Zhang Qiaoyi smiled, "Hey, you need to be careful too. If you can avoid trouble, just avoid it.

That area is full of desperate outlaws; they don't fear death." "Yes." Lin Ping smiled dismissively. Li Muzhan frowned; it seemed they really were desperate outlaws if even the disciples of Xinghu Xiaozhu were so wary—they couldn't be underestimated.

Xinghu Xiaozhu operated with considerable dominance; a sect run primarily by women needed to be this forceful to stand firm in the world, otherwise, everyone would bully them. It was human nature to prey on the weak.

The five rested for half an hour, then continued their journey, switching to a different pair of horses. The ten fine steeds galloped incredibly fast.

By afternoon, the surrounding terrain grew rugged and difficult to traverse; the paths were either too narrow or too steep, making progress arduous. Although it was winter, the surrounding mountains were lush and vibrant; the pines and bamboo groves were intensely green, and the air was moist and warm, as if it were spring.

The path grew increasingly treacherous. At its narrowest, it could barely accommodate one carriage; if two carriages met head-on, one would have to back up several paces to find a wider spot to yield.

The expressions of the three women became sterner. Influenced by them, Lin Ping also tightened his face, constantly glancing around, his eyes sparkling sharply like cold stars, piercing and imposing.

Li Muzhan, however, lounged lazily on his horse, his eyelids slightly lowered, seemingly dozing off. His Eye of the Void surveyed the surrounding five li.

There was indeed danger. Not far ahead, a group of people—more than a dozen—were hidden, lying motionless in the tall grass.

He gave no warning, pretending ignorance, keeping his eyelids slightly lowered, his body swaying naturally with the horse's movement; his riding skill was exquisite. Zhang Qiaoyi rode at the very front.

As she reached the foot of a mountain, she turned her head and called out, "Be vigilant. This stretch of road often has bandits.

Be prepared for surprise attacks and ambushes!" Her gaze briefly fell upon Li Muzhan, who appeared to be dozing. This section of the road was difficult and slow going; his drowsiness was understandable.

However, he needed to be alert for the path ahead and couldn't afford to nap again. Li Muzhan opened his eyes and nodded with a smile, signaling that he understood.

Before them loomed a massive mountain range—a narrow earthen trail wound up to the peak, looking like a yellow ribbon floating in the air, flanked by thick, verdant wild grass on both sides. Lin Ping tilted his head back to survey the terrain and shook it.

"The grass here is too tall... dealing with hidden people will be difficult.

Why not just burn it all clean?" Zhang Qiaoyi chuckled, "The climate here is too damp; setting a fire wouldn't catch, and besides, it would incite general outrage. Who knows how many thieves are hidden in these mountains." "Are we, Xinghu Xiaozhu, afraid of this rabble?!" Lin Ping scoffed, unconvinced.

Zhang Qiaofeng shook her head. "We have no need to invite this trouble." Lin Ping said solemnly, "If they insist on being blind, we should show them some real power, let them know that Xinghu Xiaozhu cannot be provoked!" Zhang Qiaoyi smiled and said no more, urging her horse upward.

………………………………………… When they reached the mid-slope, Zhang Qiaoyi suddenly waved her hand, and all the horses immediately halted. She cupped her fist and called out loudly, "This humble girl is a disciple of Xinghu Xiaozhu.

We seek passage!" "Heh heh... heh heh..." A series of cold laughs echoed from all directions, rebounding endlessly, as if dozens of people were speaking simultaneously.

Zhang Qiaoyi frowned and made a gesture. Xu Xiaorou quickly turned and beckoned, signaling Li Muzhan to approach.

Li Muzhan guided his horse over to ride alongside her. Xu Xiaorou whispered, "When the fighting starts, don't stray far from my side." Li Muzhan laughed, "Senior Sister Xu, I have the ability to protect myself." "Don't try to be tough; these men's martial arts are formidable," Xu Xiaorou shook her head.

"Moreover, they don't value their lives; they're impossible to guard against." Li Muzhan didn't pretend to be strong; he nodded. Lin Ping also sidled over, chuckling, "Senior Sister Xu, I'll lend a hand, we can protect Senior Brother Li together." Li Muzhan smiled wryly, "Thank you, Junior Brother Lin." He was actually pleased that Lin Ping didn't take him seriously; if he were to fall here, it would save him the trouble of meticulously killing people himself.

Xu Xiaorou glanced at Lin Ping and shook her head. "You'll be lucky if you can protect yourself; don't worry about Junior Brother Li!" Lin Ping boasted proudly, "Senior Sister Xu underestimates me too much!" Xu Xiaorou rolled her eyes at him.

"Enough, you don't need to show off that clumsy technique of yours!" Lin Ping looked a bit sheepish, managed a strained smile, and stopped speaking to avoid further embarrassment. "Heh heh............

heh heh..." Cold laughs echoed from all directions, their source untraceable. Li Muzhan frowned and looked toward Zhang Qiaoyi.

Zhang Qiaoyi's bright eyes darted around, then suddenly lit up. She called out, "Junior Sister He, let's go!" The two leaped from their horses, soaring up like a pair of swallows, flying toward the dense grass on the left.

Mid-air, they drew their swords, slashing out a sheet of flashing light. "Clang, ding, ding, ding..." A string of crisp ringing sounds erupted as dozens of cold projectiles struck the sword light, scattering wildly.

The two women landed gracefully in the grass. The sword light flashed a few times before settling, creating a state of tense stalemate.

"The women from Xinghu Xiaozhu are indeed fierce! Everyone, fight to the death!" someone shouted.

"Ah, my eyes!" someone shrieked. "Kill!

There are only two of them! Take them down!" someone roared.

"Capture these two little vixens and take them back as fortress mistresses!" someone bellowed with laughter. A jumble of chaotic shouts rose and fell.

More than ten men surrounded the two women, some wielding sabers, others longswords. Their martial arts varied, but all were undeniably skilled.

The two women stood back-to-back, their swords held horizontally before their chests, coldly sweeping their gaze over the dozen ruffians. With a rustling sound, five large men emerged from the grass behind, grinning sinisterly as they slowly advanced toward Li Muzhan and the other two, their movements sluggish, their gazes mocking, like cats spotting mice.

………………………………………… Xu Xiaorou frowned and turned to say, "Junior Brother Li, fall back!" Li Muzhan drew his Bismuth Water Saber; the blade shimmered, undulating like water in front of him as he spoke gravely, "Senior Sister Xu, let us face them side-by-side." Lin Ping urged his horse to Xu Xiaorou's side and laughed, "Senior Sister Xu, why use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken? I'll deal with them, then help Senior Sister Zhang and the others!" Without waiting for Xu Xiaorou to reply, he pressed down on the saddle and lightly sprang out, landing in front of the five men, coldly sneering, "You blind fools!

Is Xinghu Xiaozhu a place you people can provoke?!" "Heh heh, never mind Xinghu Xiaozhu, even the Heavenly King himself came, we'd dare provoke him!" a burly man sneered contemptuously. "Seeking death!" Lin Ping sneered, and a streak of sword light suddenly flared from his waist, darting out with lightning speed, instantly arriving before the big man.

The burly man blocked with his saber—with a crisp "Ding"—both men recoiled a step after the blade and sword met. "Hmm, the lad has some skill!" The big man's eyes widened.

Lin Ping's handsome face darkened slightly. He hadn't expected this brute to possess such deep internal energy, not beneath his own.

It was truly rare to find such a master among mere robbers. Martial arts experts generally disdained engaging in such petty plunder; those who robbed in the wilderness were usually not very skilled, only capable of handling ordinary folk.

This situation shattered Lin Ping's assumptions. Li Muzhan remarked, "Senior Sister Xu, I think Junior Brother Lin he..." "Yes, I understand." Xu Xiaorou nodded, her eyes fixed intently on the confrontation.

She was annoyed by Lin Ping's presumption, but having finally taken on a disciple, she couldn't risk an accident. Furthermore, she needed to be ready in case her engaging the enemy caused others to trouble Li Muzhan.

Li Muzhan said, "I'll be fine." "Mm." Xu Xiaorou nodded, keeping her focus on Lin Ping. Lin Ping’s handsome face grew stern, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he sneered, "I underestimated you.

Watch my sword!" He suddenly closed the distance with the big man, his sword light piercing like lightning, incredibly fast. The big man met the attack with his saber.

"Clang, clang, ding, clang"—in the span of a few breaths, over a dozen exchanges had passed, still inconclusive. Lin Ping's sword was fast, but the big man's saber was no slower; their power levels were comparable, and for the moment, neither could gain the upper hand.

The other four big men grew impatient watching. One man waved his long saber.

"Old Li, let's go together! Let's quickly butcher this little pretty boy!" Another big man nodded.

"Exactly, Old Li! Don't play the hero; the longer this drags, the worse it gets!" "Fine, we'll go together!" the burly man said gravely.

He forced Lin Ping's sword aside with one blow and snorted, "The pretty boy does have some talent, too bad!" Two men rushed in, their long sabers descending on Lin Ping, who was suddenly fighting three opponents and immediately found himself at a disadvantage. ……………………………………………………………………, two other middle-aged men slowly approached Li Muzhan and Xu Xiaorou.

They stared at Xu Xiaorou. A round-faced man grinned, "Little girl, we know you’re from Xinghu Xiaozhu, but today we are set on achieving our goal.

You might as well dismount obediently; no need to waste your energy." Li Muzhan, sitting on his horse, glanced toward the other skirmish. Zhang Qiaoyi and He Ruoshui were standing shoulder-to-shoulder, deflecting the onslaught of over a dozen men with their swords.

Their sword lights flashed like scattered starlight; the two women's movements were graceful and nimble, as if performing a sword dance. However, the power of their swordplay was astonishing.

In the time it took to speak, four of the dozen ruffians had already fallen, but the remaining twelve continued to attack fiercely, showing no sign of fear. It seemed the two women wouldn't be able to disengage soon; these twelve men fought with suicidal desperation, employing every move as if inviting mutual destruction.

On this side, Lin Ping was in grave peril under the three-man siege, barely able to find a gap for breath. Xu Xiaorou hesitated, wanting to help but worried about leaving Li Muzhan alone.

Li Muzhan's thoughts raced, and he said grimly, "Senior Sister Xu, go help Junior Brother Lin. I'll handle these two!" He didn't wait for Xu Xiaorou to speak; he suddenly sprang toward the two men, unleashing a curtain of saber light with his Bismuth Water Saber, enveloping them and forcing them to parry.

"Clang! Ding!" With two sharp sounds, the two men paused in shock.

They felt a lightness in their hands, looked down, and saw that their long sabers were now reduced to just half their length. "A fine saber!" Both men immediately stared at the Bismuth Water Saber with greed.

Li Muzhan stood firm, holding his saber horizontally. Xu Xiaorou sighed in relief, gracefully sweeping toward Lin Ping's position, her long sword scattering a vast net of cold light that enveloped the three attackers.

Lin Ping, teetering on the edge of collapse, gasping for air, had never felt death so close, one moment away from falling into the Nine Springs. He was furious and terrified.

At that moment, Xu Xiaorou arrived suddenly. The three opponents had no choice but to respond to her attack.

Lin Ping felt a sudden lightness, as if a massive weight had been lifted, and he immediately lunged with his sword at one man. Lin Ping and Xu Xiaorou attacking together quickly gained the upper hand against the trio.

On the other side, the two big men attacked Li Muzhan barehanded, but Li Muzhan began to lose ground. Xu Xiaorou felt a surge of anxiety and cried out sweetly, "Junior Brother Li, fall back here!"

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