After making short work of the three men, Wu Liangchen let out a faint sigh of relief. He put away his bow and arrow and walked toward the carriage.

The fierce battle had started abruptly and ended just as quickly, all in under a minute.

This was thanks to Wu Liangchen’s meticulous control of the battlefield and his unflappable calm.

This was a crucial trait. Otherwise, even the greatest skill would be useless if you panicked at the first sign of trouble.

Of course, the main reason was that Wu Liangchen’s archery was the perfect counter to these three, otherwise the battle wouldn’t have ended so quickly.

’I wonder if Erya was scared,’ Wu Liangchen thought as he reached the carriage. Just as he was about to board, he suddenly stopped.

"Brother Xiaowu?" Erya’s confused voice came from inside the carriage. She had heard the footsteps but saw no one get on, so she reached for the curtain to see what was happening.

Just then, Wu Liangchen called out sharply, "Erya!"

"Hm?"

"Hold on tight!"

The words had barely left his mouth when Wu Liangchen suddenly grabbed the carriage shafts and, with a mighty heave, hoisted it up.

Wu Liangchen lifted the entire hardwood carriage right off the ground.

The startled cries of Erya and Old Man Bai came from within the carriage.

At the same time, a flash of sword light erupted from beneath the carriage, shooting straight for Wu Liangchen’s legs.

But Wu Liangchen was ready for it. The very instant he lifted the carriage, he lashed out with a kick.

The kick was immensely powerful—enough to shatter iron, let alone bone.

The blade’s path was therefore forced to change, and the figure below shot out from under the carriage.

A figure somersaulted in midair, vaulted over the carriage roof, and brought his sword down on Wu Liangchen’s head.

This strike was even more vicious than the last.

In both speed and power, it was far beyond anything the previous three attackers could have managed.

Wu Liangchen understood in an instant. The three men had just been a feint; this was the real killing blow.

The man was also an expert at concealment. If his own perception weren’t far superior to that of an ordinary Martial Artist, he might never have discovered him.

’The moment I boarded the carriage, he would have struck from below. No matter how strong I am, I would have suffered a great loss in that situation.’

’Such a vicious plot. Such a fast sword!’

But Wu Liangchen didn’t panic. As the blade descended, he had already set the carriage down and raised his saber to meet the blow.

Saber tip met sword’s edge, erupting in a shower of sparks.

His strike blocked, the man’s body drifted upward again like a withered leaf, seemingly weightless.

A cold sneer touched Wu Liangchen’s lips. He bent his knees and shot upward like a cannonball, unleashing another slash.

The flash of his saber was like the first crack of spring thunder, waking hibernating insects from their slumber deep underground.

This was Wu Liangchen’s strongest saber technique: Jingzhe!

As the saber light passed, the gleam of the sword shattered, and a muffled groan echoed in the air.

Blood sprayed like a flower, and a figure shot into the distance at incredible speed.

Only then did Wu Liangchen get a clear look at the man who had been hiding under the carriage.

He was a short man with a disproportionately large head, his grotesque features twisted into a sinister expression.

Wu Liangchen didn’t pursue. Instead, he slung the longbow from his back, drew the string taut, and loosed an arrow.

SWOOSH!

The arrow flew like a shooting star, crossing a hundred paces in an instant to close in on the man’s back.

But at the last possible second, the man twisted in midair in a way that seemed to defy all logic, narrowly dodging the arrow.

Wu Liangchen let out a soft sound of surprise. He drew his bow again to take aim, but by then the man had already plunged into the dense forest and vanished.

Seeing this, Wu Liangchen could only lower his bow, choosing not to give chase.

He couldn’t be sure there weren’t other assassins lurking nearby. ’If I give chase,’ he thought, ’Erya will be left all alone and in danger.’

’So he ran. He’s just one assassin, not worth making a huge effort over.’

’Besides, my last strike severed at least three of his tendons. I’ve crippled one of his hands for good. Even if he escaped, he’s a broken man now.’

Wu Liangchen returned to the carriage, lifted the curtain, and smiled at the still-shaken Erya inside.

"All right, the danger’s passed. We can get back on the road."

Erya finally let out a sigh of relief.

As far as she was concerned, all that mattered was that Wu Liangchen was safe. Nothing else was important to her.

Old Man Bai, however, still looked shaken. "Xiaowu, what was all that about? Was someone hiding under the carriage?"

"Yes. While I was dealing with those men, an assassin snuck under the carriage to ambush me. I found him," Wu Liangchen said casually.

"Then... who sent the assassin?"

"It must be Cyan Cloud Mountain," Wu Liangchen said with a smile, though his eyes were filled with an icy chill. "After all, I killed their Seventh Village Chief. It would be hard for them to command respect if they didn’t show some kind of response."

’Fine,’ he thought. ’I’ll remember this debt. Sooner or later, I’ll be back to settle the score with you!’

"Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go quickly!"

Hearing the assassins were from Cyan Cloud Mountain made Old Man Bai even more nervous, and he hurriedly urged them to leave.

Wu Liangchen calmed the two frightened horses, then drove the carriage onward.

Of course, he couldn’t go back the way they came. He had to bypass Feihu Gorge, which was firmly controlled by Cyan Cloud Mountain, so he chose another route.

It was a long detour, but it had the advantage of being safe.

As Wu Liangchen continued onward with the Bai father and daughter, the man with the disproportionately large head had already made it back to Cyan Cloud Mountain, wounded.

Upon seeing Huang Longhai, he fell to his knees with a thud and, in a trembling voice, recounted the details of the assassination attempt.

Huang Longhai’s brows furrowed slightly. "Are you saying that even with the help of three sword servants, you not only failed to kill this Wu Liangchen, but were wounded by him instead?"

"Yes. This Wu Liangchen is not only a master archer, but his saber skills are also formidable. That slash severed three tendons in my left hand. If I hadn’t been quick to evade, I might not have made it back at all." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Perhaps from recalling that thunderclap of a slash, or perhaps from blood loss, the man’s entire body trembled. His face was as pale as a sheet, and it was clear he was on the verge of collapse.

Seeing this, Huang Longhai nodded coldly. "Enough. You are not to blame. I underestimated this Wu Liangchen. I will report this to the Great Village Chief. You may go and have your wounds treated."

"Yes, sir!" The man scurried away as if granted a royal pardon.

Once Huang Longhai was alone in the hall, he remained silent for a moment, then turned and walked toward the back mountain.

Meanwhile, news that a sword slave and three sword servants had gone down the mountain and still failed to assassinate Wu Liangchen spread rapidly among the other village chiefs.

Fifth Village Chief Jiang Aotian shot up from his seat in disbelief. He paced back and forth in his room, muttering to himself.

"How is this possible? Could the rumors be true? Is this Wu fellow really a martial arts prodigy, the likes of which is only seen once in a thousand years? How else could he have gained such formidable strength in just one year?"

"Damn it! How can a lowly cart-puller have such heaven-defying talent? That kind of gift should be mine!" Intense jealousy twisted Jiang Aotian’s handsome face into an ugly sneer.

At the same time, Chen Baimei let out a long sigh, then sneered to herself.

’A bunch of arrogant fools,’ she thought. ’Did they really think sending a few sword slaves would be enough to deal with him?’

’If Wu Liangchen were that easy to kill, I wouldn’t have suffered such a major defeat at his hands.’