Chapter 5: Highway Robbery

  Listening to the ethereal singing voice coming from afar in the darkness, Mu Yuan felt as if, amidst such a carefree and uninhibited atmosphere, there was a hidden sense of desolation, as if life and death were right before his eyes, impossible to evade or escape.

  Of course, this is just a feeling in the depths of Mu Yuan's mind. As soon as he thought of it, Mu Yuan couldn't help but feel a little amused. This sloppy Taoist was absolutely unfathomable, at least much stronger than his own lazy master. This was the spiritual awareness and perception that had been cultivated over ten years of practicing the Tao, which didn't have much to do with actual cultivation strength.

  If this old Taoist really has some trouble, he can't solve it by himself at all.

  Those martial artists gradually dispersed, with several who had drunk themselves into a stupor stumbling into the tent. Before long, thunderous snores could be heard, and all around fell silent, except for the occasional hooting of night birds from distant mountains and forests, and the low growls of crouching beasts.

  Mu Yuan, however, was wide awake and returned to his tent, fiddling with the blue gourd in his hand, feeling rather curious. He slowly circulated his true energy and moved it onto the gourd, opening up a hint of spiritual awareness, sensing the changes within through his true energy.

  The true energy entered the gourd, and Mu Yuan immediately felt that his vision had suddenly broadened. A vast space suddenly appeared, and what was thought to be a narrow gourd was actually about two miles in circumference. However, it gave people a sense of spatial distortion, as if everything was somewhat unreal. Moreover, in this space, there was a rich water-based elemental energy that was constantly changing, emitting the sound of tidal waves rising and falling. Among the five elements, black water gives birth to green wood, and Mu Yuan's Longevity True Energy infused into it, immediately radiating intense vitality, as if it had become several times stronger in an instant.

  Mu Yuan's heart was filled with joy, thinking that this was indeed a good thing. He slightly condensed his true energy and sensed the water-elemental primal force. With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed the Azure Wood Divine Spear. The dense primal force of the gourd immediately transformed into countless dark, long sword energies that filled the sky, stabbing in all directions with flashing light, dazzling to behold.

  Although the swordsmanship of Qingmu Shenmang didn't quite match with the water-based elemental force, Mu Yuan was still very pleased. After all, the water-based elemental force in this gourd was much more concentrated than his own cultivation, and its power was also much stronger than when he used his Longevity True Qi to wield Qingmu Shenmang.

  "If only there was a Water-style Sword Technique, with this treasure it would be even more powerful! What a pity!" Mu Yuan thought to himself, feeling a slight sense of regret. The Longevity True Qi in the gourd stirred and shrank, and the foot-high gourd in his hand instantly shrunk to just a few inches high. Mu Yuan was overjoyed, and he threaded it with a silk string and hung it around his neck.

  "This gourd is really a good thing, not only can it be used to store things, but also as a defense against enemies, it's extremely wonderful. If I were to encounter a martial artist of the same level as Gai Tiancheng now, at least I wouldn't have to fear him!" Mu Yuan was completely satisfied, lying down to rest, the Longevity True Qi inside his body still slowly circulating along its predetermined path, only becoming slightly more robust each time it passed through the gourd on his chest, making his cultivation even more effective than before.

  Time passed neither quickly nor slowly, and the black night gradually dispersed as the red sun rose in the east. The horses and carriages started moving again, and they set foot on their journey once more.

  Along the official road, they proceeded with a swaying gait. After years of war, the Tian Guo's national treasury and strength had all been invested in the war effort, and this year's severe drought had led to a disastrous autumn harvest. As a result, beggars and refugees began to appear along the roadside, staring at the luxurious carriages with eyes that shone with longing, eagerness, and even greed!

  Muyuan looked at the beggars by the side of the road and could clearly see the intentions in their eyes. He couldn't help but sigh, thinking that even if one's belly was full and they knew etiquette, now that they couldn't even get enough to eat, how could they be expected to behave themselves? It was normal for them to become bandits or commit crimes like robbery.

  It was just Jia Bu's group that the horse-riding martial artists were indeed powerful, and although these refugees had some greedy thoughts, they didn't dare to really take action and rob them.

  As they walked to noon, the team was passing through a narrow gorge, with steep cliffs and deep valleys on both sides, lined with maple trees full of red leaves. Although the weather was getting cooler, they couldn't help but sweat profusely as they traveled. Jia Bu poked his head out of the carriage and shouted for the team to stop and rest in this spot, which happened to be sheltered from the wind, and prepared food.

  Mu Yuan's whole body was also emitting a warm aura, the autumn sun shone brightly, although it couldn't compare to summer, but being exposed to its rays all along the way wasn't pleasant either. At this moment, he stopped his horse under a maple tree to rest, and with one circulation of his internal energy, the dense Water Element force in the gourd on his chest gradually dissipated, making him feel quite refreshed, and even the sweat stains on his body were eliminated.

  Just as they were feeling comfortable, a sudden rush of footsteps was heard, and dozens of people jumped out from the side of the road. They all had ferocious faces, tall and sturdy bodies, and held knives and swords in their hands. The leader, a burly man with a hideous face, shouted loudly, "Leave your money and goods behind, and we'll spare your lives!"

  As the footsteps approached, these martial artists already felt something was off and gathered together. Mu Yuan also cursed inwardly, never expecting to actually encounter a group of powerful bandits who had taken to robbery as their profession. Moreover, judging from how they were dressed, it didn't seem like they had been forced into this life due to poverty, but rather seemed to be genuine professional robbers.

  Seeing those martial artists making preparations, Mu Yuan didn't go to join in the excitement, quietly slipping to the side of the horse carriage, calmly watching the commotion before his eyes.

  Jia Bu's chubby face initially showed a hint of panic, but upon seeing the martial artists prepare for battle, he calmed down slightly. As a seasoned merchant who had traveled far and wide, he had seen his fair share of the world. He immediately got off his carriage, clasped his fists together in greeting, and shouted, "I don't know which heroic group is blocking my path, but I'm just passing through your noble land to avoid the war. I happen to have 200 taels on hand, and I'd like to offer it to you as a token of respect, which can also be used to buy wine."

  The leader of the Han people looked up at the sky and burst out laughing, "Do you think I'm just trying to shoo away beggars? Everyone stay behind, otherwise don't blame me for being ruthless!"

  Jia Bu's face was somewhat helpless, and he wasn't particularly surprised by this situation. In these times, it wasn't easy to meet a wealthy master, so why would they let him go so easily?

  A short, ugly-looking man standing next to the loud-mouthed big fellow suddenly leaned in close to the big fellow's ear and whispered something. The big fellow's eyes lit up, and he waved his long knife around, "Hey, that fat guy, are there women in the carriage too? Leave them behind as well, let me have some fun, take them back to the stronghold, make them the boss's concubines!"

  Jia Bu's face changed color, Feng Lie had already lost his patience and shouted, "You thieving bastard, how dare you be so arrogant, aren't you afraid of getting your tongue cut off!"

  The Great Han roared with anger, "You ignorant brat, you really think that after learning a few days of martial arts, you can come out and shout orders? Brothers, take him down, beat this arrogant little boy to death! Take the wealth and women back to the mountain stronghold, kill all the men and bring them back to cook and eat!"

  As soon as the words fell, those bandits were like wolves and tigers, holding knives and swords, and pounced on them. Seeing that things had no room for maneuver, these martial artists took out their weapons one after another, and in an instant, they fought each other in a chaotic manner!

  The martial artists who followed, also seven or eight people, plus some slaves, would all use their fists and feet, and their bodies were quite agile. These bandits, although fierce, could not be taken down for the time being.

  The big Han who shouted was ferociously smiling and pounced on Jia Bu, heading straight for the horse carriage carrying Jia Bu's family!

  Jia Bu was in a great hurry, and although the martial artist accompanying him had exceptional fighting skills, they were vastly outnumbered by their opponents. Jia Bu himself was not skilled in hand-to-hand combat, so he hastily retreated to avoid being caught. However, the large man gave him no quarter, swinging his long knife in a wide arc that sent a flurry of icy air and light flashing down towards him like a swirling snowball.

  Jia Bu shouted loudly, and suddenly a iron sword appeared in the air, blocking the falling knife light. Amidst the dazzling light, he searched for the hilt of the sword and let out a long, clear ring!

  Mu Yuan had long seen that this big Han was extraordinary, standing by the carriage, and under the knife in the midst of ten thousand urgency. At the same time, several cries came from the horse-drawn carriage, with a soft and gentle tone, although it was a cry of surprise, but still revealed a warm and tender intention.

  At the sound of this, a fierce light burst forth from Han's eyes, and he laughed loudly, shouting "Get out of here, kid!" The knife flashed and rolled like a dragon emerging from water, extremely ferocious!

  "This fellow's knife skills are not bad," Mu Yuan smiled slightly, the iron sword shook and opened up the long knife. With a flick of his wrist, a sharp edge shot out from the tip of the sword, it was the Qingmu Divine Edge. Borrowing the sword to transform, the big Han holding the knife suddenly couldn't withstand it, being struck by an air edge on the chest, spitting out fresh blood, and falling to the ground.

  Mu Yuan sheathed his sword and stood up, seeing that several slaves from the Jia Bu Fu had already fallen to the ground injured. He picked up a few stones, bent his fingers and shot them out in quick succession, and soon heard several cries of pain. These bandits were only familiar with some basic martial arts moves, and even the most skilled among them was no match for Mu Yuan's stones infused with the power of the Long Life True Qi. They fell to the ground one after another.

  Jia Bu was overjoyed at the sight and urged loudly, "Excellent skills, Mu Shaoxia! Quickly defeat these bandits, we'll set off immediately!"

  Just as Mokuren was about to make his move, the large man who had been severely injured by Aokigahara no Miko earlier pulled out a black cloth pouch from his chest. His face twisted in a gruesome scowl, he opened the pouch and a buzzing noise erupted as a swarm of black mosquitoes flew out, like a small dark cloud, dancing wildly in the air and descending upon them!