796 Ringleader (2/2)
The frosty Qi in Gu Shenwei's body was both a threat to himself and a sharp weapon to others. But he didn't have much mobility, so he had to wait for the enemy to come close.
Staring at the saberwoman, Skyscraping Beast abruptly launched an attack, his first saber slash actually aimed at the cripple beside her.
Red Bat was astounded and tried to stop the enemy, risking life and limb to do so.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.
Skyscraping Beast leaped around the two targets with his lightness skills, every saber attack aimed at the vital parts of the cripple. Yet he never came closer than three steps to the cripple, only occasionally stabbing at the saberwoman. After a dozen moves, Red Bat was reduced to a terribly passive situation.
Watching from far away, the Mighty King believed that this time, victory was certain.
Gu Shenwei had prepared his frosty Qi, but the enemy was too far. Seeing that Red Bat might not be able to hold on any longer, he had no choice but to risk it all. He planned to make a move with his full strength, disregarding whether he could hit the target as well as whether he would still be conscious after making his move.
Red Bat also realized that this was a life-or-death moment. What she cared about at this point was not the provisions but rather the Dragon King. So, she crazily launched an all-out attack, all her moves both deadly and suicidal, irrespective of whether or not there were any flaws in them.
In the Skyscraping Beast's eyes, there was only one enemy, and his fight with the saberwoman was just a perfunctory one. He dodged a bout of ferocious attacks, suddenly maneuvered behind her, and then slashed out — he had no interest in keeping her alive or in taking her as his wife.
Gu Shenwei was just about to stand up and make his move through the suppressed pain when he failed to mobilize his internal Qi and was forced to sit down.
The Skyscraping Beast's saber flew away and fell into the bonfire a dozen steps away from him. Both Red Bat and the Dragon King had survived.
The Skyscraping Beast was astounded and horrified. His saber had been hit by a hidden weapon and flown out of his hand. However, he had no idea of where the hidden weapon had come from. He backed up seven or eight steps consecutively, stared at the cripple on the ground and asked in a severe tone, ”Who are you? If you're powerful, stand up and show it. There's no need for these sneaky tricks.”
Gu Shenwei remained silent. It was not him who had thrown out the hidden weapon, but he knew that the one who had was right behind him.
Red Bat was just as confused as the Skyscraping Beast. She returned to the Dragon King's side and said, ”Stop making excuses for your defeat, as it's a very shameful thing for you to do as a gang leader.”
The Mighty King also realized that something was not right. He rushed over to the side of the Skyscraping Beast, followed by dozens of his men.
Red Bat hesitated for a brief moment and then pointed the saber against Golden Saber. ”I'm really going to kill him this time.”
Golden Saber's internal energy was far inferior to the kung fu experts of the famous sects in the Central Plains, so when the evil frosty Qi had entered his body, his internal energy had dispersed immediately. Now he was in coma, lying still on the ground.
A man in a long cape walked out of the tent a dozen steps behind Gu Shenwei. A saber hilt could be seen under his cape. He walked towards them step by step. Red Bat gave a glance over her shoulder and was rejoiced. ”It's you! Great!”
”It's me. How's he doing?”
”He… he… We can talk later. Help me handle these two guys first.”
Mo Lin nodded. The reason why he hadn't attacked earlier was because he thought that the Dragon King had his own plan. When he realized that the Dragon King was actually unable to stand up, he had thrown a hidden weapon and saved Red Bat.
Neither the Mighty King nor the Skyscraping Beast recognized this man. They yelled in unison, ”Who are you?”
”I'm Mo Lin. A saberman.”
If Mo Lin had yelled out his old name of ”Silver Condor,” then maybe the two ringleaders would have recalled something. But he hadn't used his original name for many years, so nobody in the martial arts remembered him anymore. Both the Mighty King and the Skyscraping Beast were surprised for a short while, and then they launched their attack simultaneously.
The dozens of followers of the two ringleaders started cheering, but they were transfixed into silence only halfway through their cheering.
Mo Lin didn't use his saber. After twisting his body, his first punch hit the Skyscraping Beast, who was trying to dodge, slamming him into the ground. Then the full force of his next three consecutive punches were taken by the Mighty King, who gave out a muffled groan and then knelt down with a thud, a stream of blood spurting out from his mouth.
Then Mo Lin turned around to face the followers. ”You guys can try to mob me. I might not be able to handle all of you.”
They were all selfish and cynical bandits. After seeing their leaders being downed shortly after another, all of them were frightened. One of them turned and started fleeing, and most of the others followed suit. Only a dozen resolutely loyal ones refused to abandon their leader and stayed where they were, lowering their weapons to indicate their surrender.
Mo Lin turned to the head of the caravan and said, ”Send some men to keep watch of the provisions, lest someone try to set a fire. I'm the Dragon King's subordinate. I'll keep you all safe.”
The situation had changed so drastically that everybody was still frozen in shock. It was not until Red Bat carried the Dragon King into Mo Lin's tent and Mo Lin carried the three captives away that realized dawned on the bodyguards. They hurriedly grabbed the weapons they had previously thrown on the ground and struck down the followers who hadn't fled, and then went to guard the provisions.
There was one other person in the tent. Liman walked over, helped Red Bat put the Dragon King on the felt blanket, and then asked in surprise, ”What happened?”
Liman and Mo Lin had been lobbying the Naihang Tribe and just returned. They hadn't expected that this would happen halfway. Although both the Dragon King and Red Bat had disguised themselves, they were still identified as soon as they had made their moves.
What Gu Shenwei cared about was another issue. He pointed at the three captives Mo Lin brought in. ”Ask them who sent them.”
Cavalrymen made regular patrols all the way from Heaven's Pass to the capital of Xiaowan Kingdom, but these three bandit groups had managed to approach their specific group and tried to rob them. They must have received some insider help.
Golden Saber was still in a coma. The Mighty King raised his head and refused to talk. But the Skyscraping Beast was so thoroughly demoralized that he confessed immediately. ”Norlanders. It was the Norlanders who let us through.”
Liman felt that his heart skip a beat, realizing he might have made a mistake.