Chapter 25: A Ray of Hope

Bao Gang burst out laughing. "Of course, no problem. Our Black Wind Stockade always welcomes brave heroes to join us. How about we deal with these remaining guards first, together?"

A chilling thought, however, flashed through his mind. The ambush on the Yu family was too significant to risk any leaks. He couldn't ascertain this person's background, and if a conflict erupted now and the person escaped, things would become troublesome. Therefore, he decided to eliminate the Yu family members first, then gather all his brothers' strength to dispose of him.

In any case, this person couldn't be rank five or higher; otherwise, he could have taken everything for himself. Why would he bother cooperating with them?

Ji Xiaoxi, hidden in the bushes, was perplexed. She couldn't understand what Zu An was planning. If she didn't know his physical condition, she might have already become suspicious.

"No problem," Zu An said, drawing a blade and charging forward. He then clashed swords with a Yu family guard.

The Yu family guard swayed, but Zu An was sent flying several meters back.

The Black Wind Stockade members: "..."

The Yu family members: "..."

They had expected a master, but he couldn't even defeat a rank three guard? And that guard had just endured several battles; he was practically at the end of his rope.

Rage from Bao Gang +99!

Rage from Black Wind Stockade Bandit A +99!

Rage from Black Wind Stockade Bandit B +99!

Rage from Black Wind Stockade Bandit C +99!

Bao Gang thought of all his earlier apprehensions, calculations, and schemes, only to realize this guy was just a rank two. He felt a pang of intense irritation.

He was tempted to just dispatch him with a single strike, but then worried he might be deliberately feigning weakness. After much deliberation, he restrained himself, thinking, "How dare you play tricks on me? Once I've dealt with the Yu family, I'll make sure to flay you alive."

Rage from Bao Gang +199!

Seeing Bao Gang's faintly twitching face, Zu An inwardly chuckled. "These guys are quite courteous, aren't they?"

After that, he no longer charged to the front. Instead, he wove through the crowd, occasionally landing a supplementary blow. This was partly to experience the atmosphere of combat and partly to adapt to his newly acquired strength, as his previous encounter with Plum Blossom Twelve had been a sneak attack, not a direct confrontation.

However, his actions made the Black Wind Stockade members grit their teeth. This guy wasn't helping at all; instead, he was just getting in the way. If the Third Boss hadn't secretly given them orders, they might have already struck down this nuisance.

Rage from Black Wind Stockade Bandit A +33!

Rage from Black Wind Stockade Bandit B +33!

Rage from Black Wind Stockade Bandit C +33!

After a round of fighting, the Yu family guards were all captured. Bao Gang hesitated, not killing them, but instead sparing the lives of the last few and placing a disabling restraint on them.

There was much intelligence about the Yu family to extract from them, and perhaps these people could even be used to threaten Lady Yu.

Seeing them subdued, Zu An rubbed his hands together and chuckled, walking towards the carriage. "Finally, I'll get to see Lady Yu's beautiful face."

"The Yu family won't let you get away with this!" the guards, with blades at their throats, glared furiously at Zu An.

Rage from Yu Bin +299!

Rage from Yu Jun +299!

Rage from Yu Meng +299!

Zu An chuckled. "Out here in the middle of nowhere, how could the Yu family possibly know what I've done?"

"Young brother, aren't you celebrating a bit too soon?" Bao Gang's cold snort came from behind him.

Zu An's expression changed. "What do you mean?"

Bao Gang waved his hand, and his men in black surrounded Zu An. "Who wouldn't want a great beauty like Lady Yu? But there's only one of her, and so many of us here. Even among us few, there isn't enough to go around, so how could there be a share for you?"

"You're actually turning on me?" Zu An pointed at him, trembling with feigned rage.

"Bah!" Bao Gang swore loudly. "What kind of fool tries to amuse me? You're merely a rank two cultivator; who gave you the courage to negotiate with us?"

Through his covert observation during the previous fight, he had confirmed that this guy was indeed just a rank two, not someone feigning weakness to trap stronger opponents. Having been famous for many years, he was confident in his judgment.

"Chop this guy into pieces and feed him to the dogs!" Bao Gang ordered. The anger he had suppressed for so long finally erupted, leaving him feeling utterly refreshed.

"Stop!"

Seeing the group surround Zu An, Ji Xiaoxi immediately grew anxious. She didn't know what Zu An was planning, but she knew that with so many people surrounding him, he would be cut to pieces in less than a round.

"There's still another person!" Bao Gang was startled. He had just detected someone over there, but Zu An had jumped out, making him instinctively careless. The thought that the person might quietly escape and reveal what happened here made him secretly wipe away a cold sweat.

"Hahahaha, Third Boss, we've got another little beauty! Our luck today is truly amazing." The men in black, seeing Ji Xiaoxi's beautiful face, couldn't help but whistle.

Earlier, although they had loudly declared they would capture Lady Yu for everyone's enjoyment, they knew their place. Lady Yu was a woman of high status; it would never be the turn of mere foot soldiers like them. It would definitely be for their bosses.

But now it was different. With this charming and beautiful young woman, they finally had hope.

"My father is Ji Dengtu of Brightmoon City! Let him go, and we won't tell anyone about what happened today!" Ji Xiaoxi knew that with her cultivation, confronting them would be suicide, so she could only invoke her father's name.

The men in black were stunned for a moment, then burst into roaring laughter. "A mere quack doctor! Who are you trying to scare with that?"

"Shut up!" Bao Gang frowned. He remembered his elder brother mentioning that there were a few people in Brightmoon City who shouldn't be provoked, and Ji Dengtu was one of them.

After a moment's hesitation, he shook his head. "We have indeed heard of the renowned Physician Ji, but what happened today cannot be leaked in the slightest. Forgive us for offending. Brothers, seize her! Whoever catches her gets to enjoy her first."

The men in black let out howls of excitement, and a group of them scrambled to rush forward.

"Behold my Flicking Finger Divine Art!"

Just then, a furious shout rang out. Bao Gang heard a whistling sound behind him, and without thinking, he swung his blade back, smashing the projectile that had flown towards him.

"Hahahaha, so this is your Flicking Finger Divine Art?" Bao Gang noticed the stance Zu An had adopted and couldn't help but mock him. But after a few laughs, his expression suddenly changed drastically. "You... you..."

Then he collapsed stiffly to the ground, and several of his companions around him also fell.

"Third Boss, what's wrong?" The remaining men in black were startled at the sight and rushed over to help him, but shortly after reaching him, they too collapsed one after another.

Zu An breathed a sigh of relief. He had been looking for an opportunity to gather these people together and then use the paralyzing poison vial, but just as he was about to succeed, Ji Xiaoxi suddenly appeared, nearly causing him to fail.

Fortunately, these people weren't very bright. He had expected a tough fight at the end, but these guys, like characters from a cartoon saving their grandpa, came one by one, which saved him a lot of trouble.

"You brat, what kind of sorcery did you use on us!" Bao Gang was both shocked and enraged. He found that his inner energy felt sealed, and not only that, he couldn't control his body; it was as if he had lost all sensation.

Rage from Bao Gang +333!

"I told you, that's my ultimate skill, the Flicking Finger Divine Art! Once this move is unleashed, within a radius of ten zhang, not a blade of grass will grow! Now you know how powerful it is, don't you?" Zu An didn't dare approach immediately, fearing there might be residual effects of the poison. It would be troublesome if he got affected himself.

"Yes, yes, we were blind," Bao Gang quickly said, thinking, "This guy isn't really feigning weakness, is he?" "Lady Yu is over there; she's all yours. We won't fight you for her."

The Yu family guards glared furiously at him, but everything happening before their eyes was so fantastical that they couldn't recover their wits for a moment.

"Heh," Zu An muttered, estimating that the poison's effects had mostly worn off. He then walked over and patted Bao Gang's cheek with his blade. "Now, in your current state, can you still fight for anything? Who was it just now who wanted to chop me up and feed me to the dogs? And who was calling to bully my Sister Ji?"

Ji Xiaoxi happened to run over, and upon hearing his intimate address, her face couldn't help but flush.

Rage from Bao Gang +147!

In all his years of heavy drinking and meat-eating, no one had ever dared to pat his face with a blade like this.

"We were blind just now; please show us mercy. Our Black Wind Stockade will surely remember this favor." Despite his anger, Bao Gang quickly brought up the Black Wind Stockade, hoping the other party would show some deference.

Zu An immediately chuckled. "Oh, you have Mount Tai here too? Alright, for that, I'll give you a chance. If you can answer my questions correctly, I'll let you go."

The leading Yu family guard was greatly alarmed by this. "You can't let them go! They've committed many evil deeds."

Zu An rolled his eyes at him. "Do you have a say here? If you were so capable, why didn't you capture them earlier?"

The man's face instantly flushed crimson. However, with restraints on their bodies, they were at the mercy of others, like fish on a chopping block, and could only stare helplessly.

Rage from Yu Bin +111!

Zu An then turned back to face the men in black. "Let's start with you. What musical instrument can you play?"

The man in black was stunned. "I don't play any instruments." What bandit, who lived by the blade, would know how to play a musical instrument?

"If you can't even play an instrument, what's the point of living?" Zu An ended his life with a single strike.

Rage from Black Wind Stockade Bandit +666!

He then moved to the second man in black. "What musical instrument can you play?"

The man swallowed hard. He didn't play any instruments either, but his comrade's body hadn't even gone cold yet, so he dared not say that directly. Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind. "I can whistle!"

"A damn whistle counts as an instrument?!" Zu An struck again, ending his life. A fawning smile still lingered on the man's face even in death.

Rage from Black Wind Stockade Bandit +666!

Ji Xiaoxi, standing nearby, couldn't bear to watch. She quietly walked over and tugged on his sleeve. "Brother Zu, isn't this a bit too cruel?"

Zu An sighed. "Xiaoxi, you're still too kind. If we had fallen into their hands just now, they would have shown you what true cruelty is. Besides, didn't I leave them a glimmer of hope? As long as they can answer my questions, I'll let them live."

The other Black Wind Stockade members were on the verge of tears, thinking, "Are those trick questions of yours really a glimmer of hope for us?"