The few mercenaries nearest the scout instinctively turned their heads, instantly freezing in place.

The two figures slumped over the horses were not mercenaries from their band at all! They were merely clad in the uniforms of the two scouts sent ahead. The reason they were leaning low wasn't to avoid arrows, but to conceal their faces. Their hands, visibly bulging with throbbing veins, gripped bone-chilling battle sabers, already half-drawn from their scabbards—and no one knew when that had happened!

A wave of retroactive terror washed over the mercenaries, a chilling sensation shooting up their spines. If they had dropped the defensive circle formed by the wagons just moments ago, and these two bandits had burst in from the outside to launch a sudden attack—the consequence...

No one dared to contemplate the outcome. Every mercenary let out a sigh of relief, lowering the weapons aimed at Qian Jin, and directing looks of apology mixed with shocked admiration his way.

To conceal themselves so effectively for such a short time, yet he could see through the disguise in an instant? Zeng Chuandong stroked his chin, astonished by Qian Jin's perception. He himself hadn't noticed their disguise and had unhesitatingly loosed an arrow to kill them. Such judgment, confidence, and that sheer...

“A pity…” Zeng Chuandong sighed, shaking his head. Such exceptional archery skill belonging to someone who wasn't a Demon-Slaying Warrior was a profound waste! He absolutely had to find a way in the future to leverage the resources of the Warrior Guild to condense his fighting spirit into Dou Qi. Then he would surely become an outstanding warrior. “What a pity, such a pity, such a pity…”

The more Zeng Chuandong looked at Qian Jin’s retreating figure, the stronger his regret became. Even Fabredis in his prime, possessing the same decisiveness and confidence as this young man, was slightly inferior to Qian Jin in terms of observation. Even utilizing the Guild’s resources and various methods to elevate him to a Demon-Slaying Warrior felt like a waste. Such archery skills… it was a shame he could only be elevated to a Demon-Slaying Warrior with resources, but that couldn't make him truly stronger… “This warrior was destined for an infinitely bright future,” Zeng Chuandong murmured sentimentally. This marksmanship would even draw appreciation from the legendary divine archers of the Yi Yu family.

The mercenaries swiftly dragged the dead bandits and their horses into the wagon formation, watching the rapidly approaching horsemen—close enough now that they could discern the bandits' eyebrows—with collective sobriety.

Duan Fengbu’er finally vaulted down from the hay-filled wagon, gripping his resilient wooden pole spear, his voice carrying a faint trace of excitement: “So these are the bandits known beyond the Great Wall?”

Square inch-sized black wooden planks, linked by steel wires, were arranged tightly together, forming pieces of armor as inky black as night.

The armor was black, the horses were black, the flags were black, and even their weapons were black. Merely standing there, coupled with the notorious reputation of the Black Wind Raiders, generated an intense sense of oppression.

They halted their mounts less than fifty meters from the defensive circle. The leader was a burly man over two meters tall, cloaked in a black feathered cape. Beside him, two Black Wind bandits dragged a dust-covered mercenary each.

The mercenaries inside the circle felt a momentary joy seeing their comrades alive, but immediately fell silent again. Being alive now was no different from being dead.

A bandit from the Black Wind Raiders spurred his horse forward and shouted: “Merchants ahead, listen up! We are the Seventeenth Squad of the Third Brigade of the Black Wind Raider Group! We currently suspect you are transporting military supplies prohibited by the Zhence Dynasty for the Demon Race! Clear a path immediately for inspection! If you have no contraband, you will be released at once.”

The mercenaries’ silence deepened as they gripped their weapons tighter. The Black Wind Raider Group ranked eighth among the Ten Great Raider Groups beyond the Great Wall precisely because they were ruthless and merciless, leaving no survivors during robberies. Otherwise, they would only rank tenth at best, never eighth.

Boss Liang trembled behind a wagon, peeking furtively at the bandits. His voice was laced with panic as he shouted loudly: “We… we are legitimate merchants, and we are not smuggling any prohibited military supplies! Esteemed sirs of the Black Wind, if you happen to be a bit short on funds recently, I have a bag of gold coins here. Though not much, it’s one hundred pieces. Perhaps it can alleviate your current difficulties…”

One hundred gold coins? Qian Jin’s scalp tingled. Offering one hundred gold coins right away? It seemed this caravan was incredibly profitable. He wondered what they were selling this time; this was the first time they’d offered one hundred gold coins upon meeting bandits.

Qian Jin glanced sideways with suspicion at the wagons laden with goods, then heard the Black Wind Raiders shouting from a distance: “Merchants ahead, listen up! Perhaps you have heard the rumors that the Black Wind Raider Group never leaves survivors.

But we must clarify: we are the Third Brigade, Seventeenth Squad! Unlike other teams, we only rob contraband military supplies! If your cargo is not military supplies, we won’t take a single copper coin from you…” “They won’t leave us a single copper coin…” Boss Liang whimpered, huddled on the ground, pitifully eyeing the wagons piled high with goods, muttering: They won’t leave us a single copper coin. Suddenly, a piercing, high-pitched shriek erupted from within the bandit ranks: “I knew it! You blockheads with wood for brains! Why waste time talking to them? Just kill them all and clear out!”

Qian Jin picked at his ear with his pinky finger, trying to dig out the sharp sound that had pierced his eardrums. This high-pitched, grating voice sounded like a man forcing his throat to imitate a woman—so shrill it could raise goosebumps if listened to for too long.

“Tenth Commander! Our Seventeenth Squad has always operated this way, reporting only to the First Commander and the Third Commander. Your duty is merely to collect the smuggled goods we seize; other matters do not seem to fall under your purview,” a warrior mounted on a black warhorse slowly rode out from the bandit ranks, instantly drawing the attention of Qian Jin and the other mercenaries.

The strong, black warhorse emanated a noble aura. The warrior astride it was clad in sleek black armor that sculpted the perfect, seductive figure unique to women. Her waist was incredibly slender, yet it didn't convey any sense of weakness. Her high, firm breasts were accentuated by the armor, inviting boundless imagination, and her long legs were full of vitality.

Most striking, however, was her face, which was concealed behind a black metal mask, revealing only black eyes to the world. Even those eyes alone sparked countless conjectures, stirring an intense urge to tear off the mask immediately and gaze upon her true visage.

Her eyes swept over the Tenth Commander standing beside her—a man with fair skin like a woman's and not a trace of beard on his chin.

A pair of eyes that were simultaneously placid and intensely captivating met a pair of sharp, venomous eyes. The pupils within the two black, gem-like eyes contracted infinitesimally. The hands gripping the reins creaked audibly as the voice turned cold and sharp: “Since Hua Yan Bujian is absent, your Seventeenth Squad is always causing trouble, yet you seize less loot than any other squad. Don’t think saving the Third Commander once grants you perpetual protection! The Black Wind answers to the First Commander! Is the Third trying to usurp power? He’s still too green!”

The cold glint in Hua Yan Bujian’s pupils gradually receded, replaced by an expression of utter boredom. She looked at the Tenth Commander before her—a man pale-skinned, clean-shaven, slightly thin, with eyes that bulged a little: “Wanyan Tiegu, when I joined the Black Wind, I made my conditions clear; both the First Commander and the Third Commander agreed. If you have any grievances with the Seventeenth Squad, take them to them.”

The Black Wind Raider beneath the black armor on horseback intentionally tugged the reins, causing the warhorse to distance itself slightly from the Tenth Commander.

Tenth Commander Wanyan Tiegu narrowed his eyes into blade-sharp slits. His piercing gaze, like a battle saber, fixed firmly on the figure: “Hua Yan Bujian! You have time to argue with me, you’d better spend it figuring out how to rescue the other two squad captains. I personally watched them being dragged into that formation. If you can’t bring them out alive… even the Third Commander won't be able to protect you this time.”

The dilated pupils of Hua Yan Bujian contracted once more. A trace of weariness entered her languid eyes. She adjusted the reins with her black leopard-skin gloves, her body swaying lazily as the warhorse moved forward, and her clear, melodious voice slowly rang out: “Merchants ahead, release the two Black Wind members you captured, and clear a path for us to conduct our inspection. I, Hua Yan Bujian, guarantee that if you have no prohibited smuggled goods, we will not take a single copper coin from you.”

The mercenaries gripped their weapons tighter, continuously staring at the Black Wind Seventeenth Squad, whose numbers were clearly inferior but who projected an aura capable of sweeping everything aside. “The… Tenth Commander… Wanyan Tiegu…” Boss Liang braced himself with his hands on the ground to prevent himself from collapsing entirely. Qian Jin grew curious about Boss Liang’s intense reaction: “You know this person?”

“Know him? More than that…” Boss Liang glanced at the two Black Wind corpses on the ground, his eyes flickering as he subtly peered at Qian Jin nearby, swallowing repeatedly: “Rumor has it that five years ago, the Black Wind Raider Group encountered a newly joined bandit. In a very short time, this person challenged the Tenth Commander and killed the incumbent Tenth Commander, who was a Demon-Slaying Warrior at the time. While I don’t know what Demon-Slaying Nine Battles means, I assume it signifies someone incredibly powerful. And the slain Tenth Commander was said to be one of the Demon-Slaying Nine Battles…” “Killed a Demon-Slaying Nine Battles five years ago?” Qian Jin couldn't help but look up toward the distant Tenth Commander, secretly wondering how much stronger he had become in the past five years. “I also heard…” Boss Liang glanced again at the mercenaries around him, their expressions resolute for a last stand but lacking any sign of expecting victory. He sighed once more: “Rumor has it… he might even possess a bloodline power.”