After a brief resupply in Jingyang City, Li Qing boarded a carriage and left the city without any lingering thoughts.
The outcome of the chaotic battle between the two factions in the city was something he could easily guess. Without the drive of interests, continuing to fight would only deplete their powers and increase casualties. It was highly likely that both sides would call it quits, and from then on, the Black Sha Gang would be locked in a life-and-death struggle with the first sword of Qingzhou, Sun Qi.
However, what Li Qing never expected was that after four days of travel, just as he was about to reach Chongning County, the leader of the Black Sha Gang, in a fit of desperation, publicly announced what treasure Sun Qi had taken.
In an instant, the entire Qingzhou, no, the entire martial world of the Maple Kingdom, was thrown into an uproar.
Outside Chongning County.
After traveling north for many days, the temperature here was relatively cooler, and in fact, summer was the most comfortable season; the other seasons were quite cold.
On the official road, a carriage was suddenly blocked by a group of bandits when it was still a mile or two from the city gate.
The coachman's face turned pale, and he trembled as he spoke, "There are bandits blocking the road."
In front of the carriage were several mounted bandits wielding wolf-toothed clubs and various imposing weapons. On either side, seven or eight more bandits with fierce expressions surrounded them, completely blocking the carriage's path.
Faced with this situation, even the horses seemed startled and began to grow restless.
The leading bandit, holding a wolf-toothed club, smiled and rode a few steps forward, saying, "Ahead is Chongning. If you want to pass, leave some road money."
After his words fell, there was a long silence with no response. The coachman was trembling all over, and there was no reply from inside the carriage.
"Interesting, could it be that there's a young lady inside the carriage?" The leading bandit licked his lips, his gaze turning predatory like that of a wolf.
Upon hearing this, the other bandits laughed maliciously.
"Hahaha!"
"Not saying a word, it really could be a shy and charming young lady."
"Young lady, we’re coming, don’t be afraid~"
"Hey, coachman, whose young lady are you carrying in there? Tell us!"
Just as the bandits were teasing and closing in, a voice finally came from inside the carriage.
"Keep going, don’t be afraid."
"Gulp."
Hearing Li Qing's calm tone, the coachman's anxious heart instantly steadied. He swallowed hard and waved the whip.
Crack!
The carriage began to move slowly again. Seeing this, the bandits displayed disdainful expressions.
They thought the carriage wanted to force its way through? What a delusion; did they think the weapons in their hands were fake? As soon as the carriage dared to approach, they could easily knock both the people and the horses to the ground.
Just as this thought crossed their minds, a sudden sharp sound of breaking air rang out.
"Whoosh!"
A nail the size of a finger shot out from the gap created by the swaying carriage curtain.
The leading bandit didn’t even have time to react before a blood hole appeared on his forehead.
Bang!
The bandit leader fell from his horse, startling the surrounding bandits into a panic.
"Boss?"
"It's a hidden weapon, be careful!"
Before the words had even left their mouths, another penetrating nail shot out rapidly.
Whoosh!
The sound of the wind broke again, and another mounted bandit fell to the ground. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Three consecutive sounds of breaking wind rang out, and three bandits met their demise in an instant!
Everything happened so quickly that in the blink of an eye, five people, including their leader, were dead!
"It's a martial arts expert, run!"
"The boss is dead, run!"
Suddenly, the more than twenty surrounding bandits felt a chill run down their spines.
It was too easy; the deaths were simply too simple.
The few mounted bandits were clearly the higher-ups among the bandits, and just as they were about to speak to stabilize the situation, the carriage curtain was finally lifted.
However, the first to emerge was not a person, but a long-suppressed furious tiger!
"Roar!"
A young tiger, about the size of an adult dog, suddenly charged out, letting out a roar filled with tiger might.
The horses blocking the way were all startled and began to panic, making it difficult for their riders to control them.
Although still young, it had been fed meat for quite some time, naturally exuding a bit of a fierce tiger's aura.
Of course, it was impossible for this young tiger to deal with the bandits.
In the next moment, a figure holding a giant hammer suddenly appeared from within the carriage.
It was Li Qing, his expression calm, revealing no hint of emotion.
As he burst out of the carriage, he actually moved faster than the horses.
Boom!
The giant hammer was swung dramatically, and the fierce wind it generated seemed to create a sense of pressure in the air.
The hammerhead, forged from dark gold, reflected a dim sheen under the sun.
Several mounted bandits fell into despair; they had attempted to rob a martial arts expert, and the weapon he wielded was terrifying.
Bang!
Without any suspense, several bandits were sent flying, horses and all, by a single powerful swing of the hammer.
The first bandit to touch the Wushuang Hammer had half his body turned to mush.
Blood splattered across the dusty official road, filling the air with a metallic scent that made everyone present feel their hearts tremble!
At that moment, someone shouted:
"Run!"
As the tree falls, the monkeys scatter; the bandits who had just surrounded the carriage fled in all directions, fearing that the giant hammer-wielding demon would come after them for retribution.
Li Qing stood firm with the giant hammer, waiting for the carriage to pass in front of him before he climbed back on. He glanced back at the fleeing bandits, no longer harboring any thoughts of pursuit.
The coachman’s face was pale, clearly shaken by the earlier scene.
No wonder he dared to raise a tiger; he was indeed a calamity.
With such strength, there was naturally no need to worry about the dangers of raising a tiger.
This was the first time Li Qing had encountered bandits since entering Qingzhou.
However, it was also within his expectations that such bandits would not even have an external strength expert among them.
Generally, those who reached the level of external strength were already notable figures, able to fare decently in other factions, and would not stoop to such lowly acts.
After dealing with the bandits, the carriage Li Qing was on smoothly entered the county.
However, as soon as he entered the county town, he was stunned by a topic everyone on the street was discussing with great enthusiasm.
"I think the leader of the Black Sha Gang has gone mad. What immortal exists in this world? He even claims that the treasure he obtained is a chance to become an immortal; it’s truly laughable!"
"..."
Wishing everyone a safe and healthy Dragon Boat Festival~
(End of Chapter)