Starting with a blind date with a female constable, you acquire the Nine Swords of Dugu.

Upon hearing this, the bodyguards all stiffened and stopped huddling together. Some of them put on straw raincoats and hats and went out to take turns keeping watch and patrolling.

Fang Cunxin turned her head and saw Gu Guanqi in the corner. Her heart tightened slightly. She walked over and sat down, turning her head to look at Gu Guanqi. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Brother Gu, do you think I went too far just now?"

Gu Guanqi smiled slightly and said, "I think you did the right thing. During the escort mission, you were the head镖师 (escort leader), and everyone listened to you and entrusted their lives to you. Your caution shows your responsibility and that you are worthy of everyone's trust. You did a great job!"

Upon hearing this, Fang Cunxin's lips unconsciously curled up, her eyes crinkling with laughter. She said, "That child just now, I felt quite sorry for him. However, in the world of martial arts, the most taboo thing is to pity others, especially for us镖师 (bodyguards/escorts). We walk on the edge of a knife every day, and there are too many people watching us. Some are bandits, some are enemies. They will try every means to get close to you, pretending to be pitiful, playing the good guy, using self-inflicted injury as a ruse, they will use any means necessary."

Gu Guanqi nodded and said, "Although I haven't been in the martial world for long and lack experience, I understand the principles. Bad people don't wear their names on their faces; they can look better than good people."

Fang Cunxin glanced outside. It was now completely dark outside, and the only light she could see the entrance was by the few oil lamps in the tent.

Fang Cunxin's brows furrowed with deep worry as she said, "Brother Gu, there's a very high chance those three people are up to something."

Gu Guanqi asked in confusion, "How did you determine that?"

Fang Cunxin said, "Generally speaking, ordinary people keep their distance from people like us from the martial arts world. Even if they are worried about their children, they wouldn't dare to come any closer after I clearly refused them. But those two just now tried to force their way in, which is quite illogical. However, it's also possible that they were really too worried about their children!"

Gu Guanqi said, "Then it seems even more problematic. You promised to give them raincoats and hats, but they left without taking them. If they were really worried about the child, even if they made you angry, they should have had the nerve to ask for raincoats and hats to shelter the child from the rain!"

Fang Cunxin nodded slightly and said, "Tonight is probably going to be turbulent!"

……

The rain continued until dark, so everyone had no choice but to rest in one tent.

Although it was raining heavily, people took turns going out to patrol, and even Fang Cunxin went out to patrol once in person.

The rain finally stopped in the middle of the night.

After a while, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside.

A lookout on the outskirts ran into the tent and whispered, "Young Miss, something bad has happened! A group of men is coming this way, at least twenty of them, on horseback, and all armed!"

Everyone in the tent woke up instantly.

The bodyguards all stood up and took their weapons.

Fang Cunxin frowned and said in a low voice, "Everyone be on guard. Hopefully, we're just passing by."

Then, gripping her spear, she strode to the tent entrance.

Gu Guanqi followed the group of bodyguards to the door.

The sound of horses' hooves grew closer and more frequent, and the ground trembled slightly.

Lights appeared in the distance, and torches flickered in the night, like will-o'-the-wisps, winding their way through the dark mountains and forests.

Before long, the group of people arrived outside the camp.

The torchlight illuminated the entire camp and the faces of the newcomers. There were more than twenty people, all riding tall horses, dressed in various colors, some carrying swords, some with knives, and a few carrying chains and meteor hammers.

Leading the group were two Taoist priests, one fat and one thin. The fat one had a large, ghost-headed dagger at his waist. The thin one carried an iron spear, its tip gleaming eerily in the torchlight.

The portly Taoist priest reined in his horse, his gaze sweeping around the tent entrance before finally settling on Fang Cunxin. He grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth, and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "May I ask which sect you gentlemen belong to?"

Fang Cunxin held his spear horizontally in front of him and said in a deep voice, "Zhenshan Escort Agency, we are passing through this area on a cargo escort mission. May I ask which path you gentlemen belong to? What brings you here with so many people in the middle of the night?"

The portly Taoist chuckled, cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and said politely, "So you're friends from the Zhenshan Escort Agency. We're just镖师 (armed escorts/escorts) chasing a murderer here, and happened to be passing by. We apologize for the inconvenience. Did any of you see a man and a woman, both around thirty years old?"

Everyone's hearts tightened.

The person they were referring to was probably the couple who had tried to come in to take shelter from the rain but were driven away by Fang Cunxin.

However, Fang Cunxin said, "I'm sorry, we haven't seen anyone pass by here."

The fat Taoist priest cupped his hands and said, "Those two are a pair of notorious bandits. We chased them here. Everyone, please be careful. They are extremely vicious and ruthless, killing without hesitation. If you encounter them, please be vigilant!"

"Alright, thank you for the reminder." Fang Cunxin cupped her hands and said, "This is a remote mountain area, so I won't keep you any longer. Please come in."

The fat Taoist priest cupped his hands in a nonchalant manner: "In that case, we will not disturb you any longer. Farewell."

Immediately, the fat Taoist turned his horse around, waved his hand, and the twenty-odd people followed suit. The sound of hooves gradually faded into the distance, and the light of the torches gradually disappeared into the depths of the night.

Everyone inside the tent breathed a sigh of relief.

"So you were just passing by..."

"I'm genuinely afraid they're coming for us!"

"Those guys don't look like they're going to be messed with."

"..."

The group of bodyguards discussed as they returned to their tents.

however,

at this time,

Fang Cunxin was suddenly moved.

She sprang up, her spear lashing out like a venomous dragon emerging from its lair, and thrust it fiercely at the large tree beside the tent used to secure the ropes.

The tent is constructed by covering a large tarpaulin at the top with three triangular sections tied to large trees, and then covering the trees with the tarpaulin to form the tent. Therefore, the three tree trunks of the triangular sections are all inside the tent.

The spear tip pierced the air, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, as fast as lightning.

"Bang!"

The spear pierced through the tree trunk in an instant.

A dark figure suddenly darted out from behind the tree trunk, flicked his sleeve, and a black sleeve arrow shot out, heading straight for Fang Cunxin's face.

Fang Cunxin flicked her spear, the tip drawing an arc in the air, deflecting the hidden arrow. But her spear continued its momentum, thrusting straight at the dark figure.

The dark figure was quite agile, performing a backflip to barely dodge the spear tip, but was struck in the chest by the wind from the gun, staggering back two steps before crashing into the tent, and then letting out a strange, high-pitched sound.

"Waaah..."

A piercing sound rang out instantly.

At that moment, the light inside the tent illuminated the man's face.

It was the same man who had been outside the door with his child, begging for shelter from the rain earlier that night.

At this moment, he no longer possessed any pitiful appearance. His eyes were fixed on Fang Cunxin with a sinister glint in them, and he gripped a short knife in his right hand, saying, "Miss Fang is indeed formidable. I..."

Fang Cunxin didn't say a word. With a thrust of her spear, she instantly knocked the knife out of the man's hand, and the spear tip pierced through his chest.

"Well……"

Blood trickled down the gun barrel, dripping onto the ground. The man struggled twice, then his head lolled to the side, and he fell silent.

A paper package fell from the man's hand.

Fang Cunxin used the tip of her gun to pry it open, revealing a packet of unknown powder.

Fang Cunxin quickly drew her spear, and the man's corpse slid softly to the ground, leaving a long trail of blood.

She turned around, her gaze sweeping over everyone, and said in a deep voice, "Don't just stand there. Those people aren't any ghostwriters at all. They'll definitely be back soon, ready to fight."

If I'm not mistaken, whether it was pretending the child was sick before or pretending to be a ghostwriter just now, it was all to get this person in, probably to poison him or launch a sneak attack from the inside!

Just as Fang Cun finished speaking, a rapid sound of horses' hooves came from outside the temple, approaching from afar, faster, more urgent, and more violent than before, like a flash flood rushing in.

The torchlight blazed up again, illuminating the entire camp as if it were daytime.

The group did indeed return, and there were several more of them than before.

The fat Taoist priest took the lead, reined in his horse, and looked at the corpse in the tent. The smile on his face disappeared completely, replaced by a ferocious killing intent.

"As expected of Fang Shiyang's daughter, she is indeed a heroine among women, not easy to deal with." His voice was sinister, as if it were squeezed out from between his teeth.

Fang Cunxin gripped the spear, the blood on its tip still damp, gleaming a dark red in the torchlight. She looked at the fat Taoist priest and said coldly, "Who exactly are you? What grudge do you hold against my Zhenshan Escort Agency?"

The fat Taoist chuckled, but did not register. He simply said, "Miss Fang, you don't need to know who I am. Although you killed my men, I am still willing to give the Zhenshan Escort Agency some face. You leave the goods behind and the people go. I won't make things difficult for you."

Fang Cunxin sneered: "A coward who doesn't even dare to give his name dares to plot against the Zhenshan Escort Agency?"

The portly Taoist priest wasn't annoyed. He slowly said, "Miss Fang, you'd better think this through. Swords have no eyes; once a fight breaks out... *clang!*"

Before he could finish speaking, the fat Taoist suddenly shouted, and several riders behind him charged out at the same time. The sound of hooves thundered, and the flash of swords under the torches rushed straight towards him.

Leading the charge was a tall black horse, its rider wielding a mountain-splitting axe, its blade gleaming coldly, as he swung it in a wide arc, aiming to strike Fang Cunxin on the head.

Fang Cunxin neither dodged nor evaded, but instead raised his spear from below, the tip colliding with the axe blade with a loud clang, sparks flying everywhere. The knight felt an overwhelming force surge from the spear, his hand split open, and he was sent flying backward, tumbling several times in the air before crashing to the ground.

Fangcun Xinqiang's momentum had not yet subsided when he swept the spear shaft horizontally towards the second horse.

With a snap, the horse's leg broke, and the black horse neighed in agony as it collapsed to the ground, horse and rider at the same time. The bandit was thrown several feet away, and before he could get up, Fang Cunxin's spear tip was already there, piercing his chest.

In one battle, one died and the other was injured.

Fang Cunxin drew his gun, and blood splattered from the tip, tracing an arc in the moonlight.

Just then, someone shouted, "Miss Fang, look who this is!"

Fang Cunxin looked in the direction of the sound, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

Two bandits rode out from the side of the group, each holding a person under their guard. They were the two bodyguards responsible for patrolling the perimeter of the caravan.

The two men had their hands tied behind their backs, rags stuffed in their mouths, and were covered in wounds; the bloodstains were particularly glaring in the torchlight.

The two bandits held their knives to the镖师's neck, the blades pressed tightly against his flesh, gleaming coldly in the firelight.

The bodyguards in the caravan became restless.

Gu Guanqi also walked to the front.

At this moment, the fat Taoist priest reined in his horse, a smile on his face, and said slowly, "Miss Fang, I didn't want to push things to the extreme, but you just killed my men, so you can't blame me."

"All of you lay down your weapons now, and I'll release them. If you don't..." The fat Taoist grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, "then you can collect their corpses."

Fang Cunxin gripped her gun and said coldly, "Stop with the nonsense. Firing weapons is out of the question. However, we can talk. Your group isn't here for those goods. They're not worth much money; it's not worth the risk."

Upon hearing this, the fat Taoist priest said, "Nothing to talk about? Since Miss Fang won't listen, then let's kill one first..."

at this time,

Gu Guanqi twitched his fingers slightly, and two steel balls popped out from his fingertips, silently and swiftly like shooting stars.

The Finger Flicking Divine Power.

The two steel balls traced almost invisible trajectories in the torchlight, precisely striking the temples of the two bandits who were holding hostages.

"Pfft, pfft—"

Two muffled thuds sounded almost simultaneously.

The two bandits froze, their eyes glazed over, their steel knives clattered to the ground, and they slumped from their horses, crashing heavily to the ground, splashing mud everywhere.

The two bodyguards, having lost their hostages, staggered forward a couple of steps.

The fat Taoist's expression changed drastically, and he shouted, "Attack!"

At this moment, Gu Guanqi had already drawn his sword.

The moment Qiu Shui Sword was drawn, its light flashed like a bolt of lightning across the sky. He leaped into the midst of the bandits.

Fang Cunxin moved almost instantly. His spear shot out like a venomous dragon emerging from the sea, its tip drawing a silvery-white arc in the torchlight, heading straight for the fat Taoist's face.

The two men, one on the left and one on the right, were like two sharp knives piercing into the enemy ranks.

Gu Guanqi's swordsmanship was fierce; with each strike, a man would fall from his horse. The Autumn Water Sword seemed to come alive in his hands, its light flowing, sometimes left, sometimes right, sometimes forward, sometimes backward. The bandits couldn't see the sword's path at all; they only saw a flash of cold light before being struck. Blood splattered, screams rose and fell, one after another, from their horses.

Fang Cunxin's spear technique was a different story altogether. The spear moved with the grace of her own limbs, its tip flicking and spitting, thrusting, sweeping, parrying, and smashing—each strike powerful and devastating, leaving those struck with broken bones and shattered tendons. A single sweeping thrust knocked three bandits off their horses; a straight thrust pierced one man's chest, the remaining force sending another tumbling from his horse.

The two worked in perfect harmony, their swords flashing and spears clashing, causing the bandits to fall and cry out in despair.

In a short while, more than half of the twenty-odd riders had perished, their corpses lying haphazardly on the ground, their blood staining the rain-soaked mud a dark red. Several stray horses neighed and fled in all directions, torches scattered across the ground, burning into flickering flames.

The fat Taoist priest, his face ashen, turned his horse around and shouted hoarsely, "Retreat! Retreat now!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly spurred his horse, and the black horse neighed loudly and galloped wildly into the dense forest.

Gu Guanqi flicked his finger.

A steel ball shot from his fingertip, its sharp, piercing sound cutting through the air. The ball struck the fat Taoist precisely in the shoulder. He groaned, staggered, and tumbled off his horse, crashing heavily to the ground and splashing mud. The black horse, startled, neighed and charged into the woods, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

The remaining bandits scattered and fled at that moment. Some went east, some went west, some tried to disappear into the dense forest, and some ran wildly along the official road.

Gu Guanqi leaped onto the horse's back and quickly launched several steel balls.

"Ah!" "Ouch..."

A series of screams rang out, and all the bandits who tried to escape fell to the ground.

The group of bodyguards quickly stepped forward and subdued the bandits.

The war has ended.

The entire army of more than twenty bandits was wiped out, with nearly twenty killed and five or six survivors.

Fang Cunxin pointed her gun at the fat Taoist priest and demanded, "Speak! Who are you people? What is your purpose?"

The fat Taoist priest was in a terrible state, his face covered in mud. He spat out a mouthful of muddy water, enduring the excruciating pain in his shoulder, and said, "Miss Fang, we are all people who live on the edge, none of us are afraid of death. Don't expect to get anything out of us, just kill us!"

Fang Cunxin sneered, "I don't believe you're all tough as nails..."

"Let me do it!" Gu Guanqi suddenly said.

Fang Cunxin turned her head, puzzled, and asked, "Brother Gu, what are you planning to do?"

Gu Guanqi took out several silver needles from the inside of his belt and said, "A friend of mine taught me a set of acupuncture techniques called 'Thousand Needles and Hundred Holes,' which is specially used by the Six Doors for interrogation. It is said that very few people can withstand it. I have never used it before, so I'll use them to test it out!"

The acupuncture technique that Gu Guanqi mentioned was the same one that Xue Fuling used to interrogate Zhou Mingyuan and Lin Qi at Qingfeng Temple.

He found it very useful at the time, so he asked Xue Fuling for the key points of the acupuncture technique.

"Okay." Fang Cunxin stepped aside.

A flicker of panic crossed the fat Taoist's eyes as he nervously said, "Pretty boy, what do you want to do? Let me tell you, if you dare touch me... you..."

Gu Guanqi quickly inserted the needles several times.

After about three breaths, the fat Taoist's face turned red, and soon he began to scream hysterically, which terrified the bandits nearby.

"I said, give me a quick death, I know I've already said it... Hurry up, take the needle out!" the fat Taoist priest shouted in pain.

Gu Guanqi then removed the needles and said to the fat Taoist, "You have already witnessed the terror of this acupuncture technique. If you think others can withstand it, then you should lie. If, in a little while, anyone else says something different from what you said, then I will make you suffer this pain continuously."

The fat Taoist priest gasped for breath and said, "I'll tell you everything I know, but I really don't know much. I'm just following orders."

"Whose orders should we take?" Fang Cunxin asked.

"Yan Jingchen, the leader of the Tian Shu branch of the Heavenly Saint Sect!"