Chapter 18

The two rode for half an hour, covering dozens of miles, and were about to leave the territory of Tiger Mountain when Chu Li reined in his horse again.

Zhao Ying wisely reined in her horse and stood still, looking ahead. She had been on high alert, thinking there wouldn't be just one group of bandits.

Chu Li frowned as he looked into the distance and said, "We need to be careful with this group."

"Senior Brother, let me handle it!" Zhao Ying felt she was not doing a good job as a guard.

Chu Li shook his head.

Three bald men slowly walked out from the opposite side, dressed identically to the six men they had encountered earlier, and they were middle-aged.

"Who are you?" Chu Li asked sternly, "In broad daylight, you want to rob us?"

"Is it you?" A bear-like man stepped out, standing ten meters away from Chu Li, his eyes sharp like blades. "Did you kill my men?"

"I don't understand," Chu Li shook his head. "Who are your men?"

"Good boy, pretending to be confused!" The bald man sneered, glancing at Zhao Ying. Zhao Ying felt as if a blade had pierced her heart, and she quickly took a deep breath to suppress her fear, glaring back coldly.

Chu Li frowned at him. "Pretending to be confused? I'm confused too. Just get to the point, what do you want?"

"It's not you?" The bald man sized them up.

Logically, a woman as beautiful as that would not be spared by his men. But looking at their auras, they didn't seem to be skilled in martial arts. If they could kill his men, they must be extraordinary experts. Could he have made a mistake? Were they not the ones?

"Confused!" Chu Li grumbled, drawing his sword. "We have martial arts too. If we fight, it's not certain who will win. Let me tell you, we don't have any money!"

"Hmph, if that's the case, leave the girl and get lost!" The bald man waved his hand. "Get out before I get angry!"

Chu Li's face darkened, and he thrust his sword forward. "You get lost!"

The sword's momentum was weak, clearly not from a skilled practitioner, light and slow, posing no threat.

During this time, the bald man was captivated by Zhao Ying, finding her every gesture and smile beautiful, a perfect creation of heaven that he couldn't let go. If he could get her to bed, how wonderful it would be...

"Lord Ten, be careful!" A shout from behind snapped him back to reality. He quickly gathered his strength but felt a sharp pain in his chest, his eyes wide as he stared at Chu Li, then looked down at his chest.

Chu Li pulled his sword back, and a jet of blood spurted out.

The other two men roared in anger and charged over, their knives like lightning, fierce and domineering.

Chu Li, instead of retreating, moved forward, flashing behind one of them. The sword pierced through the man's chest, and he pulled it out. Before the other man could react, the sword tip had already pierced his heart.

In the blink of an eye, Chu Li had struck three times, piercing the hearts of three men.

He stopped, leaning on his sword, breathing heavily, his face pale.

Zhao Ying was stunned. Chu Li moved like a ghost, his sword like a ray of light. She felt a chill, realizing that such swordsmanship left no room for resistance!

"Junior Sister Zhao!" Chu Li coughed lightly.

Zhao Ying snapped back to reality and hurried to support him. "Senior Brother Chu, are you okay?"

Seeing Chu Li's pale face, she knew the three strikes had a cost. Once he engaged in combat, he went all out, even unleashing his potential. This was something she should learn, she thought to herself.

Chu Li waved her off, not letting her support him. "I'll be fine after a rest. We shouldn't stay here long. Let's go!"

He had underestimated the power of the Boundless Sea Technique. After tripling, the strain on his meridians was not three times but nine times. If his meridians weren't strong, he would have died!

"Okay!" Zhao Ying nodded vigorously.

"Give them a few more cuts!" Chu Li said.

Zhao Ying bit her lip, nodded, and picked up a knife from the ground. She hesitantly added a few more cuts to their chests, but couldn't bring herself to decapitate them. Chu Li didn't force her, stopping her just as she was about to throw the knife. "Is this knife good?"

Zhao Ying was taken aback. She had been too nervous to notice, but the knife was indeed sharp.

Chu Li said, "Keep it. It's a good knife. ... Check the other two!"

Zhao Ying walked over and picked up the other two knives, testing them on a nearby tree. They were all exceptionally sharp, not quite cutting through metal like butter, but much sharper than ordinary knives, giving a significant advantage in combat.

Chu Li nodded. "Keep them all. Let's go!"

"Let's go!" Zhao Ying nodded.

They wiped the knives clean, took the scabbards, and tied them to the saddles, then galloped away.

Chu Li sat on the horse, motionless, while Zhao Ying occasionally glanced at him, checking his face.

"Senior Brother Chu, let's find a place to rest."

"No need. Keep moving. We need to leave Tiger Mountain territory as soon as possible."

"You're injured?"

"I'm fine."

"Moving so quickly, what if we encounter more bandits?"

"Leave it to Junior Sister."

"Me—?" Zhao Ying was taken aback, feeling ashamed. "I'm useless!"

Chu Li chuckled. "Your rank is still low!"

"But I'm the guard, and you're the bodyguard!" Zhao Ying gritted her teeth. "Next time, I'll handle it!"

Chu Li smiled and nodded. "I'll leave it to you, Junior Sister Zhao!"

"I hope we don't encounter more bandits!" Zhao Ying sighed.

She had barely finished speaking when they encountered another group of bandits.

Ten men emerged from the woods, grinning, and lined up, blocking the road.

They wore short brown clothes, their hair disheveled, and carried long knives, looking fierce and greedy, staring at Zhao Ying as if they were getting a bargain just by looking at her.

Zhao Ying turned to look at Chu Li, whose face was still pale.

Chu Li smiled at her.

Zhao Ying took a deep breath and called out, "Hey, what do you want?"

A bare-chested man sauntered out, his eyes gleaming as he stared at Zhao Ying. "Hehe, little lady, greetings! Our brothers invite you to visit our mountain!"

"Not interested. Move aside, we need to travel!"

"Hehe, little lady, on the mountain, you'll eat well and drink well, enjoying yourself so much you won't want to leave!" The bare-chested man chuckled. "Better than a living god!"

Zhao Ying's face turned cold. "If you don't move, don't blame me for being impolite!"

"Hehe, little lady, we're very sincere!" The man smiled. "Who's that pale-faced guy?"

"None of your business!" Zhao Ying snapped.

The man nodded. "Looks like your sweetheart. He looks sickly. How about this, we have a doctor on the mountain. Let him come up and get treated!"

"No need!" Zhao Ying said.

Chu Li sighed. "Alright, let's get this over with. No more talking!"

"Alright!" Zhao Ying called out. "One more time, move aside, or I'll attack!"

"Come on, come on, I want to see your skills!" The man chuckled, and the others laughed. "Yeah, let's see your skills!"

Though innocent, Zhao Ying wasn't naive. She heard the hidden meaning in their words and, angered, her face turned cold, and she drew her sword and attacked.

The man easily dodged, his bulky body moving with surprising agility.

Zhao Ying used the Swallow Sword Technique, light and graceful. The man didn't use his knife, relying on his agility to dodge, taunting her, making her even angrier.

Chu Li shook his head, not saying more. This was experience she needed to gain herself. She wouldn't improve without making mistakes.

After fifty moves, Zhao Ying grew impatient. She hadn't expected this lecherous man to be so difficult to handle. She couldn't defeat him, and there were nine more behind him. The thought was daunting!

Chu Li's voice came. "Use your mind, not just your strength."

Zhao Ying was startled. She couldn't act rashly. Chu Li was injured and couldn't fight. If she failed, they would both be in danger.

Thinking of this, she calmed herself, determined to think of a plan.

Her sword technique stabilized, becoming even more graceful and powerful.

The man frowned, finding her a tough opponent. He hadn't expected such a delicate lady to have such formidable sword skills. It would take time to defeat her, and he was losing face in front of his brothers!

"Brother, do you need help?" The others laughed. "Brother, you can't handle her alone. Let us help, we must get this lady!"

They laughed, enjoying themselves, making lewd comments.

Chu Li shook his head. These words were meant to unsettle, but these men were clearly up to no good, relying on the power of Tiger Mountain. Tiger Mountain...

He took a deep breath, thinking about whether he could take down Tiger Mountain, a menace to the area. But he was alone, and it would be difficult to face such a formidable enemy.

"Shut up! ... I can handle it!" The man shouted.

"I don't think so, brother. Don't be stubborn. Leave some for the brothers!"

"Right, brother, don't hog all the fun!"

"Such a beautiful lady, it's been a long time since we've seen one. My heart is like a cat's claw, brother, hurry up!"

"Shut up!" The man roared, his palm technique changing from gentle to fierce, like an iron palm, meeting the sword.

"Bang!" The palm and sword met, and Zhao Ying's sword was deflected. The force from the palm almost made her sword fly out. This guy had the nerve to meet a sword with his bare hands!

"Bang, bang, bang..." The palm and sword met repeatedly, and Zhao Ying's sword was deflected each time, the force growing stronger.

Chu Li watched Zhao Ying like a swallow in a storm, struggling to stay afloat, but determined to fight. He nodded, impressed by her spirit despite her gentle nature.

"Ah!" The man suddenly cried out in pain, and Zhao Ying pulled her sword back.

The man clutched his shoulder, staring at Zhao Ying in shock.

Zhao Ying's face was cold, and she glared at the others. "If you don't move, this is what will happen!"

"Ha ha..." They laughed.

"Brother, you're in trouble?"

"I told you, don't be greedy. We need to help..."

They mocked him, not taking Zhao Ying and Chu Li seriously.

They had gauged Zhao Ying's skills and knew she couldn't defeat them alone, but together, they could easily overpower her. As for the sickly man, he was no threat at all!

They imagined the pleasure of holding such a beautiful lady in their arms, grinning.

Zhao Ying glared at them, suddenly charging forward like a swift swallow, injuring two of them. The others, enraged, drew their knives and surrounded her, putting her in grave danger, on the verge of collapse.