Sword Among Us c1-1268

by Black Swordsman Online

  Dawn Lotus wiped off the sweat on her forehead. She rose next to Happy, either intentionally or unintentionally, and said, "It's just these bandits? It's a little boring, senior brother."

  Eleventh Crane watched the boy and girl in front of him with a smile. He then tugged at his reins in a great show of sensibility and lagged a few steps behind them.

  "That's right!"

  Orchid Researcher's ears were sharp. When she heard her friend's words, she jumped down from the roof of the carriage, summoned her horse, and rose beside Happy too. "Senior brother, I wonder if World of Martial Arts will have anything new and fresh."

  'New and fresh?'

  Happy could do nothing but smile.

  Right then, everyone was still too weak, so only a few things were revealed in the game. However, as time passed, the storyline progression would gradually come into light, and it would definitely become more and more interesting, especially when the game launched the storyline quest in all servers later in the year. Its effect would be like the eruption of a volcano. Of course, as a normal player, Happy felt that it would be best if the game did not bring too many surprises.

  "How should I know?" he said.

  But to his surprise, one of the two guards who were in charge of protecting the items and who had only said "Move!" and "Stop!" since the start of the journey, suddenly took over the conversation.

  "We're still safe for now. Once we get out of the territory of Gusu City and reach places that are not under the governance of the governor, we'll be very busy. We'll need to travel dozens of lis[1], and wherever we'll go, we will face a stronghold in basically every mountain. Each of them would have one or two Blessed Realm fighters guarding them."

  The guard's words instantly attracted the girls' attention. They did not expect that anyone would answer their musing.

  Even Eleventh Crane was so shocked that he rushed forward from behind them!

  "Powerful Blessed Realm fighters?"

  "Yes."

  The guard who spoke had a rather strong build and was tall. He sat at the coachman's seat and wiped his big saber. With a solemn expression on his face, he said, "The Murong Clan's reputation is rather useful in Gusu City's territory. No one dares to attack us brazenly in the day. Those with smaller forces do not even dare to provoke you.

  "But when we leave this safe zone, the bandits won't care so much about our reputation. By then, while it'll be easy for you to handle the smaller strongholds, you'll find that it'll be very difficult for the ten of us to get through the big strongholds that have strong men and swift horses. They'll also have a lot more manpower, unlike what we see right now."

  The group did not say anything after that. They understood what the guards said, and their expressions instantly changed.

  Even though Xu Lang and Ghost's Worry could easily handle a group of bandits on horseback, those enemies did use tricks or strategies to win. They also did not face anyone in Blessed Realm who could suppress the players.

  If they truly ran into a large group of mountain bandits who came to steal their items, the guard's words would come true. If Happy was held back by anyone, the group would definitely be in danger.

  Happy's expression became serious as well.

  He had participated in item protection quests in his previous life, and the further the quest progressed, the more difficult it became! The situations would become more and more complicated. In fact, there was even a possibility that powerful enemies in Mystical Realm would appear.

  However, at that time, Happy had been very weak, and he was simply tasked to deliver a brocade box on his own. On the way, all the enemies he ran into were in Gate Realm. Even though the numbers varied, it was rare for any powerful enemies in Blessed Realm to appear.

  This time, however, it was different!

  The mountain bandits appeared in groups. So right after they left Gusu City's territory, a group of more than one hundred bandits could appear to steal their tribute, and they might even run into bandits who were in Blessed Realm.

  When he thought about this in depth, Happy rubbed his temples.

  Even though he had experience from his previous life, he had only experienced a part of the game. In a way, he was also just a newbie. He wondered what sort of experiences might await him in the future.

  Xu Lang and Ghost's Worry used a total of ten minutes to make the group of bandits in front of them retreat. When they came back, their faces were full of regret. "Um… those mounted bandits' strength seemed to have grown."

  Orchid Research repeated the guard's words, and solemn expressions instantly appeared on their faces.

  "What should we do? I have to leave for a while later as well."

  Xu Lang became nervous.

  Usually, when a player was involved in a long, continuous quest like this, once the player left, his game character would not disappear. The character would continue to be in the team like a normal NPC.

  When he heard that NPCs in Blessed Realm might appear later, Xu Lang became incredibly gloomy. He did not know what to do.

  "It's fine. Just change the settings a little later. Follow Big Brother Crane and protect the carriage. We'll try as much as possible to ensure you're not harmed."

  But Xu Lang was still worried.

  "But… the five of you…"

  "It's fine. We can still handle it for now. When we travel down the road later, try to finish all your tasks offline while we have time so that we can avoid situations where we can't be around during crucial moments," Happy said, and the group nodded.

  *****

  The guards sat on the carriage while the six people rode their horses. Like that, the group soon reached the territories outside of Gusu City, which the guard had mentioned earlier. Lush green mountains were connected to the government-made roads and rivers. They were very quiet, and not a single bit of danger could be detected.

  However, Xu Lang had already left by then. His game character had a longsword in hand, and he stayed beside Eleventh Crane, who had chosen to walk on his feet instead of riding on a horse.

  Happy swept his gaze over the mountains in the area. He served as the vanguard to clear the path ahead of them.

  The carriage slowly drove across the government-made road, which was filled with pits. The wood creaked, and Orchid Researcher, Dawn Lotus, Eleventh Crane, and Ghost's Worry looked around while in great worry. They did not dare let down their guard.

  After they went past the first curve, they officially entered the mountain ranges. The four guards got down from the carriage and began to walk with incredibly grave and vigilant postures! Their gazes swept through the area.

  Eleventh Crane suddenly noticed Happy turn and rush into the forest to the left while three hundred and thirty feet ahead of them. He quickly shouted, "Increase your guard!"

  Before he finished speaking, a black light shot out from the forest with a sharp whistle that was piercing to the ears. It stabbed into the ground between Eleventh Crane and Ghost's Worry.

  Buzz!

  An arrow sank deep into the ground, its fletching shuddering.

  "Archer!"

  Great shock appeared on the two's faces. Before they could react to the situation, the sound of air being sliced increased in frequency by leaps and bounds.

  Arrows shot out from the forest like raindrops, and they traveled like locusts at the eight people around the carriage!

  This was the first time the players had ran into such a situation. They were immediately so terrified by the aggressive shower of arrows that they retreated behind the carriage to avoid the sharp projectiles.

  At that moment, the four guards who had never had the chance to show off their abilities displayed extraordinary courage. They did not retreat, but advanced, and they used their bodies to protect the carriage. They brandished their weapons, and with loud clangs, they either blocked or parried the great number of arrows without a trace of panic. They did not move back a single inch.

  Ghost's Worry felt greatly
ashamed of himself. He gritted his teeth, and with a low roar, he charged out from behind the carriage.

  Eleventh Crane also rushed out. With the guards protecting him, he drew his bow, and three arrows shot into the forest like bolts of lightning.

  Chapter 90 - Heaven Domination Sect Members

  'Did we run into mountain bandits who have an archer squad?!'

  Eleventh Crane was forced back behind the carriage by another volley of arrows. He felt depressed. Even though the arrows that shot out of the forest did not possess the lethality of Grandmaster Realm, they were all in the eighth or ninth realm. They were powerful, and not weak and useless shots.

  With the numerical and geographical advantage on the archers' side, Eleventh Crane was suppressed so much that he could do nothing about them, even though he was a veteran with the bow!

  Eleventh Crane leaned against the back of the carriage and shouted, "Damn it! Young Worry! Lure the firepower away! The guards can't take it anymore!"

  Ghost's Worry turned his head around and cast a glance at the guards beside him. They had already collapsed because of the arrows. They had some four arrows stuck in their t.h.i.g.hs and arms, and they could only swing their other arms to block the arrows. They were in a dire situation.

  The hearts of Orchid Researcher and Dawn Lotus were full of fear because of the arrows that came from within the forest. They did not dare show their faces. Xu Lang was a useless child who followed behind others, so Eleventh Crane had no one else to call out to except Ghost's Worry.

  "I can't leave! If the horse dies, how can we continue with the mission?!" When Ghost's Worry answered, he was distracted for a moment, and an arrow pierced his c.h.e.s.t!

  "Ah!"

  Before Ghost's Worry could shout out, Orchid Researcher had already screamed because she saw such a terrifying scene. With a pale face, Dawn Lotus grabbed her sword and rushed out to stand guard before the fallen defenders.

  In just an instant, wounds were left on her arms.

  Orchid Researcher nearly cried as she watched the scene. She bit her lip and also charged forward while shouting, "I'll kill you!"

  There was a quiver in her indignant voice, and she sounded as if she had been bullied by someone.

  When the two girls joined the fight, they finally managed to rescue the carriage from its dire situation, but only slightly. They temporarily saved the four guards' lives, and the horses drawing the carriages were still fine.

  But the mountain bandits in the forest seemed intent to finish the battle with arrows. When they saw that the people around the carriage intended to continue stubbornly defending, they continued sending volleys of arrows at them. Some of the archers even chose to focus their attention on the only person behind the carriage who could threaten them from a long-distance—Eleventh Crane.

  "Damn it! Since when did these mountain bandits become so smart?!" Eleventh Crane was incredibly angry.

  If it were not because he had Xu Lang following him, he would have rushed out from behind the carriage a long time ago with his Grandmaster Realm Bow Body and entered the forest to kill the archers. However, since he had to take into consideration that he could not ensure Xu Lang's safety, he could only suppress that crazy idea and place all his hopes on Happy, who had disappeared for quite some time.

  He firmly believed that Happy had sensed the abnormality in the forest before them.

  If they lasted a little longer, the volleys of arrows would surely stop.

  As long as he had time to catch his breath, those people would end up as dead meat!

  Right when he thought of this, panicked screams rose within the forest.

  Then, the originally dense arrow shower became much thinner, and the danger level dropped.

  "Young Worry, you're injured, stay here!"

  When Dawn Lotus sensed the pressure reduce, she easily plucked out two arrows and, without even turning her head back, rushed into the forest.

  "Sister Lotus, wait for me!"

  "Come back! These two girls!"

  Eleventh Crane put down the bow and arrow in his hand in anger, feeling extremely gloomy. The two girls had clearly forgotten that he still had Xu Lang by his side, who had very low fighting power. He originally hoped that the two girls could protect Xu Lang so that he could let loose in the forest, but now that the both of them had left, if Eleventh Crane recklessly rushed into the forest with Xu Lang, Xu Lang's life might be in danger.

  Besides, the two girls did not have a lot of experience. If they entered the forest recklessly, they might run into danger.

  *****

  The girls had not even entered one hundred and sixty-five feet into the forest when they saw a spot devoid of trees ahead of them. There were people there, and they were fighting. There were corpses dressed in tight-fitting white clothes on the ground, but they did not seem like mountain bandits.

  Happy was filled with murderous intent. He chased after the people in white, attacking frequently and quickly with his lancet knives. Every time he attacked, he would take away two lives.

  "Heaven Domination Sect Members?!"

  Orchid Researcher stopped and looked around. Shock swiftly appeared on her face—she could see the emblem of Heaven Domination Sect on the c.h.e.s.ts of the white-robed corpses.

  The two girls instantly understood what had happened. No wonder that the system did not give them any notification to protect the tributes or that the attacks had been limited to volleys of arrows from the start. By the looks of it, Heaven Domination Sect members had decided to set up an ambush for them.

  "Darn it!"

  When they remembered that they had nearly died under the Heaven Domination Sect Members' arrows, the two girls became so angry that the emotion filled their whole beings.

  "These bastards!"

  Happy stopped in the distance. He had a sour look on his face.

  In truth, when he scouted the place, he felt that the atmosphere was somewhat strange. There were too many footprints by the road, and there were also far too many tracks showing that people had walked all over the place. Yet mountain bandits would not leave such things behind.

  Hence, he activated Cloud Treading Steps. He intended to check out what happened by venturing deep into the forest.

  However, he did not expect that once he moved, Eleventh Crane would alarm the ambushers in the forest. Arrows rained down from the sky, nearly taking away the lives of the four guards and the horse.

  Rage coursed through Happy's veins, and he became even more certain that the people who hid in the forest were players and not mountain bandits.

  Even though he was shocked, Happy did not expect that the people who came to snatch their tribute would be Heaven Domination Sect of Gusu City, his old enemy…

  When he noticed the archers who were firing shot after shot and the guards protecting them by the side, the negative emotions that had been bottling up in his heart since the previous night turned into endless rage that erupted without warning!

  He threw his lancet knives, and he instantly took away four people's lives.

  Then, when the guards became alarmed, he dropped from the tree into the crowd, throwing the twenty or so archers into disorder. More than ten people died under his Green Jade Shrouded in Heavenly Silk on the spot.

  When the people from Heaven Domination Sect saw Happy, they immediately descended into chaos.

  Happy had actually charged into their midst by himself. The archers quickly changed their weapons into swords and sabers to surround and kill him! But they did not manage to surround him, much less kill him. Happy jumped up and vanished from their group, and when he threw his throwing knives, someone would always die.

  His throwing knives came and went without a sound!

  When the eighth person at the outermost layer of the encirclement keeled over and died, the members of Heaven Domination Sect finally noticed what was going on, and they panicked and fled.

  If this had happened in the past, Happy would have found it beneath h
imself to chase after them, but this time, Heaven Domination Sect members had acted like maggots in the bone. They had actually laid down an ambush for him, despite that requiring to travel far from Gusu City. With such actions, they had nearly killed his group, so there was no way that Happy would easily let them go.

  If he let them run, the master of Heaven Domination Sect might think that Happy was an easy-going person who was easy to bully!

  Whoosh!

  With one tap against the ground, he activated Cloud Treading Steps and gave chase at full speed.

  The lancet knives became Happy's best scythe in reaping souls. Wherever they landed, a Heaven Domination Sect member would fall to the ground with a grunt. No one bothered to check if they were still breathing.

  In their panic, none of Heaven Domination Sect's members thought about splitting up. They just fled in disorder.

  But there was no way they would be able to escape Happy, who had already mastered a lightness skill. They could not avoid Happy's throwing knives, and without a hitch, he chased after them.

  That was the reason why Orchid Researcher and Dawn Lotus saw many white-robed corpses along the way.

  "You killed all of them so soon? You should have left a few for us."

  "You silly girl. These are all players. Did you actually think they were those dumb NPCs?" Dawn Lotus cast Orchid Researcher a resigned look. Once she finished speaking to her, she turned to Happy and asked, "Did they come for you or the tribute?"

  "They should have come for me."

  Happy cast a glance at the wounds on the two girls, and his heart tensed. 'The danger brought by players is indeed much greater than that of NPCs. Looks like I'll have to be even more careful next time!'

  At the same time, he swore in his heart, 'When I go back, I'll destroy Heaven Domination Sect's headquarters!'

  Chapter 91 - Greedy Ambition

  Once night fell, Happy and his group found a place in the forest to set up camp. They also went wild and dealt with the mountain bandits in the stronghold nearby. Happy told Xu Lang and Ghost's Worry to keep night watch before he took the time to log off.