Qie? The mercenaries were stunned. Had Qian Jin gone mad, killing the Tenth Commander of the Black Wind Bandits only to ask them how to offer thanks? What was there to say? Naturally, they’d greet him with blades! Fortunately, the Tenth Commander was dead, and Qian Jin was so formidable that perhaps they really stood a chance of surviving this robbery. Behind the black metal mask, Hua Yanjiebujian fell into deep contemplation, only the exposed eyes flickering with a faint smile: "Young warrior, you are quite clever."

Qian Jin shrugged. Hearing Wanyan Tiegu’s low complaint to Hua Yanjiebujian, only an absolute fool would think they were the closest of kin. Moreover, Hua Yanjiebujian had clearly harbored murderous intent toward Wanyan Tiegu on the horseback just moments ago—it was more than just a faint release of killing aura. "What about those two?" Hua Yanjiebujian spoke again, yet his body bore no trace of hostility, "as if two good friends were chatting." Qian Jin walked back to the swift horse, mounted it, and pulled the reins: "Dead." "Is that so?"

A hint of delight flashed in Hua Yanjiebujian's eyes. Suddenly, he raised his whip and waved his hand, causing the Black Wind Bandits behind him to collectively maneuver their horses aside.

"We received word that this shipment contains contraband items," Hua Yanjiebujian stated calmly, staring at Qian Jin's back. "Since you killed those three troublesome fellows, as a reward, I won't investigate this time." "Wanyan Tiegu is finished. How will you explain it when you return?" Qian Jin tightened his reins, turning back to look at Hua Yanjiebujian: "Will it be an easy explanation?"

"Heh heh eleven eleven eleven" The laughter beneath the metal mask was crisp and pleasant, like the call of a yellow oriole. "You don't understand the rules of the Black Wind. Those who are extinguished hold no value. Compared to the deceased Wanyan Tiegu, our Seventeenth Squad holds more worth. Of course, by killing Wanyan Tiegu, you have also offended the pride of the Black Wind. Be careful, my charming young man." "Oh, is that so." Qian Jin rode back into the crowd, dismounted, and gestured to the mercenaries: "Get the caravan sorted and move quickly, lest we be intercepted by another Black Wind squad."

Boss Liang raised a hand to wipe the cold sweat from his brow, secretly thankful he hadn't betrayed Qian Jin earlier. Otherwise, he might now be a headless corpse like Wanyan Tiegu.

"Qian Jin, Qian Jin." Boss Liang approached Qian Jin with heavy steps, his eyes blazing with avarice: "Qian Jin has killed the Black Wind's Tenth Commander. Why don't we launch a surprise attack? Kill all these Black Wind members too! Their heads are worth a decent bounty!"

"If you want to die sooner, you can charge in!" Qian Jin shook his head and gave a cold laugh before turning towards the hay-filled wagon: "Facing that Hua Yanjiebujian is like facing the Moon Demon Flower Spider… No! The pressure she exerts is even greater than the Moon Demon Flower Spider. I truly cannot fathom how such a woman is merely a squad leader? Normally, running into one Bloodline Warrior is difficult… A single Black Wind squad having two Bloodline Warriors is truly startling."

"Blo... Bloodline Warrior..." Boss Liang's thick lips parted wide. He glanced fearfully and secretly at Hua Yanjiebujian on horseback, swallowing repeatedly, wiping the new cold sweat that had broken out on his forehead. He thought, what kind of day was this? Some people never encounter a Bloodline Warrior in their entire lives, and he had run into two in one go.

The Black Wind Bandits watched the caravan slowly move away. One leaned close to Hua Yanjiebujian and whispered, "Captain, are we really just letting them go?"

"Otherwise?" Hua Yanjiebujian’s voice held a faint trace of amusement. She crossed her arms over her chest, making her high, proud bosom appear even more magnificent. "Have you ever seen such a young ordinary warrior capable of mastering the Nine Demon-Subduing Battles? Such an interesting little fellow; this elder sister wants to observe him a bit longer. Besides, do you truly think he's that easy to deal with?" "Captain sounds like she’s old—aren't you only twenty-four?" "I think the Captain might have taken a liking to that boy." "That's right, that's right! His skin is a little dark, but his body is sturdy, and his features aren't bad either." "Exactly! I think the boy looks good too; he doesn't have that effeminate pretty-boy vibe at all, but rather a kind of straightforward masculine appeal." "Absolutely! So much flavor at such a young age, that’s rare! No wonder the Captain..."

The bandits of the Seventeenth Squad burst into laughter, completely devoid of the previous tension and oppression, and certainly no sign of strict hierarchy. "Are your backs itchy?"

The high-pitched voice beneath the metal mask no longer carried the oppressive weight from before; instead, it held a hint of girlish petulance.

The Black Wind Bandits all roared with laughter and spurred their horses, scattering around, leaving Hua Yanjiebujian alone, brandishing her whip in the air.

"What are they laughing about?" Boss Liang sat on the wagon next to Qian Jin, asking cautiously, turning back every so often to look at the unrestrained Black Wind Bandits behind them. "Could they be planning to chase and rob us again?" Qian Jin ignored the Black Wind group behind him and stared curiously at Boss Liang until the stout man started feeling uneasy. Only then did he ask, "What exactly were you illegally smuggling this time?" "What contraband are you talking about!" Boss Liang’s face immediately hardened. "Don't listen to their nonsense! Those bandits are just looking for an excuse to rob us!" "Is that so?" Qian Jin stroked his chin, smiling noncommittally, and pointed his index finger toward the Black Wind Bandits not far behind: "How about I call them all over? Let them inspect it?"

The hardened expression on Fatty Liang’s face instantly stiffened, worry and fear clouding his eyes. Qian Jin simply smiled faintly and calmly watched Boss Liang’s cheeks begin to twitch.

"If you don't want to say, never mind. I don't want to pry further." Qian Jin lay back into the straw of the wagon, looking up at the sky, no longer watching Boss Liang's rigid expression. There was no benefit in offending such a merchant, and he wasn't the only one dealing in contraband; such merchants existed among the Demon Race too.

Boss Liang observed Qian Jin carefully for a long time, confirmed that the warrior truly didn't care to know, and, letting out a sigh of relief, immediately turned and left, climbing into another wagon.

"Say, comrade-in-arms," Duan Feng Buer jumped into the straw of the wagon, smiling at Qian Jin, "Your left hand still hurts quite a bit, doesn't it? Being poked by an Iron Arm Mantis Bloodline Warrior—it's lucky your bones didn't shatter. I happen to have some top-quality..."

Qian Jin flipped over, turning his back to temporarily act as a distraction for Duan Feng Buer, who was trying to play the role of a medicine peddler to trade for cigarettes. He pulled out [Five Slashes of a Thousand Armies] from his pouch, deciding to use the boring travel time to study this Bloodline Combat Technique, which once belonged to one of the Ten Great Bloodline Warrior Families of the Zhence Dynasty.

A combat technique wasn't just about knowing the operational method of Battle Qi during combat; it also required extensive practice, much like the Wind and Cloud Golden Body—no training meant no results.

"I'm telling you, comrade-in-arms, you might not be injured this time, but what about next time?" Duan Feng Buer sat amidst the straw, fully utilizing his chatterbox nature: "As warriors, none of us can guarantee we won't get hurt in every fight. That's why we must equip ourselves with some excellent medicine. I happen to know an Alchemist—a genuine Alchemist, mind you, absolutely not an Alchemist Apprentice or an Apprentice Alchemist..."

Qian Jin scratched his head, pulled with both hands, and tore [Five Slashes of a Thousand Armies] in half from the middle, tossing the back half directly into Duan Feng Buer's lap. He continued reading about the training methods for [Split Gold Continuous Slash], which initially required soaking both hands in dozens of types of herbs and training in iron sand, enduring the pain...

"Oh? Comrade! This is the Five Slashes of a Thousand Armies!" Duan Feng Buer lowered his voice and whispered, "You're actually showing me this; I'm so touched. Speaking of which, where was I? Right! Alchemists! The medicines I have here are all from an Alchemist..."

Alchemist? Qian Jin curled his lip. Alchemists were certainly very important to warriors, but the issue was... he was also an Alchemist! According to Adams' assessment, he wasn't just any Alchemist; he was one mere step away from becoming an Alchemy Master! Among all Alchemists, he was practically at the very peak. "Potions and salves from an Alchemist?" Qian Jin gently shook his head with a wry smile. "As long as I have the materials, they probably can't make anything better than me."

"The Alchemist I know is quite famous! His master is Master Yao Bian, one of the rare Alchemy Masters in the Zhence Dynasty!" Duan Feng Buer held half of the [Five Slashes of a Thousand Armies] but still hadn't stopped talking: "Let me tell you..."

Qian Jin felt a moment of regret. He had expected that a Bloodline Combat Technique from one of the former Ten Great Bloodline Warrior Families would be considered a rare treasure by any warrior and studied intently. He never imagined that Duan Feng Buer, this eccentric in the eyes of others, the chatterbox among chatterboxes, would possess such a mentality—all to hawk potions in exchange for cigarettes. "Say..." Qian Jin turned back with utter helplessness, looking at Duan Feng Buer’s excitedly gleaming eyes, and sighed softly, whispering into his ear: "I'll tell you a secret." "A secret?" Duan Feng Buer's excited eyes shone even brighter. "What secret?"

"I myself am an Alchemist," Qian Jin said softly. "So, you can completely give up on trying to sell me potions. Unless you can get your hands on the work of an Alchemy Master—otherwise—hehehehehe..." "What did you say?" Duan Feng Buer jumped high off the wagon, staring at Qian Jin as if he had seen a specter.

The surrounding mercenaries were startled by Duan Feng Buer's reaction. Not long ago, when Qian Jin fought Wanyan Tiegu single-handedly, this chatterbox hadn't shown any surprise. When he killed the Black Wind Tenth Commander with a single punch, he hadn't reacted with shock either. What had Qian Jin said to make him leap up? "You..." Duan Feng Buer dragged out the word, asking tentatively, "Are you kidding me?"