Becoming a Martial Master: Starting as a Swordsmith

This is an excellent ambush location.

If anyone tries to make a move here, the convoy will have almost no room to maneuver or evade!

Sure enough, just as the convoy reached the middle of the pass, a series of urgent sounds suddenly came from the bushes on both sides!

Dozens of masked, burly men rushed down the slope, wielding knives, axes, and clubs, and in the blink of an eye, they blocked the convoy from both the front and back, surrounding everyone in the middle.

Xu Zhibao spurred his horse forward, his cold gaze sweeping over the group of robbers. He said in a deep voice, "Which road are you from, friends ahead? I am Xu Zhibao, a constable from Changping County, and I am here on orders from the county government to escort military supplies for the Qingyang County government. If you are after money, you may name your price, and I can leave some toll to avoid damaging our relationship."

The leader of the robbers was burly, with his face covered by a black cloth, revealing only a pair of fierce eyes.

After hearing Xu Zhibao's words, his eyes flickered, clearly showing some reservations about the word "government".

But he glanced back at his accomplices, then at the five wagons laden with goods. Greed ultimately overcame his fear, and he gripped his machete tightly, letting out a sinister grin:

"Don't try to scare us with the government! We're here with no intention of leaving empty-handed! If you know what's good for you, leave your goods behind, and we'll spare your lives!"

Xu Zhibao sighed, shook his head, and slowly drew the sword from his waist.

Just then, Li Chengwen suddenly stood up from the carriage.

He pulled a bamboo tube-shaped object from his pocket, held it high above his head, and suddenly pulled the fuse!

call out!

A bright flame shot into the sky, exploding into a striking cloud of red smoke.

"A single arrow pierces the clouds, and a thousand armies rush to meet it!"

Li Chengwen shouted loudly, exuding an imposing aura.

however,

One breath passed, two breaths passed, ten breaths passed...

The hillside was quiet; not a single ghost appeared!

The robbers were stunned for a moment before they realized what was happening.

The leader of the robbers grinned maliciously and waved his hand, "Damn it, all bluff! Get him!"

Dozens of robbers surged forward like a tidal wave!

Li Chengwen's smug expression instantly turned to terror. He scrambled off the carriage, nearly falling over.

A cleaver came crashing down on him, and he barely managed to dodge it, yelling, "Xu Zhibao! Where are your security guards?! Why aren't they here yet?!"

Xu Zhibao had already engaged the two robbers. His knife skills were sharp and his movements were agile. He was fighting two against one without being at a disadvantage, and he even had the strength to reply:

"Young Master Li, don't worry! They should be right behind us! I can handle these scoundrels by myself!"

After saying that, he shouted loudly, and with a flash of light, he cut the stick in the hand of one of the robbers in half, and then kicked him to the ground.

The four constables also formed a formation back to back, and with their long sticks, they forced back the robbers who tried to approach.

Although they weren't exactly experts, they were well-trained and coordinated well, and for a time they managed to hold their ground.

However, the situation behind the convoy was not so optimistic.

Although Li Chengwen's two guards fought back with all their might, the bandits outnumbered them and quickly separated them.

The coachmen, who were not skilled in martial arts, huddled under the carriage, trembling with fear, and were of no help whatsoever.

Li Chengwen himself was in a panic. His large size made dodging difficult, and he was cornered by the two robbers, with a gleaming machete about to strike his head.

Just then, a cold light suddenly flashed!

No one saw how Shen Chu drew his sword.

With a clear, resonant sound of the blade being drawn, the light of the sword drew a perfect arc in the air and struck the robber's blade with unparalleled precision!

clang!!!

A piercing clang of metal clashing rang out, and the bandit's machete was violently knocked away, spinning several times in the air before crashing into the ground.

The robber was stunned. He looked down at his empty hands, then looked up at the young man who had appeared out of nowhere, his face full of disbelief.

Shen Chu held the knife in one hand, standing horizontally. The cold light on the blade shimmered in the sunlight, reflecting off his calm and expressionless face.

His figure, like a steady mountain, stood in front of Li Chengwen.

"Are you alright, young master?" he asked without turning his head.

Li Chengwen slumped to the ground, mouth agape, and after a long while, he came to his senses and stammered, "N-nothing... Shen Chu, you..."

Before he could finish speaking, another robber roared and pounced on him.

Shen Chu didn't even look, and swung his sword horizontally with a backhand motion.

The blade flashed through the air, accompanied by a sharp, whistling sound.

The robber felt a chill rush towards him and instinctively raised his knife to block, but with a crisp crack, the knife in his hand was cut in two along with the hilt!

The robber stared blankly at the remaining half of the knife hilt in his hand, his legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground.

The two guards seized the opportunity to counterattack and quickly subdued the remaining robbers.

Meanwhile, the battle on Xu Zhibao's side was also coming to an end.

He single-handedly took down five or six robbers, his agility was astonishing.

Seeing that things were not going well, the remaining robbers tried to escape, but were blocked by four constables and beaten to the ground with sticks.

The battle was over in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

More than half of the dozens of robbers were killed or wounded, and the remaining seven or eight were disarmed and surrendered by squatting on the ground with their heads in their hands.

Xu Zhibao sheathed his sword and walked up to the prisoners.

He ripped the black cloth off the leader of the robbers' faces, revealing a face full of menacing features. He then tapped the man's face with the back of his knife and coldly asked, "Speak, who sent you?"

The robber, neck stiff, stubbornly insisted, "No, no one told us to come! We just wanted to pull off a heist!"

Xu Zhibao scoffed, "Trying to pull off a heist? You've got some nerve, daring to touch goods belonging to the Qingyang County government. Do you know what the punishment is for robbing government goods? At best, you're exiled three thousand miles; at worst, you're beheaded at the execution ground. How many heads do you have enough to lose?"

The robber's expression finally changed; his lips trembled a few times, but he still refused to let go.

He only said that he was doing a job for money and didn't know the employer.

Xu Zhibao was too lazy to waste any more words with them. He ordered his men to tie them together and attach them to the back of the last carriage, preparing to take them to Qingyang County to be dealt with by the government.

At this moment, Li Chengwen, brushing the mud off his clothes, walked angrily up to Xu Zhibao.

He complained with a disgruntled expression, "Xu Zhibao, where are the people from your escort agency? I've already sent the signal, why hasn't a single person come? Look at my clothes, I just changed them! They're covered in dirt! They're filthy!"

Xu Zhibao looked somewhat embarrassed. He coughed twice and reassured Li, "Young Master Li, please calm down. There must have been some delay on the way. Fortunately, nothing serious happened, and our goods were undamaged. Let's continue on our way. Once we reach the town ahead, I'll send someone to contact them and have them catch up."