Chapter 8

The woman appeared to be in her thirties, with a robust figure, draped in a crimson robe, and a large, bright red flower on her head. Her face was coarse and ugly, and in her hand, she held a massive mace as tall as a person.

The man beside her was around forty, wearing a blue silk robe, with an ordinary face. A short sword with a yellow wooden scabbard was tucked into his waist, and he held a three-foot-long giant crossbow, the quiver of which was empty, clearly the weapon he had used to attack Liu Ming just now.

"Are you not from the Black Dragon Guard?" Liu Ming stared at the two, took a deep breath, and asked.

Living alone on the Savage Island for such a long time had taught him to find his opponents' weaknesses before making a move.

Thus, his question was both an inquiry and a way to buy time.

In fact, as his eyes flickered, Liu Ming's mind was already racing.

"The woman has thick arms and heavy steps, clearly a person of great strength, possibly weaker in agility, but the weight of her weapon suggests she is not to be trifled with. The man has pale, steady fingers and a dark gaze, likely skilled in some special techniques, so I must be extremely cautious..."

The two people naturally had no idea about the numerous thoughts racing through the thin youth's mind, but facing such a young opponent for the first time, they both showed a look of interest.

The man reached for his waist, took out a quiver filled with steel bolts, and reloaded the giant crossbow while coldly saying:

"Liu Yangzong, from Yangyuan City in Zhannan County, committed a grave offense of disrespecting the emperor seven years ago, was captured and imprisoned in Nanlan County's prison, and later died of illness in prison. His son, Liu Ming, was spared death due to his young age but was sentenced to lifelong imprisonment on the Savage Island in Chuzhou. However, a month ago, the Savage Island sank into the sea for unknown reasons, and most of the prisoners were buried with it. Only Liu Ming and ten others managed to escape. The Ministry of Punishments has issued a silver-level bounty for your capture, dead or alive. Is any of this incorrect?"

As soon as the man finished speaking, the red-robed ugly woman let out a sharp laugh:

"Boy, this person died at our hands seven days ago. Is he one of your companions?"

She then pulled a leather bag from her waist and threw it to the ground.

With a "thud," the leather bag rolled over, and a blood-stained human head rolled out.

The head was covered in a beard, with rough, dark skin, and its mouth was slightly open, suggesting it belonged to a man in his forties.

The youth's gaze swept over the head, and his heart sank as he called out, "Tie Tou."

"Since you recognize him, it seems you are who we think you are. Boy, if you surrender peacefully, we might spare you and take you back to prison, where you might still have a chance to live. Otherwise, once we start, there will be no mercy," the blue-robed man said, reloading the crossbow and holding it in front of him.

"You know so much about me, you must be a Ministry of Punishments retainer. What rank are you? But to try to deceive me with such talk, do you really think I am so young and ignorant of the Great Xuan laws? With the number of bailiffs and Black Dragon Guards I have killed, even if a prince or minister vouched for me, I would still face the death penalty," the youth blinked, clearly not believing the blue-robed man's words.

The blue-robed man snorted at this response but did not deny it.

The red-robed ugly woman, however, giggled and said:

"I didn't expect such a young brother to know so much about the Great Xuan laws. Indeed, those from the Savage Island are extraordinary. No matter how young, you cannot be treated like an ordinary person. We are indeed exclusive silver-scaled retainers of the Ministry of Punishments. When you meet us in the netherworld, don't blame us for bullying the young. Husband, let's move!"

As she finished speaking, her expression turned cold, and she swung her mace, charging at the youth like a whirlwind.

Despite her bulky figure, she was surprisingly agile, and her massive weapon moved as if it were weightless.

On the other side, the blue-robed man, as if in perfect sync, raised his crossbow, and with a flick of his wrist, a dozen bolts shot out in a flash of cold light, aiming at the youth's sides.

If the youth tried to dodge to the left or right, he would be hard-pressed to avoid the bolts. If he stayed in the bushes, he would have to face the ugly woman's frontal attack.

These two, being a couple, indeed worked seamlessly together.

Seeing this, Liu Ming's face changed, but he took a deep breath, gripped his silver blade, and swung it, transforming it into a cold, lightning-like flash that aimed directly at the ugly woman's head.

He ignored the massive mace completely, adopting a desperate fighting style.

The ugly woman's pupils contracted. Though she knew the youth wasn't truly trying to die with her, she dared not risk her life. She had to pause, swing her mace back, and redirect it to strike the silver blade.

Liu Ming's wrist flicked, and the silver blade blurred, retracting before the mace could hit it, then swung out fiercely to both sides.

With two crisp "clangs," two steel bolts that had suddenly changed direction and aimed at Liu Ming were deflected.

"This boy!"

Seeing this, the blue-robed man cursed inwardly, grabbed his waist, and began reloading the crossbow.

The special technique he had used to control the bolts and change their direction had defeated many strong enemies, but it had failed against this youth.

The ugly woman was also surprised but, with a snort, began to fight the youth with her mace, swinging it wildly.

Each time she swung her heavy weapon, it created a strong wind, and she seemed to transform into a ferocious beast, unstoppable.

In contrast, the youth's weapon never touched the mace, only circling the ugly woman in a silver flash.

Though at a disadvantage, he attacked the woman's vital points, forcing her to slow her attacks to defend herself.

This made the ugly woman furious, but Liu Ming paid no attention, only continuing to jump around her.

At this moment, he appeared calm, but in reality, he was using a secret technique to push his body to its last limits. Otherwise, the wind from the mace alone would have knocked him off balance, let alone attack.

Seeing this, the blue-robed man was even more astonished.

He knew how formidable the ugly woman was.

Even in their usual sparring, he would never dare to engage in such a direct confrontation, yet this youth, barely in his teens, had managed to do so.

Could he have started training in combat techniques from the womb?

From what he knew, some noble children indeed began training in body-strengthening techniques from a young age, using various baths, massages, and elixirs, but their strength was probably no more than this.

Fortunately, the youth was still young and lacked strength. If he had a few more years, he might have been able to escape even in a direct confrontation with them.

Now, however, he had no such chance.

Thinking this, the blue-robed man's killing intent grew stronger. He raised the crossbow again and drew the short sword from his waist.

The short sword was grayish-white, light as a feather, and turned out to be a bone sword.

The man moved silently, rushing toward the battle.

Liu Ming's gaze flicked, and he saw the blue-robed man's snake-like movements, his heart sinking.

Dealing with one Ministry of Punishments retainer was already difficult; if both attacked, he would surely die.

He realized he had to take a desperate risk.

With no hesitation, he faced the wildly swinging mace, stopped moving, and raised his blade, shouting, "Throat Piercing!"

The youth's thin arm bulged with veins, thickening by more than a circle.

Under a strange force, the silver blade transformed into a silver flash, piercing toward the ugly woman's throat at a speed far exceeding his usual.

The ugly woman was shocked. She tried to pull back her mace to block, but it was too late.

In a fit of anger and fear, she decided to take a desperate measure, releasing her mace, which flew toward the youth's chest.

In her mind, in such a mutual death move, the youth would likely retreat to save his life.

But Liu Ming's eyes only twitched slightly. His movements remained unchanged, and he sucked in his chest, making it flat.

With a "whoosh," the massive mace grazed his chest, leaving deep blood grooves, and blood splattered.

But Liu Ming's face did not change, as if the one injured was not him. Instead, he flicked his wrist, and the silver blade flashed, piercing through the woman's neck.

The woman screamed, clutching her throat, and fell backward, her bulky body convulsing on the ground.

Everything happened in a flash!

The blue-robed man had just arrived, and upon seeing this, he roared in anger, swinging his crossbow to shoot more bolts, while thrusting his bone sword at the youth.

Liu Ming, about to deliver a final blow to the woman, suddenly felt an intense sense of danger and instinctively dodged.

A flash of blood appeared, and an invisible, sharp object grazed the youth's cheek, cutting off a lock of hair.

"Charms, you are a Qi Practitioner!" Liu Ming flipped and landed lightly, staring at the blue-robed man's weapon, his voice trembling.

The blue-robed man's short sword was now adorned with several strange, twisted light patterns, glowing faintly white.