhou Lu, like a gust of wind, ran past the two women, spread his arms to stop the frightened horses, and quickly tied the reins together, leading the horses back to the two women. Ke Ling could no longer contain her curiosity and excitement, and she grabbed Zhou Lu's sleeve, asking loudly, "Zhou Lu, your archery is so strong? Are you, are you..." Ke Ling was guessing if Zhou Lu was a legendary heroic archer, as only that could explain the two quick kills. Sand bandits were not made of paper; they were not so easy to kill. Only a legendary heroic archer could achieve that. "This wasteful woman." Zhou Lu cursed in his heart, thinking it was not the time to discuss this when their lives were on the line. He impatiently replied, "Yes, yes, I am a heroic archer, for many years. What are you waiting for? Get on the horse..." Zhou Lu quickly led the horses to the two women. "Really?" Ke Ling's face turned bright red, and she and Xiao Luan looked at each other, both feeling embarrassed and shocked. They had looked down on Zhou Lu because of the eldest brother's achievements, and Xiao Luan had even asked if Zhou Lu had learned archery. Who would have thought that this fat man was several levels higher in archery than the eldest brother, and Zhou Lu was a true and legendary archer. And for many years... The two women's hearts were in turmoil, their faces flushed with embarrassment. "This fat man, being such a master, is still so sleazy and hateful. How could the Eagle Wing Army let such a noble and powerful person serve as a laborer in the Array Fire Pavilion?" The two women looked at each other with resentment.