Chapter 24: Attacking the Fortress (Please follow, favorite, monthly tickets, and recommendation votes)

As the first rays of morning sunlight spilled down, a disorganized crowd emerged from the mountain forests.

Constables in black, bailiffs in gray, and hunters in coarse hemp were all mixed together, completely stripping away any sense of grand or imposing momentum.

Even their equipment was a motley assortment.

The constables were equipped with standard-issue bailiff sabers, while only some of the bailiffs held long blades; the rest carried nothing but water-and-fire staves.

As for the hunters, those in better condition had hunting bows, while the poorer ones had nothing more than a steel pitchfork.

Mixing in with the crowd, Su Mu ran along with the mass, unable to stop himself from complaining inwardly.

*Using this rabble to suppress bandits?*

No wonder Xing Zhaofu had suffered such heavy losses and fled in disgrace last time.

*He really is a useless fool.*

"Charge!"

The Black Dragon Fortress was faintly visible ahead. With a resonant clang, Xing Zhaofu unsheathed his saber, pointed it forward, and shouted in a low voice, "Whoever kills a bandit, I shall reward with twenty taels of silver! If you kill the bandit leader, the reward is a hundred taels! For those who die in battle, a pension of a hundred taels of silver will be provided—and I, Xing Zhaofu, will provide for your wives, children, and parents!"

*Who would believe such nonsense?* Su Mu thought to himself.

However, the crowd's reaction left him stunned.

Whether they were hunters or bailiffs, everyone became as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

Su Mu had underestimated the allure of silver to these people.

As the saying goes, "Under heavy rewards, there will surely be brave men."

Stimulated by the silver, the men roared frantically, their eyes fixed intently on what lay ahead.

"Charge! Kill the bandits!"

Watching Xing Zhaofu lead the charge, Su Mu stood agape.

Xing Zhaofu's bravery exceeded his expectations, but this was simply too—brainless.

*Wouldn't it be better to sneak into the village quietly?*

*Shouting this loudly, are you afraid the Black Dragon Fortress won't know you've arrived?*

Once again, Su Mu witnessed Xing Zhaofu's leadership capabilities.

*Truly a useless man.*

*Thwip!*

As if responding to Su Mu's thoughts, a dark shadow accompanied by a whistling sound descended from the sky. An arrow fell diagonally, piercing through the neck of a bailiff at the very front.

Blood splattered.

The pungent scent of blood instantly permeated the air.

Immediately after, more black dots appeared in the sky.

Xing Zhaofu let out a great roar and leaped up, his bailiff saber dancing so fast it became a blur.

With a series of clattering sounds, countless arrows were struck to the ground.

To be fair, although Xing Zhaofu lacked brains, his martial skills were truly excellent.

He could leap over a meter high, and his saber techniques were so fluid that not even a drop of water could penetrate his defense; his martial arts had undoubtedly reached a state of mastery.

Su Mu watched, feeling inferior.

Waving his mulberry wood longbow to deflect the incoming arrows, Su Mu charged forward with the main group.

It was foolish.

But he had no choice but to charge.

The large group rushed forward with howling cries, blades, spears, and staves flailing wildly; several times, they nearly struck him.

If he had stood still, he might have been caught in a stray swing or trampled underfoot.

As the wave of arrows subsided, roars also echoed from the mountain.

The hunters seized the moment, aiming at the mountain and drawing their bows.

Su Mu also gripped an arrow, his gaze flickering toward Yang Jin.

As expected of someone with a military background, Yang Jin remained calm in the face of danger. His charging steps were light, his breathing remained steady, and he even had the leisure to continuously fire arrows.

Su Mu felt a pang of lingering fear; if Yang Jin had truly followed Xing Zhaofu's instructions and fired a hidden arrow at him amidst the chaos, he might not have been able to dodge it in such a frantic environment.

"Xing Zhaofu, come and die!"

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the mountain.

The surrounding cries of battle could not drown out this person's voice. The moment the sound erupted, a figure whistled down from the mountain peak.

The man wielded a long spear like a venomous dragon, emitting a sharp whistling sound as it thrust straight toward Xing Zhaofu's chest.

*Clang! Clang!*

Xing Zhaofu swung his bailiff saber with brute force.

Amidst the clashing of metal.

Both men slid backward several yards simultaneously.

"The Second Leader of Black Dragon Fortress!"

Xing Zhaofu's voice was urgent. "Wei Yongfu, if you don't strike now, when will you?"

As soon as he finished speaking.

A figure leaped out from the group of hunters.

The man was burly with a face as red as a ripe jujube, dragging his saber behind him as he moved with great speed.

In just two steps, he was in front of the Second Leader of Black Dragon Fortress.

*Swish!*

A streak of white light flashed, and the ringing of the saber left one's head spinning.

This strike was as fast as a thunderclap.

The Second Leader of Black Dragon Fortress didn't even have time to dodge; he hurriedly crossed his long spear in front of him.

With a loud *ding*, the blade struck heavily against the spear shaft.

The iron-wood shaft vibrated violently, and the Second Leader nearly lost his grip.

A look of horror appeared on his face.

But the blade light gave him no chance to react, sweeping up the spear shaft like lightning, intending to sever his fingers in one motion.

Su Mu saw it clearly and almost shouted in admiration.

Having mastered the Wave-Subduing Saber Technique, Su Mu could already see the essence of Wei Yongfu's saberplay.

If Xing Zhaofu's martial arts were at the stage of mastery, then Wei Yongfu's saber technique had likely reached perfection.

Su Mu reckoned that while his own martial arts might allow him to contend with these three, their strength was far greater than his.

If he stepped onto the field, he would be dead within ten moves at most.

The clanging sounds echoed across the field, even suppressing the surrounding roars.

Wei Yongfu and the Second Leader of Black Dragon Fortress fought with speed against speed, exchanging dozens of moves in the blink of an eye.

Just then, an arrow suddenly shot across the ground, aimed straight for the Second Leader's calf.

*Thwip!*

By the time the Second Leader realized something was wrong, he was a step too slow to dodge.

The arrow tore a piece of flesh from his calf, making him howl in pain.

He swung his long spear frantically, barely forcing Wei Yongfu back a step, but his footing had become unsteady.

Seeing an opportunity, the old rogue Xing Zhaofu flashed behind the Second Leader and swung his saber.

Having just evaded the sneak attack and forced back an equal opponent like Wei Yongfu, the Second Leader was completely exhausted.

How could he have any strength left to defend against Xing Zhaofu's ambush?

In an instant, blood splattered, and the flesh on the Second Leader's back was torn open, leaving a bloody mess.

He fell forward with a scream, looking as though he were about to die amidst the onslaught.

Suddenly.

A roar erupted.

The sound was so loud that even Su Mu, standing far away, felt it was deafening, causing his blood to surge.

Immediately after, a bearded, burly man descended from the sky, throwing a punch at Wei Yongfu and a kick at Xing Zhaofu.

Wei Yongfu and Xing Zhaofu struck out simultaneously.

A violent burst of energy exploded.

Wei Yongfu stumbled back several steps, leaving deep footprints in the ground, and the long saber in his hand was left with only half its length.

Xing Zhaofu fared even worse; he spun around, spitting blood as he was sent crashing back several yards.

His bailiff saber had flown off to some unknown location.

He couldn't even crawl back up.

"Big Brother!" the Second Leader of Black Dragon Fortress cried out.

The bearded man stood tall, licking his lips.

"You man, if you agree to become the Third Leader of my Black Dragon Fortress, I might spare your life," he said, looking at Wei Yongfu.

Wei Yongfu's eyelids drooped, and he said nothing.

But he answered the Great Leader of Black Dragon Fortress with action.

The ground shattered, his body moved, and his saber moved.

The blade light was like a flowing river, slashing straight toward the Great Leader of Black Dragon Fortress.

...

Su Mu lowered his head, then looked up at his surroundings.

All around, the massive crowds were locked in a bloody melee, consisting of both the men from the Southern City Bureau and the men from Black Dragon Fortress.

At his feet, a figure was twitching like a maggot, blood flowing from its seven orifices.

(End of Chapter)