Chapter 36

A faint rustling sound broke the silence, and Mu Wanqing suddenly opened her eyes. Without even turning her head, she swung her right hand backward, and several short arrows flew out from her sleeve.

"Ouch... There's a hidden weapon..."

Muyizhao had thought his ambush would succeed, but he never expected this black-clad woman to be so formidable. The slight noise had alerted her, and her skill in throwing hidden weapons was truly remarkable. Muyizhao himself was also a skilled martial artist, but he had little confidence in subduing the black-clad woman in one move.

He had brought about twenty men, and two of them had already fallen before they even saw her. The bandits couldn't help but become more cautious.

"Who's there, lurking around? Come out!" Mu Wanqing's expression remained calm, her tone icy, showing no sign of fear.

The death of two men had certainly made a lot of noise. Zhao Yougong rubbed his dazed eyes, slowly waking up. His first reaction upon opening his eyes was to look at Mu Wanqing and ask, "Wan'er, is it morning?"

What a shameless man, still trying to take advantage of her at this moment. If it weren't for the group of bandits nearby, she would have slapped him right now. "You scoundrel, can't you see for yourself if it's morning or not?"

"Ah?" Looking around, his vision finally returned to normal. It wasn't morning yet; the crescent moon on the treetops suggested it was still before the hour of the tiger. He had intended to complain, but then he saw over a dozen black figures, and Zhao Yougong jumped up in shock. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Zhao Yougong assumed a grappling stance, but his horse stance was wobbly, and his fists were trembling, making him look like a street performer.

Muyizhao, who was seeing Zhao Yougong for the first time, couldn't help but take a closer look. After sizing him up, he muttered to himself, "Such a useless person, and he's worth 200,000 strings of cash?"

"Are you Yongning County Prince Zhao Yougong?"

"That's right, it's me. Hmph, since you know who I am, why don't you back off? Otherwise, don't blame me for wiping out your entire family!"

Zhao Yougong spoke confidently, raising his fist, looking incredibly arrogant. A few bandits couldn't help but chuckle. They all said that the young county prince was incredibly stupid, and today's encounter proved it. Even at this moment, he was still putting on airs as a prince. The bandits wouldn't be afraid of him even without the money. What use was a prince on Mount Mang, other than as a big hostage? It was utterly foolish to flaunt his status to bandits!

Muyizhao wasn't in a hurry to act. He hadn't yet figured out the black-clad woman's background, so he couldn't act rashly.

Most people in the martial world knew the rules. They weren't afraid of the government; the worst that could happen was to wander the world. But if they offended the wrong people in the martial world, there would be no place to run. Martial artists were not bound by rules, and if they wanted to kill someone, they had countless ways to do it.

"Prince, you're quite impressive. I'm very afraid! Come, Prince, can you come over here? I'll lend you a knife, and you can cut them down."

Muyizhao's eyelids drooped, and he asked curiously, "Really?"

"Of course, it's real!"

To ensure Zhao Yougong believed him, Muyizhao even shook the thick-backed knife in his hand. The knife looked heavy and black, but in Muyizhao's hands, it seemed weightless.

As the thick-backed knife was pushed forward, Zhao Yougong was still smiling, but then he turned and darted behind Mu Wanqing like a weasel.

"Wan'er, act quickly, kill these bandits. I'll guard your back!"

Mu Wanqing almost fainted. Even with her peculiar personality, she couldn't help but laugh. Just a moment ago, he had been so brave and fearless, but now he was hiding behind her at the sight of a knife.

"Scoundrel, you were so brave just now, why don't you go fight them first?"

"Well, how can I take Wan'er's business?"

Mu Wanqing sarcastically mocked Zhao Yougong, and Muyizhao, standing nearby, became increasingly angry. He was being ignored, which was truly infuriating.

"Shut up, do you like to argue? Tonight, I'll send you both to the underworld. I hope you can be as calm in front of King Yan!"

With a wave of his hand, nearly twenty bandits slowly closed in, surrounding Zhao Yougong and Mu Wanqing in the middle.

Although the bandits outnumbered them, Mu Wanqing was not afraid. She gripped her sword tightly, her eyebrows slightly furrowed. "Hmph, did that Wang family's wretch send you? Your noses are quite sharp, to track us to Mount Mang!"

Hearing Mu Wanqing's words, Muyizhao's expression changed. "What Wang family's wretch? I'll tell you, I am Muyizhao, the Black-Backed Knife of Mount Mang. I'll save you from being a confused ghost!"

"Black-Backed Knife Muyizhao? Hmph, we have no grudges or enmities. Why are you doing this?"

"That's true, but it's your bad luck. Someone has put a price on the head of the Yongning County Prince. I have no choice but to offend you!"

"Aren't you afraid my master will come after you?"

"Where is your master from?"

"From the Valley of the South!"

When Mu Wanqing mentioned the Valley of the South, her tone was filled with a calm pride, clearly showing her deep admiration for her master. Unfortunately, Muyizhao shook his head and laughed bitterly. He had never heard of the Valley of the South. Since it was unknown, it couldn't be very powerful, so he had no reason to be afraid.

Zhao Yougong, standing behind, frowned. Qin Hongmian's reputation wasn't very intimidating, and yet she had sent Mu Wanqing to kill people. Wasn't she just putting her daughter in danger?

"Valley of the South? Never heard of it!" Muyizhao signaled, and the bandits slowly reached behind their backs, each pulling out a short knife over three inches long. Throwing knives was a must-learn skill for the bandits of Mount Mang. With this technique, Muyizhao had defeated many strong opponents. Tonight, with over twenty knives thrown at the two of them, it should be no problem.

Although Mu Wanqing was confident, seeing so many knives made her heart race. When there were too many hidden weapons, even the most skilled expert would feel a chill. What kind of protective divine skill truly existed?

With Zhao Yougong as a burden behind her, Mu Wanqing was annoyed. Seeing the bandits about to attack, she didn't turn her head but kicked Zhao Yougong, who was unprepared, to the ground. With a rustling sound, over a dozen sleeve arrows shot out. At such close range, the bandits couldn't avoid them, and several unlucky ones fell immediately. Mu Wanqing didn't stop. Taking advantage of the bandits' confusion, she nimbly moved to the right, and one bandit, surprised, was stabbed through the heart before he could throw his knife.

With a quick thrust and withdrawal of her sword, Mu Wanqing didn't even flinch. Her killing technique was swift and ruthless. Even Muyizhao, who had killed many people, was surprised. What a fast sword, what a ruthless technique, aiming for vital points. When had such a fierce woman appeared in the martial world?

The bandits weren't stupid and quickly reacted, throwing their knives at Mu Wanqing. The knives came swiftly, and Mu Wanqing didn't dare to be careless. She grabbed the dead bandit in front of her, and "thud, thud, thud," the knives all hit the dead bandit. Even in death, he was attacked by his comrades, surely dying an unhappy death.

The knives failed, and the remaining bandits charged with various weapons. For a moment, the cries were deafening, and the cold light of weapons flashed. Blood hooks, three-pointed knives, and wooden clubs formed an unbreakable net around Mu Wanqing.

Mu Wanqing fought hard, and Zhao Yougong also suffered. Muyizhao, the bandit leader, was watching him closely. With no choice, he got up and ran around a few large pine trees.

Muyizhao had thought he could chop off Zhao Yougong's head with one strike, but he never expected the man to run so fast. "Zhao, you have the nerve to stand still!"

Zhao Yougong, still running, panted, "If you have the nerve, don't chase me. Watch me curse you to death!"

"Damn it, you son of a bitch..." Muyizhao, a rough man, was good at street cursing. He chased Zhao Yougong while cursing him.

While running, Zhao Yougong was also thinking. He could only hope that Mu Wanqing would quickly deal with the bandits. If that didn't work, he would have to act himself, but that would expose his martial skills. If possible, Zhao Yougong didn't want to do that. Although Muyizhao and his men were shouting and fighting, he believed that others were watching from a distance. Killing Muyizhao and his men wouldn't be hard, but he couldn't kill those hiding outside.

Zhao Yougong truly hated Emperor Huizong. Using bandits to kill people was truly ruthless. Fortunately, he had anticipated this. If not for Mu Wanqing, he would have had to hide his skills to save his life.

Zhao Yougong's caution was justified. At that moment, Lu Qian and a man were watching from a distance.

"Hmph, this Muyizhao is truly useless. He hasn't taken down Zhao Yougong yet!"

The man speaking was over eight feet tall, holding a standard saber. He had a rough face, large eyes, a nose that pointed upward, and a very small mouth, making him look very uncoordinated. Worse, he always spoke with a condescending tone.

Lu Qian didn't dare to say much, as this man was Gao Taiwei's favorite general, Yao Cheng. Yao Cheng's nickname was "Western Leopard," and his saber skills were unparalleled, making him one of the "Two Leopards" of the Imperial Guard. His arrogance was understandable.

"Commander Yao, you're joking. A few bandits can't compare to you!"

Although it was a flattering remark, Yao Cheng didn't appreciate it, sneering, "Lu Yuhou, you sure know how to talk, heh heh!"

How could Lu Qian not hear the sarcasm in Yao Cheng's words? He didn't mind, smiling as if he hadn't noticed. Rough men were always rough; they never understood that sometimes words could be more powerful than swords.