Chapter 196: Chapter 103: Flying Horse Thieves

For one, his hiding spot was dozens of yards from the scene. The attacker struck so quickly and viciously that he had no time to intervene.

For another, if he revealed himself, the Flying Horse Thieves would be instantly alerted, which would only complicate matters. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

By remaining hidden, he could wait for the perfect opportunity.

Still, the spray of blood and the look of terror in the guard’s eyes before he died weighed heavily on his heart.

The cruelty and bloodlust of the Flying Horse Thieves were even worse than he had imagined.

He had only heard rumors before; today, he was seeing it firsthand.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and his gaze returned to the hooded figure.

At this point, the key was to confirm that person’s identity as quickly as possible.

...

At the Black Wind Valley Entrance, the guard’s corpse still lay on the ground, his blood staining the earth red.

The remaining guards, terrified by the one-eyed man’s savagery, scrambled backward. They no longer dared to block the way, watching helplessly as the man led his followers toward the carriage.

The one-eyed man dismounted, kicked open the nearest chest, and the distinct, cold gleam of silver spilled out.

He casually grabbed a silver ingot and bit down on it, a savage, satisfied grin spreading across his face. He then checked the other chests one by one, confirming they were all full-weight silver ingots, before turning to the bearded man and shouting, "Boss, the silver’s good! It’s all here!"

The bearded man grinned, his eyes glinting with greed. "Good!"

Just then, the gaze of a Mingjin-level guard in the convoy fell upon the group of Flying Horse Thieves.

Because the one-eyed man had taken some men to inspect the silver, the Flying Horse Thieves’ formation had loosened. The hooded Liu Maolin was pushed to the edge of the group, with only two ordinary bandits guarding him. Their attention, too, was drawn to the silver in the carriage, and they were distracted.

The guard’s heart leaped. He immediately realized this was an opportunity.

He quietly tightened his grip on the saber at his waist. While everyone’s eyes were on the silver, he suddenly dug his heels into his horse’s sides. The inferior steed, stung by the pain, whinnied and charged toward Liu Maolin!

"Young Hall Master! Go! Quickly!"

he roared, reaching out to grab the man’s wrist, hoping to pull him away in the chaos.

However, just as his hand touched the other’s sleeve, the situation changed in an instant!

The hooded figure moved with startling speed. At almost the exact moment the guard grabbed his wrist, a dagger barely an inch long slid from his sleeve. With a flash of cold light, it plunged deep into the guard’s heart from a vicious, unexpected angle!

The dagger sank into his flesh, buried to the hilt.

The urgency on the guard’s face instantly froze, replaced by incredulous shock.

He looked down at the dagger in his chest. Blood gushed from the wound, staining the front of his robes red.

He looked back up at the hooded "Young Hall Master" before him. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but only a gurgling, rasping sound came out. His body slumped to one side, and he toppled from his horse, falling silent forever.

The turn of events happened in the blink of an eye, too fast for anyone to react.

All the guards were stunned, their eyes wide with a mixture of disbelief and terror.

Just a moment ago, they thought they could rescue the Young Hall Master. How could it be that in the next instant, the Mingjin expert who rushed forward was killed by the Young Hall Master’s own hand?

The guard leader’s eyes had also lit up, a flicker of hope igniting in his heart. But upon seeing this, the color drained from his face instantly. He froze in place as if struck by lightning.

’This person isn’t the Young Hall Master at all! He’s a fake!’

The Flying Horse Thieves never intended to release their hostage from the very beginning. Their goal was to swindle them out of the one hundred thousand taels of silver, and they never planned to let the man go!

"How... how vicious!"

The guard leader’s teeth chattered, his voice filled with a mixture of fury and despair.

「On the cliffsides, in the forest.」

Yang Jing’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’Just as I suspected!’

When the hooded man had struck, his movements were swift, and the angle of his dagger was both cunning and ruthless. The speed and precision of the attack were far beyond that of an ordinary person. In the instant the man’s energy surged, Yang Jing had already determined that this Flying Horse Thief, the one impersonating Liu Maolin, was an expert at the Peak of Mingjin!

With a surprise attack, he had killed the Mingjin-level guard in a single blow.

「Before Black Wind Valley.」

The guard leader, both shocked and enraged, glared at the burly, bearded man with bloodshot eyes and roared, "Flying Horse Thieves! You have no honor in the Jianghu! You deliberately deceived us! Where is my Young Hall Master? What have you done to him?!"

The bearded man reacted as if he’d heard the funniest joke in the world. He threw his head back and roared with laughter, the sound coarse and grating, full of contempt and scorn. "Honor? In Yuhe County, my word is the only honor that matters!"

When he had laughed his fill, his expression suddenly darkened, and his eyes turned as fierce as a wolf’s. "That little whelp with the surname Liu injured my nephew and even took one of his arms. My boss said that bastard has to be flayed alive and chopped into meat paste to be made into buns! Only that will quench my nephew’s hatred!"

He pointed at the silver on the carriage, a greedy smile touching his lips. "As for these one hundred thousand taels, consider it an apology payment from your Liu Family. You really thought you could trade it for the man? Dream on!"

"You! You animals!" The guard leader trembled with rage, his chest heaving. "Shameless! For what you’ve done, you’ll be struck by lightning and die without a proper burial!"

But for all his cursing, he knew in his heart that it was all futile.

The strongest on their side was himself, an expert at the Peak of Mingjin. But the enemy had two Anjin masters in command, several other Mingjin experts, and more than ten battle-hardened bandits. If a fight broke out, they wouldn’t stand a chance. It would be suicide.