Chapter 9

Qian Guishan is a large mountain in front of Shuanglong Town. Although it is called a large mountain, Qian Guishan is actually not very big, covering an area of about 40 square kilometers and standing about 800 meters high. Since the concept of altitude does not exist on the Aoki Continent, the height here is measured from the ground at the foot of Qian Guishan.

However, despite its size, Qian Guishan has existed for an extremely long time.

According to legend, Qian Guishan was formed from the remains of a super divine beast that roamed the heavens in ancient times. Many years after the death of this divine beast, its body transformed into Qian Guishan.

Perhaps because of this, Qian Guishan looks very much like a giant turtle. The red, round rocks on the turtle's back resemble large scales, forming a massive turtle shell when connected. These small bumps also look like the backs of smaller turtles.

Qian Guishan is the only route between the county town and Shuanglong Town, and people pass through it every day.

"Go... go..."

"Neigh..."

In the cold wind, twelve fierce horses galloped at high speed on the waist of Qian Guishan, occasionally accompanied by the neighing of horses.

Qian Guishan had not seen such a large group of people pass through for a long time, and today was a lively day.

"Ha ha ha~ Ha! Big Brother, we're almost home!" A middle-aged man with a beard laughed loudly on the back of a fierce horse.

On the back of the leading fierce horse, a refined middle-aged man who looked similar to the bearded man also laughed heartily: "Ha ha ha~ Ha! After many years of hard work outside, we can finally return home in glory. Life outside is full of deceit and intrigue, nothing compares to Qian Guishan!"

In the distance, he could see the neat rows of houses in Shuanglong Town, tears welling up in his eyes: "Shuanglong Town, my roots!"

"Second Brother, Third Brother, faster, I can't wait anymore!" The refined middle-aged man lashed the horse's back fiercely, "Go... go..."

The eleven other fierce horses followed closely behind, not a step behind.

However, just as the twelve horses reached the foot of the mountain, a loud voice suddenly erupted from the dense forest: "Attack!"

Dozens of figures rushed out of the forest, swift as the wind.

"Big Brother, be careful!" Second Brother and Third Brother shouted in alarm.

"Boss, be careful!" The nine subordinates also shouted in unison.

Swish—

An arrow flew straight at the refined middle-aged man, who narrowed his eyes and bent down sharply, narrowly avoiding the arrow.

But danger came one after another. After dodging the arrow, the enemy still had more moves.

A man in a green robe, wielding a sharp large sword, cut through the cold wind, his blade gleaming with a crystalline white light, and slashed at the refined middle-aged man.

"Despicable!"

The refined middle-aged man cursed, just managing to draw his large sword from his back to block the blow.

Clang—

The two large swords clashed, emitting a harsh metallic sound, sparks flying everywhere.

"Neigh~"

Under the force of the impact, the fierce horse's front hooves knelt on the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

The two were evenly matched, both being Fourth-Rank Warriors. However, one was ambushed and had the advantage of jumping from a tree, while the other had to hastily defend, unable to muster full strength.

Whoosh! In the first exchange, the refined middle-aged man's long sword flew out of his hand, spinning in the air before embedding itself in a tree trunk.

Losing his sword, the refined middle-aged man cursed inwardly.

He stomped his foot on the horse's back, using the force to jump off the horse and rush toward the tree trunk.

"Don't even think about getting your sword!" The ambusher, acting almost simultaneously, swung his sword again.

Second Brother, Third Brother, and the other subordinates were already surrounded by the enemy, engaging in fierce combat. No one could afford to be distracted, as any distraction would mean death.

The refined middle-aged man dodged to the side, leaving a deep blood trail on his left arm.

"I can't go for the sword!" The refined middle-aged man immediately abandoned the idea of retrieving his long sword and turned to flee.

In a one-on-one fair fight, he was confident he wouldn't lose to the enemy, but the enemy wouldn't give him such an opportunity.

"Where do you think you're going!"

The man shouted and pursued him closely.

One fleeing, one chasing, in a few breaths, they had left the main battlefield and rushed several dozen meters away.

"Damn!" The refined middle-aged man was frustrated and helpless, unable to use his strength.

After fleeing over a hundred meters, the refined middle-aged man still couldn't shake off the enemy, and two new blood trails appeared on his back and waist.

"What to do, what to do, what to do..."

The refined middle-aged man's mind was in chaos, dodging frantically while trying to think of a solution.

"Ah~" A panicked voice came from ahead, it was a woodcutter.

The woodcutter looked like a simple farmer, probably a resident of Shuanglong Town. However, he had never seen such a brutal scene before and was terrified, dropping his axe and running for his life, fearing he would be caught in the crossfire. Perhaps the only word left in his mind was "flee."

In the face of life-threatening danger, he couldn't care less about the axe, which was considered a family heirloom. What use was an axe if he were dead?

"I can only use the axe to defend myself for now!" The refined middle-aged man dashed forward, grabbing the axe from the ground.

"Ha!"

A deep, low voice came from behind as the enemy leaped high and swung his sword again.

The refined middle-aged man had no time to dodge, so he swung the axe to the side, determined to block the blow. Otherwise...

Clang— Sparks flew.

He blocked it!

The axe miraculously withstood the enemy's large sword and didn't break in two.

"Good opportunity!" Seizing the moment, the refined middle-aged man stood up, adjusted his posture, and greedily took a deep breath of air. "The disadvantage has been slightly reversed."

The man in the green robe sneered, "Just an axe, it can block me once, but can it block me twice?" He was also annoyed at missing the chance to kill the refined middle-aged man in one move.

"Enough talk, who wins and who loses is still uncertain!" The refined middle-aged man's face was stern.

Despite being at a disadvantage, the refined middle-aged man refused to admit defeat, determined not to be defeated in spirit.

"Since you're eager to die, I'll grant your wish." The man in the green robe sneered and charged forward.

The refined middle-aged man took a deep breath, "I must hold on!"

He was, of course, referring to the axe in his hand. However, he was well aware that the axe was just a tool for daily life, while the enemy's weapon, though ordinary, was far superior in quality.

Clang—

Clang—

Clang—

After three hard clashes, the axe held up.

The refined middle-aged man was pleasantly surprised, "Well done!"

The man in the green robe was furious, "Let's see how long you can hold on!" He bent his knees slightly and charged again.

He intended to kill the refined middle-aged man in one go, not giving him a chance to catch his breath. He knew that the refined middle-aged man had rich combat experience, and if he didn't kill him in one swift move, it would be a costly mistake.

"Come on!"

The refined middle-aged man's chest surged with fighting spirit.

A long sword and an axe clashed again.

Snap—

Puff—

The sound of the blade breaking and the sound of a weapon piercing flesh rang in both their ears.

The refined middle-aged man's eyes dimmed, "I couldn't hold on after all?" He then mocked himself, "Of course, it's just an axe." An axe holding up against a weapon for so long was already incredible; what more could he ask for?

"The axe is just an axe, putting your hope in it was the most foolish decision." The man in the green robe sneered.

However, why hadn't the refined middle-aged man fallen?

It hurt.

The man in the green robe slowly lowered his head, his eyes widening in shock as his pupils dilated.

A short, sturdy axe was embedded in his chest, "Drip, drip..." Blood slowly dripped from the axe handle, forming a red flower on the ground.

Looking at the broken long sword in his hand, he muttered, "It was my sword that broke..." Before he could finish, his massive body crashed to the ground.

His eyes were wide open, unable to accept his fate.

The refined middle-aged man couldn't believe what he saw, "When did the axe become so powerful?" He felt he was falling behind the world's changes.

Sitting on the ground, he panted heavily, greedily breathing in the air around him.

"Second Brother, Third Brother!" He suddenly remembered his two brothers, jumped up, and rushed over.

But after a few steps, he stopped, came to the man in the green robe, squatted down, and pulled out the axe. Seeing the undamaged axe, he gripped it tightly and then rushed to the main battlefield.

The refined middle-aged man was the strongest fighter in the group, and with his addition, the ambushers were quickly defeated.

Although they had killed all the enemies, they had lost five brothers, leaving only seven survivors, including himself. Fortunately, Second Brother and Third Brother were alive, though they had suffered a few sword wounds.

"Big Brother!"

"Second Brother, Third Brother!"

The brothers hugged each other, the joy of surviving the ordeal making them cherish each other even more.

"By the way, Big Brother, how did you kill that guy?" Second Brother asked.

Third Brother added, "We saw your long sword fly out, so logically..."

The refined middle-aged man was delighted, raising the axe, "Because of this!"

Second Brother and Third Brother widened their eyes, "No way? An axe?"

"What's wrong with an axe? Although it's just an axe, it cut through that guy's long sword! Its quality is no worse than my sword." The refined middle-aged man sighed, then laughed heartily, "We should thank that woodcutter. Without his axe, we three brothers would have all died here today."

"The Lotus Mercenary Group is despicable. We had already publicly announced our withdrawal from the Heavenly Dragon Mercenary Group, yet they still pursued us relentlessly, even attacking our hometown!" Second Brother gritted his teeth.

"The Heavenly Dragon Mercenary Group is no better. When we left, they pretended to retain us, but as soon as we were gone, they revealed our secrets to the Lotus Mercenary Group," Third Brother was also furious.

The refined middle-aged man waved his hand, "Forget about them, let's go back to Shuanglong Town first."

Hearing this, Second Brother chuckled, "Right, let's go back. After the handover ceremony, Big Brother will be the new mayor of Shuanglong Town. They wouldn't dare to assassinate an official of the empire, even if they had a hundred lives!"

"Big Brother is the mayor of Shuanglong Town, appointed by the Chancellor of the Morning Wind Academy. Who would dare to defy him?" Third Brother also laughed.

PS: Second update! New book, please support with favorites and recommendations! Thank you to 'yzcs888' and 'Feihu Yixiao' for your generous support!

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