457 Returning to Jingzhai II

With Yan'er's help, the speed was extremely fast, and it was like lightning in an instant.

A solitary figure, a cold sword, the swordsman descends the mountain, following the path, and the scene before him is unforgettable.

A blood-soaked village, belonging neither to the State of Qi nor to any dynasty, now stands in a remote village, the ground stained crimson with blood, thick smoke billowing into the air, accompanied by cries of anguish.

There were also the sounds of bandits laughing and gloating.

"Who goes there? We've taken over this place. If you don't want to die, get out of here." The bandit, shirtless and with blood still on his face, hurriedly tied a coarse cloth belt that he had obtained from who-knows-where.

He quickly tied it tightly around his waist, holding a thin knife with a broken tip in his hand, the blood still wet on it.

His eyes held a hint of anger and impatience at being disturbed, as well as murderous intent.

He thought angrily, 'Such a pretty boy is really annoying to look at. If he doesn't have any skills, he'll be in for a world of hurt soon.' He glanced at another companion who didn't want to come.

Kendo's eyes were cold. He kicked two pieces of broken stone in front of him. The sound of the stone whistling past their ears was deafening. Just as the two were about to dodge, the stone pierced through their necks and flew out three feet away.

"Enemy attack! Enemy..." He could only manage to utter these words before collapsing to the ground, unable to rise again.

"Enemy attack! Hurry! Stop playing around! Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" Voices rang out from all around.

The leader, wielding a horse-slaying sword, was wielded by a lean man, so thin he resembled a bamboo pole. His face was pale, and his eyes were bloodshot and vacant, as if he were oblivious to his surroundings.

His face was full of vigilance as he cautiously watched the newcomer, his hand gestures changing rapidly behind his back.

Behind him were about a dozen people, armed with knives, spears, and bows and arrows. A faint glint of light emanated from the arrows, hidden in the darkness. Silence fell immediately, and the villagers who had survived by chance hid in fear.

The place was so quiet you could hear a drop of water, but a cold wind blew, and the fire roared and crackled in the wind.

With rapid breathing, the bandits cautiously surrounded them. The bandit leader had just emerged from the dilapidated house, wearing a rather exquisite chainmail. It was unclear whether it was ill-fitting or if he was simply naturally thin. He had a thumb-length scar on his forehead that looked quite old, and he stared fiercely at the newcomer.

He held a rough, halberd-like weapon in his hand, weighing about 100 pounds. He exuded a strong, bloody aura, but didn't seem very vigorous, and was still panting slightly.

Beside me was a woman with fair and delicate skin, who looked like the housekeeper's daughter.

She was roughly pulled into someone's arms, and her eyes glanced around. The thieves who were secretly watching the housekeeper all carefully looked away.

A loud, shrill voice, like a broken bell, pierced the ears, as if a demon had descended, saying, "Which young hero are you? This village is the Black Village. You tried to scheme against us but failed and were killed by us instead."

"Young hero, where do you come from? If you're short of travel expenses, we can help you out."

With a lean, wielding saber in hand and eyes like those of a hungry wolf, he turned around to steal a glance at the sound behind him. But instead of seeing his leader, he saw a beautiful woman beside him, dressed in even more beautiful clothes. Unfortunately, she was being monopolized by his leader.

When he stole a glance, the beautiful young lady seemed to be fond of him as well, her eyes secretly darting around like a shy, affectionate girl.

A man with bare arms and jagged scars crept up to them and whispered in their ear, "Second Master, there's no one behind us."

The lean second-in-command's eyes flashed, he nodded slightly, a cruel smile playing on his lips, and as he turned back, he winked at everyone around him.

With a loud shout, "Release the arrows!"

Swordsman One, his clothes spotless, the sword on his back silent. His gaze was fixed on the leader.

Suddenly, a sharp arrow pierced the air, its point sharp and piercing. A horse-slaying saber followed closely behind, and the other bandits, with perfect coordination, attacked with their swords and blades, as if to say, "You killed my brother, and you think you can get away with it?"

Kendoichi's figure moved, like lightning streaking across the night sky, indistinguishable from the figure and sword. His swordsmanship was like a rain of pear blossoms, fast as lightning, leaving the audience breathless.

Without any internal energy flowing through it, it was just ordinary basic swordsmanship, decisive, sharp, fast, and unadorned. In the flash of the sword light, one sword slashed across the second leader's throat, and without changing the direction, it instantly slashed through the throats of more than a dozen bandits. Blood splattered everywhere, and they fell down one after another. The firelight reflected the bright red, a beautiful scene, but only the eyes were open and unwilling.

With a clatter, the chief's large halberd fell to the ground.

He quickly picked it up and held it in his hand, his arms around her tightly, as if afraid that the beauty beside him would disappear.

The beautiful, snow-white girl in his arms showed no nervousness, looking at Kendoichi with expectant eyes, as if she were his savior.

The bandit leader said sternly, "The money you want is all in that room. Young hero, take it as you please." He then glanced at the room he had just come from, a hint of regret in his eyes.

Inside were his own valuable loot, which he hadn't had a chance to sell yet, including several silver notes. He had been so caught up in his pleasure that he had forgotten to take them with him. He was filled with regret.

A flicker of anger crossed his eyes as he whispered, 'Eliminate evil completely; you deserve to die.'

The leader shielded the woman behind him, the tip of his broadsword braced against the ground, and growled, "Another arrogant brat who doesn't know his place. We gave you face, and you don't appreciate it."

"Go! Cut him down!" There were three more bandits around him, their hands trembling. They were caught in a dilemma, unable to move forward or backward due to their leader's orders. They looked at each other in confusion.

In the exchange of glances, their eyes involuntarily fell upon Jin Luan, the leader behind them. She was a beautiful young woman from a modest family, and they were reluctant to part with her, a hint of greedy possessiveness in their eyes.

Seeing that the three men did not move, the leader quickly suppressed the murderous intent that had been lurking in his heart.

With a low growl, he shouted, "Brothers, follow me!" He then stepped forward, raising his broadsword in a horizontal slashing motion.

The other three, intimidated by the leader's imposing presence, silently drew their knives and stepped forward, surrounding him from all sides, waiting for the leader to make the first move.

The leader, seeing Jian Daoyi seemingly stunned, was secretly delighted. 'It seems my greatsword has frightened this brat.'

He channeled his strength into the blade, gathering all his power, and slashed down with the ferocity of a storm, the air seeming to be torn apart, emitting a sharp whistling sound. 'This is my strongest strike yet; I've actually broken through!'

The leader thought to himself, as happy as a child. The power of this strike was so great that it seemed to be able to cleave the sword path in two. Then, his disobedient subordinates could rest easy. His strength had increased again, and he had plenty of subordinates to spare.