Chapter 13: Sudden Change

On the morning of the second day, the Hundred Weapons Hall convoy, which had been making its arduous journey through the Chiman Mountains for four days, finally arrived at the trading location.

It was an extremely secluded valley with flat, wide terrain capable of accommodating several hundred people. It had only one exit, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

When the convoy arrived, the bandits had already entered the valley and left several guards at the entrance. Seeing the convoy approach, they proactively cleared the way.

Before entering the valley, Manager Li instructed Zhao Shan to arrange for several guards to scout the surrounding terrain.

Zhao Shan sought instructions from Zhang Jinkui. Zhang Jinkui gave him a sidelong glance and said

"Do you think we're on a military campaign? A mere Black Wind Stronghold wouldn't dare kill people and seize goods, would they? The brothers have been traveling all day and are exhausted. The sensible thing to do is hand over the goods, take the silver, and leave!"

Manager Li's expression darkened, but since the guard unit was under Zhang Jinkui's command, he could only let it go.

However, Zhang Jinkui was no fool; he instructed Zheng Jun to leave several guards at the valley entrance, just in case.

As the convoy wound its way into the valley, a group of forty to fifty bandits gathered in the open space, most of them dressed in hemp clothes, sitting on the ground and laughing loudly.

Only when they saw the convoy entering did they lazily stand up and gather together.

Leading them was a burly man in tight-fitting martial attire, exuding an aura of fierce ferocity.

When the two sides were twenty paces apart, Zhang Jinkui raised his hand, and the convoy came to a slow halt.

Chen Yuan also stopped, standing beside Zhao Shan, carefully observing the bandits opposite them.

Along the way, through several indirect inquiries, he had finally learned the details of the transaction from Zhao Shan and Wang Cong.

The counterpart for this transaction was a newly rising bandit stronghold—the Black Wind Stronghold.

The burly man was likely the stronghold leader, Xie Quan, a peak Marrow-Refining stage martial artist. He wielded a long spear and possessed high martial skills; a prolific killer, he had made a significant reputation in the Chiman Mountains in just a few short months. In the martial world, he was known as the "Soul-Severing Spear."

To Xie Quan's right was a bald, burly man holding a demon-head saber, presumably the second leader of the stronghold, Wu Dong. He was also a peak Marrow-Refining martial artist, known in the martial world as the "Life-Taking Yama," a ruthless killer.

To Xie Quan's left was a tall, thin man carrying a longbow with a long scar across his face, likely the third leader, Jiang Feng. Having just entered the Marrow-Refining stage, his archery was superb, earning him the moniker "Fire-Eyed Golden Eagle."

The origins of these three men were a mystery. It was said that Xie Quan was once a military officer who fled to the Chiman Mountains after a killing incident and established the Black Wind Stronghold from scratch.

Once he had established a foothold, he came to Hundred Weapons Hall to buy weapons. Although the scale was not large, he had been very prompt with payments during several previous transactions.

This time, Xie Quan had a massive appetite, ordering weapons worth several thousand taels of silver and stating that if he was satisfied, he would exclusively buy from Hundred Weapons Hall in the future.

Manager Sun had placed extreme importance on this transaction, deploying the entire guard unit and having Manager Li and Zhang Jinkui oversee it together to ensure nothing went wrong.

If this deal went through, Hundred Weapons Hall would gain another long-term, stable client.

After learning the background of the deal from Zhao Shan, Chen Yuan finally felt at ease.

They were merely two peak Marrow-Refining martial artists; with Manager Li and Zhang Jinkui on hand, nothing should go wrong.

Once the convoy stopped, Xie Quan stepped out from the crowd, cupped his hands in a salute to the two men, and grinned

"Manager Li, Manager Zhang, I've finally been waiting for you."

Zhang Jinkui gave a lazy salute, while Manager Li returned the gesture and said

"The mountain paths are difficult; we have kept the three leaders waiting."

Xie Quan laughed loudly

"Haha, my brothers and I have been waiting until our eyes are weary!"

Zhang Jinkui said in a booming voice

"Leader Xie, let's skip the pleasantries. The weapons have been delivered. Where is the silver?"

Xie Quan laughed heartily

"Manager Zhang is as straightforward as ever. Then I won't waste words. Men, bring the silver up!"

With a wave of his hand, over a dozen bandits laboriously carried ten iron-clad chests into the central clearing.

*Thud!*

The bandits dropped the chests onto the ground. Xie Quan waved his hand

"Open the chests and let the two managers inspect them!"

The bandits flipped open the chests, revealing two chests filled with gleaming white silver and eight chests filled with bright yellow copper coins.

Manager Li frowned and said

"Leader Xie, we agreed previously that the entire transaction would be in silver. Why are there copper coins?"

Xie Quan smiled

"My apologies, Manager Li. I couldn't gather that much silver all at once, so I had to make up the difference with copper coins. But rest assured, the three thousand four hundred taels of silver are all there, not a cent missing."

One cannot strike a smiling face; even though Manager Li was displeased, he could only brush it off and waved his hand

"Men, inspect them..."

"Wait!"

Before Manager Li could finish, Wu Dong, standing beside Xie Quan, suddenly stepped forward and said

"The silver is laid out; shouldn't we also have a look at the weapons?"

"Second Brother, how should you speak to the two managers!"

Xie Quan barked a reprimand, but when he turned back, he said with a beaming smile

"Managers, my brothers have been through life and death recently just to scrape together this three thousand-plus taels. You see..."

Zhang Jinkui cracked his neck impatiently

"Enough with the nonsense. Send a few men to inspect the weapons, and we will send a few to count the silver. Let's get this business done quickly!"

Xie Quan laughed loudly

"Good, how straightforward! Second Brother, take a few men to inspect the weapons. Be quick, don't keep the two managers waiting!"

"Yes, Big Brother!"

Wu Dong responded loudly, turned back to call several bandits, and approached the convoy. They pulled back the white cloths covering the wagons and began inspecting them thoroughly.

At the same time, following Zhang Jinkui's instructions, Zheng Jun called several guards to step forward and inspect the money.

Xie Quan even called out

"Little brother, come, inspect these chests of silver first. There are too many copper coins; it won't be too late to count them later."

Zheng Jun did not dare to act on his own and looked back at Zhang Jinkui.

Zhang Jinkui waved his hand impatiently. Understanding the signal, Zheng Jun said

"Come, let's look at these two chests of silver first..."

Seeing this, the smile on Xie Quan's face grew even deeper.

A quarter of an hour later, after Wu Dong and several bandits finished their inspection, one shouted loudly

"Big Brother, it's been checked. No problems, everything matches!"

Xie Quan laughed heartily

"Haha, good! The Fuhu Gang is indeed a man of their word!"

Meanwhile, Zheng Jun and the others finished inspecting the two chests of silver and began checking the copper coins.

Manager Li stroked his beard and smiled

"Since your stronghold has finished the inspection, may we proceed with the delivery of the goods..."

"No! These copper coins are fake!"

Suddenly, a guard scooped up a handful of copper coins and shouted in terror, interrupting him.

Manager Li's expression changed. Just as he was about to speak, Xie Quan roared

"Do it! Leave none alive! Kill them all!"

As soon as these words were uttered, the bandits in the valley, who had previously been relaxed, instantly transformed into hungry wolves and fierce tigers. Raising blades and swords, they charged toward the convoy.

Xie Quan took the lead, his movement like lightning as he thrust his spear toward Zhang Jinkui.

Zhang Jinkui's face turned pale

"Xie Quan! Do you intend to kill us and seize the goods?!"

He drew his ring-pommel saber and met the attack head-on.

*Clang!*

As the blade and spear collided, Zhang Jinkui's stance was broken. He retreated three steps, leaving three deep footprints in the ground. His palm was split by the shock, and blood flowed profusely.

His expression changed drastically as he said in disbelief

"Impossible! Your internal energy is permeating your body—you are an Internal Strength martial artist!"

Xie Quan grinned savagely

"If I hadn't crossed that threshold, how would I dare to kill and rob?"

*Clang!*

As he spoke, he pressed forward again, his spear striking like a dragon toward Zhang Jinkui.

Zhang Jinkui struggled to block, his face turning white. He turned and shouted to Manager Li

"Attack together! He has only just broken through to Internal Strength; if we join forces, we still have a chance!"

Manager Li's expression turned cold. He drew his personal Autumn Water sword and responded

"Fine!"

Facing two peak Marrow-Refining martial artists, Xie Quan also became cautious. He stopped his aggressive assault and took a stance, waiting for the two to attack.

While he was engaged with Zhang Jinkui, the Black Wind Stronghold bandits and the guard unit also clashed.

While Xie Quan held down the two Marrow-Refining martial artists by himself, Wu Dong, wielding a demon-head saber, killed Ma Yaozong in two strikes before charging into the convoy, unstoppable and peerless.

Jiang Feng stood in the rear, firing three consecutive arrows, adding three more souls to the tally under his bow.

Simultaneously, ten bandits suddenly emerged from the valley entrance, cutting down the guards stationed there and sealing off the entire valley.

The convoy's only escape route was blocked, leaving them in a desperate situation where annihilation could happen in an instant.

In this moment of life and death, Chen Yuan remained incredibly calm. He casually struck down a Skin-Refining stage bandit who rushed at him and stayed close to Zhao Shan's side.

The moment the Black Wind Stronghold attacked, he had already reacted, drawing his long saber to meet the enemy.

Zhao Shan's reaction was slightly slower, but he also quickly drew his blade to fight, not forgetting to turn back and instruct

"Junior Brother, stay close to me!"

Having been trading with bandits, the guard unit had remained on high alert and did not fall into chaos. Under the leadership of the two commanders, they fought the charging bandits.

However, immediately after, Zhang Jinkui's mention of an "Internal Strength martial artist" caused a massive collapse in the guards' morale.

An Internal Strength martial artist, with every movement accompanied by internal energy, could contend against a hundred men!

With Xie Quan having broken through to Internal Strength, he could fight two commanders alone. The remaining guards were nothing more than lambs to the slaughter.

Xie Quan didn't even need to act personally; as long as he pinned down the two commanders, Wu Dong and Jiang Feng—the two Marrow-Refining martial artists—he could lead the Black Wind Stronghold bandits to wipe out the entire guard unit.

A Marrow-Refining martial artist requires at least three Bone-Refining martial artists to contend with.

But because Ma Yaozong had been caught off guard and killed by Wu Dong in two strikes, the guard unit was left with only four Bone-Refining martial artists.

Meanwhile, the Black Wind Stronghold had five or six Bone-Refining martial artists and even more Skin-Refining martial artists. Regardless, the guard unit was no match for them.

Everyone in the guard unit understood this reality and fell into despair.

But with the valley entrance blocked, there was nowhere to run. They could only rely on the convoy and fight with all their might.

Seeing the guard unit on the verge of collapse, Zhang Jinkui roared

"Do not panic! This Xie Quan has only just entered the Internal Strength stage. If Manager Li and I join forces, we can surely defeat him! Hold your ground first! Kill Xie Quan, and then slaughter every bastard in the Black Wind Stronghold!"

Manager Li also shouted

"Those who fight bravely shall be rewarded with ten taels of silver each, and twenty taels as compensation for the dead! I, Li Yong, guarantee this with my life!"

Under the encouragement of the two men, the guards' morale recovered slightly, and they stabilized their formation.

Wang Cong, Zhao Shan, and Zheng Jun joined forces to barely hold off Wu Dong, while Chen Yuan fought alongside a Bone-Refining martial artist.

The remaining Bone-Refining martial artists of the Black Wind Stronghold were held back by the combined efforts of the guards.

Awed by Zhang Jinkui's prestige and motivated by the silver rewards, the guard unit still possessed some fighting strength. However, they lacked Bone-Refining and Marrow-Refining martial artists; people continued to die, and the momentum of defeat was obvious.

Zhang Jinkui shouted

"Li Yong, we can't delay any longer! We must attack him from both sides. Only by killing Xie Quan can we turn the tide!"

Manager Li brandished his Autumn Water sword and replied sternly

"Fine!"

Overjoyed, Zhang Jinkui's courage surged. He unleashed the "Tiger Emerging from the Cave" technique from the Five Tigers Gate-Breaking Saber Style and lunged forward.

"Xie Quan, you've only just entered Internal Strength—you still think you can take on two of us? Watch me hack you to pieces!"