Book 10: Chapter 12: Highway Robber Band

It was said that the disbandment of the Martial Alliance was inevitable with the collapse of its nemesis, the Demonic Cult—specifically, the main headquarters of that Demonic Cult called the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.

It meant that an allied organization spanning the entire State of Zhongyuan was bound to collapse if there was no enemy that powerful.

However.

That was merely the thought of ordinary people.

The view of the intellectuals was different.

Following the developments of the times the advancement of capital.

Thus, those who were commonly called prestigious families in the past took economic power as their driving force and made rapid strides.

That change took place too quickly and precisely.

As a result, most of the main pillars of the Martial Alliance, who had been called the Nine Great Sects, fell into past glory and drowned.

Although the times changed, those who could not keep up with the times were left behind.

The downfall of the Martial Alliance was just that simple, and yet a complex story.

* * *

Many families seized not only political and military power but also economic power, they gradually grew massive.

Logistics and transport were carried out independently through merchant groups or trade associations owned by the families.

Escort agencies.

Therefore, many scholars predicted that escort agencies were an industry destined to disappear without fail and unconditionally.

In fact, rather than going bankrupt and disappearing, many escort agencies chose to sell their shares to trade associations or merchant groups and be absorbed.

However, as predictions of scholars generally went and as worldly affairs originally were, words like 'certainly,' 'unconditionally,' and 'absolutely' missed the mark more often than not.

On a deserted mountain path on the outskirts of Luoyang.

The method chosen by the escort agencies that tried desperately to survive instead of being subordinated was 'specialization.'

[This is a difficult situation. To think that someone would witness the transport scene of all times.] an escort warrior toyed with his sword hilt and asked the escort leader via telepathic message.

[Escort Leader. What should we do?] "……."

The escort leader frowned, looking at the people kneeling in front of him.

“Oh, please! Just spare our lives!”

“We did not see anything!”

They were an elderly couple who made a living by gathering herbs or wild greens.

'To think there would be people at this time of night…'

The moment their eyes met, they were grabbed by the escort warriors and forced to their knees, begging desperately.

In their tattered clothes, looking as if they had not washed properly, the tears and sweat they shed profusely took on a murky black color.

“Just once…!”

“We will not tell anyone what we saw today!”

At least they were quick-witted.

For those who were weak and lacked quick wits had all died already.

[Escort Leader.] the escort leader's hesitation was not long.

[What are you hesitating for?] for a warrior separately attached by the client sent a telepathic message to him.

[Do you plan to leave witnesses behind?] the specialization the escort agency had built up must not be doubted.

Their credibility must not waver either.

What the client wanted from their escort agency was a transport that was swift, accurate, and left no 'witnesses.'

Although he had seen the client in person only once in the past.

He was definitely someone carrying the surname 'Yeon.'

To live and do business in Luoyang, they had to avoid upsetting the Yeon family blood relatives.

Thanks to that, they had not brought along a single common escort warrior, and the tight-lipped escort warriors were directly carrying and pulling the baggage.

[…Kill them.] the escort leader left only those words and turned back.

“Oh, thank you!”

“Thank you!”

The elderly couple misunderstood his action and bumped their heads on the ground, thanking him.

And behind them. "……."

The escort warriors spat on the ground and drew their swords without a sound.

Anyway, they had not done this kind of thing just once or twice.

For the high wages they earned were bound to be proportional to how much they dirtied their hands.

[Cut off their breath in a single stroke.] the flashing of their swords to strike the necks of the elderly couple from behind in a single stroke,

Thud!

And their wrists breaking so that the swords flew into the air, occurred almost simultaneously.

“Aargh!”

“Ugh…!”

Then, there was a scolding voice echoing along the mountain path.

“Truly insolent ones!”

Perhaps the owner of that scolding voice was using some unique sound technique, as the voice echoed from all directions.

“To try to slaughter innocent commoners like beasts, do you think you can be forgiven for that sin?!”

The escort warriors drew their swords without exception and moved in perfect order.

[Just what were the bastards standing guard doing?!] the escort leader slightly pulled off the hood covering his face and looked around, showing a smile.

[Surprise attack defense! Into the surprise attack defense formation!] in the midst of that, the escort leader slowly stepped forward, drew his own sword, and spoke.

[Locate the source of the voice!] even faster than the busy exchange of telepathic messages, the escort warriors' movements were swift.

“Hearing those words, you seem to be a chivalrous hero who could not just stand by and watch injustice, so let us talk face to face.”

“Since there seems to have been a misunderstanding. Wouldn't it be better to resolve this through conversation without needing to shed each other's blood?”

Of course, it was a lie.

When doing escort business in this day and age, those who constantly got in the way were worthless chivalrous heroes.

And he was someone who had studied and executed the method of dealing with such heroes to the point of exhaustion.

“If you are someone who knows honor, wouldn't you be able to show yourself openly?”

Sure enough.

After a short moment the voice returned.

“…I am coming out now.”

Suddenly, those who had been hiding in all directions revealed themselves.

Although their clothing was diverse, each and every one of them wore a hood to cover their faces.

[It wasn't just one or two of them.] the opponents who revealed themselves were five, but there could still be more hiding.

[When I signal, rush in all at once.] there was no change in the expressions of the escort warriors who received the escort leader's instructions via telepathic message. "……."

Meanwhile, the snipers rolled their eyes to check the number and position of the arrows in their quivers, "……."

And those carrying hidden weapons in their robes stealthily slipped their hands into their shirts.

They were experienced individuals.

“So there are five of you.”

Lest they notice the preparations of the escort warriors, the escort leader stepped another foot forward, smiling as if to pretend to be friendly.

“Seeing that your spirit is upright and your resolve is illustrious, you must be chivalrous heroes renowned in the Jianghu.”

Showing his friendliest smile, he spread both hands which held no weapons.

“Could I perhaps hear your titles?”

“We are…!”

The one who locked eyes with the escort leader tried to shout boisterously but hesitated.

Then, he stealthily turned his gaze to someone else.

“…Uh, that is to say.”

The one who received the gaze trailed off and turned his eyes to yet another person.

In the end, the one who received everyone's gaze spoke as if letting out a sigh.

“We are…”

He scratched the back of his head with the hand not holding the 'hand axe.'

It was a timid voice that sounded as if it were crawling away.

“We are the highway robber band.”

At that voice, the surroundings fell into silence for a moment.

The hooded member of the 'highway robber band' cleared his throat and shouted awkwardly.

“S-so if you value your lives, abandon that baggage immediately and retreat!”

“Your escort goods are ours now!”

Another chimed in.

“That's right! And you must definitely apologize to the couple of commoners too!”

Just what kind of dog-like situation was this? "……."

While the escort leader froze at the utterly absurd situation, someone passed by his side.

“They are truly ridiculous bastards.”

The one approaching the members of the highway robber band was one of the Sword Family's warriors attached by the client.

Snapping out of it at that sight, the escort leader hastily sent a telepathic message to him.

[W-wait! According to the contract, all response is to be handled entirely by our escort agency…!] "……."

There was no returning answer.

The warrior merely raised his sword and closed the distance with the highway robber holding the hand axe.

The chilling sharp energy of the sword, which was not even drawn from its scabbard, seemed to serve as an answer.

'Well.'

The escort leader decided to put his mind at ease.

For a warrior of the Sword Family was a being qualitatively different from common martial artists rolling around in the Jianghu.

[Prepare. The moment swords are exchanged, strike first.] the moment the escort leader's command ended, the warrior's body seemed to instantly sink into the ground and disappear.

Sword Family Swordsmanship.

Sword Heart, Sword Ring.

Sword Drawing Stance.

Stepping forward with a long stride, his body lowered, and the sword sprang from the scabbard as if launched, flashing.

It was a sword-drawing technique of such high perfection that the escort leader admired it instantly.

Everyone's eyes focused on the sword drawing a beautiful trajectory.

But. "……!"

That sword draw could not be finished.

For the hand of the warrior wielding the sword was caught by the highway robber with futile ease.

Bang!

The head of the highway robber, who had caught the warrior's arm with the Joint-Locking Hand technique, slammed straight into the warrior's face as if exploding.

It was the Iron Head Art, crude but polished enough to be considered to have reached a certain level.

“Ugh?!”

Under that terrifying power, the warrior's nasal bone and eye socket collapsed.

However, the warrior of the Sword Family was indeed a warrior.

Even in the midst of that, he caught the sword dropped by his captured arm with his free hand.

Sword Heart, Sword Ring.

Fast Sword Stance.

Ultimate Technique, Fine Slicing and Piercing.

They said a skilled swordsman did not favor the left or right hand.

However, before that skilled sword could be properly unleashed, it was cut off once again by the power of the mighty Iron Head Art.

Bang!

The face, which had been protected by internal energy, completely collapsed this time.

And before the warrior could make any response again, his head flew into the sky.

"……!”

At the utterly unexpected sight, the escort leader and the escort warriors forgot that they had planned to make a surprise attack and opened their mouths wide.

“If you were at the level to use the ultimate technique of Sword Heart, Sword Ring, you should have used it from the start.”

The martial hero—no, the highway robber—flicked the hand axe dripping with the warrior's blood into the air, and the highway robber clicked his tongue and shrugged.

“Sorry, but.”

“I have faced the Sword Family's basic swordsmanship too many times recently to the point of being sick of it.”

The warriors of the Third Young Master's faction who used martial arts modified by the power of the Sword Family with the essence of the prominent Nine Sects belonging to the New Martial Alliance.

The Greedy Wolf, the hounds whose notoriety was widespread during the days of the Martial Alliance.

And even the Shadow Group, the object of fear in Sichuan, though they fortunately had not clashed.

“Heh.”

It was just that the ones who stood before them had always been those with too heavy a reputation.

“Although we are in a position where we must flee outside Luoyang right now, our names are not lacking compared to their reputations.”

It was a moment when the heart, which had felt infinitely ashamed of the big talk he had made to Yeon So-hyeon in the past, was healed even a little.

“Do not let your guard down.”

The rest of the warriors who were watching drew their swords.

“They are no ordinary fellows.”

Snapping out of it at that voice, the escort leader shouted.

“St-strike them!”

Arrows were shot, and hidden weapons cut through the air.

The escort warriors ran with their swords drawn.

For a while, the sounds of battle cries and death rattles shook the valley that had been silent.

* * *

“Hup…!”

With a low grunt, the martial hero retrieved his hand axe deeply embedded in the corpse's head.

Thick blood and brain matter flowed from the corpse with the shattered head, glistening in the moonlight.

[Oh, look at this.] the martial hero in front of the trembling elderly couple in the corner raised his finger and placed it in front of his lips.

[They are artworks.] the cheers of his companions checking the items loaded on the handcarts and A-frame carriers that the escort warriors had been carrying came through telepathic messages.

[…Look at this signature. There is even a work by the former patriarch of the Sixteen Imperial Capital Families.] and this elderly couple was the reason the martial heroes kept conversing via telepathic messages.

[These look like Eastern Kingdom celadons?] just like that, the carts piled high with goods exceeded five, and the A-frame carriers loaded with boxes numbered more than ten.

[It is a massive amount…] one martial hero swallowed hard looking at the revealed goods.

[Just how much would the value be if we converted these into gold?] another martial hero chuckled as he wrapped a bandage around his companion's body.

[Since it is not our money anyway, wouldn't it be better to just not care from the beginning?] although they knew how to enjoy worldly pleasures, they were not ones to be swayed by those pleasures.

[That is true.] when the martial hero who had asked the question shrugged and backed away, the rest of them also withdrew casually.

[Now, now, let's roughly finish first aid and move to the meeting point immediately!] those who were greedy for wealth did not belong to the Spring of Luoyang in the first place.

“P-please spare our lives!”

“Shh.” "……." "……."

The quick-witted couple quickly shut their mouths.

The martial hero asked in a low voice from behind his hood.

“Do you know how to act from now on?”

He did not hastily soothe them, nor did he reassure them.

To act like a novice in that way, the years he had spent as a martial hero were too long.

The couple quickly nodded.

“We will leave this place immediately!”

“We will not speak of this to anyone!”

“That is only natural.”

When he said that while subtly stroking the handle of the sword in its scabbard, the quick-witted couple's minds spun faster.

“There is a village in Hubei where our relatives live together!”

“Since it is a small village deep in the mountains, no one will be able to find us!”

The martial hero was neither naive nor foolish.

“Is that so?”

The martial hero carefully opened a porcelain bottle he took from his robes and sprinkled what was inside onto the couple.

“C-cough!”

As the white powder flew, the couple coughed violently.

“This is Tracking Incense.”

Tracking Incense was an item that left a unique scent, allowing one to track the target touched by the fragrance.

“You must have heard of it. Since it is a rather expensive item, I can find you two whenever, even as time passes.”

His eyes flashed in the darkness.

“Do not even stop by your home, and head to Hubei immediately.”

He added to the couple who were hastily helping each other up: the couple nodded with faces filled with infinite terror.

“I will personally visit Hubei later to verify.”

“Y-yes! We understand!”

“We will leave immediately!”

The martial hero gestured with his sword.

“Then get lost.”

Watching the couple scramble through the bushes and move away, he let out a low sigh.

With this, they would surely flee far away without any selfish desire to exploit the facts they had accidentally learned. "……."

A martial hero should rescue people and help people, but must deeply understand and gauge human nature.

A martial hero who liked people, trusted people easily, and was good-hearted— confirming that the couple had fled far, he turned around and spoke to his fellow martial heroes.

'is only a dead martial hero.'

“Everyone, please help me erase the traces of that couple.”

Everyone began erasing the traces so that any tracker who might exist would not head toward the couple.

“You worked hard. You handled it well.”

An elderly martial hero who approached threw a porcelain bottle to him.

It was the exact same porcelain bottle containing the white powder he had sprinkled on the couple.

“Thank you.”

He opened the bottle and sprinkled it over the wounds on his body.

That porcelain bottle was a medicine bottle containing a hemostatic agent.