Chapter 24: A Ray of Hope

Volume One: First Steps into a New World

Bao Gang laughed heartily, "Of course, no problem. Our Black Wind Fortress has always welcomed heroes from all walks of life. How about we deal with these remaining guards first?"

A cold glint, however, flashed in his heart. The ambush of the Yu family was a serious matter, and no leak could be tolerated. He couldn't figure out this person's background. If a conflict broke out now and he escaped, things would get troublesome. Therefore, it was better to deal with the Yu family members first, and then gather all his brothers' strength to eliminate him.

Anyway, this person couldn't be a Fifth-rank or higher, otherwise, he could easily take everything for himself; why would he need to cooperate with them?

Hidden in the bushes, Ji Xiaoxi was puzzled. She couldn't understand what exactly Zu An was planning. If she didn't know his physical condition, she might have already become suspicious.

"No problem," Zu An said, drawing a blade and charging forward, clashing his weapon against a Yu family guard's sword.

The Yu family guard swayed, but Zu An was sent flying several meters back.

Everyone from Black Wind Fortress: "..."

Everyone from the Yu family: "..."

They had thought a master had arrived, but it turned out he couldn't even defeat a Third-rank guard? And that guard had just endured several battles, practically at the end of his strength.

Rage value from Bao Gang: 99!Rage value from Black Wind Fortress Bandit A: 99!Rage value from Black Wind Fortress Bandit B: 99!Rage value from Black Wind Fortress Bandit C: 99!

Bao Gang recalled all his previous apprehension, calculations, and schemes, only to realize this guy was just a Second-rank. He felt a pang of annoyance.

He wanted to dispatch him with a single strike, but then worried that he might be deliberately feigning weakness. After much deliberation, he suppressed his temper, thinking, "How dare you play tricks on me? Once I've dealt with the Yu family, I'll make sure to flay you alive."

Rage value from Bao Gang: 199!

Seeing Bao Gang's slightly twitching face, Zu An inwardly chuckled. "These guys are quite polite, aren't they?"

After that, he no longer charged at the front. Instead, he weaved through the crowd, occasionally landing a supplementary blow. This was partly to experience the atmosphere of combat and partly to adapt to his newly gained strength. His previous encounter with Plum Blossom Twelve had been an ambush, not a direct confrontation.

His actions, however, made the men of Black Wind Fortress grit their teeth. This fellow was useless, only getting in the way. If not for the Third Chief's secret orders, they might have already chopped down this troublesome person.

Rage value from Black Wind Fortress Bandit A: 33!Rage value from Black Wind Fortress Bandit B: 33!Rage value from Black Wind Fortress Bandit C: 33!

After some fighting, the Yu family guards were all captured. Bao Gang hesitated for a moment and did not kill them, but spared the lives of these last few individuals, merely placing restrictions on them.

There was a lot of information about the Yu family that needed to be extracted from them through interrogation, and perhaps these people could even be used to threaten Lady Yu.

Seeing that these individuals had been subdued, Zu An rubbed his hands together, chuckling as he walked towards the carriage. "Finally, I'll get to glimpse the beauty of Lady Yu."

"The Yu family won't let you get away with this!" the guards, with blades at their throats, glared furiously at Zu An.

Rage value from Yu Bin: 299!Rage value from Yu Jun: 299!Rage value from Yu Meng: 299!

Zu An chuckled, "In this wilderness, how could the Yu family possibly know what I've done?"

"Little brother, aren't you celebrating a bit too early?" Bao Gang's cold snort came from behind him at that moment.

Zu An's expression changed. "What do you mean?"

Bao Gang waved his hand, and his black-clad men immediately surrounded Zu An. "Who wouldn't want a great beauty like Lady Yu? But there's only one Lady, and so many of us here. Even just us chiefs wouldn't be enough to share, so how could there be a share for you?"

"You're going back on your word?" Zu An pointed at him, trembling with apparent rage.

"Bah!" Bao Gang swore loudly. "What kind of nobody is trying to entertain me? You're a damn Second-rank cultivator, who gave you the courage to negotiate with us?"

Through his covert observation during the previous fight, he had confirmed that this guy was indeed just a Second-rank, not some expert feigning weakness. Having been famous for many years, he was confident in his judgment.

"Chop this guy into pieces and feed him to the dogs!" Bao Gang ordered. The anger he had suppressed for so long finally erupted, and he felt immensely relieved.

"Stop!"

Seeing the group surround Zu An, Ji Xiaoxi immediately panicked. She didn't understand what Zu An was doing, but she knew that with so many people, he would be hacked to pieces in less than a single round.

"There's another person!" Bao Gang was startled. He had just detected someone over there, but Zu An had jumped out, making him instinctively careless. Thinking that if the other person quietly escaped and revealed what happened here, he secretly wiped a cold sweat.

"Hahaha, Third Chief, another little beauty! Our luck today is truly great," the black-clad men laughed. Seeing Ji Xiaoxi's beautiful face, they couldn't help but whistle.

Although they had previously claimed they would capture Lady Yu and enjoy her together, they knew their place. Lady Yu was a woman of high standing; she would never be for common soldiers like them. She would surely be for the chiefs.

But now it was different. With this charming and beautiful young girl, they finally had hope.

"My father is Ji Dengtu of Brightmoon City. Let him go, and we won't tell anyone about today's events!" Ji Xiaoxi knew that her cultivation level was too low to be of any help, so she could only invoke her father's name.

The black-clad men paused, then burst into laughter. "A mere doctor! Who are you trying to scare?"

"Silence!" Bao Gang, however, frowned. He remembered his eldest brother mentioning that there were a few people in Brightmoon City not to provoke, and Ji Dengtu was one of them.

After a moment's hesitation, he still shook his head. "We've heard of Divine Physician Ji's reputation, but today's matter cannot be revealed in the slightest. Forgive our offense. Brothers, seize her! Whoever catches her gets to enjoy her first."

The black-clad men howled in excitement, a group of them scrambling to rush forward.

"Behold my Flicking Finger Divine Art!"

Just then, a furious roar rang out. Bao Gang heard something whistling through the air behind him and, without thinking, swung his blade back, smashing the projectile into pieces with a 'bang'.

"Hahaha, is *that* your Flicking Finger Divine Art?" Bao Gang noticed Zu An's stance and couldn't help but mock him. But after a few laughs, his face suddenly changed dramatically. "You... you..."

Then he fell straight down to the ground, and several of his companions around him also collapsed.

"Third Chief, what's wrong with you?" The remaining black-clad men were startled and rushed over to help him, but shortly after reaching him, they too collapsed one by one.

Zu An breathed a sigh of relief. He had been looking for an opportunity to gather these people together and then use his paralyzing poison vial. He almost failed when Ji Xiaoxi suddenly appeared just as he was about to succeed.

Fortunately, these guys weren't very bright. He had originally expected a tough fight, but they ended up attacking him one by one, making things much easier.

"Brat, what sorcery did you use on us!" Bao Gang was both shocked and enraged. He found that his inner energy felt sealed, and furthermore, he couldn't control his body, as if he had lost all sensation.

Rage value from Bao Gang: 333!

"I already told you, that's my ultimate skill, the Flicking Finger Divine Art. Once this move is unleashed, no blade of grass grows within ten zhang around. Now you know how formidable it is, right?" Zu An didn't dare approach immediately, fearing lingering effects of the poison. It would be troublesome if he were affected too.

"Yes, yes, we were blind," Bao Gang quickly said. *Could this guy really be an expert feigning weakness?* "Lady Yu is over there; she's yours. We won't contend with you for her."

The Yu family guards glared furiously at Bao Gang, but everything happening before their eyes was so surreal that they couldn't fully comprehend it for a moment.

"Pfft." Zu An estimated that the drug's effects had largely worn off. He then walked over to Bao Gang and patted his cheek with a blade. "Can you even snatch anything in your current state? Who was it just now who wanted to chop me up and feed me to the dogs? And who was it yelling about bullying my Ji family sister?"

Ji Xiaoxi happened to run over and, hearing his affectionate address, couldn't help but blush.

Rage value from Bao Gang: 147!

For all these years, he had been drinking heavily and eating meat in large chunks; never had anyone dared to pat his face with a blade like this.

"We were blind just now; we hope Your Excellency will show us mercy. Our Black Wind Fortress will certainly remember this kindness," Bao Gang quickly said, despite his anger, bringing up the name of Black Wind Fortress, hoping the other party would show some deference.

Zu An immediately chuckled. "Oh, you have Mount Tai here too? Alright, for that, I'll give you a chance. If you can answer my questions correctly, I'll let you go."

The leading Yu family guard heard this and was greatly alarmed. "You can't let them go! They've committed many evil deeds."

Zu An rolled his eyes at him. "Is this your place to speak? If you were so capable, why didn't you capture them yourself just now?"

The man's face immediately flushed red, but with restrictions on their bodies, they were now like fish on a chopping block, able only to stare helplessly.

Rage value from Yu Bin: 111!

Only then did Zu An turn back to face the black-clad men. "Let's start with you. What musical instrument do you play?"

The black-clad man was stunned. "I don't play any instruments." What kind of bloodthirsty bandit like them would play instruments?

"If you can't even play an instrument, what's the point of living in this world?" Zu An ended his life with a single strike.

Rage value from Black Wind Fortress Bandit: 666!

Then he moved to the second black-clad man. "What musical instrument do you play?"

The man swallowed hard. He didn't play any instruments either, but his comrade's body hadn't even gone cold yet, so he dared not say so directly. Suddenly, an idea struck him. "I can whistle!"

"Damn it, is whistling a musical instrument too?!" Zu An delivered another strike, ending his life. A fawning smile still lingered on the man's face even in death.

Rage value from Black Wind Fortress Bandit: 666!

Ji Xiaoxi, standing nearby, couldn't bear to watch. She quietly walked over and tugged on his sleeve. "Brother Zu, isn't this a bit too cruel?"

Zu An sighed. "Xiaoxi, you're still too kind. If we had fallen into their hands just now, they would have shown you true cruelty. Besides, didn't I leave them a glimmer of hope? As long as they can answer my questions, I'll let them live."

The other Black Wind Fortress men were almost in tears, thinking, *Do your tricky questions really count as a glimmer of hope for us?*