Early in the morning, a large convoy gathered outside the Lin family residence. Each big carriage was packed with merchandise, forming the Lin family's trade caravan. There were also many burly escorts responsible for safeguarding the cargo.
This trip was led by Lin Fei, accompanied by Bai Ying and Tieshan the two Body Refining experts, both at the fourth level.
Their lineup was actually no worse than that of Master Bai back then, and even stronger! However, nobody was sure whether they could do it. After all, Master Bai relied not only on his strength but also on his reputation built over several decades.
"Bro, our priority is to protect our lives in case anything goes wrong with this mission. As long as we're still alive, there's hope for the Lin family. Don't risk everything for the sake of the cargo," said Lin Wen with a solemn tone.
"Rest assured, elder brother. I understand," Lin Fei nodded.
But in reality, this mission was almost the last of the Lin family's savings. The cargo in the caravan was worth 100,000 taels of silver and was being escorted to the prosperous Su City, 300 miles away.
If something went wrong with this mission, the Lin family would suffer more than just a severe loss. They would almost certainly face bankruptcy.
Therefore, Lin Fei knew better than anyone the importance of this mission. His ultimate goal was to establish a smooth trade route for the Lin family's caravans to pass through safely in the future. This was the most crucial task at hand.
"Let's set off!" he ordered, mounted his horse, and raised the flag of the escort bureau. The caravan slowly left Zhou Mountain Mansion City, causing a stir among the other families and forces in the city who secretly watched their departure.
Lin Fei was a disciple of the Nine Profound Sect, which was no secret. However, they did not hold Lin Fei in high regard.
As a mere outer disciple of the Nine Profound Sect, he actually dared to intend to establish a smooth trade route. They thought Lin Fei too underestimated the green forest bandits.
Lin Fei, leading the merchant group, had already left Zhou Mountian Mansion City.
He was still thinking about the Nine Shadow Saber Technique.
He practiced with Bai Ying yesterday, but there was still no progress in the technique.
Unlike the Dragon-Elephant Vajra Fist, which could be improved through sparring, the Nine Shadow Saber Technique seemed odd and difficult to handle.
Lin Fei was even considering changing his saber technique after returning to the Nine Profound Sect.
After walking for half a day, the merchant group arrived at the foot of a mountain.
Bai Ying urged her horse forward and whispered, "Second Young Master, that mountain ahead is Nine Rings Mountains, with one mountain connected to another. There are nine mountains and eighteen strongholds, with countless bandits. We are such a large merchant group. We will get in trouble if pass through it."
Lin Fei raised his eyebrows and asked, "How did Master Bai pass through when he escorted goods in the past?"
"In his early years, my father saved the life of a bandit leader in Nine Rings Mountains," Bai Ying said. "Therefore, as long as my father escorted goods through the mountain, he only needed to pay a small fee to pass through.
But since my father fell ill and could not escort goods anymore, Nine Rings Mountains has not given us a face. They increase the tolls several times and sometimes even rob the goods."
Lin Fei understood.
The bandits of the Nine Rings Mountains were the first hurdle that the Lin family's caravan had to pass.
He remained silent.
The caravan slowly arrived at the foot of the Nine Rings Mountains.
"Whoosh!"
A large number of ragged bandits suddenly emerged from the dense grass at the foot of the mountain.
These bandits were emaciated and looked more like refugees than bandits.
In fact, most of these bandits were refugees who had been forced to become bandits.
However, among them were also some true bandits who were burly, strong, and had fierce expressions.
Among them, a burly man with iron rings on both ears stepped forward and sneered, "If the caravan wants to pass Nine Rings Mountains, leave behind some money."
"We are from the Bai Family Escort Bureau. Can you make an exception for us?" Bai Ying stepped forward and identified herself.
"Hahaha, we can make an exception. Little beauty, if you stay behind and leave us ten thousand taels of silver, you can go."
"Shameless!" Bai Ying's face turned cold.
The other bandits burst into laughter.
"Ten thousand taels..." Lin Fei's expression turned cold.
This time, there were a hundred thousand taels of goods. But the profit couldn't possibly be a hundred thousand taels.
Now they had to pay ten thousand taels just at the first stop. And there were countless bands of bandits ahead. How could they afford it?
Lin Fei had thought of countless possibilities before.
They could negotiate with the bandits and leave some silver behind. But now it seemed that it was useless.
The Bai family's banner no longer had any deterrent effect.
"Since this is a matter of the martial world, let's handle it according to the rules of the martial world!
If you can win against the saber in my hand, you can have whatever you want."
Lin Fei dismounted and walked step by step toward the bandits, standing in front of Bai Ying.
"What an arrogant kid. I'll grant your wish!"
The burly bandit held a large saber that looked powerful.
The burly man charged straight toward Lin Fei with a "swoosh". His momentum was not weak, and he seemed to have the strength of Body Refining at around the third level.
"Whoosh".
At the next moment, the big saber behind Lin Fei flashed two white lights.
These were two shadows.
The people present didn't even see how Lin Fei drew his saber.
"Bang".
The heavy and powerful saber struck fiercely against the bandit's saber, splitting both the person and the saber into two halves.
"Thump".
The burly bandit fell to the ground, his body split in half.
Early in the morning, a large convoy gathered outside the Lin family residence. Each big carriage was packed with merchandise, forming the Lin family's trade caravan. There were also many burly escorts responsible for safeguarding the cargo.
This trip was led by Lin Fei, accompanied by Bai Ying and Tieshan the two Body Refining experts, both at the fourth level.
Their lineup was actually no worse than that of Master Bai back then, and even stronger! However, nobody was sure whether they could do it. After all, Master Bai relied not only on his strength but also on his reputation built over several decades.
"Bro, our priority is to protect our lives in case anything goes wrong with this mission. As long as we're still alive, there's hope for the Lin family. Don't risk everything for the sake of the cargo," said Lin Wen with a solemn tone.
"Rest assured, elder brother. I understand," Lin Fei nodded.
But in reality, this mission was almost the last of the Lin family's savings. The cargo in the caravan was worth 100,000 taels of silver and was being escorted to the prosperous Su City, 300 miles away.
If something went wrong with this mission, the Lin family would suffer more than just a severe loss. They would almost certainly face bankruptcy.
Therefore, Lin Fei knew better than anyone the importance of this mission. His ultimate goal was to establish a smooth trade route for the Lin family's caravans to pass through safely in the future. This was the most crucial task at hand.
"Let's set off!" he ordered, mounted his horse, and raised the flag of the escort bureau. The caravan slowly left Zhou Mountain Mansion City, causing a stir among the other families and forces in the city who secretly watched their departure.
Lin Fei was a disciple of the Nine Profound Sect, which was no secret. However, they did not hold Lin Fei in high regard.
As a mere outer disciple of the Nine Profound Sect, he actually dared to intend to establish a smooth trade route. They thought Lin Fei too underestimated the green forest bandits.
Lin Fei, leading the merchant group, had already left Zhou Mountian Mansion City.
He was still thinking about the Nine Shadow Saber Technique.
He practiced with Bai Ying yesterday, but there was still no progress in the technique.
Unlike the Dragon-Elephant Vajra Fist, which could be improved through sparring, the Nine Shadow Saber Technique seemed odd and difficult to handle.
Lin Fei was even considering changing his saber technique after returning to the Nine Profound Sect.
After walking for half a day, the merchant group arrived at the foot of a mountain.
Bai Ying urged her horse forward and whispered, "Second Young Master, that mountain ahead is Nine Rings Mountains, with one mountain connected to another. There are nine mountains and eighteen strongholds, with countless bandits. We are such a large merchant group. We will get in trouble if pass through it."
Lin Fei raised his eyebrows and asked, "How did Master Bai pass through when he escorted goods in the past?"
"In his early years, my father saved the life of a bandit leader in Nine Rings Mountains," Bai Ying said. "Therefore, as long as my father escorted goods through the mountain, he only needed to pay a small fee to pass through.
But since my father fell ill and could not escort goods anymore, Nine Rings Mountains has not given us a face. They increase the tolls several times and sometimes even rob the goods."
Lin Fei understood.
The bandits of the Nine Rings Mountains were the first hurdle that the Lin family's caravan had to pass.
He remained silent.
The caravan slowly arrived at the foot of the Nine Rings Mountains.
"Whoosh!"
A large number of ragged bandits suddenly emerged from the dense grass at the foot of the mountain.
These bandits were emaciated and looked more like refugees than bandits.
In fact, most of these bandits were refugees who had been forced to become bandits.
However, among them were also some true bandits who were burly, strong, and had fierce expressions.
Among them, a burly man with iron rings on both ears stepped forward and sneered, "If the caravan wants to pass Nine Rings Mountains, leave behind some money."
"We are from the Bai Family Escort Bureau. Can you make an exception for us?" Bai Ying stepped forward and identified herself.
"Hahaha, we can make an exception. Little beauty, if you stay behind and leave us ten thousand taels of silver, you can go."
"Shameless!" Bai Ying's face turned cold.
The other bandits burst into laughter.
"Ten thousand taels..." Lin Fei's expression turned cold.
This time, there were a hundred thousand taels of goods. But the profit couldn't possibly be a hundred thousand taels.
Now they had to pay ten thousand taels just at the first stop. And there were countless bands of bandits ahead. How could they afford it?
Lin Fei had thought of countless possibilities before.
They could negotiate with the bandits and leave some silver behind. But now it seemed that it was useless.
The Bai family's banner no longer had any deterrent effect.
"Since this is a matter of the martial world, let's handle it according to the rules of the martial world!
If you can win against the saber in my hand, you can have whatever you want."
Lin Fei dismounted and walked step by step toward the bandits, standing in front of Bai Ying.
"What an arrogant kid. I'll grant your wish!"
The burly bandit held a large saber that looked powerful.
The burly man charged straight toward Lin Fei with a "swoosh". His momentum was not weak, and he seemed to have the strength of Body Refining at around the third level.
"Whoosh".
At the next moment, the big saber behind Lin Fei flashed two white lights.
These were two shadows.
The people present didn't even see how Lin Fei drew his saber.
"Bang".
The heavy and powerful saber struck fiercely against the bandit's saber, splitting both the person and the saber into two halves.
"Thump".
The burly bandit fell to the ground, his body split in half.
