Chapter 195: Chapter 103: Flying Horse Thieves

Upon seeing this, the caravan’s guards felt a little more at ease.

Judging by the figure and the sounds of struggling, it had to be their young master.

Hidden in the woods, Yang Jing’s gaze was sharp as a blade, sweeping over the Flying Horse Thieves before him.

The burly, bearded man in the lead had an aura as profound as an abyss. His every move exuded a ferocious energy, and his cultivation was likely at the Peak of Dark Energy.

Beside him stood a one-eyed man with a short dagger at his waist and a sinister gaze. Although the fluctuations of his Inner Strength weren’t as tyrannical as the bearded man’s, he had also firmly entered the Dark Energy Realm.

In addition, several of the other bandits were Mingjin Martial Artists, while the rest were just ordinary thugs who hadn’t even cultivated Inner Strength.

This level of strength was enough to make most merchant caravans in Yuhe County scatter in fear, but it wasn’t enough to make Yang Jing retreat.

What he was truly concerned about was the figure with the sack over its head.

Yang Jing’s brow furrowed, and the nagging feeling that something was off intensified.

The person was wearing the blue cloth robes Liu Maolin often wore, and their height and build were nearly identical to his. Yet for some reason, Yang Jing felt something was strange.

’Was it his posture? Liu Maolin has practiced martial arts for years; his back is always ramrod straight, with the unique steadiness of a Martial Artist. This person is standing straight, too, but he lacks that core toughness. It feels more like a deliberate imitation.’

’More importantly, this person hasn’t said a single word from the very beginning.’

’Is his mouth really gagged by the Flying Horse Thieves, or... is he afraid to speak? Afraid he’ll give something away the moment he opens his mouth?’

A thought flashed through Yang Jing’s mind, making his heart skip a beat. ’Could the person with the sack over his head be a fake?’

’If so, this is going to be trouble.’

’The Flying Horse Thieves are using a stand-in. They clearly have no intention of actually letting him go.’

Yang Jing immediately took a soft breath, retracted his Inner Strength to its absolute limit, and shrank back behind a large boulder. The dense foliage completely concealed him, not allowing even a trace of his aura to escape.

’I have to figure out what’s going on here.’

At the Black Wind Valley Entrance, the guards followed their leader’s orders and opened the chests on the seven carriages one by one.

Sunlight poured into the chests, reflecting a dazzling silver light. Chest after chest of neatly stacked silver was so bright it made one’s vision blur.

The Flying Horse Thieves stared, their eyes wide. Many subconsciously licked their lips, their faces filled with fanaticism as they urged their horses forward.

"Wait!"

Seeing this, the guard leader quickly shouted and waved for the guards behind him to step forward. They formed a human wall, blocking the Flying Horse Thieves’ path. "An even exchange! Let our young master come over, and the silver is yours!"

The burly, bearded man reined in his restless horse and chuckled darkly, a cruel glint flashing in his eyes. "What’s the rush? Once we’ve verified the silver, you can take him."

He patted the one-eyed man beside him. "Go, see if the silver is all there."

The one-eyed man grunted in acknowledgment and urged his horse toward the carriages, the greed in his eyes practically overflowing.

The guard leader’s heart skipped a beat, and cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead.

He himself was only at the Peak of Mingjin, while the one-eyed man was a bona fide Dark Energy expert. The disparity in their power was immense.

But behind him were the carriages holding the ransom, and at stake was the Young Hall Master he had to rescue. He absolutely could not back down now.

"Stop!"

The guard leader gritted his teeth and shouted again, his voice trembling with nervousness, "We agreed to an even exchange! We brought enough silver, not one tael less! Let our young master come over first!"

He waved his hand, and the guards behind him tightened their grip on their weapons. Though their faces were pale with fear, they forced themselves to block the path to the carriages.

The one-eyed man was only a few dozen feet from the carriages. He abruptly reined in his horse, a savage grin spreading across his face as he cursed, "Get lost! A bunch of worthless trash dares to block my path? Get in my way again, and I’ll slaughter every last one of you!"

Before his voice had faded, he dug his heels into his horse’s sides. The scimitar in his hand whistled through the air as he brought it down directly on the guard at the front of the line!

That guard was just an ordinary man who hadn’t even cultivated Inner Strength. How could he possibly dodge in time?

He only had time to let out a short gasp before the blade struck.

SQUELCH! Blood and brain matter splattered everywhere. A head rolled onto the ground, its eyes still wide with terror. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Warm blood splattered onto several nearby guards, and the thick stench of blood immediately filled the air.

"AH—!"

Some guards couldn’t help but cry out, their faces as pale as paper. The hands gripping their blades trembled even more violently.

The Flying Horse Thieves were vicious and cruel, killing without a second thought and treating human life as worthless.

The guards, who had been forcing themselves to stand firm just moments before, were now completely stunned. They subconsciously took a step back, their eyes filled with terror as they looked at the one-eyed man.

This one-eyed man was a Dark Energy expert. He alone could wipe out all the guards present, to say nothing of the burly, bearded man with an even more terrifying aura backing him up.

The one-eyed man lifted the severed head with his blade, casually tossed it to the ground, and snorted coldly. "Get in my way again, and that’s what’ll happen to you!"

The guard leader stared at the corpse on the ground, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

He knew that resisting now was a death sentence. He could only watch helplessly as the one-eyed man and his subordinates swaggered toward the carriages.

In the woods, Yang Jing’s brows were knitted into a tight knot.

For a moment there, he had almost rushed out, but his reason ultimately suppressed the impulse.