Chapter 22: Freezing Wind

"Disrupted your practice?"

Qian Tongtian stared blankly at Zhou Donghuang, then broke out in uncontrollable laughter. "So what if I did? Perhaps I should accompany you to play with bells to make up for it?"

"Hahahaha..."

The bandits around the carriage laughed at this, and several of them laughed to the extent that tears fell from their eyes.

"Second-In-Command, I see this little boy is smooth and tender, why don't we bring him back as a captive to the bastion and present him to the commander?" a bandit laughed evilly.

"Agreed! We'll bring him back to Black Tiger Bastion and present him to Boss!"

Qian Tongtian cast an appraising look at Zhou Donghuang, and his smile widened.

In the next instant, his smile froze on his lips... because Zhou Donghuang made his move.

The Star-stepping Footwork!

Zhou Donghuang's figure seemed to flicker as he made some curious steps, and in a flash, he was standing before the ferghana horse that Qian Tongtian was mounted on.

That is... a swiftness technique?

In the forest, amazement showed on the face of the young man mounted on the ferghana horse, and his eyes lit up.

Swoosh!

Zhou Donghuang's left leg shook the ground, and he seemed to rise into the air like a hawk. His right leg landed on the head of the ferghana horse, causing it to neigh and rear up in pain.

Oh no!

Right then, Qian Tongtian finally realized that the youth before him was no ordinary person.

Needless to say, seeing the speed that the youth had just displayed, he knew he was hopelessly outmatched. Even in the Black Tiger Bastion, not even the commander had that kind of speed.

"What kind of person are you?"

Qian Tongtian's expression turned serious. He knew that even if the swiftness technique demonstrated by the youth was just a lesser-grade swiftness technique, such a person was still not to be trifled with.

Within the territory governed by the prefecture capital, it was likely that only the governing Zhao family possessed a style of lesser-grade swiftness technique.

Could he be a member of the Zhao family?

He trembled in his heart, and facing Zhou Donghuang, who had now turned to face him, Qian Tongtian brandished the saber in his hand with all his might, hoping to force Zhou Donghuang back and preserve himself.

The saber in his hand gave him great confidence despite his opponent's speed.

"The person who will kill you."

As Qian Tongtian brandished the saber at him, Zhou Donghuang stood firm and unyielding, and with a quiver of his arms, he brought his palms together and gripped the back of the saber between his palms.

In the next instant, Zhou Donghuang swung his arms in a circle, spinning his whole body around with the saber still in his grip, the force of it tearing Qian Tongtian's hand open between his thumb and index finger. Blood spurted everywhere, and he was forced to release his grip on the saber.

As the saber left Qian Tongtian's hand, Zhou Donghuang released the saber from his palms, and his right hand shot out like lightning to grab the handle of the saber.

Whoong!

In the hands of Zhou Donghuang, the saber seemed to take on a life of its own, leaving his hands as it spun with a terrible strength and speed straight for Tian Tongtian's throat.

"No—"

With the saber bearing down menacingly on him, Qian Tongtian could not possibly evade it in time. He could only bring both his arms up in that instant in an attempt to shield himself.

Pu-chi! Pu-chi!

Both his arms were severed at the wrist, and Qian Tongtian let out a shrill howl of pain and suddenly fell completely silent.

The reason was that after severing his arms, the momentum from the sheer speed and strength of the saber's flight carried it onwards, leaving a deep knife wound across his throat that ended his life.

Thud!

As the saber returned to Zhou Donghuang's hand, Qian Tongtian's corpse fell heavily from the ferghana horse and crashed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust as it landed.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye, too fast for the bandits surrounding the carriage to react.

It was only as Zhou Donghuang turned around and turned his icy gaze on them that they were shocked back to their senses, their expressions changing one by one.

"Second-In-Command is dead!"

"Run!!"

Seeing that even their second-in-command who was close to the level of a level-two adept of Qi-gathering had been killed, and the bandits of Black Tiger Bastion scattered like a flock of crows, spurring their horses in every direction in an effort to escape.

Thinking of escaping?

In the end, they did not make it far before the saber in Zhou Donghuang's hand flew out whistling again like lightning, returning to his hand only after killing three more bandits.

Whoong! Whoong!

Two more passes of the saber that Zhou Donghuang flung out and the remaining six bandits had all been killed.

The last bandit to be killed had only managed to gallop a distance of less than twenty meters from the carriage.

Any single one of these bandits had hands stained with the innocent blood of untold numbers of victims, and Zhou Donghuang had acted against them without a moment's hesitation and without a shred of mercy.

"Young Master..."

Shock was written all over the face of the middle-aged guard who was driving the carriage, and it was a long while before he came to his senses.

Although he had the utmost confidence in Zhou Donghuang, he never imagined Zhou Donghuang could be this fearsome, that it would take him only moments to wipe out a troop of ten bandits.

After killing the bandits, Zhou Donghuang suddenly looked at the forest across the road without any warning.

A split second later, he looked away and back at the ferghana horse before him.

...

In the forest.

Gulp...

Except for the young man who led them, the other five bandits including the knife-scarred man all swallowed with difficulty, their bodies covered in a cold sweat from head to toe.

"Second-In-Command... he wouldn't have seen us, would he?" the knife-scarred man asked, his voice trembling.

"If he didn't see us, then what was he looking at?" the young man answered matter-of-factly. This whole time, his gaze never left the youth.

He was looking at this youth again after only a few days.

Today, the ability demonstrated by the youth was obviously more fearsome than what he had shown that day.

"My god... I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it with my own eyes, that a youth who seems about fifteen or sixteen years old has such ability!" another bandit said with a look of shock.

"Yes, it's terrifying... the ability of the second-in-command of Black Tiger Bastion Qian Tongtian was approaching that of a level-two adept of Qi-gathering, but still he was killed in just one exchange."

"The speed with which he swept towards Qian Tongtian was incredibly fast... was that a swiftness technique?

"It probably was."

"With his ability, he definitely could contend with a level-two adept of Qi-gathering."

The several remaining bandits could not help whispering among themselves, shock written on their faces and in their eyes and dread in their hearts.

Thankfully, they had not gone out.

"When I went to Qingshan Town several days ago, I witnessed... he killed that bloody-handed butcher of the lesser family the Wang family of Qingshan Town in a single exchange."

The young man who led them spoke up.

"The bloody-handed butcher? Second-In-Command... you are referring to Wang Yukun?"

The knife-scarred man's eyes were wide, and his breathing shallow; evidently, he was deeply frightened.

"Is there another bloody-handed butcher in Qingshan Town?" the young man countered.

"That bloody-handed butcher is a ruthless man who once fought our commander of the Green Wolf Bastion to a standstill... even he died at this youth's hands?"

The other bandits were stunned.

Now, they finally understood why the commander-in-chief of the Green Wolf Bastion had stopped them from going out.

Never mind just the six of them, but even if the entire Green Wolf Bastion descended on him, such a ruthless person might not be satisfied even if he killed them all.

"Good heavens... has he tamed the ferghana horse? That's a mature ferghana horse and almost untamable, how did he manage it?"

Just then, the knife-scarred man noticed with shock that under the supervision of the youth, the middle-aged driver had harnessed the ferghana horse that formerly belonged to the Second-In-Command of Black Tiger Bastion to the carriage. Moreover, the ferghana horse showed not the slightest bit of resistance and was as agreeable as... a cat.

It was also because he did not know how fearsome Zhou Donghuang had been in his previous life. Otherwise, he would not have been so shocked.

In his previous life, Zhou Donghuang had been able to tame even the most powerful and dreadful monsters that could reduce a city of ten thousand to ruins with a single breath, rendering them completely docile.

What challenge did a ferghana horse pose compared to that?

Zhou Donghuang had returned to the cabin, and the middle-aged driver had also mounted the carriage, preparing to resume their journey.

The young man in command gritted his teeth and spurred his ferghana horse towards the carriage. "Let's go!"

"Second-In-Command!"

"Second-In-Command, don't be rash!"

The five bandits, including the knife-scarred man, were pale-faced with terror at the young man's actions. Such a ruthless person was not someone they could handle.

Nevertheless, the knife-scarred man and the other bandits eventually gritted their teeth and followed.

The Second-In-Command of Green Wolf Bastion had saved each one of their lives before, and to let their Second-In-Command ride to his death before their eyes was not something they could do.

"Young Master, there are bandits coming again," the middle-aged guard informed Zhou Donghuang, who had just entered the cabin with a bitter smile. The six bandits of Green Wolf Bastion rode out of the forest just as he was about to get the carriage moving.

However, before Zhou Donghuang could reply, he saw the bandits, who were led by a young man, dismount in unison.

"The Second-In-Command of Green Wolf Bastion, Freezing Wind, acknowledges Young Master Donghuang."

Upon dismounting, Freezing Wind bowed respectfully towards the carriage.

"We acknowledge Young Master Donghuang."

The knife-scarred man and the other bandits released their breath as they saw their second-in-command had no intention of attacking, and they bowed towards the carriage together.

"Is there a problem?" came Zhou Donghuang's voice with a hint of lethargy from within the cabin.

"Young Master Donghuang, you are preparing to go to Ningping Town?" Freezing Wing asked respectfully.

"Hmm," Zhou Donghuang answered nonchalantly.

"Young Master Donghuang, there is still a good distance from here to Ningping Town, and there is a high chance of running into unsavory characters... why don't you allow my brothers and I to escort you the rest of the way?

Freezing Wind said respectfully, "I, Freezing Wind, am of some status on this road... any bandits we meet will surely not dare to make trouble if they see me. If we meet any savage beasts, I can also help Young Master Donghuang take care of them. Thus, Young Master Donghuang, you may practice in peace."

Freezing Wind finished speaking and looked at the carriage uneasily.

In the cabin, it had to be said that Freezing Wind's words had moved Zhou Donghuang, and he replied, "Do as you suggested... when we reach Ningping Town, I will not leave you shortchanged."

"Young Master Donghuang, I, Freezing Wind, make this offer not for any reward, but out of esteem for Young Master's ability, to show respect for Young Master," Freezing Wind said in a low voice, a look of displeasure flashing across his eyes.

"Second-In-Command!"

The expressions on the faces of the knife-scarred man and the other bandits changed, and they were terrified that Freezing Wind had offended the savage youth in the cabin.

This Second-In-Command of Green Wolf Bastion really is sincere.

In the cabin, Zhou Donghuang gave a slight smile as he heard the displeasure in Freezing Wind's voice.

"When we reach Ningping Town, take a look at what I give you and reconsider whether to accept or reject my goodwill," Zhou Donghuang replied.

He did not think that Freezing Wind, the Second-In-Command of the Green Wolf Bastion, could reject the boon that he would give.