A Good Country Wife

The three words floated lightly from Huangfu Yi’s mouth, and in an instant, his sword was drawn from its scabbard. Before anyone could grasp what had happened, the Hidden Guard had already fallen to the ground, with not a single scratch anywhere on his body except for a red line across his neck — a classic example of severing the throat with a sword.

Huangfu Yi’s display of skill left all those in black stunned. They were sent to negotiate, which was merely a few hundred meters away; with their trained eyesight, it was easy to clearly see what had happened. No one expected that in this unremarkable place, there would be such an abundance of hidden talent, with dragons lying dormant amongst the tigers. First, the peasant woman from Zhao Family Village proved to be incredibly formidable, controlling the entire Zhao Family so tightly that not even a single infiltrator could find a way in. In Xin’an City, those servants had caught them off guard and forced them to flee in disarray. And now, the leader of the bandits from Longhu Mountain possessed such remarkable martial skills that not even the highest leader of the Hidden Guard could necessarily best him — a true eye-opener for them all.

Not only those in black were dumbfounded, but the brothers in the stronghold were also amazed at the sight of their leader’s skills. Although they had known he was skilled in martial arts — having surpassed the skill of the second-in-command, Chang Dabao, to become leader — seeing him in action was something else entirely. His movements were eerily unfathomable.

Huangfu Yi’s move struck terror into the black-clothed assailants but massively boosted the morale of his brothers from Longhu Mountain. Led by a leader with such formidable skills, they were fearless against these black-clad adversaries. Chang Dabao, though not the brightest, understood their leader’s intent perfectly and, sensing the moment, charged forward with his men.

"Brothers, follow me! Take down these arrogant fools who dare to talk big and intimidate us. Let’s show them not to mess with us ever again. Charge!"

Chang Dabao took the lead, and his brothers followed suit, recklessly advancing and aiming to kill as many as possible, with the thought of a greater reward from their leader in mind. Meanwhile, Huangfu Yi set his sights directly on the leader of the men in black, the most skilled among them.

But with Huangfu Yi’s ability, it took only a moment to capture him. Then, dislocating the jaw of the black-clothed leader, Huangfu Yi observed that the prisoner’s resolve wasn’t as unyielding as the man who had come to negotiate earlier. Being the leader, he surely knew far more about the Yin Family’s affairs. Huangfu Yi believed that with a little coercion, the man would divulge all the information he sought.

With the more skilled of the black-clothed enemies handpicked by Huangfu Yi, the remainder, despite possibly being superior to the bandits of Longhu Mountain, didn’t stand much of a chance. Outnumbered, the bandits fought two against one, three against one, or even ganged up on their opponents. It didn’t take long to end the battle, capturing and killing all of the remaining black-clothed foes.

Master Xue was also rescued. He had been tied up and stowed away in a carriage, bound at his hands and feet, with his mouth gagged so he could not make a sound. His condition, however, was far better than the Protectors who had been captured earlier; he only sustained minor bruises. Being an important person, the black-clothed kidnappers didn’t dare to be too ruthless, lest they would have to answer to their own superiors for his demise.