The launch of the arrows was sudden and swift; the shaft hissed through the air, striking the foremost bandit before he could even react. His saber was still held high above his head when the arrow pierced clean through his skull, leaving a long, crimson streak in the air behind him. His body remained seated on the warhorse for several more meters before finally toppling to the ground.

Thwack! The head of the bandit following the leader was skewered. The arrowhead emerged from the back of his skull, and blood dripped from the tip onto his horse's back. His eyes rolled back, and his body slumped off the mount, rolling several times on the ground before coming to rest.

One arrow, two lives! The clamor of the northern frontier suddenly fell silent. Every bandit halted their charge, staring in astonishment at Qian Jin and his three companions. Death is always the most potent tool for shock.

The bandits exchanged glances. The six warriors who had been fleeing also forgot their escape, turning their astonished gazes toward Qian Jin’s group, faint glimmers of hope flickering in their eyes.

A slight breeze swept through the deathly quiet scene, swaying the dewy grass and shaking droplets onto the ground. The bandits snapped out of their shock, instantly erupting into a furious rage.

“Damn your souls! How dare you kill men of the Great Sword Bandit Clan!”

Roars of fury echoed through the air. The bandits brandished their weapons, and the iron hooves of their steeds seemed to shake the very earth. Abandoning their initial pursuit, they charged toward Qian Jin as one.

“Great Sword? The sixth-ranked bandit clan among the Ten Great Clans of the Frontier? No wonder their quality is so high—they’re almost all Rank Six Warriors!” Duan Feng Bu’er shook his Bu’er Spear, slapped his steed’s flank, and spurred forward.

Chek Flett’s deep-set eyes were fixed on the Zhanmadao in Qian Jin’s hand. Though silent, his intent was clear: borrow the blade! The Zhanmadao fell into Chek Flett’s grasp. He crouched low over his horse’s back, charging like an arrow at high speed.

“Lend me the bow!” Fen Tu Kuangge snatched the Moon-Shooting Bow from Qian Jin’s hand almost forcefully, quickly grabbing the quiver hanging from the stirrup, and rode out.

Qian Jin held his reins, watching his two companions who had ‘borrowed’ his weapons. He suddenly realized they both had great potential to become bandits themselves!

What was this? The six fleeing men watched in shock as Duan Feng Bu’er charged in the opposite direction. Were these three out of their minds? Knowing they faced the Great Sword Bandit Clan, ranked sixth among the Ten Great Clans of the Frontier, they dared to charge with only three people?

Astonishment and incomprehension flickered in the bandits’ eyes. Of these four warriors, it seemed only one head was normal—the one who wasn't charging. Were the other three mad?

Bang! The sound of a bowstring vibrating cut through the air. Fen Tu Kuangge loosed an arrow, striking a bandit squarely in the chest. The leather armor was backed by a centimeter of wood, giving it strong defensive capability against arrows. Ordinary shafts rarely pierced both the leather and the wood; even if they did, the arrow lacked force, merely scratching the flesh. Plop...

The struck bandit cried out in pain and tumbled from his galloping horse, rolling more than ten times before lying still on the ground.

Several bandits glanced sideways at their fallen comrade, quite surprised. The wooden backing on the protective soft armor couldn't withstand the arrow’s lethality? “Good arrow! Good bow!”

Fen Tu Kuangge let out a bright compliment, and Qian Jin smiled faintly. A Soldier-Grade bow combined with a Soldier-Grade arrow—forget armor backed by wood, even a thinly forged iron plate could be pierced by Fen Tu Kuangge’s skill.

The two sides closed the distance rapidly, making contact in a blink. The surprise on the bandits’ faces turned into vicious snarls as their sabers slashed out from various angles. “Watch me!”

Duan Feng Bu’er roared excitedly. The Nine-Headed Serpent Bloodline, one of the Ten Great Bloodlines, instantly activated. Bizarre, scaled flesh armor covered his body. The Dou Qi from the Seven Demon-Subduing Battles surged into the Bu’er Spear, causing the spear shaft’s Dou Qi to swell dramatically. Forged from a fusion of Rank Ten Fine Iron and Iron Essence, the spear shaft was full of elasticity, emitting a resonant, bell-like chime as it moved. The spear tip carved supersonic booms through the air, oscillating up, down, left, and right, whipping out layer upon layer of spear blossoms, making it impossible to tell where the thrust was aimed!

In an instant, the spear came alive! In the eyes of the bandits, Duan Feng Bu’er held not an iron spear, but a true Sacred Beast, a Nine-Headed Serpent!

The bandit charging head-on raised his shield before his chest to block the Bu’er Spear. The moment it struck the tip, the inch-thick wooden shield exploded into splinters, scattering wood dust everywhere!

Seven Demon-Subduing Battles, Soldier-Grade Bu’er, charging on horseback! Under such impact, never mind a wooden shield—what good was iron armor?

Qian Jin believed that under such a fierce charge, even if the opponent were heavy cavalry, Duan Feng Bu’er could still punch a gaping hole right through them!

The best tactic against such a ferocious spear thrust was evasion! Dodge this spear strike that had already gathered a momentum capable of crushing anything, and then counterattack.

Could the bandits manage to evade this spear thrust? The gap between a Demon-Subduing Warrior and a Rank Six Warrior meant he stood no chance of evading. The spear pierced the throat! Blood spurted out from the tip! He yanked the spear back! Blood sprayed forth from the wound in the throat, and the bandit collapsed onto the ground without warning. A Bloodline Warrior? A Demon-Subduing Warrior!

The vicious, bloodthirsty glint in the bandits’ eyes instantly gave way to stark terror. Their faces, flushed with savage excitement, turned deathly pale.

Demon-Subduing Warrior! A formidable title that commanded caution! Unless absolutely necessary, the Great Sword Bandit Clan usually chose to let such individuals pass. Bloodline Warrior! A status far superior to Demon-Subduing Warriors, a group that consistently held the strongest title across the Demon race, the True Policy Dynasty, and the Barbarian tribes! Even the number one bandit clan of the Frontier, [Blaze Flame], would not lightly provoke a Bloodline Warrior, even if they were only Rank One Awakened.

The bandits never imagined that while slaughtering a small merchant caravan in the Frontier, they would randomly encounter four warriors, one of whom was a Bloodline Warrior! And that this warrior, knowing they were members of the Great Sword Bandit Clan, would still strike lethally, killing without the slightest hesitation toward the sixth-ranked clan of the Frontier. “We are the Great Sword…”

Pfft! The shouting bandit never finished his sentence. A transparent hole appeared in his throat, followed by a gush of blood spurting from the opening. As he fell from his steed, his eyes were filled with disbelief.

In this desolate Frontier, although bandit clans generally avoided provoking Bloodline Warriors, Bloodline Warriors usually gave the Ten Great Bandit Clans some breathing room, rarely engaging in true mutual slaughter. Yet this young Bloodline Warrior had clearly heard the name Great Sword, had clearly seen the sabers sheathed, and yet…

Thud… The bandit rolled onto the ground, crushing countless blades of grass. Water droplets mixed with blood sprayed into the air, and his saber tumbled across the damp turf.

“You…” A bandit opened his mouth in fear, saw the Zhanmadao in Chek Flett’s hand, and hastily raised his arm to shield his head.

The distance between the two sides closed rapidly, they were almost face-to-face! Chek Flett’s Dou Qi erupted violently—Demon-Subduing Battle Two! Even without activating his Bloodline power, he possessed the strength of Demon-Subduing Battle Two! This was the might of a Bloodline Warrior! Activating the Bloodline power was an infinite amplifier of strength!

Another Demon-Subduing Warrior? As the Dou Qi burst forth, boundless despair exploded in the bandit’s eyes. His saber clashed against the Dou Qi-spewing Soldier-Grade Zhanmadao, sending sparks and fragments of broken steel flying into the air. The Zhanmadao cleaved unimpeded into the bandit’s body. A column of blood erupted like a miniature volcano ready to blow, soaring more than ten feet high.

In a fleeting moment, members of the Great Sword Bandit Clan died in succession. All three warriors who engaged were Demon-Subduing Warriors, and one of them was an astonishing Bloodline Warrior!

The noisy clamor instantly ceased. The remaining bandits stared blankly at the three warriors who had appeared out of nowhere, forgetting even to urge their mounts forward.

Bang! The vibration of a bowstring, the flight of an arrow, and the sound of another bandit falling spurred the rest out of their stupor. They let out ear-piercing screams, yanked their horses around, and fled in the opposite direction.

What hadn't the bandits who roamed the Frontier seen? These few young warriors, who appeared suddenly and started killing without batting an eye after hearing the name Great Sword Bandit Clan, had clearly prepared to wipe them all out.

Although there were only three of them, two melee Demon-Subduing Warriors and an archer wielding a powerful bow capable of piercing soft armor, the advantage lay entirely with the smaller group.

“Trying to run?” Qian Jin raised an eyebrow. Duan Feng Bu’er and Chek Flett were already galloping in pursuit. In a place like the Frontier, if bandits were allowed to escape back to their base, people might easily connect the number of survivors to the identity of those being hunted by the Dark Unit.

Silencing them! To safely leave the Frontier and return to the True Policy Dynasty, they had to kill every single bandit present!

Fen Tu Kuangge sat calmly on his horse, steadily drawing his bow and aiming. Though lacking Qian Jin’s pinpoint accuracy, the sharpness of the arrows and the power of the bowstring were more than enough to penetrate the somewhat defensive soft armor.

The slaughterers of moments ago had instantly become the slaughtered.

The battle concluded quickly, under the stunned gaze of the six escapees.

Qian Jin dismounted and walked toward the corpse of a bandit. The other three followed suit, beginning to rummage through the bodies of the slain bandits.

The six escapees, supporting each other, walked toward Qian Jin’s group, their eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment, unsure how to begin expressing their gratitude.

“One gold coin is still a gold coin,” Duan Feng Bu’er tossed the bandit’s body aside, flicking a gold coin in the air with his thumb. “Are the bandits out here this poor? They’re all Rank Six Warriors; don’t they have anything good on them?”

The six escapees exchanged dazed looks, seeing the same puzzled answer in each other's eyes: these four young warriors were doing what the bandits usually did—robbing! Except this time, the victims of the robbery were the bandits themselves. “Never underestimate any bandit; they might be carrying a massive treasure or a secret.”

Qian Jin had stayed in the ruins for over twenty days. He often heard from Hua Yan Bu Jian and other bandits during his chats that the leader of the tenth-ranked bandit clan of the Frontier, the Destiny Clan, was once a mere soldier who, by accidentally killing a bandit and finding a secret technique involving sixty-six acupoints on the body, rose from a low-level mercenary to become a warlord among the Frontier bandit clans.

The six rescued escapees cautiously approached. The middle-aged man, supported by the two young female warriors, coughed a few times, causing a trickle of blood to seep from his waist wound. With a pale face, he looked at Qian Jin’s group: “Brave warriors, thank you for your timely intervention…”

Qian Jin nodded slightly, taking back the Zhanmadao returned by Chek Flett. Even if the bandits hadn't appeared, killing them all was the safest course of action. After all, four people could not face the full strength of every bandit clan. Since these bandits had seen them, killing them was the only safe route. “Alas… bad luck, nothing at all.” Duan Feng Bu’er hoisted the Bu’er Spear, constantly grumbling, “One gold coin, only one gold coin.” “Cough…” As the middle-aged man began to speak, he broke into another fit of coughing, his abdominal wound causing him to grimace in extreme pain. “Let’s treat the wounds first.”

The young warrior, protected by the two warriors and carrying a fine shield, had a trace of gloom clouding his brow. He reached into his leather pouch and pulled out a bottle of ointment, standing before the injured middle-aged warrior. “Uncle Song Xinghe, your injury is severe. Ordinary medicines will have little effect. This is a Rank Four ointment made by an Apothecary specifically for sword wounds; the effect is excellent.”

The wrinkles around Song Xinghe’s eyes instantly smoothed out. The two girls also looked at the bottle of ointment in astonishment. An Apothecary-made ointment specifically for sword wounds, and a Rank Four one at that! This… this was something rare. Without status, getting an Apothecary’s medicine was almost impossible!

A Rank Four exclusive sword wound ointment? Qian Jin’s heart stirred slightly. He hadn't expected this person to have not only a good shield but also excellent medicine, and his looks weren't bad either—a height of one ninety wasn't shabby. It was just his eyes… slightly elongated, the outer corners curving upward; they lacked fierceness but were watery—definitely peach blossom eyes!

An exclusive Rank Four ointment for healing sword wounds—its effect was far from ordinary! Song Xinghe glanced at the two female warriors beside him, then at the ointment, a look of faint difficulty crossing his face. “Young Master Lei Wei, perhaps not. My injury isn't critical.”

“Father…” The two similarly featured girls spoke simultaneously, their gazes anxious, fixed on Lei Wei. Such a severe wound, if not treated with good medicine, even if he endured it with his strong body, it would leave hidden damage later, potentially even causing a regression in strength.

Lei Wei spun the porcelain bottle between his fingers, lightly flicking the black hair covering his brow to rest on his nose. He looked at Song Xinghe’s two daughters with a half-smile. How could such a serious injury not require good medicine? He had pulled out all the stops for these two girls this time; he wasn’t worried about them not falling for it.

Song Xinghe stared at the ointment in Lei Wei’s palm and sighed inwardly. He truly shouldn't have accepted the guard duty for double the usual pay this time! He couldn't owe this third young master of the Lei family a favor for this medicine; everyone knew what the Lei family’s third young master wanted! “Lei… Young Master Lei…” The daughter to Song Xinghe’s left looked timidly at Lei Wei. “That… Er…” “Ke’er!” Song Xinghe interrupted Song Ke with a heavy voice, "I can hold on!" “Is that so?” The eyes behind Lei Wei’s black hair revealed a faint redness at his lips. He flicked his fingers, drawing the medicine bottle back into his palm. “If that’s the case, then…” “Don’t!” The daughter to Song Xinghe’s right cried out, her eyes locked onto the white porcelain bottle of ointment. “Yun’er!” Song Xinghe glared again. “Don’t?” Lei Wei delicately rotated the porcelain bottle between his thumb, index, and middle fingers. “Your words put me in a difficult position…”

“Difficult? I think there’s no need to be difficult. Two beautiful ladies, don't look down on things so much. The value of a broken Rank Four sword wound ointment isn't worth as much as a single tear from you. Am I right, comrade?”

Lei Wei’s brow, hidden by his bangs, arched high, a vicious glint flashing in his pupils as he glared at Duan Feng Bu’er, who was speaking while walking over. He snorted heavily through his nose. “A broken Rank Four sword wound ointment? A Bloodline Warrior shouldn't be so arrogant. If those words reached the Apothecary Guild, even if you are a Bloodline Warrior—hmph hmph!”

Qian Jin coldly observed the two warriors beside Lei Wei. They were stout and muscular, with bright, spirited eyes, and a faint hint of bloodlust emanating from their bodies. They didn't look like ordinary warriors; it was highly likely they possessed the strength of Demon-Subduing Warriors. Even if they had fought back against the bandits just now, they probably wouldn't have…

“The Apothecary Guild? Even if we went there, we’d say the ointment you hold is rubbish,” Duan Feng Bu’er didn't even spare Lei Wei a glance, stepping in front of Song Xinghe. “Uncle, you’re quite badly hurt. Even if a Rank Four ointment heals the wound, if the subsequent recovery isn't managed properly, won't your strength still suffer a little?”

Song Xinghe nodded slightly, looking at Duan Feng Bu’er with surprise, curious why this powerful Bloodline Warrior had stepped forward to speak.

“That Rank Four sword wound ointment, that piece of junk, best not use it. How about using this instead? I’ll sell it to you for a single copper coin.” Duan Feng Bu’er pulled a coarse, simple porcelain bottle from his waist pouch. Behind him, Lei Wei let out a cold snort of disdain.

Song Xinghe nodded with a trace of embarrassment. A porcelain bottle of that quality on the street would probably only cost a single copper coin; how could it contain any good medicine? It couldn't compare to the bottle in Lei Wei’s hand, which was likely worth a gold coin—Young Master Lei the Third of the Lei family, one of the eight great powers of Yongxing Province, was no ordinary person. Duan Feng Bu’er turned and glared at Lei Wei: “What are you coldly snorting about? A coward like you only judges by appearances.”

A: I recommend this book. The author is a genuine traditional Chinese medicine practitioner who claims to be as pure as the Xinwen Lianbo (China's main evening news broadcast). This book by Wu Zhi, Super Immortal Doctor, is just as pure as the news. The book is about showing off, the author is pretentious, and thus the protagonist is naturally pretentious too. Friends who enjoy the showing-off genre, or novels as pure as Xinwen Lianbo, can check this book out.

Also, a dull, fat cat reader who has followed Gao Lou for many books has been in low spirits these past few days. I wish classmate Fei Pu all the best in overcoming his gloom soon.

Finally, to prevent the annual tickets from expiring, please cast your monthly votes for Gao Lou!