"Tsk, tsk. Third leader – why are these poor people even coming here to hunt me? At least bring something valuable with you. I'd have tried to give them a proper burial," a dissatisfied voice rang out among a group of men trudging through the forest.
They all looked rough, dirty, and fierce, their expressions carrying the wildness of beasts.
"Hehe, why do you think they're coming to hunt you then?" a mocking voice answered from the side. The speaker was a slender man with a tiger skin draped over his back. "If they had that much money, wouldn't they be enjoying life instead of rushing into a forest like fools?"
"Hmph! Jie Feng, I wasn't asking you – so shut your mouth!" the first man retorted angrily.
"Heh. Do you want to try me then?" Jie Feng grinned, showing his teeth in a malicious smile that made the other man shrink back instinctively.
"Hahaha! Alright, alright! Little Tiger, don't pick fights with Ji Yao," a loud voice boomed from the rear of the group. "If anything happens to the plan, Big Brother will skin you alive."
The voice belonged to a huge, burly man with a fleshy face and a bare upper body covered in old scars – wounds from weapons and beasts alike. He wore only a rough piece of animal hide tied around his waist.
"Yes, Third Leader," the man called Little Tiger – Jie Feng – quickly dropped his grin and replied obediently.
"Heh," Ji Yao sneered from the side, the earlier trace of fear on his face vanishing completely. Jie Feng snorted in return, glaring at him before looking away.
Trying to distract himself, Jie Feng pointed at another man walking nearby. "Hey, you. How many people did we kill this morning?"
"Master Jie, five people died this morning. Adding twenty-three from yesterday, that makes twenty-eight in total," the man replied carefully, his tone cautious. He had seen another subordinate die at Jie Feng's hands yesterday – just for being slow to answer.
"Hmm. Got it," Jie Feng nodded lazily. The man let out a small sigh of relief, as if he had escaped the gates of hell.
"But I didn't ask you about yesterday, did I?" Jie Feng suddenly asked, turning his head slightly.
The man froze, his breathing stopping for a second. "S-sorry for the mistake, Master Jie!" he stammered.
"Why do you look at me like I'm some kind of man-eating beast? Am I really that terrifying?" Jie Feng said playfully, pointing at his own face with a grin.
"N-no, M-Master Jie, I didn't mean that!" the man replied, his voice trembling.
"Is that so? Hmm… then why are you so afraid? Or do you think I'm someone who kills for small matters?" Jie Feng said, his tone turning cold near the end.
"I – I… I don–"
"Alright, that's enough," came the loud, lazy voice of the Third Leader. He looked over with a bored expression and said, "We have to return to base now. Little Tiger, finish your game quickly."
"Yes, Third Leader," Jie Feng replied with a grin.
The next moment, his figure blurred and vanished from sight.
He appeared behind the panicked bandit like a ghost.
"Black tiger digging heart," he shouted softly . His hand formed a claw and pierced straight through the man's back, emerging from his chest with a beating heart in his palm.
The bandit's eyes dimmed as his body collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
"Hmph. Trash," Jie Feng scoffed, tossing the heart aside before glancing at Ji Yao, who stood silently, eyes lowered toward his feet.
"Third Leader! Something's wrong with the base!" a hurried voice suddenly shouted.
The group turned to see a scout running toward them in panic.
"What happened?" the Third Leader asked, his voice deepening, all traces of laziness gone.
"I-it's the base!" the scout gasped, breathing heavily. "There's a strong smell of blood coming from there, and it's completely silent. I'm afraid… something terrible happened."
"What?!" Jie Feng shouted in disbelief. "There are at least dozens of men stationed there, and there's also Feng Lao – who's as strong as me! As long as he's there, nothing could happen to the base!"
But both the Third Leader and Ji Yao had already grown serious.
Ji Yao narrowed his eyes. "So, you mean you were close enough to smell the blood and hear the silence… but saw no one there?"
"Y-yes, I didn't see anybo–"
Before the scout could finish his sentence, a thin flash of light – so fast it was almost invisible – swept across his neck from behind.
A second later, his head flew into the air, his unfinished words dying in his throat.
"Idiot," the Third Leader muttered coldly, not even glancing at the corpse. "It's not that you didn't see anyone – it's that they saw you first… and followed you back."
His gaze sharpened instantly as it locked onto the shadowy figure stepping out from behind the trees.
Ye Yuan slowly slid his Tangdao back into its sheath as he stepped out from the shadows.
"Do you all know how long I've been waiting for you at your base?" he asked calmly, his eyes landing on the Third Leader and Ji Yao standing beside him.
"So, you must be Ji Yao, right? You look exactly the same as on the wanted poster. I didn't expect someone like you to keep walking around with your real face – the one that's already well-known," Ye Yuan said, his tone even and composed.
"Thank you for your praise, my lord. But my disguising skills are just small tricks compared to real experts," Ji Yao said with a polite bow, his voice respectful even as his feet subtly moved backward.
Ye Yuan didn't pay him much attention. His gaze shifted toward the burly and imposing Third Leader instead.
"And you must be the Third Leader of the Black Forest Bandits – the youngest and the weakest among the three, isn't that right?"
"Hahaha! You're right, I am the youngest," the Third Leader laughed, his voice echoing through the forest. "But as for being the weakest, I wouldn't be so sure."
"Oh?" Ye Yuan tilted his head slightly, his expression calm. Then, without wasting another word, he dashed towards third leader like a streak of light.
"You bastard! You think I'm not here?" Jie Feng roared at this time, as he suddenly appeared in front of Ye Yuan, blocking his path.
"Attack this son of a bitch together!" he shouted, rushing ahead, while the other bandits behind him charged forward, with Jie Feng leading.
The Third Leader and Ji Yao, however, remained at the edge, watching.
"Black Tiger Digging Heart!" Jie Feng shouted as his hand formed a claw, attacking toward Ye Yuan's chest. The bandits behind him also raised their weapons, aiming to strike Ye Yuan down.
"A little stronger than yesterday's group," Ye Yuan muttered, his tone almost bored as he dashed toward Jie Feng and the oncoming mob.
Click
With a clean sound, Ye Yuan drew his Tangdao.
"Swift Saber Technique."
With that soft murmur, the blade in his hand vanished – replaced by a series of dazzling flashes that cut through the air.
In an instant, a line of light crossed Jie Feng's claw arm, and as Ye Yuan quickly passed him, another gleam traced across his neck.
The same light swept through the bandits behind him – thin, sharp arcs slicing through their necks and torsos before they could even react.
Click
The sword slid back into its sheath as Ye Yuan appeared behind them, his expression calm as ever.
Gush
Thud Thud Thud
The sound of gushing blood filled the silence as crimson sprayed from the lines where the blade had passed. Then, almost simultaneously, heads and limbs began to fall.
"You… you…" Jie Feng managed to utter, staring in disbelief at the clawed palm that had been severed from his arm. He turned his head slightly, giving Ye Yuan one last vicious glare before his own head fell forward, hitting the ground with a dull thud.
"What a fast and precise sword," the Third Leader finally spoke, a little tremor in his voice . He didn't even glance at Jie Feng's body, his hot gaze fixed solely on Ye Yuan's figure.