Ultimate Path to Heaven

Chapter 15: How about framing the Eagle Bandits?

As early as when Ye Bufan suddenly appeared to report, a man stood like a ghost at the eaves of the village house where Xiao Jin had been, unnoticed by anyone.

The man was about thirty years old, with a well-defined face, slightly raised brow bones, and thick eyebrows that slanted towards his temples. At the ends of his eyebrows, there were a few very faint lines, which were obviously caused by frowning often when he was thinking.

Those eyes... seemed to float with the deep, unfathomable weight of time, containing both a profound understanding of the world and a distinct sense of desolation and melancholy that were difficult to articulate.

About a hundred meters above its head, in the mist, an eagle hovered regularly...

When the man saw Xiao Jin and his son, his brows furrowed suddenly, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes. "This..."

The moment he saw Xiao Muyu clearly, a spark of starlight suddenly ignited in his eyes, as if a cluster of light had been ignited deep within the frozen earth.

surprise?

It was only a fleeting moment.

Looking at Xiao Jin and the Blood Guards, the man's brows instantly hardened as if covered by frost, and two deep, dark lines silently gathered, carving a deep ravine between his brows.

I wonder if it's due to some reservations... or something else?

......

"Um? 』

With the Blood Guard kneeling and Du Chun's indignation, Xiao Jin's strength increased by 6 points... and it seems there's still a chance it will increase further...

Putting everything else aside, Scarface Li Mian may have been respectful to Xiao Jin before only because of his status as the young master, but from the series of events at the valley to now facing the Iron Slaughter Guard, his vow to follow him to the death comes entirely from the bottom of his heart.

surrender!

Perhaps Xiao Jin acted rashly and immaturely, but in the heart of Scarface Li Mian, he "saw" the shadow of the old city lord.

Another important point is that it seems Xiao Jin is actually... a master?

Although Xiao Jin was unaware of the reason for this, he was secretly glad that the power value had come at the right time.

As the Iron Slaughter Guards came into view, without hesitation, Xiao Jin immediately turned to Wang Suiyue beside him: "Uncle Wang, please protect Mother!"

Xiao Jin knew that Wang Suiyue was the strongest of the Blood Guards and would be the greatest help to the Iron Slaughter Guards, but the safety of his mother, Xiao Muyu, was more important.

Faced with Xiao Jin's demeanor, Wang Suiyue hesitated slightly before glancing at Xiao Muyu, then clasped his hands in a fist salute to Xiao Jin: "I will certainly not fail in my mission, Young Master!"

Seeing that the situation had become uncontrollable, Xiao Muyu simply stopped trying to stop and persuade Xiao Jin, and even seemed to have put all her previous worries behind her.

Iron hooves crushed the cracked earth, like ten thousand thunderbolts rolling from the depths of the earth!

Whoa!

The burly leader of the Iron Slaughter Guard, reining in his horse, surveyed the various corners of the field... until finally fixing his gaze on Xiao Jin.

It was as if the place was dead silent.

At this time, in the surrounding houses and courtyards.

"Honey, what are you doing?!" The woman's voice was filled with helpless sobs.

"Let go!" The middle-aged man, having broken free, picked up a hoe from the yard. "Even if I die today, I'll die with my head held high!"

"..."

"Du Chun is right. We're all going to die anyway, so we might as well fight them!"

"Fight? What do you think you're going to use to fight those Iron-Willed Guards? Your hoe?"

"..."

Perhaps inspired by Du Chun, or perhaps recognizing reality, seven or eight men picked up hoes from their homes and walked out of their courtyards one after another.

As the Iron Slaughter Guard leader's gaze locked onto Xiao Jin, his double axes were already in hand: "Eagle Bandits?"

Looking down from the beast-headed helmet, the eyes seemed to regard Xiao Jin as an ant, not worth considering. The hoarse voice saying "Eagle Bandit" was full of endless contempt, even though Xiao Jin was covered in blood and carrying a knife.

It was precisely because Xiao Jin was covered in blood, unlike others, that the leader locked his gaze on him and questioned him.

"You son of a bitch!"

Faced with such a formidable leader of the Iron Slaughter Guard, Xiao Jin was instantly enraged!

In his past life, Xiao Jin hated this kind of look and tone the most. No matter what kind of monsters or demons you are, I'll fucking kill you!

"Yes or no!" Xiao Jin remained fearless, his defiant gaze fixed on the leader ten meters away. "What can you do to me!"

[System notification: Agility +1...]

Suddenly, my agility stat got an extra point, which was a bit inexplicable... Fearless in the face of danger?

Xiao Jin unconsciously recalled the system... but now was not the time to think about such things, and his mind immediately cleared up.

Seeing Xiao Jin's reaction, the leader was visibly taken aback, his eyes blazing with fury: "You're courting death!"

With a hoarse cry of "You're courting death!", he glared at Chief Xiao Jin and fiercely swung his axe: "Slaughter this entire village, leave no one alive!"

The cold blades clashed!

Nineteen cold iron bars were simultaneously drawn from their sheaths with a clang, the sound of tearing silk suddenly erupting, like an ice river breaking open!

The leader glared at Xiao Jin and immediately brandished his double axes on horseback, charging towards Xiao Jin's location as if he wanted to chop Xiao Jin into eight pieces!

Gripping his sword hilt tightly, Xiao Jin frantically considered how to respond... His mind was blank, devoid of any martial arts techniques or moves, and in his desperation, he was facing a heavily armored mounted rider...

Damn it!

The previous provocation seems to have gone too far.

Just as Xiao Jin was hesitating whether to slay the horse or dodge first...

Whoosh!

A gleaming short blade shot out from Wang Suiyue without warning, hurtling towards the leader and forcing him to leap from his horse's back...

Meanwhile, Scarface Li Mian seized the opportunity to slip forward, lowered his stance at the optimal distance, and rammed his horse into Ma Zhu like a battering ram.

The sound of bones cracking, mixed with the horse's agonizing neighs, pierced the sky. The heavy warhorse was thrown off its feet and crashed to the ground. Mud and blood splattered in a fan shape, and the chainmail on its belly caved in like crumpled iron sheets.

Before the leader's body had even hit the ground, Li Mian spun around like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey, delivering a powerful elbow strike that slammed into the leader's breastplate like a heavy hammer striking a drum.

The bronze mirror shattered with a dull thud, like the sound of an ancient temple bell. Crimson blood spurted from the seams of the iron helmet, tracing glaring arcs across the soil.

At the same time, more than a dozen figures appeared from all directions, like hungry wolves emerging from their dens... instantly throwing the Iron Slaughter Guard cavalry into chaos.

Three riders on the east side took the lead in the attack—the Blood Guard rolled in close to the ground, his hooked spear coiling around the horse's leg like a venomous snake. The warhorse neighed and knelt down in an instant, when another figure's curved blade cut like a crescent moon, and a fountain of blood gushed from the Iron Slaughter Guard's neck.

The sound of hooves suddenly became chaotic from the west.

The three Blood Guards moved like eagles hunting rabbits... The one in the lead used his chain spear like a venomous snake's tail to entangle the hilt of his long sword and pull hard, causing the Iron Slaughter Guard to lose his balance and fall backward. At the same time, two short spears pierced through from the left and right.

The armor was torn apart like rotten leather, and the tip of the spear pierced through his back, bringing out two clumps of scarlet flesh!

Li Mian led the charge from the front, followed closely by six or seven others. He crouched low, his blade flashing as he swept across the ground, slicing through the horses' hooves... The cavalry formation crumbled instantly, and a lost warhorse, dragging its entrails, bolted wildly, ramming into two riders...

"I...go!"

Xiao Jin, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly with both hands, had not yet reacted to the onrushing leader of the Iron Slaughter Guard. The battle, which had lasted for a moment, seemed to be nearing its end!

Wang Suiyue Xiao Jin had considered the strength of the Blood Guards, but he never expected them to be so powerful, which left him stunned and somewhat bewildered.

At this moment, the seven or eight villagers who came out of the courtyard, before they could even talk about fighting desperately, stood wide-eyed at the edge of the threshing ground, their state of mind indescribable.

Xiao Muyu, however, seemed to have known the outcome all along, calmly looking at Wang Suiyue beside her: "How about framing the Eagle Bandits?"