Chapter 344: The Showdown Between Man and Ximen Qing (12)

Ajan Deok’s face twisted.

You dumb fuck!

Might as well scream to the whole fucking world that your brain’s the real target, huh?

And sure enough, the bandits began visibly agitating—glancing at one another, whispering in hushed tones.

“She really took down the Lord? What the hell are we supposed to do against someone who beat a Peak Realm master?” The anxious murmurs spread fast.

Qing poured oil on the fire.

“I beat him fair and square in a one-on-one! But can you believe it? Out of nowhere, he dropped to his knees, started begging for his life! Said he’d do anything—anything—if I just spared him! He even offered to bring me your branch leader’s head on a platter! What kind of man does that? He ain’t even a man!”

“D-Don’t lie! There’s no way our boss would ever—!”

“Please. Soon as I landed a few clean hits, he panicked and couldn’t even channel his inner strength. Honestly? He’s rusty as fuck. Guy’s so used to bullying weak-ass peasants that he’s turned into a washed-up piece of shit. Absolute fucking trash.”

“Don’t insult the boss! He’s not that kind of man!”

“Oh, really? Then how do you explain him losing to a Mid Realm fighter?”

“You ambushed him, you bitch—!”

“It was Dou Sam who ambushed us. I just managed to turn the tables and land a hit—he couldn’t recover after that. What, you guys from Mount Liang? Then you must know. That Dou Sam’s stealth technique is damn near flawless.”

“That’s...!”

Predictable. But history’s written by the victor.

And when you make sure no one else lives to tell their version, your words become the truth by default.

Which meant that whatever Qing said had happened between her and Dou Sam—was the truth.

Still, even if that weren’t the case, is it really that shocking for a bandit to beg for his life?

Even a top-tier Peak Realm master would grovel if it meant avoiding death. Sure, it’s not a good look, but would you rather die looking cool?

“Hey! Is your precious branch leader here? Come out, you bastard! Be a man and face me head-on! That ‘Peak Realm’ shit isn’t even all that!”

One-on-one? Qing could handle that.

And if not? Then run.

One-on-one made running a whole lot easier.

This was a fight between a Mid Realm and a Peak Realm. If the Mid Realm fighter ran away, who could blame her?

Even if she were up against a big-shot like the leader of the Green Forest, people wouldn’t criticize her for bailing.

They’d just laugh and say she picked the wrong fight and had the good sense to flee—no one’s gonna seriously judge her for not dying with “honor.”

On the flip side, a Peak Realm master had no reason to fight at all.

Victory was a given.

But losing? You become the world’s biggest joke.

Let your opponent escape? Still a loser.

A legendary Peak Realm expert who can’t even finish off a Mid Realm brat?

And if you do win but get hurt in the process?

Still a loser.

What kind of “Peak Realm master” gets injured in a one-on-one against a Mid Realm?

But Ajan Deok felt his stomach sink.

What the hell is this bitch banking on, that she’s this bold with a Peak Realm? Did she hide her cultivation?

But how the hell could a twenty-year-old girl have anything beyond that?

Then again... maybe she really is confident.

They say one life-or-death fight teaches more than a thousand sparring rounds.

When was the last time Dou Sam or the branch leader actually fought for their lives?

If they’d gotten that rusty from facing only weaker opponents, it wouldn’t be surprising.

“Brother Sannoe, should we bring the branch leader—?”

Before the sentence even finished, Ajan Deok snapped in a panic.

“No! We can’t! If we do—!”

“XIMEN QING—!!!”

But it was already too late.

Before Ajan Deok could finish his warning, a shout rang out—pure hatred, searing and sharp—and his innards went cold.

Silence followed for a moment. Then everyone turned toward the approaching presence, eyes wide.

Azure inner flame flared with each step.

The killing intent didn’t just saturate the air—it moved the Qi itself, making it leak and spiral visibly with pressure.

The Green Forest bandits gulped and lowered their gazes. As if parting for a volatile explosive, they instinctively stepped aside.

Eyes that burned like fire drew closer.

Holy shit, what the hell? That’s badass as fuck.

Do Peak Realm experts literally shoot flames from their eyes?

Damn. Makes me wanna become one just for the aesthetics.

Qing didn’t even realize she looked like that most of the time. And despite her gaze being tainted with the ghastly starlight of the Heavenly Calamity Lone Star—one that instinctively terrified anyone human—she still found herself admiring his glare.

But in this ancient, primitive world ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) of Zhongyuan, mirrors were rare luxuries, and even if you had one, you wouldn’t be checking your reflection mid-battle.

So all Qing could do was admire the spectacle with childlike awe.

And shout without hesitation:

“I’m not deaf, asshole! You’re the branch leader, right?! Alright then, get your ass over here and let’s have a proper fight!”

“Oh, I’ll fight you, alright! Green Forest brothers, hear me! Catch that bitch—alive!”

That’s when it happened.

THWACK!

A loud smack, and one of the bandits went flying like a ragdoll.

“Did you not see me throwing rocks earlier? Try coming at me all at once and I’ll peg you one by one—in the exact order you step forward. Let’s see how many of you make it across the river. And don’t forget—I said order. I’ve got plenty of stones here. The whole fucking place is littered with rocks.”

The bandits froze.

They’d already seen that lethal pitching earlier.

How many rocks could she hurl while they crossed a river fifteen jang wide?

And if she was aiming in the exact order they came forward?

No one dared move. They just glanced nervously at one another, trying to read the room.

Had any historian witnessed the moment, they’d have been speechless with awe.

A true hero. One who doesn’t retreat, even when faced with hundreds of foes.

Kills villains with a single stone—like divine judgment raining from the heavens. Not a lightning bolt, but a meteor. They're both rocks, after all.

A hero who throws meteors! A Meteor-Hurling Hero!

Long-range tactics over rivers had been a staple of warfare since the dawn of humanity.

Across every era of human history—and likely in every era to come—it remained one of the most effective defensive strategies ever devised.

And the Green Forest bandits? Not a single one stepped forward.

Wang Cheolgun’s solution was simple.

Boom.

He leapt sideways with a burst of inner power and split open a random bandit’s skull.

“Did you disobey my order?! I said BRING HER HERE! NOW!”

And then—

SHWACK! THWACK! SHWACK! THWACK!

Two more bandits were knocked flying, blood spraying midair.

They’d been hit by stones, but you’d think they’d been hit by fucking wagons.

Between the shrieking whoosh of incoming rocks and the gut-wrenching crack of impact, the whole scene became a horror show—visually and aurally.

The bandits hesitated again.

And Wang Cheolgun struck another one down.

Perfect, Qing cheered inwardly.

These dumbasses are serving it up on a silver platter.

Is he trying to help me?

It’d be nice if they killed each other off completely—but a nearby Peak Realm was always more terrifying than a Mid Realm in the distance.

Sooner or later, they’d try to swarm her all at once.

And when that happened?

I’ll just run.

After Qing stoned about seven of them and Wang Cheolgun slashed down three, a forced roar finally rose from the crowd.

“WAAAAA! LET’S GO!”

That was the charge signal.

Qing ran.

Wang Cheolgun dashed across the river, chasing the enemy, but what hope did he have of finding her in a pitch-black ancient forest?

“ARGHHH! XIMEN QING! XIMEN QIIIIING!!!”

Only his enraged roars echoed through the night sky.

“GRAAAHH! AARGHH!!!”

He kicked at the campfires, flipped over cooking pots—nothing helped.

If tantrums had ever soothed him, he wouldn’t have come this far.

The branch leader thrashed around, limbs shaking, overwhelmed with helpless rage.

Only after a good while did the ones with actual martial skill finally manage to cross.

No one could blame them for the delay.

Leaping across a fifteen jang river in a single bound isn’t easy—even for experts.

Without martial arts, no human—no matter how strong or springy—could jump more than three jang.

Even with martial arts, seven jang was already tough.

Once you reached a high enough level to jump that far, you could also skip across water using techniques. So, there’d be no need for a single bound.

Eventually, the riffraff had no choice but to swim across the freezing river on this early November night.

But by then?

Qing was long gone.

“AAAAAARGHHH!!!”

Wang Cheolgun’s rage only grew louder.

The Green Forest bandits cursed under their breath.

Fuck that fucking bitch.

But the anger didn’t stop with Qing.

Why the fuck are we the ones suffering here?

That Peak Realm bastard ignored her challenge to a fair fight, shoved us into a freezing river in the middle of the night—and you think she’s gonna wait around if we rush her?

Even if she didn’t run...

How the fuck are we supposed to capture someone who took down Mount Liang’s boss?

They didn’t even say “kill her”—just capture her?

You think she’s gonna let herself get caught?

Fuck this. I’m done with bandit life.

Morale and loyalty plummeted.

By morning, more than a few would probably desert.

Probably—but only because Qing came back before sunrise.

She’d crossed the gorge, but there was nothing else she could do.

Nighttime searches were pointless and only led to losses. And staying here wouldn’t help either. The bandits’ clothes were soaked, and in the freezing night, their condition was quickly deteriorating.

So, what else?

They had to retreat.

“She’ll show herself again. At daybreak, have our elites lie in ambush behind the riverbank. The branch leader should wait in ambush too. She’ll definitely return—when she does, seize her.”

“This is the last time. Even I have limits, Ajan Deok.”

“...Yes, sir. My apologies.”

Ajan Deok bowed low in apology.

Not that he felt sorry in the slightest.

They returned to the main camp, started large fires to dry their soaked clothes, shared out hot water, warmed-up wine, and soup to heat their chilled bodies—bringing a wave of noise and activity.

It wasn’t until late, very late, that the exhausted bandits finally managed to lie down and attempt sleep.

CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG!

“You rotten assholes! So you all went swimming without me, huh? Had your fun while I got left out? You think that’s nice?! I like playing in water too! I like splashing around!”

Qing lit a fire again and started banging on a dented, broken pot like a gong.

The bandits were all dead asleep—out cold from exhaustion.

Not even an hour had passed before they were yanked out of slumber.

They felt like they were dying.

But what could they do?

They couldn’t just ignore it and let her come closer.

So they gathered again at the riverbank.

Only Qing was full of energy, shouting like she owned the place.

“Wang Cheolgun, get out here! I said one-on-one, didn’t I?! What, is one little Mid Realm so scary you need to gang up on me? Hey! Cut your dick off! Rip your balls off, you cowardly piece of shit! If you’re the kind of bastard who measures pros and cons when your own kid just died, then you’re not really grieving, are you? You’re not even sad!”

“You... you little bitch! How DARE you—!”

The branch leader had come out early this time, shaking with rage, too furious to even breathe properly. He couldn’t control a single limb. Every word scraped and tore through his heart.

It was raw, uncontrollable, soul-burning fury.

And then it went too far.

All at once, he felt the heat leave his body—as if all the blood had drained out.

His rage turned icy cold.

“My child is dead. My precious son I never even dared to scold too harshly, never laid a hand on for fear he’d bruise or hurt.”

His voice trembled on the edge of explosion.

“Do you think you can begin to understand a father’s grief? I don’t care if the whole world condemns me. I don’t care how cowardly the method. I’ll make you suffer the most horrific death—or worse, the most horrific life. You’ll wish you died.”

The bandits around him shivered. His words radiated a chilling, murderous intent.

But Qing?

Totally unfazed.

“Oh, look at you, lowering your voice and everything! What, you think you sound cool like that? You don’t. And hey! If you wanna know something, you should ask politely! You never learned manners, huh?! Maybe one of you noble warriors over there can help! Tell us! Do you, O Honorable Hero, understand the heart of a dumbass father who lost his dumbass kid? This lowly bandit scum begs for your wise opinion!”