Chapter 397 - 220: Return to Lin Yuan City (Part 2)

His voice trembled as he spoke:

"It’s... Soul-breaking Saber Wu San!!"

"What?!"

Hearing the name, Escort Cao shuddered, and the color instantly drained from his face!

"We’re finished!"

"The notorious bandit Wu San? The one who’s killed over a hundred people and whose cultivation has reached the Refining Organ Realm?!"

"Gods! What is he doing here?!"

Fear washed over the entire caravan once more like a tidal wave.

The black-clothed guard dared not show the slightest disrespect. He hurried forward and stopped about ten zhang away from the man. He forced a smile uglier than a grimace—one filled with fawning and fear—and bowed deeply.

"So it’s Third Master Wu himself! I am a fool who was blind to your greatness. I’ve deeply offended you, and I beg for your forgiveness, Third Master!"

"Well said, well said."

The cloaked man known as Wu San slowly raised his head, revealing a ferocious face covered in scars, like that of a demon.

He grinned, baring a set of yellow teeth. "Since you know it’s me, your Third Master, resting here... shouldn’t you know the rules?"

"Yes! Yes! Of course!" The guard nodded and bowed repeatedly. "How much do you require for passage, Third Master? Just name your price, and we’ll... we’ll gather it all for you!"

"Money?" Wu San sneered. "I’m in a bad mood today. Money alone won’t cut it!"

His murky, triangular eyes swept back and forth over the carriages at the rear of the caravan, where the women were.

"I’ve been... a little lonely lately. I just so happen to need a few maids to rub my shoulders and ease my weariness."

The black-clothed guard’s face stiffened. But then he gritted his teeth, and that fawning smile returned. "Fine! No problem! I wonder... which ones have caught your eye, Third Master? Just point them out!"

’As long as I can save my own skin... what do I care if anyone else lives or dies!’ he thought.

Hearing this, the crowd erupted in panic.

The women traveling with the caravan were especially terrified, the color draining from their faces.

"Come out! All of you, get out here!"

To curry favor with Wu San, the black-clothed guard actively became his accomplice.

He turned around, facing the panicking crowd behind him, and shouted sternly:

"Hand over everything of value you have! And you women! Get the hell out here! Let Third Master Wu take his pick!"

At this moment, from within the luxurious carriage, came Young Master Wang’s alarmed and furious rebuke.

"Are you insane?! My sister is in there! How dare you tell her to come out?!"

Wu San heard this, and a lecherous glint flashed in his eyes.

His figure blurred, and he appeared directly in front of the carriage, ripping the curtain aside in one motion.

Inside, Young Master Wang’s sister was cowering in the corner, her face pale with terror.

"Not bad, not bad. This one is quite the tender beauty!" Wu San grinned, reaching out to drag her from the carriage.

"You dare?!" Young Master Wang erupted in fury. "My father is the Patriarch of the Cangzhou Wang Family! If you touch a single hair on my sister, the Wang Family will not rest until you are dead!"

"Wang Family?" Wu San sneered. "Never heard of it."

As he spoke, he completely ignored Young Master Wang’s threat, grabbing the girl’s wrist and brutally dragging her from the carriage.

"You! What are you standing there gaping for?! Go save my sister!" Young Master Wang roared at the black-clothed guard until he was hoarse.

The guard, however, just shrank back and gave him a sheepish grin.

"Young Master Wang... you see, Third Master Wu has... taken a fancy to her. There’s nothing I can do! Why don’t... you just let your sister make a small sacrifice?"

"You!"

Young Master Wang was so enraged by his words that his vision went black. A wave of fury washed over him, and he nearly fainted on the spot.

But he was helpless!

He knew he was powerless against such odds.

At this moment, this notorious, remorseless bandit was the one and only king.

...

Clutching the struggling, sobbing girl, Wu San’s gaze fell upon the carriage where Jiang Che was.

"Why has no one gotten out of this carriage?"

The black-clothed guard saw this, took the hint, and hurried over to Jiang Che’s carriage. Frowning, he yelled:

"Hey! You in this carriage! Are you deaf?! Didn’t you hear Third Master Wu?! Get the hell out here, now!"

"I remember... there are two broads in there, right? If you don’t come out soon, Third Master Wu is going to get angry!"

Inside the carriage, Xiaocui was already pale with fright, her body trembling like a leaf.

Jiang Ling, however, seemed exceptionally calm. She gently patted the back of Xiaocui’s hand and comforted her, "Don’t be afraid. It’ll be all right."

Just then, Wu San’s impatient voice came from outside the carriage.

"Stop dawdling! I’ve been patient enough!"

As he spoke, he reached out a hand as withered as a dead branch to rip open the curtain.

However, just as his fingers were about to touch the curtain...

everything changed!

BOOM!!!!!!!!!!

In an instant, an incomparably violent and terrifying power erupted from within the carriage!

Wu San, the notorious bandit of the Refining Organ Realm who had seemed as invincible as a demon in everyone’s eyes, couldn’t even manage a single scream.

His entire body was obliterated, as if hit head-on by a cannonball at point-blank range.

Instantly...

He exploded into a fine mist of blood!

Even his bones instantly turned to dust!

The entire scene fell deathly silent.

Everyone was dumbfounded!

They stared blankly at the crimson mist slowly dispersing in the air, their minds a complete void.

Just as everyone was still in a state of extreme shock and stupor,

The carriage curtain was slowly lifted by a slender hand.

An unremarkable "middle-aged merchant" with a somewhat weathered face slowly stepped out of the carriage.

He glanced at the carnage on the ground, then at the people who were frozen in terror, and his brow furrowed slightly.

"I finally get a day off. I really... didn’t want to get involved."

The black-clothed guard looked at the unremarkable "middle-aged merchant" before him, then at the glaring bloodstain on the ground. His legs gave out, and with a THUD, he fell to his knees.

He kowtowed desperately, his voice cracking with utter terror.

"Sen-Senior, spare me! Please, spare my life, Senior! I was blind! I deserve to die!"

However, Jiang Che didn’t even spare him a glance.

He just calmly addressed the dumbfounded Escort Cao and said flatly, "Let’s keep moving."

After speaking, he turned and returned to the carriage.

Seeing this, how could the black-clothed guard dare to stay for even a moment longer?

He knew, the other party was...

Disdaining to kill him!

He scrambled up from the ground, not even sparing a thought for his master, and fled frantically back the way he came without a backward glance.

He knew that if he stayed a moment longer, and that master took a disliking to him, he would suffer the same fate as Wu San.

...

The caravan slowly started moving again.

This time, however, the air of oppression and humiliation was gone.

But what replaced it was a strange, deathly silence.

Everyone subconsciously held their breath and slowed their movements. They didn’t even dare to crack their whips too loudly.

Their gazes, intentionally or not, kept drifting toward the outwardly unremarkable carriage, which now seemed to house an ancient Fierce Beast.

Their eyes were filled with boundless awe and terror.

Inside the carriage, a mother and her daughter were huddled in the corner, too scared to even breathe.

Jiang Ling looked at their pitiful state, sighed, and comforted them softly, "Don’t be afraid. My brother... is a good person."

However, Xiaocui only trembled and buried her head even deeper.

Meanwhile, the once-arrogant Young Master Wang no longer had a guard to drive for him. Looking thoroughly dejected, he had to climb out of his luxurious carriage and take the reins himself.

He didn’t dare act presumptuously in the slightest. Even when it was time to eat or drink, he stayed meekly with the rest of the group.

Before long, traveling in a bizarre yet incredibly safe atmosphere, the group finally arrived safely at Lin Yuan City.

Looking at the familiar yet strange gray city walls before him,

Jiang Che couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion.

’Finally... I’m back!’

’I wonder what Lin Yuan City has become like now?’

’And... all my old friends...’

A series of familiar faces uncontrollably surfaced in his mind.

There was Liu Hai, the Chief Constable who seemed friendly but was actually sharp and reliable...

Li Rushan, the hearty and informal Elder of the Seven Stars Gang...

...the eccentric master bladesmith Situ Xuan, who had the heart of a true artisan...

...and old Zhang Jinghuai, a sharp-tongued but soft-hearted man who was always dragging him off to test new medicines.

Most importantly, there were also his long-missing parents.

’I wonder... how are they all doing now?’

...