I maxed out the Scholar talent at the start, but I want to be a Warrior.

The group continued deeper into the mountains and forests.

As evening fell, the team set up camp by a stream.

Gu Cheng sat alone by the stream, bringing up the light screen—

[Constitution: 34] [Strength: 27 (Maximum 50)] [Spirit: 69]

My physical condition is gradually recovering.

The strength cap has exceeded 50, but the current value is still 27, which is far from enough.

The mind is stuck at the barrier of 69.

He tried to move his body a bit—his ribs still hurt, but it was much better than a few days ago.

I felt much lighter.

He looked at his reflection in the stream.

His face was that of a fifteen-year-old, thin, but his eyes looked different from a few days ago.

The bloodshed of the past few days had given his eyes a sharp edge.

The next morning, the group continued their journey deeper into the mountains.

Gu Chang'an walked at the front, holding a long spear in his hand, stopping from time to time to listen to the sounds around him.

Although he won the ambush against the barbarian cavalry yesterday, he did not let his guard down—the retreat of the barbarians did not mean that he was safe.

This mountain forest is the border area between the barbarian tribes and the Dayu people, and all sorts of people may be there.

After walking for most of the day, the group crossed a mountain ridge and entered a deeper, denser forest.

The stream has widened, with flat meadows on both banks and a mountain wall behind it. There is only one entrance—it's a great place to camp.

"Right here," Gu Chang'an said.

The able-bodied men began to get busy.

They cut tree branches to build sheds, moved stones to build stoves, some went to the stream to fetch water, and some went to the forest to collect firewood.

The women cared for the wounded and children, while several elderly people sat on the rocks, panting.

Gu Cheng also joined in the work.

By noon, the campsite was beginning to take shape.

Gu Chang'an arranged for four able-bodied men to take turns keeping watch, and also sent a few others to scout the surrounding area.

He sat on a large rock, resting with his eyes closed—he had been badly injured in the previous battle, and the wounds on his left arm and right shoulder were still bleeding.

Gu Cheng walked over and sat down next to him.

"Uncle, your injury—"

"A superficial injury." Gu Chang'an didn't open his eyes.

Gu Cheng didn't say anything more. He brought up the light screen and scanned his uncle with the probe—

【姓名：顾长安】【体质：86（上限）/83（当前）】【力量：90（上限）/ 86+1】【精神：65（上限）/62（当前）】【战士技：破军枪（一阶）、惊雷枪（二阶）封印、龙影枪（三阶）封印、八荒破军（四阶）封印】【文士技：坚守（一阶）、落雷（二阶）封印】【擅长兵器：长枪（宗师）】【装备道具：浑铁枪（力量+1）】【状态：心魔未消（战力衰减30%）、轻伤（战力衰减5%）】

In the afternoon, the able-bodied young men who had scouted the way returned.

"Chang'an, five li to the east there is a stream with very clear water. Go north over two mountain ridges, there is an open area where you can grow things. Go west..." The young man paused, "...to the west there are people."

Gu Chang'an's eyes narrowed.

"Who is it?"

"I don't know. We saw footprints and horse droppings in the woods. The footprints were very fresh, no more than two days old."

Gu Chang'an stood up.

"How many people?"

"Judging from the footprints, there are at least ten or so. There might be a horse."

There are other people in the mountains and forests.

They had horses and were organized—either refugees or bandits.

Gu Chang'an's face darkened.

"Strengthen vigilance."

The continuous travel had left everyone extremely exhausted.

The camp was filled with the sounds of snoring, and even the young men on guard duty were dozing off against the trees.

Gu Cheng leaned against a tree trunk and fell into a deep sleep.

...

"Enemy attack—!"

The young man on guard finally realized what was happening and shouted at the top of his lungs.

Gu Cheng suddenly opened his eyes—

Firelight.

A group of bandits stormed into the camp.

Screams, clanging metal, cries—the camp erupted in chaos.

The torch illuminated the bandits' faces—rough and fierce.

But Gu Cheng's first reaction wasn't fear, but rather...confusion.

These bandits seem a bit weak.

He instinctively activated the detection—

[Bandit Henchman] [Strength: 22]

[Bandit Henchman] [Strength: 25]

[Bandit Henchman] [Strength: 19]

Strength 19 to 25.

They were far inferior to ordinary barbarian cavalry—even the weakest barbarian cavalry had a strength of 30.

These people are even inferior to the able-bodied men of Anle Village in terms of attributes.

He glanced at his attributes again:

[Host: Gu Cheng] [Constitution: 70 (Max) / 34] [Strength: 50 (Max) / 27]

[Strength: 27], the advantage is in my hands, don't panic!

Gu Cheng got up from the ground, grabbed the long knife beside him, and charged towards the bandits.

The bandits launched a surprise attack.

The people in the camp were just awakened from their sleep. Some of them hadn't even gotten their knives and were hacked to the ground with their bare hands.

In the darkness, it was impossible to distinguish friend from foe; some people bumped into each other, while others tripped over their own.

confusion.

Pure chaos.

However, the able-bodied men in the village quickly realized what was happening.

As border residents, they have practiced martial arts since childhood. Although they lack practical experience, the experience over the past few days has helped them quickly shed their naivety.

They picked up their weapons, stood back to back in a row, and shielded the elderly, women, and children behind them.

The bandit henchmen rushed up, but were cleaved in two with a single blow.

Two more rushed forward, but were stabbed back by long spears.

These bandits were indeed not very good at fighting.

Not only were they weak, but they also lacked formation; they just rushed forward in a chaotic mass.

When they encountered organized young men, they were immediately suppressed.

But some people have already fallen in the chaos.

A young man with an old leg injury was slashed and knocked to the ground, two elderly people were kicked down, and a woman holding her child huddled in a corner, trembling.

The sound of a knife slicing into flesh was right next to his ear, and blood splattered on his face. The young man who had been slashed down had wide eyes and an open mouth, unable to make a sound.

Gu Cheng's eyes reddened.

Those were his people; they had spoken to him yesterday, congratulating him on becoming a chosen one.

Gu Cheng activated his flying daggers, instantly killing several bandits in front of him, and continued to fight his way forward.

In the firelight, Gu Chang'an's white hair fluttered in the night wind, his spear held horizontally in front of him.

His left arm and right shoulder were still wrapped in bandages, but the tip of the gun was as steady as if it were nailed to the ground.

There was a person standing in front of him.

He's obviously no ordinary henchman.

This man was half a head taller than the other bandits, wearing a leather armor and carrying a thick-backed machete.

Gu Cheng scanned the area with his probe—

[Bandit Leader Hao Er] [Strength: 51] [Preferred Weapon: Mountain Cleaver (Senior)] [Stamina: 95%] [Combat Skill: Fierce Slash (Tier 1)]

Hao Er? Gu Cheng almost laughed.

However, looking at his attributes: [Strength: 51], he is a favored one.

It should be noted that although Gu Chang'an has a strength rating of 83, he can only exert 65% of his strength due to the suppression of his inner demons and the effects of minor injuries. He is not much stronger than this bandit leader.

"Just you alone?" Bandit leader Hao Er sized up Gu Chang'an's white hair and sneered, "An old man?"

Gu Chang'an remained silent.

The bandit leader, Hao Er, waved his machete. "Old man, if you know what's good for you, get out of the way. We only want food and women. If you obediently move aside, I won't kill you."

Gu Chang'an did not reply.

The smile on the face of bandit leader Hao Er disappeared.

"court death."

He moved.

fast.

It's much faster than a lackey.

The thick-backed machete slashed down with a whooshing sound, its force heavy and powerful—a strike enhanced by combat skills.

Gu Chang'an sidestepped, blocking with the gun barrel.

Click.

The gun barrel and the thick-backed machete collided, sparks flying everywhere.

Gu Chang'an took a half step back—not because he lacked strength, but because the wound on his left arm had reopened, and blood was seeping out from the bandage.

The bandit leader Hao Er's eyes lit up.

"Are you injured?"

He stopped testing the waters and unleashed three consecutive slashes with his thick-backed machete—each slash faster and more ruthless than the last. The blade moved with a brutal force, as if to cleave everything in its path.

Gu Chang'an fired one shot at a time, searching for an opportunity.

The bandit leader Hao Er's attacks grew increasingly fierce, his thick-backed machete slashing, hacking, slashing, and sweeping, each strike aimed at Gu Chang'an's left arm—he was attacking the wound.

Gu Chang'an gritted his teeth, flicked the tip of his spear, and thrust it forward with a backhand motion—

Broken Army Spear.

The spear tip, imbued with the force of the air, pierced towards the bandit leader's throat.

The bandit leader Hao Er dodged to the side, and with a swift motion, slashed Gu Chang'an's right arm with his thick-backed machete.

Blood splattered.

Gu Cheng's heart leaped into his throat.

My uncle is bleeding.

My stamina is dropping.

The bandit leader, Hao Er, became increasingly ferocious in the fight.

He clenched his fists.

He glanced at the screen—

[Flying Knife (Tier 1): Ready]

I feel much better.

The emptiness that followed the depletion had faded, replaced by a warm, full feeling that spread from between my eyebrows – it was working again.

But the bandit leader Hao Er was too close to his uncle.

The throwing knife doesn't distinguish between friend and foe; if it's thrown from this distance and misses—

Just then, a dark figure darted out from the side.

He was a minor bandit leader, probably in his early 30s. Instead of engaging in direct combat, he circled around to Gu Chang'an's side and rear, gripping a long spear with both hands. Taking advantage of a lull in Gu Chang'an's fight with the bandit leader, he pounced on him from behind.

Gu Cheng did not hesitate.

He raised his right hand, his spiritual energy gathering—

Three throwing knives appeared out of thin air, their tips pointing outwards, trembling slightly.

Whoosh.

A throwing knife was shot out.

It wasn't aimed at the bandit leader—it was aimed at that minor leader.

The throwing knife slashed through the darkness, precisely piercing the back of the leader's neck.

The minor leader froze.

The spear slipped from his hand, and he fell forward, the spear tip grazing Gu Chang'an's back, only tearing his clothes.

Gu Chang'an caught a glimpse of the fallen figure out of the corner of his eye, but did not turn around.

Taking advantage of the moment when the bandit leader Hao Er was stunned by the instant killing of his henchman,

He swiftly thrust his spear forward.

puff.

The spearhead pierced the bandit leader's right shoulder and exited through his back.

The bandit leader grunted, his thick-backed machete slipped from his hand, and he was pinned to the spot.

Gu Chang'an drew his gun, swept it horizontally, and smashed it into the bandit leader's knee.

The bandit leader knelt down.

"Spare me...spare me...spare me..." His voice was broken, and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Gu Chang'an remained silent.

The spear tip thrust forward, piercing the bandit leader's throat.

The bandit leader has fallen.

From the moment the throwing knife was fired to the moment the bandit leader fell to the ground, less than two breaths had passed.

The remaining henchmen were stunned.

"run!"

Someone shouted, and the henchmen dropped their knives and clubs, turned around, and ran into the woods.

Several strong young men gave chase, caught two of the slower runners, and the rest disappeared into the night.

The camp fell silent.

Post-war inventory.

Two clansmen died and five were injured. One was Gu Dayong, who had an old leg injury—his neck was severed during the ambush. The other was the oldest, Third Master Gu—he was kicked down and hit his head on a rock; a man in his seventies, one hit and he was gone.

Nine bandits died, seven escaped, and two were captured.

Gu Chang'an ordered the able-bodied men to move the bandits' bodies away and place the remains of his clansmen on the flat ground east of the camp, where they built two simple graves with stones.

Some sobs could be heard from the crowd.

Friends and relatives who were chatting and talking during the day are suddenly separated by death.

Gu Cheng stood to the side, his heart also rapidly shifting.

Having the soul of a modern person, he initially could not quickly accept the harsh reality before him.

But seeing familiar faces fall one by one...

He made up his mind to avenge them, and he gripped the long knife tightly in his hand.

Anyone who offends my Anle Village, no matter how far away, will be punished!

"Are you alright?"

Gu Chang'an walked over, his voice very soft.

Gu Cheng shook his head.

Gu Chang'an squatted down next to him and remained silent for a while.

"The first time I saw a member of my clan die in front of me was when I was fifteen," Gu Chang'an said calmly. "I vomited. I vomited three times."

"And then?"

"I stopped throwing up after that," Gu Chang'an said. "It's not that I got used to it. It's that I didn't have time to throw up."

He stood up and patted Gu Cheng on the shoulder.

"You're stronger than me; you didn't throw up. Now that you're back to your senses, go help clean up."

Gu Chang'an stood before the grave in silence for a long time before finally saying:

"Torture the prisoners and track them down to their lair."

The young men looked at each other.

"Chang'an, we still have wounded..."

"Leave a few people to take care of the wounded and the elderly." Gu Chang'an's voice left no room for negotiation. "Get some rest. Now that the fighting has started, don't take any chances. Tomorrow we'll take down their stronghold and use it as a temporary residence."