Chapter 84

As they were talking, Xi Zhilan hurriedly appeared from a distance.

"Brother, Hei Mei brought a message, saying... saying that Master has already led people to go up directly?"

Xi Zhilan's face showed some unease, looking anxiously at Xi Zhicai and then at Qin Yu.

Qin Yu smiled slightly, indicating that it was fine.

Xi Zhicai was taken aback, remembering that he hadn't told his sister about this yet.

"Well, Old Zhang volunteered to be the vanguard, and I couldn't stop him," he said vaguely, feeling a burning sensation in his heart.

How embarrassing, truly embarrassing!

Qin Yu felt embarrassed about taking an ugly woman out and being seen by others. But Xi Zhicai felt that having a foolish and arrogant subordinate was the most embarrassing thing.

He had disgraced himself in front of foreigners!

Fortunately, this person would soon no longer be his subordinate.

He must not be!

Seeing that Qin Yu did not look displeased, Xi Zhilan asked her brother again, "Is that so? Then, will Master be in danger?"

"He should be fine. The strongest opponent is the master of Huainan Sect, Huainanzi. His cultivation is at most on par with Old Zhang. Old Zhang... should be fine."

Qin Yu watched coldly, noticing that Xi Zhicai always paused slightly when mentioning Zhang Jin, as if he didn't want to talk about him. He thought, "Xilan is too innocent! This master is clearly not a good person. Perhaps he had some disagreement with Xi Zhicai, which is why he rushed up on his own."

"Um, Captain Lu's message said that Master was accompanied by other Dark Realm experts and many White Robe Warriors. Did you bring reinforcements from elsewhere, Brother?"

"What?" Xi Zhicai was surprised. Other experts? That's impossible!

His eyebrows furrowed, and he slapped his hands together. "Trouble!"

"What's wrong?" Qin Yu was also surprised by this news. Where did Zhang Jin find these Dark Realm helpers? He shouldn't let them get the treasure cart first.

"If I'm not mistaken, Zhang Jin has colluded with the Wuling savages," Xi Zhicai said, biting his lower lip tightly, looking tense. Qin Yu wondered if he would bite through his lip.

"The Wuling have many skilled fighters. If they join forces, the outcome is uncertain."

Qin Yu hadn't considered partnering with his uncle. He already had a 60-70% chance of success. Adding the Wuling savages wouldn't increase his chances by more than 20%, and given their strength, they would likely fight over the loot once they got it. It wasn't worth the trouble.

Moreover, they were all his elders, and being too calculating with them would be unseemly.

Business principle: don't partner in business with close relatives or friends! Otherwise, they almost certainly become enemies.

"What should we do?" Xi Zhilan looked left and right, waiting for their decision.

"Send a message back to Captain Lu, telling him we're on our way and to keep a close eye on the treasure, no matter who wins or loses."

"Okay!" Xi Zhilan immediately went to send the message.

"Hei Mei is a wolf dog I raised, skilled at running, with speed not inferior to ordinary Dark Realm experts," Xi Zhicai explained to Qin Yu.

"How should we proceed now?"

"Of course, we should go immediately." Xi Zhicai looked around, but Wang Yue and the others were nowhere to be seen.

Qin Yu shrugged. "You said we had half an hour to spare."

"My people will go first. If anything happens, they can hold the winner in place." Xi Zhicai was somewhat helpless. If it was just Zhang Jin, he wouldn't have cared about his life.

"I'll go with you. Leave someone here to wait for Old Wang and the others, and tell them the direction we're going."

Xi Zhicai glanced at him and shouted, "Gu Rong, leave two fast runners here to wait, and give their horses to Young Master Qin and Xilan."

Gu Rong responded and quickly gave orders. Two black-clad youths quickly brought their mounts over and handed over two crossbows.

"Take one each. Against strong opponents, ordinary crossbows won't do much."

Qin Yu took one, weighing it. It wasn't too large but was very heavy, a military-grade crossbow.

"A hundred pounds?"

"Military-grade two-hundred-pound crossbow. Don't underestimate its size; it's fast and can shoot two hundred paces. Be careful when drawing the string."

Qin Yu examined it closely. The entire body was coated with brown lacquer, exuding a strong killing aura. The arrow slot was finely polished, smooth to the touch, and seemed to be coated with oil.

A range of two hundred paces, nearly three hundred meters, was quite impressive.

His junior brother Zhang Ren was an expert with crossbows, but he had never used a military-grade one. The golden crossbow given by Xu Deng, though beautifully crafted and powerful, was more delicate and ornate compared to this formidable military crossbow, making it seem more like a toy.

Mounting his horse, Qin Yu casually hung the crossbow on the iron hook by the saddle, which held it firmly.

Looking to his left, Xi Zhilan was draped in a purple-black cloak, with a sword at her waist and the crossbow resting on the saddle. She held the reins lightly, exuding the grace and valor of a female knight, elegant and dashing.

Qin Yu's eyes widened, his heart stirred.

Xilan on horseback was even more handsome!

...

Golden light flickered and danced, like hundreds of fine golden snakes densely surrounding Zhang Jin within three zhang.

This was a powerful move.

Golden Snakes in Chaos!

Zhang Jin's face was pale, but he remained confident, using the group combat killing move from the Eleven Golden Sticks.

To become one of the four great warriors in the million-strong Yellow Turban Army, known as the Stick King, Zhang Jin's stick skills were undoubtedly at the pinnacle of mastery.

The Eleven Golden Sticks were one of his three greatest techniques, excelling in fighting multiple opponents and providing wide-area defense.

Golden Snakes in Chaos was the ultimate move among his techniques.

He had earned Cao Cao's trust by using the Golden Sticks to repeatedly defeat numerous enemies and save his lord and other important generals in battles against strong warlords like Lü Bu and Zhang Xiu.

Especially after the death of Dian Wei at the beginning of the year, Zhang Jin's pivotal role in the guard became even more prominent, earning him Cao Cao's favor.

However, because he was a former Yellow Turban rebel, he had offended several powerful enemies, so he usually kept a low profile to avoid unnecessary danger.

If it weren't for Cao Cao's direct order, he wouldn't have left Xuchang lightly.

"Damn, how many crossbow bolts are there?"

The clinking sounds of metal on metal were continuous. Each bolt deflected caused a golden snake to disappear.

The bolts were very powerful!

Zhang Jin felt a growing unease. This seemed to be a rash move.

In a moment, most of the golden snakes in front of him had vanished into the air.

He checked his inner state and became even more anxious.

In his lower dantian, the tall and thick purple-golden qi pillar was visibly shrinking at a rapid rate.

Originally three inches wide and nine inches long, the golden pillar had already shortened by two inches and narrowed by one inch after just a few minutes of battle.

The red smoke that usually filled the space above the purple-golden qi pillar, appearing dense and overflowing, now seemed weak and listless.

The enemy's crossbow bolts, however, seemed to be growing stronger.

"Brother Deng, get your people to charge!" he shouted, frustrated.

I've blocked over eighty percent of the arrows for you. What are you savages eating that you can't even charge forward?

Not far behind him, Deng Qianwan, the chieftain of the Wuling Xiongxi tribe, held an iron mace and leaped onto a high slope. He pointed his hammer forward and shouted hoarsely, "Charge! Those who break the crossbow formation will be rewarded with thirty pounds of gold."

He was tall and slender, wearing a red robe. The robe had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, with a blood-stained war spear embroidered on the shoulder. This was the Blood Spear War Robe given by Zhang Jin, a common battlefield attire for high-ranking officers in Cao Cao's army.

He looked imposing and particularly eye-catching.

Spurred by the high reward, the surrounding Xiongxi warriors roared and charged bravely, though there were now fewer than two hundred, significantly fewer than when they started.

In the first two fierce charges, at least sixty brave Xiongxi warriors had fallen before the enemy's powerful crossbow formation. Many more were injured by arrows.

The bodies closest to the enemy lines were just a step away from the outermost deer antlers of the enemy's defensive position.

...

It seems the new book has dropped from the charts. I feel a bit relaxed, but brothers and sisters, we still need some votes!

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