parentshiftbook Chapter 79 Encountering Bandits
Chapter 79 Encountering Bandits
Quiet.
After Wan Chuan finished asking his question, the room fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone stared intently at Lu Cheng, their expressions gradually changing.
Wan Chuan suppressed his smile, his eyebrows slowly arching towards his brow.
Everyone else also had their own reactions.
Like Wan Chuan, Bai Yu and Xiao Yichen also showed dissatisfaction.
Ye Ping glanced at Wan Chuan and quietly nudged him under the table.
Wei Jin remained expressionless throughout, and it was unclear what he was thinking at this moment.
Liu Cong was clearly getting anxious, but he didn't dare to make any big moves, his eyes fixed on Lu Cheng.
It was his idea to bring Lu Chengjin into this group; ultimately, he was after Lu Chengjin's several thousand taels of silver.
However, the "Minor Longevity Manual" follows the path of Wan Chuan.
He made a solemn promise to Wan Chuan.
If Lu Cheng doesn't agree, he'll be cursed to death by Wan Chuan this time.
In the tense silence, Ge Long spoke up, glancing at Bai Yu and smiling:
"Junior Brother Lu, this matter is not as dangerous as you think."
"I've also learned about this robbery."
"None of the caravans that were attacked were at the Body Refinement Realm."
"As for the one who couldn't even withstand a single exchange, he was just a disciple in the mid-stage of the Qi Refining realm. Because he was about to reach the deadline for leaving the sect, he was eager to accumulate some contribution points to exchange for cultivation resources."
"Moreover, this person was caught off guard and ambushed, and an arrow shot into his arm, which caused him to lose most of his strength."
"Of course, some fellow disciples at the Body Refinement Realm also considered suppressing the bandits, but after three attempts, the bandits didn't even dare to show their faces. This shows that the bandits weren't that strong."
"The reason for this is that they can accurately judge the strength of the guards, but that remains a mystery."
"We suspect that there may be disciples from the Dongyang Sect among them, or perhaps they have spies within the sect."
"Neither of them is permitted by the sect."
"That's why Senior Brother Wan took a liking to this mission."
"The task itself is not difficult. With your junior brother's strength, if the goal is only to delay, there should be no danger."
"Junior brother is new here and his strength is unknown. I don't think those robbers will be too on guard. If we can hold them off for a while, we can get there in time."
"If we are truly outmatched, then we should simply retreat."
Liu Cong hurriedly echoed:
"Yes, yes, it's not that we're asking you to fight to the death, junior brother, just to buy some time."
"Do you know how much favor Brother Wan did for you?"
"How can you take without paying? What will others think of you if you keep making excuses?"
Lu Cheng shook his head: "In that case, I agree."
When Liu Cong first saw Lu Cheng still shaking his head, he stood up abruptly. It wasn't until he heard what Lu Cheng said that he realized what was happening:
"What did you say! How...did you agree?"
"Hahahaha." Wan Chuan suddenly burst into laughter, pointing at Liu Cong:
"I knew Junior Brother Liu had a keen eye for people."
"Junior Brother Lu, since you're so agreeable, let's just forget about the remaining five thousand taels."
"Besides that, I've heard that you're skilled with the halberd, Junior Brother. How about I give you a high-grade Human rank halberd technique as well?"
For some reason, Liu Cong's expression changed drastically, but he did not say anything and slowly bent down to sit.
Although Lu Cheng had no intention of giving the remaining five thousand taels, he couldn't refuse Wan Chuan's offer.
Moreover, since they're offering a martial arts manual as a gift, we have to show our appreciation.
Lu Cheng immediately smiled and said to the group:
"In that case, thank you very much, Senior Brother Wan. I will follow your arrangements regarding the bandit suppression and will certainly not let you down."
Wan Chuan nodded in satisfaction:
"Alright, in that case, the next step is to make detailed arrangements on how to proceed."
He only entered the Body Refinement Realm at the age of twenty-five, which indicates that his natural talent was not particularly good.
But this also highlights the extraordinary nature of its background.
For him, money and resources mean nothing.
Next, Bai Yu was again pointing at the map and arranging the plan.
Ge Long would occasionally add to this.
Lu Cheng noticed that throughout the entire process, neither Bai Yu nor Xiao Yichen showed much respect for Ge Long.
Ge Long, however, did not care, and each time he mainly faced Wan Chuan.
This made Lu Cheng ponder something.
The discussion did not end until an hour later.
……
Five days later, in Lu Cheng's room.
Lu Cheng sat cross-legged on the bed, completely naked.
On the body, a slightly shiny sheen slowly evaporated as the temperature rose.
Accompanied by his unusual breathing, Lu Cheng's body emitted subtle crackling sounds.
After a long time, the patina on her body evaporated completely.
Lu Cheng opened his eyes and slowly exhaled.
[The Lesser Secret of Longevity]
[Grade: top grade on the ground level]
[Level: Beginner (30/200)]
After returning from Zixia Peak, Lu Cheng lost interest in leisurely strolling around.
Since you're about to put yourself in danger, the most basic preparation is, of course, spiritual cultivation.
Every day, without fail, he refined two doses of Jade Skin Cream.
In five days, the progress was pushed to thirty.
In the early stages of body refinement, the main focus is on refining the skin and flesh. If successful, one can become invulnerable to swords and spears.
Lu Cheng got out of bed and took a dagger.
After hesitating for a moment, he used the back of the knife to forcefully slice across the surface.
A red mark appeared.
"Luckily, I didn't use the blade."
After putting on his clothes, Lu Cheng opened the door and walked to the well.
Two buckets of water were poured over his head with a "splash," washing away the smell of medicine from his body.
After changing his clothes, he headed towards Liu Cong's residence.
We're setting off tomorrow to make contact with the caravan.
Today I need to retrieve a crucial item.
Heart-to-heart worms.
These insects live in pairs; if one dies, the other will frantically rush towards it.
It is the best choice for transmitting signals.
However, the cost of cultivating them is extremely high.
A pair costs a thousand taels of silver.
Only someone like Wan Chuan has enough resources to invest so much in a single mission.
At that time, Wan Chuan and his companions will be stranded five miles away from the caravan.
As soon as the robbers appeared, Lu Cheng would crush the Heart-Shattering Worm.
Wan Chuan and the others would then rush there.
The distance of five li is said to be reached in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
In addition, there was a fine set of silver-scaled soft armor.
The entire soft armor was made from more than a thousand pieces of iron scale stone.
It is difficult to injure with ordinary swords and knives, and can withstand a stone arrow within fifty paces.
It was also prepared by Wan Chuan.
……
Six days later, outside the western mountains of Lingbi.
A caravan of ten large carts traveled along the official road.
The caravan consisted of three caravans, so the personnel were quite diverse.
These were randomly selected by Lu Cheng and his group. Lu Cheng was mixed in with them and was inconspicuous, so no one could possibly recognize him.
Lu Cheng was dressed in a tattered long leather robe and a felt hat on his head, with only the Cold Star Halberd on his horse standing out.
About ten miles behind the convoy, Wan Chuan and his group fell behind.
"Senior Brother Wan, we're so far apart, will we be able to get there in time?"
Ge Long rode his horse beside Wan Chuan, watching the approaching mountain, and asked calmly.
Before Wan Chuan could speak, Bai Yu scoffed:
"Lu Cheng is quite strong; he should be able to hold out for a while longer."
"Besides, there's not much difference between ten li and five li. Why is Senior Brother Ge so concerned about Lu Cheng?"
Ge Long paused for a moment, then shook his head and said:
"I'm just worried that Lu Cheng won't be able to hold them off, and that the bandits will escape back into the mountains."
Bai Yu and Liu Cong exchanged a cold smile:
"Hmph, the Silver Scale Armor is quite valuable. Those bandits wouldn't refuse such a treasure when they see Lu Cheng wearing it."
"But I've already coated it with pine resin. When we release these colorful bees, we'll naturally be able to find the bandits' lair."
As he spoke, he patted a bamboo tube about the size of a thumb at his waist.
Upon hearing this, Ge Long shook his head and looked at Wan Chuan:
"Lu Cheng is quite strong after all, and he will definitely step into the Body Refinement Realm in the future. He might even be able to stay in the Dongyang Sect. It would be a pity if he were to die like this."
Wan Chuan grunted and smiled.
"That makes sense. In that case, we'll head there as soon as the Heart-Binding Worm makes any move."
"If Lu Cheng can wait for us, this will be a show of force; if he can't, then we can just say he's unlucky."
……
Twelve miles ahead.
Lu Cheng rode his horse along the outer side of the caravan, cautiously observing his surroundings.
Suddenly, a scream came from the front of the convoy.
Immediately following, a dozen or so arrows pierced the air and struck.
Lu Cheng instantly became alert.
With a halberd in his right hand, he swiftly crushed a bamboo tube at his waist with his left.
Twelve miles behind him, a sharp "chirp chirp" sounded from Liu Cong's waist.
Wan Chuan glanced at it, and Liu Cong, understanding the situation, crushed the bamboo tube.
The chirping stopped abruptly.