Chapter 64: An Unexpected Encounter Halfway

  Qiaomu Town is nearly a hundred miles away from Sifang City, and even if they hurry with fast horses, it will take half a day to get there. After making the decision, Zhao Ji and Yuan Chengzhi didn't dare to delay any longer and set off immediately.

  Two swift horses, one in front of the other, galloped along the road, kicking up puffs of dust and causing the green mountains and trees on both sides to hastily retreat, as if they had grown legs.

  As for the national strength of Wu State, Zhao Ji was not very clear. However, looking at the wide official road from Qiaomu Town to Sifang City, it seemed that the national strength should not be too weak.

  Riding horseback against the wind, the beautiful scenery unfolded before my eyes, with vast expanses of green mountains and blue waters, and my heart suddenly felt expansive.

  "Zhao Ji brothers, this heavenly scenery is really great, the trees seem to be even taller and more majestic than those in the lower realm."

  The horse galloped forward, its speed not slow, the scenery retreated like a phantom, but Yuan Chengzhi's eyes didn't feel uncomfortable at all, taking in all the scenery along the way and producing almost the same feeling as Zhao.

  "Yes, the sky of this world seems a bit higher, I wonder if the earth is also going to be more vast."

  Zhao Ji secretly sighed in his heart.

  "This heavenly place is indeed good, it's just that there are too few people."

  Yuan Chengzhi was still evaluating Tianjie on the side.

  It's no wonder he had such a view. Starting from Qiaomu Town and walking dozens of miles along the official road, I didn't meet anyone, which shows how sparse the population is.

  As soon as Yuan Chengzhi finished speaking, the dense forest in front of him on the left suddenly echoed with the sounds of fighting and shouting, making a very lively scene.

  "Brother Yuan, you really have the ability to predict things before they happen. You said, shall we take a look?"

  Yuan Chengzhi is in the spotlight, and Zhao Ji seeks his opinion.

  For Wulin and Jianghu, Zhao Ji has always been yearning for it. Those stories about the grudges and loves of Jianghu, he has read a lot.

  Previously, he had never left Qiaomu Town. Zhao Ji was always one or half a step away from the Jianghu, but when he decided to go to Sifang City, he undoubtedly took a step out of his journey in Jianghu.

  Since he travels the world, the chivalrous spirit of upholding justice and helping the weak will not be forgotten. Therefore, when encountering things, Zhao Ji did not want to stay far away.

  "Go take a look."

  Yuan Chengzhi's answer was indeed beyond Zhao Ji's expectations.

  The two of them got off the official road and dismounted their horses, tying them to a tree before suddenly rising into the air together, like large birds, leaping onto the trees.

  A forest of trees, with trunks as high as several zhang, Yuan Chonghuan and Zhao Ji walked on the treetops as if they were walking on flat ground.

  After long practice of the divine movement and hundred changes, Zhao Ji's attainments in this school of lightness kung fu had reached a very high and profound realm. Although he was still not as good as Yuan Chengzhi, he was almost on par with him.

  Arriving in the forest, the two of them hid behind two large trees, concealing themselves among the branches and leaves, and gazed out at the open space within the forest. It was quite a spectacle to behold.

  A band of nearly fifty robbers, each riding a tall horse, under the leadership of a middle-aged ruffian, launched a fierce attack on a merchant caravan.

  The number of people in the merchant group is not small, with dozens of people, which can be called a large crowd. These people surrounded in a circle, with horse-drawn carriages forming a barricade outside, which can effectively resist bandit attacks.

  It can be said that under the circumstances where both geographical advantages and human factors are in their favor, even if the merchant group does not seek to counterattack, self-defense should be more than sufficient.

  It's not that simple. In fact, the merchant caravan was no match for the bandits' onslaught, despite having a defensive formation and skilled fighters who were not much inferior to their opponents.

  Those bandits don't seem to be ordinary horse thieves. Although they are not many in number, their coordination is quite good. Fifty bandits were divided into several teams, each team attacking the merchant caravan with great discipline, just like regular troops.

  Among the merchants, there was a young man who should have been the leader of the guards. His kung fu skills were not weak, his figure was agile, and his swordsmanship was good. Zhao Ji secretly calculated that this person's strength might not be weaker than his own.

  Apart from this young man, the rest of the merchants who could fight had mediocre cultivation and were not very strong, so they didn't attract Zhao Ji's attention.

  On the other side, the strongest was undoubtedly the middle-aged man who led them. He looked like a fierce Zhang Fei and wielded a heavy broadsword that weighed dozens of kilograms. When he swung it, it was extremely swift and fierce, with waves of sword wind whistling through the air.

  It's a battle of soldiers against soldiers, generals against generals. A middle-aged Han man and a young man engaged in a fierce fight, with neither gaining the upper hand. One side was quick and agile, like a gentle breeze, while the other side wielded their sword with powerful and heavy blows that were hard to resist.

  At the moment of life and death, the strength of a warrior can be fully displayed. Judging from the power of their moves, Zhao was certain that their cultivation should be about the same as his own, all at the fourth layer of the acquired realm.

  The good hand of the stream, the actual strength is not weak at all. Just saying that Ma Fei's side, dozens of inferior martial artists formed a gang, united together, although fierce, but if there was no middle-aged man who resisted the youth, the gangster's side would inevitably collapse.

  As the fierce battle continued, although the merchant team's defense was good, they were gradually at a disadvantage. From time to time, guards were killed, and in an instant, more than a dozen people lay on the ground, with blood flowing like a river.

  This situation made the young man secretly anxious, and several times he wanted to shake off the middle-aged man, first kill those small soldiers, but was tightly entwined.

  The young man's lightness may be good, but in this small battlefield, he wants to abandon the middle-aged Hanzi and those ordinary bandits to fight alone, it is really not very possible.

  In a short while, nearly half of the merchant group's guards had died, and their resistance weakened greatly. The situation was almost one-sided.

  The heavier the casualties, the lower the morale of the merchant team's guards, and the more they fell behind in their clashes with the bandits. The situation can be said to have reached a very critical juncture.

  "Ah, go die."

  At this critical moment of life and death, the young man's heart was filled with anxiety, and under a fierce cry, his hands became even more ruthless.

  Originally light and agile swordsmanship became fierce and sharp, the quick and victorious moves turned into rough and violent ones, changing all the sword techniques of dotting, stabbing, lifting, and chopping into fierce hacking.

  The young man launched a fierce attack like a torrential rain, not only was the momentum astonishing, but the power was also quite impressive, making it difficult for the middle-aged man to resist.

  The middle-aged Han man was a veteran of many battles, with ample experience in facing enemies. He knew that the young man's frenzy was due to his eagerness and would not last long. Therefore, his moves were no longer as fierce as before, but instead became more steady, switching from offense to defense.

  A long sword, wielded by the young man, came forth like a sudden storm, truly formidable. It was as if numerous rays of sword light struck from all directions, making it impossible to penetrate through the wind and rain.

  Looking at the middle-aged Han man, with a thick-backed knife, he wielded it and came back and forth, just a few moves, under the crazy wind and rain-like swordsmanship attack, firm as a rock, unmoving.

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