Chapter 108: Chapter 104: Awe-Inspiring Might (Part 2)

Black Wind Gap, Gold-Splitting Hall.

Over a dozen bandits were gathered in the great hall, all of them high-ranking members of Drilling Mountain Leopard’s gang.

The man in the seat of honor wore a front-opening black robe with a greatcloak draped over it. His face was covered by a tangled beard, and he sat in a folding chair draped with a tiger skin. He was none other than Drilling Mountain Leopard.

Seated below him were Second-in-Command Xu Mabang; key lieutenants like Wang Mazi and Song Heiqi; and other core members of the gang’s hierarchy such as the Head of the Horse Stable and the Grain Chief.

Those of lower status could only stand at the back.

"Chieftain, the men sent to the Weisheng Escort Agency and the Changtong Escort Agency have returned. The two agencies paid a combined total of five hundred taels for the mountain passage fee."

A sub-leader reported with a bow.

"Hmph."

Drilling Mountain Leopard nodded. "What about the Tongfu Escort Agency?"

"The Tongfu Escort Agency..."

The sub-leader stumbled over his words. "They said that business has been poor these past two years, so they’re only willing to pay seventy percent of the fee."

"What? Seventy percent!"

Before Drilling Mountain Leopard could speak, Wang Mazi shot to his feet and roared, "Are they treating us like beggars?! You go tell them if they don’t pay the full fee, I’ll personally wreck their entire operation!"

"Yeah, wreck their operation!" a few other bandits immediately chimed in.

Drilling Mountain Leopard’s expression darkened slightly. "The old chief of the Tongfu Escort Agency, Wang Fuxing, has retired. His son, who is said to be just over thirty, has taken his place. I hear his cultivation has already reached the First Layer of the Blood Realm."

Wang Mazi said indignantly, "So what if he’s at the First Layer of the Blood Realm? If he dares come to Baitou Mountain, we’ll make sure he never leaves!"

Song Heiqi added, "Chieftain, we can’t let them short us on the fee. If one agency gets away with it, the others will follow their example. We’ll get less and less each year. We can’t let that happen."

Drilling Mountain Leopard waved his hand dismissively. "Rest assured, everyone. I have a plan for this. They won’t be short a single coin. Just remember one thing: a wolf that hunts men... doesn’t show its fangs."

After speaking, he scanned the crowd and noticed Yin Hu wasn’t present. "Why isn’t Yin Hu here?" he asked.

Xu Mabang chuckled. "Boss, he grabbed some broad today. He’s in his room... having his fun."

Hearing this, the bandits all broke into lewd grins. Someone joked, "With the Third Master’s stamina, he’ll probably be at it for another hour or two."

The hall erupted in raucous laughter.

After a moment of laughter, Drilling Mountain Leopard raised his hand to quiet the crowd. He then turned to a man seated below. "Yang Dan, how is the crossbowmen’s training coming along?"

Yang Dan leaned forward. "Reporting to the Chieftain, after more than two months of training, the crossbowmen can follow orders to the letter. They can form up and fire in volleys."

"Combined with our own archers, I can’t speak for anywhere else, but no one in Qinghe County can stand against us."

Drilling Mountain Leopard was pleased. "Excellent. You’ve handled this well..."

Zhao Lin focused his hearing, taking in every last word of their conversation.

’So the bandit leaders are all in a meeting at the Gold-Splitting Hall on the summit.’

He glanced up the mountain, a plan forming in his mind to lure Yin Hu out of his room.

He strode over to the door of Yin Hu’s room, let out a low cough, and said in a raspy voice, "Third Master, the Chieftain summons you."

"Damn it, you got a death wish?! Don’t you know I’m busy in here?" Yin Hu cursed violently.

"The Chieftain said it’s urgent. If you don’t go, he’ll come and get you himself."

Without waiting for a response, Zhao Lin walked away. After a dozen paces, he leaped into the air, circled around, and landed back on the roof above the room.

To facilitate his attack, he expelled all his jin energy from the acupoints on his chest, holding his body diagonally in a straight line, poised to strike.

"You’d damn well better hope this is important, or I’ll flay you alive..."

The sounds of blankets being thrown aside and clothes being hastily put on came from inside, followed by hurried footsteps.

A moment later, Yin Hu pushed the door open and stumbled out, his clothes in disarray.

’Three, two, one!’

Zhao Lin counted down silently in his mind. Just as he reached ’one’, Yin Hu’s back was perfectly exposed.

He instantly opened his acupoints, reversed the direction of his jin energy, and blasted it backward. His body shot forward like an arrow loosed from its string.

At the same time, he raised the iron ruler in his hand and stabbed toward his opponent’s back, aiming for the heart.

A martial artist in the Qi Realm had perception far beyond an ordinary person. When Yin Hu didn’t see the messenger, he grew suspicious. Suddenly hearing the whistle of wind from above, he didn’t even turn his head. He threw himself sideways into a roll and shouted, "Enemy attack!"

The roll took Zhao Lin by surprise.

An unseemly move like the "Lazy Donkey Roll" wasn’t something taught in proper martial arts sects and schools. Even if it was, few would bother practicing it, let alone use it in a real fight.

But bandits, who lived their lives on a knife’s edge, knew what moves worked, and they used them as naturally as breathing.

Without his feet ever touching the ground, Zhao Lin changed direction in mid-air, staying right on his tail.

Yin Hu was dumbfounded when he saw Zhao Lin carve an arc through the air, but the situation was too critical for him to dwell on it. He kicked off the ground with both legs, launching himself more than ten feet away, and tried to straighten up and get to his feet.

But Zhao Lin wasn’t about to give him the chance. Seizing the opportunity to press his advantage, he closed the distance and brought the iron ruler crashing down on his head with incredible speed.

Yin Hu was filled with regret. He hadn’t brought his broadaxe with him. Seeing no way to dodge, he gritted his teeth and crossed his arms in front of his face to block.

BANG! The iron ruler slammed into his arms. Yin Hu grimaced in pain, but his arms were completely unharmed.

’Vambraces? No, it’s a jin energy shield.’

The thought flashed through Zhao Lin’s mind. Judging by the feedback from the impact, his opponent had definitely cultivated some kind of defensive Cultivation Technique.

And indeed he had. Yin Hu practiced a technique called "Iron Wire Jin," which gathered jin energy in his arms, making them as hard as Gold Stone.

’Let’s see what’s harder, your flesh or my iron ruler!’

Zhao Lin gave him no time to breathe, bringing the iron ruler down again and again.

BANG... BANG... CRACK!

Yin Hu managed to block two more blows, but on the third, the iron ruler finally broke through his protective jin energy and snapped his arm. Overcome by excruciating pain, he shrieked, "It’s Zhao! He’s here!"