Chapter 56. So what now?

The bushes shook heavily, and an old man, drenched in blood, burst out.

The old man, panting heavily with his shoulders heaving, kept looking around without stopping.

It was Bai Jiao of the Wu Ying Shen Tou.

Soon after, Tian Yibao, a middle-aged man, limped into view.

“Huff! Huff! Damn! This isn’t even a midnight scare. What the hell is this? Just for five people. Damn!”

Bai Jiao sheathed his sword, seeing no one else was following.

“Huff! Huff! Sir, we’ve crossed two mountains, so it should be over now, right?”

With that, Tian Yibao collapsed onto the ground.

He was bare-handed, having dropped his sword somewhere.

Bai Jiao, who had been perking up his ears like a herbivore, also sat down on a nearby rock.

“Phew! What about Yan Jia?”

It seemed he had grown fond of Yan Sixiong, whom he had led around for about a year, and was worried about his safety.

“He’s dead.”

“Stupid bastard. He shouldn’t have thought about fighting. Who runs away because they don’t know how to fight?”

Bai Jiao had skillfully chosen to cut down only the warriors of the opposing side while fleeing.

He used his sword only once to avoid attracting the Luoyang Five Heroes.

Honestly, if the Red Wind Gang had decided to face them head-on, it would have been a mutual destruction, but they could have avoided a one-sided massacre.

However, the gang leader’s decision to flee from the Luoyang Five Heroes was correct. Although they lost about half of their subordinates, they avoided retaliation.

“Sir, what should we do now?”

“Hah! It’s dangerous today, so let’s go to the mountain camp tomorrow.”

Bai Jiao looked at the blue sky with a dazed expression.

Since joining the Green Forest, he had never had such a hard time as he did now.

The gang leader, Yan Lao, had almost monopolized the loot they had plundered. In the past year, he had only touched about ten taels of silver. He wondered how much the debt collector, a murderer, had flirted with the notorious criminal for that.

‘Maybe I should return to Wufeng Mountain now.’

At least Feng Yan Chao had no greed and took good care of his subordinates.

Today, he envied Xin Yang Jue, the Nine Secrets Sword, who had returned to Wufeng Mountain.

“Do you have some money?”

“I have about one tael of silver.”

Bai Jiao looked at Tian Yibao with envy.

He had spent all his money and had nothing left, wondering how Tian Yibao had managed to save any.

“Tsk, with that money, you can probably survive for a day in Baofeng County. Well! Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Tian Yibao, who had quickly stood up, limped forward.

***

Pingzheng Mountain.

The Luoyang Five Heroes were busy receiving greetings from the merchants and warriors of Huayang Merchant Guild.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, we’ve been relieved of a great burden.”

“The reputation of the Luoyang Five Heroes will spread across the four seas.”

“I will never forget this kindness.”

“You are true heroes.”

Li Xiaomin nodded with a satisfied look.

Seeing the happy faces of ordinary people, he felt a surge of emotion. This must be why righteous heroes of the orthodox factions punish the wicked.

After a storm of greetings, the merchant caravan moved again.

Tian Feng and Yang Wuji naturally approached the Luoyang Five Heroes.

“Ha ha! Well done. Although it was your first real combat, you performed brilliantly. When news of your heroic deeds reaches Luoyang, the elders will be pleased.”

For a moment, the Luoyang Five Heroes’ expressions faltered.

They seemed nervous because this was not an officially recognized mission.

“In two days, we’ll reach Wufeng Mountain. There’s a Green Forest camp there.”

Huang Dongye glanced at Yang Wuji.

“What’s the scale of that camp?”

Honestly, Huang Dongye was thinking of avoiding it if it seemed too tough. He had heard so much about how to deal with the Green Forest that it was drilled into his ears.

Yang Wuji replied with a nonchalant look.

“It’s smaller than the Red Wind Gang and the people there are relatively mild. The toll they demand is almost negligible compared to other Green Forest camps.”

Lian Shuo, who had been listening quietly, interjected.

“Still, stealing from others is a crime worthy of death.”

“You’re right. They are bandits, after all. But...”

Yang Wuji trailed off.

Li Xiaomin, curious, asked,

“Is there a problem?”

“There’s something that bothers me.”

Hesitantly, Yang Wuji revealed a secret he had heard from his predecessor.

“...Honestly, it’s unclear whether the Heavenly Merchant really went to Wufeng Mountain. The Ten Thousand Water Merchant Guild hasn’t even clarified this. Of course, I understand why, given the reputations at stake.”

“So, you mean ‘the Wufeng Ten Heroes might be stronger than we think’?”

Huang Dongye asked, and Yang Wuji nodded.

“Many merchant guilds have tried to raid Wufeng Mountain, but none have succeeded. They are almost undefeated. Of course, these are meaningless records from minor guilds, but still.”

Li Xiaomin said mockingly,

“Unless they defeated the Seven Sects and Eight Schools, calling them undefeated against minor guilds seems excessive. They are just bandits.”

“Honestly, I think so too. My predecessor, who was from the Heavenly Wind Sect, also lost to them. He was far from being on par with the Seven Sects and Eight Schools.”

Yang Wuji subtly revealed his pride in the Seven Sects and Eight Schools in front of Li Xiaomin.

The other Luoyang Five Heroes pretended not to hear.

They were not direct disciples of the Seven Sects and Eight Schools, so their pride was hurt, but they didn’t show it.

Lian Shuo, looking offended, said,

“Let’s go! We’ll show them that we are stronger than the bandits of Wufeng Mountain!”

“Lian Mei, I agree. Let’s crush the Wufeng Ten Heroes. Hmph! What are they, calling themselves heroes? Heroes, indeed.”

With Li Xiaomin’s support, the mood shifted towards an attack.

With a rough conclusion, Huang Dongye formally requested from Yang Wuji.

“Yang Daxia, please take us to Wufeng Mountain.”

The Luoyang Five Heroes, in their early twenties, called the mid-thirties Yang Wuji “Daxia” because of the age difference.

“Ha ha! I understand. They’ll run away in terror when they learn who you are.”

Yang Wuji laughed heartily, looking at the spirited juniors.

Memories of his own adventures in the martial world twenty years ago came flooding back.

***

Baofeng County.

Wufeng Mountain.

After having lunch in Xiajia Village, the Huayang Merchant Guild’s caravan leisurely entered Wufeng Mountain.

The merchants, reassured by the Luoyang Five Heroes’ prowess, even admired the scenery.

However, the righteous leader Yang Wuji maintained his composure. Even in a winning battle, a single mistake could mean life or death.

“Stop!”

About twenty bandits blocked the road.

The righteous warriors, who had decapitated over forty bandits just two days ago, chuckled.

This was a classic case of “a tiger’s might after a meal.”

A mere twenty bandits blocking the path of fifteen righteous warriors and the Luoyang Five Heroes!

The lone wanderer Huang Yaoming surveyed the caravan and said,

“Yang Dazhu? Huayang Merchant Guild, right? How many merchants this time? Let’s give them a good beating.”

Yang Wuji replied with a grim face,

“You! You’re acting so arrogantly because of the Wufeng Ten Heroes! If you knew who’s here today, you wouldn’t be so cocky!”

Instantly, Huang Yaoming realized something was wrong.

The merchant guild’s warriors were radiating a different kind of killing intent compared to before.

But he wasn’t one to back down easily.

‘Are they all crazy? They want to fight even though the Wufeng Ten Heroes are in the camp?’

“Yang Wuji! You’ve finally gone mad! Do you forget who owns Wufeng Mountain? Our leader, Feng, has been lenient, so you think we’re easy targets?”

This time, Lian Shuo stepped forward.

“Hmph! You like to talk big. Did you buy Wufeng Mountain? There’s no need for words. Who are the Wufeng Ten Heroes? The Luoyang Five Heroes are here in person, so step forward!”

“Madwoman! Do you think you can say the name of the Wufeng Ten Heroes and get away with it? You said the Luoyang Five Heroes? I don’t care who you are, today is your last day!”

“What, what did you say!”

Lian Shuo trembled at the insults she had never heard before.

Seeing the imminent attack, Yang Wuji stepped in.

“You! Do you know who the Luoyang Five Heroes are? They are the top disciples of the Righteous Heaven Sect, Dragon Subduing Hall, Eight Immortals Sect, Great Yan Sect, and Seven Yang Sect. Can you handle them?”

Huang Yaoming was startled by the mention of the Righteous Heaven Sect but didn’t back down.

“So what, you idiot! The Wufeng Ten Heroes are the kings of Wufeng Mountain!”

‘Wow!’

Huang Dongye, watching from the side, was amazed by the bandit’s bold words.

Despite the mention of the Righteous Heaven Sect and Dragon Subduing Hall, the bandits of Wufeng Mountain didn’t flinch. They were even more aggressive, despite being half the number of the Red Wind Gang.

For the first time, he felt a chill run down his spine.

It was clear that the twenty bandits in front of him were more dangerous than the forty who had fled.

Moreover, how confident must they be in their martial arts to be so aggressive?

As Huang Dongye’s mouth dried from tension, Lian Shuo, unable to bear the insults, drew her sword.

“Who do you think you’re calling madwoman! I’ll kill you!”

She charged recklessly, driven by anger and the confidence from the Red Wind Gang experience.

Almost reflexively, the Luoyang Five Heroes followed her.

Startled, Yang Wuji ordered the righteous warriors,

“Attack!”

Fifteen warriors rushed forward as if they had been waiting for the command.

A fierce battle ensued.

The fight ended faster than expected.

Despite their bold words, the bandits’ martial arts were weak.

Five bandits were killed, and the rest were captured and tied up.

Although they won relatively easily, Yang Wuji’s expression was grim.

Surprisingly, not a single bandit from Wufeng Mountain fled. Even now, they were still full of venom.

As a result, two bodyguards were killed.

Five were injured.

This was a stark contrast to the Red Wind Gang fight, where only three had minor injuries.

Yang Wuji glanced at the Luoyang Five Heroes.

They were proudly evaluating their performance.

‘Not good.’

A sigh escaped Yang Wuji’s lips.

If his subordinates were like this, how rough would the Wufeng Ten Heroes be?

Of course, he didn’t think they would lose to the Wufeng Ten Heroes.

But he was concerned that they had even attacked the young lady from the Righteous Heaven Sect.

How could they do that if they knew the ways of the martial world?

In such a case, both sides would be unlucky.

Whether it was the thief who didn’t know the weight of the lineage or the Luoyang Five Heroes who encountered such a thief...

Still, since things had come to this, they had no choice but to see it through.

He believed, “Things are a bit complicated, but it’s not time to worry yet.”

The Huayang Merchant Guild, with the captured bandits in tow, headed up the mountain.

The path to the camp was wide open.

It was unclear whether it was due to overconfidence or lack of vigilance.

No one blocked their way until they reached the camp’s courtyard.

Once they arrived, Yang Wuji and the Luoyang Five Heroes hesitated, unsure of what to do next.

They had expected a crude shack, but it was not the case.

In the spacious courtyard, a dozen children were playing and laughing. Behind them, a large hall and several well-constructed houses were visible.

The children, noticing the bound bandits, scattered like fish.

Shortly after, an old man, looking uncomfortable, approached the group.