"Our men saw it clearly," the lean, one-eyed man reported. "There are exactly twenty-three Black Armor Army soldiers!"

The big boss stroked his bald head, his eyes narrowing, a smile gradually spreading across his face. "Only twenty-three? Hmph, hmph... Our brothers could drown them with one spit each! Still, being able to hire the Black Armor Army means this must be a massive undertaking. Right, tell me the details about that merchant convoy."

The lean, one-eyed man grinned wickedly. "Boss, besides the Black Armor Army guards, they hired another escort, about seventy or eighty men. As for the cargo... there are ten full carts, packed to the brim with boxes. And two carriages—they must hold soft-skinned merchants and women."

The big boss fell silent.

The lean man knew that despite his rough exterior, the boss was actually quite astute, and he was clearly strategizing how to deal with the convoy.

After a long pause...

"Dealing with those seventy or eighty escorts is easy! I can deploy five hundred of my archers, and two volleys will wipe them out!" The big boss frowned. "The most troublesome part is those twenty-three Black Armor soldiers! Heavily armored, men and horses alike. Swords barely scratch them. Killing them will certainly cost us many brothers."

"No matter how tough they are, there are only twenty-three of them. We have plenty of ways," the lean, one-eyed man insisted.

The big boss glared at him. "Of course I know that! There are many ways to kill them, but remember this: if we engage the Black Armor Army, we must annihilate every single one. Not one survivor. If even one escapes, knows our faces, and learns our identities, when the Black Armor Army comes seeking vengeance, we’re finished!"

Wiping them all out, with the Guiyuan Sect a thousand miles away, it would be hard to trace the culprits. But a single survivor would spell disaster.

"The Black Armor Army horses—they must be fine steeds! Did you notice the color of their coats?" the big boss inquired.

Even though the warhorses were covered in heavy armor, it was impossible to cover them completely. For instance, the ears, the legs, the tails! These areas could reveal the horses' colors.

"I wasn't paying close attention at the time," the one-eyed man admitted, slightly embarrassed. Then, recalling something, he added, "Oh, yes, I remember! Two of the horses had white hooves! Yes, that was very easy to recall."

"Those are Azure-Mane Snow-Treading Horses!" The big boss nodded. "Those are the mounts of the Black Armor Army centurions! It seems we have at least two centurions this time. I wonder if there's an officer of the Commander level among them!"

"So what if there's a Commander? Aren't they just experts of the Houtian realm?" the one-eyed man scoffed.

"What do you know!" the boss roared. "A Commander himself isn't much, but his mount is a Crimson Blood Horse! With the explosive speed of a Crimson Blood Horse, if that Commander tries to flee, how could we stop him? Forget him—even those two Azure-Mane Snow-Treading Horses, when they bolt, only my 'Wind Chaser' could keep up. Everyone else wouldn't even come close!"

The big boss rubbed his bald head and commanded, "Tell the Second Boss and the others to come over here!"

"Boss, we're doing it?" The one-eyed man's eyes lit up.

"Of course we are! So many escorts, and they hired the Black Armor Army—this cargo is worth at least several hundred thousand taels of silver," the big boss said, his gaze turning cold. "Even with a Crimson Blood Horse, I’ll make sure he doesn't leave alive!"

...

The sky darkened.

Along the official road, the air was filled with neighing horses and shrieks of agony.

The two ten-man squads of the Black Armor Army, mounted, charged through the bandit gang like two gales, their shimmering, icy spear tips piercing the fragile bodies of the robbers. Once these Black Armor Army warhorses galloped, the soldiers needed only to leverage the momentum; a single thrust easily skewered a brigand's body.

Teng Qingshan, Du Hong, and Teng Qinghu rode their horses down the center of the road. Any bandit charging toward them was met with a casual sweep of the spear, dispatching the robber instantly.

"These hundreds of brigands dare to rob us? They're courting death!" Du Hong sneered.

"I doubt everyone got their fill of killing," Teng Qingshan said lightly. As Commander, he knew exactly how fearsome the Black Armor Army soldiers were.

Every cavalryman in the Black Armor Army was essentially a mobile fortress—both soldier and horse clad in heavy armor. Furthermore, the common soldiers' mounts were all Black-Patterned Horses, valued at a thousand silver taels each—the kind of horse usually reserved only for gang leaders in bandit organizations.

Warhorses already possessed immense strength, and every Black Armor soldier wielded over a thousand catties of force, with many practicing the Mighty Ox Strength Art.

Plus, operating in ten-man squads with mutual support, a ten-man charge was effectively a meat grinder.

The two ten-man squads charged several times, and over a hundred bandits were slain; the remaining brigands fled in panic!

"Commander, the rest of the bandits have fled!" The two ten-man squads returned.

The warhorses and the riders' heavy armor were covered in blood and shredded flesh, reeking of carnage. Over a hundred enemies killed, not a single Black Armor soldier injured! This was the Black Armor Army! The most terrifying force under the Guiyuan Sect!

"Mm, rinse the armor. We depart shortly," Teng Qingshan instructed.

"Yes!"

The Black Armor soldiers began washing their heavy armor.

"For those bandits to provoke us—they truly didn't know how they were going to die. I only killed eleven bandits, my body was just warming up and I hadn't had enough fun, and they ran away."

"Don't brag. I only killed six. You, being at the front, got the easy kills," another grumbled.

A murmur of conversation arose; none of them seemed particularly bothered by the recent battle.

The convoy's other escorts secretly trembled, awestruck by the Black Armor Army's sheer martial power.

"Brother Qingshan," Zhu Chongshi approached, smiling. "I think those brigands probably assumed you were ordinary heavy cavalry. They didn't recognize you as the Black Armor Army, haha... If they had, with such a small force, how would they dare to attack?"

"Indeed," Teng Qingshan nodded. "Xu Yang Commandery is over a thousand li from our Jiangning Commandery. It's not surprising these unsophisticated bandits don't know my men are the Black Armor Army. By the way, Brother Zhu, the sky is darkening; we should hurry along. Up ahead is Fanwu City in Xu Yang Commandery. Today, we can finally stay at a decent inn within the city."

"Haha, these past few days, camping in the wild, it’s been rare to even take a proper bath. In this midsummer heat, I’m soaked in sweat. Tonight, I’m taking a long, hot bath," Zhu Chongshi laughed.

Generally, the distance between two cities was two to three hundred li, some even further. Since the convoy traveled only about a hundred li a day, they often had to spend nights outdoors. Of course, occasionally, an inn or two would pop up along the official road. However, inns in desolate wilderness areas were usually in terrible condition.

After a comfortable night's rest in the city, the convoy continued its journey after breakfast!

...

"Master, according to the map, Bloodstone Slope is five li ahead! The difference in elevation between the top and bottom of Bloodstone Slope is nearly twenty feet. With such a steep incline, if a large group of brigands hid below the slope, we wouldn't see them at all! This is a notorious ambush spot for bandits. We must be careful," Old Wu reminded them.

A nearby guard chuckled. "Old Wu, don't worry. Everyone knows bandits frequently ambush here, so we are prepared. Even if some brigands target us, they probably wouldn't choose that spot, right?"

"What is real is deceptive, and what is deceptive is real," Zhu Chongshi glanced at the guard beside him. "Since Bloodstone Slope is so often used for ambushes, it means that location is highly suitable for it! If it’s suitable for ambushes, of course the bandits will choose it!" Zhu Chongshi looked toward Teng Qingshan beside him and called out, "Brother Qingshan, Bloodstone Slope is five li ahead; be careful."

"Brother Zhu, rest assured. We are at the front. If there are bandits, we will drive them back!" Teng Qingshan replied with a smile.

...

Below Bloodstone Slope, a massive horde of robbers and brigands was currently gathered. Unusually, only some of the bandits were mounted.

"When they arrive, do exactly as I instructed, understood?" The big boss looked at the few men around him.

"Don't worry, Big Brother, we have so many men here, and your plan is flawless, haha... Not one of them will escape!" The other leaders accompanying him laughed. "We have three thousand brothers here alone; we can bury them with manpower."

"Bury them with manpower? Aren't our brothers' lives worth anything?" the big boss reprimanded. "Remember, you have to use your brains!" This boss was convinced his plan was absolutely foolproof.

"Tell all the brothers to quiet down and not make a sound," the big boss ordered.

...

Teng Qingshan rode his horse at the very front, Bloodstone Slope just a li ahead.

"Hm?" Teng Qingshan’s ears twitched.

Teng Qingshan's physical body—his bones, organs, and five senses—had all reached the peak of human potential. Down below Bloodstone Slope, three thousand men were gathered. Even if three thousand brigands obeyed orders and remained silent, they would still generate a considerable amount of noise.

"There are people, and very, very many of them!" Teng Qingshan discerned through sound.

"Halt!" Teng Qingshan raised his hand, stopping the convoy.

"Brother Qingshan, what is it?" Zhu Chongshi walked over. At a distance of one li, if those three thousand men were silent, how could an ordinary person possibly hear them?

"Brother Zhu, there are indeed many bandits hidden below Bloodstone Slope, far more than I can accurately count. But... for safety's sake, we should detour," Teng Qingshan stated.

"Detour?" Zhu Chongshi frowned.

To detour would add over three hundred li to their journey—nearly three extra days of travel.

"There are too many bandits; we won't be able to protect you while fighting," Teng Qingshan explained. At this moment, sending scouts was impossible, because—at one li away—if he turned the convoy around now, the enemy might not have noticed. But if he sent scouts, the enemy would certainly detect their movements.

Zhu Chongshi looked back at the carriages and nodded. "Very well, we shall detour!" Immediately, following Zhu Chongshi's command, everyone else in the convoy obediently turned their mounts to change course.

However...

That bandit group had been watching Teng Qingshan and his party closely, with numerous spies stationed midway. Seeing them attempt to flee by turning back...

"Whoosh!" A signal arrow shot into the sky.

"Haha, ladies and gentlemen, you might as well stay!" A loud laugh echoed from a distance, ringing through the air like a thunderclap. A vast number of men and horses emerged from below Bloodstone Slope. "Don't bother running. Ten li in the other direction, two thousand of my brothers are waiting for you. You have nowhere to escape!"

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