Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

Chapter 344: Chapter 169: Attitude

Ahead.

A refugee in ragged clothes was gripping the collar of a caravan guard in a death grip.

The refugee’s face was sallow from malnutrition, his eyes sunken. He looked as if he was on the verge of starving to death.

But his grip was tighter than iron pliers. In his other hand, he clutched a Curved Saber polished to a gleam, its blade already plunged into the guard’s chest, right up to the hilt.

He wrenched the Curved Saber out.

The caravan guard, a Martial Artist with Five Pillars of Blood Qi, crumpled to the ground. He made no further sound, with only blood gushing from his mouth and the wound in his chest.

The refugee lifted his head and grinned, revealing two rows of blackish-brown, rotten teeth. The despair and gloom in his eyes vanished, replaced by a frenzied, bloodthirsty madness, something almost bestial.

“Attack!”

He let out a sharp roar.

In an instant, several more figures burst out from the crowd of refugees.

Some produced daggers from their sleeves, others drew Short Sabers from their pant legs, and still others pulled short axes and Copper Hammers straight from their robes.

Their movements were clean and efficient. Several charged in coordination, their speed and power no less than that of the elite official army.

“Sirs, wait! Please, wait—!”

The caravan’s Big Pot Head, Old Ma, had barely finished speaking when a throwing knife whistled through the air and embedded itself in the forehead of another caravan guard beside him.

Old Ma wasn’t half bad himself. He found nearby cover and continued to shout:

“Honorable sirs! We’re the Du Family caravan from Yongzhou Prefecture! We pay our respects to Yellow Wind Stronghold, who controls this area, every single year! Please, don’t kill indiscriminately. We can talk this out! Harmony brings wealth! Harmony brings wealth—!”

“Idiot! We wiped out Yellow Wind Stronghold ages ago!”

The bandit leader tossed the words over his shoulder without looking back. Toting his Curved Saber, he sprinted toward the two lavish-looking carriages at the rear of the caravan.

The other bandits continued their charge, their targets the remaining caravan guards.

Every one of them was powerful, their tattered clothes revealing sinewy, well-honed physiques.

Their Step Technique was swift yet exquisite. They moved on the balls of their feet, bodies leaning forward, their advances and retreats clearly following a practiced method. They must have trained in some form of Martial Arts.

Crucially, their coordination was flawless. They formed groups of three in a pincer formation that was both offensive and defensive, as if they had drilled it a thousand times over.

In contrast, the caravan guards were mostly Martial Artists of four or Five Pillars of Blood Qi. Their positions were scattered, and they stood almost no chance of fending off these bandits.

In just a few moments, two more guards at the front and two at the rear were cut down, left lying in pools of their own blood.

Chen Cheng did not act rashly. He continued to observe from the shadows, peering through a small gap in the carriage curtain.

‘There seem to be even stronger masters hidden among these bandits.’

A few of them were deliberately suppressing their strength, blending into the crowd and appearing no different from the others.

But with his extraordinarily sharp senses, Chen Cheng could still feel the abnormal fluctuations of their Blood Qi. It was like a pot of boiling water with the lid on—calm on the surface, but churning violently underneath.

Among them, Chen Cheng had already locked onto three individuals.

One was the bandit leader with the Curved Saber, the one charging toward the two luxurious carriages.

Chen Cheng could sense that this man was intentionally suppressing the Blood Qi fluctuations within his body, revealing only fifty or sixty percent of his true power.

Even so, his current strength and speed had already reached the level of Six Pillars of Blood Qi or higher.

‘He’s hiding it extremely well. Anyone who dares to underestimate him will pay a heavy price.’

Chen Cheng had just finished this thought when, on his own side, a true hothead actually leaped out to stop the man.

The curtain of the carriage behind Chen Cheng’s was flung open, and a figure shot out from within.

It was Ning Chong.

His Body Technique was excellent and his attack sufficiently swift. He shot toward the bandit leader like an arrow loosed from a bow.

However, the sight only drew sneers from the people in the other carriages.

“Just what you’d expect from someone from the backwoods. Doesn’t even understand the dangers of the Jianghu.”

Zhao Dongping stroked the Thousand-Pound Bow in his hands, not bothering to hide the contempt on his face.

At this moment, Fang Lang and Su Bing were in the same carriage as him.

Ever since their small gathering on the first day, the three of them, all hailing from the Prefecture City, had stuck together.

“He really is too reckless…”

Su Bing sighed softly.

“This is Yunlei Mansion. The undercurrents run deep; it’s full of crouching tigers and hidden dragons! Sects, the official army, the rebel army, ruthless bandits, enemy spies, Evil Cults, Demon Fiends… Anything can happen here!”

“What’s more, all those factions I just listed often impersonate each other. It’s impossible to guard against everything. If you’re reckless and underestimate your enemy, you’re bound to suffer a huge loss!”

“Well said,”

Fang Lang said.

“That’s why the three of us sticking together and refusing to let Ning Chong and Huang Jiao join was absolutely the right decision. They’re from small towns, after all. They’re too naive and would only drag us down.”

BANG—!

As they spoke, a dull, heavy impact suddenly rang out.

Ning Chong was sent flying backward like a stone projectile launched from a catapult. He carved an arc through the air before crashing heavily onto the dirt road over ten meters away. His body tumbled twice after landing, plowing a gruesome trench in the ground as dust and a bloody mist filled the air.

His Transforming Force Barrier had been completely shattered. He lay limply on the ground, vomiting mouthful after mouthful of blood that splattered all over his face and body.

“Nine… Nine Pillars of Blood Qi!?”

Ning Chong’s pupils contracted. His whole body trembled in pain, but he still used all his strength to roar an urgent warning to the others:

“This man is at least at Nine Pillars of Blood Qi! Everyone, be careful! You have to be careful—!”

‘So fast…’

Chen Cheng had been staring intently the entire time, yet even with his eyesight, he hadn’t been able to see how the bandit leader had struck.