Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

Chapter 245: Chapter 195: Entering the Bandit’s Den (Part 2)

"Once you’re done eating, scram. This isn’t a place for people like you."

The proprietress picked up the gold ingot, bit it, and spoke indistinctly.

The five of them had no appetite for the food—though, in Xie Yuan’s case, it was for other reasons.

After a few hasty bites, the group stood up and left "The First House of the West Desert."

In a corner of the room, several large men exchanged a look and silently rose to their feet.

The waiter acted as if he saw nothing, clearing the leftover food and tidying the table and stools. Only then did he walk over to the proprietress and ask in a low voice:

"Boss, those few were just fledglings. Do you think we should..."

He was about to make a gesture, but the proprietress said lazily:

"Those guys won’t be able to handle them."

"What?"

The waiter was stunned. Those kids were clearly greenhorns who had just left home, while the ones following them were all ruthless characters around here. How could they possibly fail?

"There’s a formidable one in that group. Just wait and see."

The proprietress didn’t explain. She picked up a cattail fan, flopped onto the reclining chair behind the counter, and propped her long legs high up on it. Her skirt slipped down slightly, revealing a section of delicate, smooth, and fair calf.

She hadn’t even bothered to put on her embroidered shoes properly; one dangled from her toes, swinging back and forth. Her jade-like feet, swaying over the edge of the counter, were also dazzlingly white, seemingly glowing in this land of endless sand and wind.

Yet, neither the waiter nor the rough-looking patrons, who were clearly not good people, dared to cast a single glance. They completely ignored the scene, which was enough to awaken the beast in any man’s heart. Some who couldn’t resist buried their heads low and focused on eating, terrified of accidentally letting their gaze drift in her direction for even a moment.

「Outside Fengsha Collection.」

Once Xie Yuan’s group of five was out of Fengsha Collection, the ubiquitous stares were gone, and the pressure on them noticeably eased.

Huang Yifeng looked at Pei Yu and asked in a heavy voice:

"Junior Brother Pei, you understand the principle of not flaunting your wealth, especially in a place like this, don’t you?"

"Of course."

Pei Yu replied simply, his demeanor even colder than Huang Yifeng’s.

Huang Yifeng didn’t say anything more, merely asking:

"So, why did you do that...?"

"To fish. It’s better to let the prey come to you than to search for it yourself."

Pei Yu said in a low voice.

’A skilled hunter often appears as the prey?’

Xie Yuan thought with great interest and glanced behind them.

’But by fishing like this, aren’t you afraid of hooking a shark?’

Sure enough, Huang Zifeng’s eyes narrowed slightly as he said:

"It’s not a bad idea, but have you considered what you’ll do if you attract an enemy you can’t handle?"

Pei Yu paused for a moment before saying with cold arrogance:

"There shouldn’t be any enemies in Fengsha Collection beyond our capabilities."

His words radiated a powerful confidence, far exceeding what one would expect from someone at the External Training realm.

Huang Zifeng frowned.

"I don’t know where you get your confidence, but if you underestimate your enemy, you’ll only end up dead."

"..."

Pei Yu remained silent, and it was unclear if he had taken the words to heart.

The group continued walking forward in silence. Xie Yuan glanced to the side, saw that no one was talking, and put on a nervous expression:

"Do you guys think... anyone is following us?"

"Not yet..."

Pei Yu shook his head, but then he suddenly froze, his expression changing slightly.

"They’re already this close?"

Lin Zhen also instantly became alert, sensing that something was wrong.

Huang Zifeng watched coldly from the side, thinking to himself, ’If it weren’t for that kid, Zhang Mountain, and his dumb luck—blurting that out from fear—we probably wouldn’t have noticed them until they were right on top of us.’

The wind whipped sand in their faces. The dunes rose and fell, appearing to offer an unobstructed view, but in reality, they provided plenty of cover.

The four disciples immediately drew their swords and formed a defensive formation. Lin Cheng shouted in a deep voice:

"Who goes there? Stop hiding and show yourselves!"

After a moment of silence behind the dune, several large men in black emerged—it was the patrons from the inn!

"One, two, three... seven, eight!"

Lin Cheng and the others revealed expressions of both nervousness and excitement. Looking at the rough men on the dune, he yelled:

"Who are you? What is your purpose in following us here?"

"So much damn nonsense, and you talk like a scholar."

The leader of the men sneered:

"Why else would we follow you? For your money, of course! Hand over all the gold ingots you have on you, and leave that chick behind for us to have some fun with. Do that, and I’ll let you live!"

Lin Zhen’s eyes turned cold as she watched the men brazenly eye her up and down. Her grip on her sword tightened.

She had the delicate purity of a girl from a respectable family and the pampered charm of a wealthy young lady; she was quite the Water Spirit.

After experiencing a great upheaval and cultivating on Cloud Mountain for several months, her diligent martial arts practice and the nourishment of Spiritual Qi had greatly improved her figure and skin. Her disposition had also become calm and resolute, lending her the air of a mature woman that made her far more captivating than before. She had transformed from a pretty girl into a great beauty, which made Huang Zifeng, who was already interested in her, utterly smitten.

But to these bandits who spent their days roaming the great desert, a woman from the Central Plains like her was pure poison. Their eyes were shining now; more than money, they wanted her.

Huang Zifeng’s eyelids drooped slightly. He had already sentenced these thugs to death in his mind; it was just a matter of seeing whether his junior brothers and sister could kill them all by themselves.

Hearing his sister being insulted, Lin Cheng’s eyes widened, and he snorted coldly:

"We have no money and no one to give you! We do have one life to offer—mine—but let’s see if you have enough lives to take it!"

"You don’t know what’s good for you. Fine. I see you’re pretty fair-skinned yourself."

The leader waved his hand and roared:

"Get ’em!"

The eight fierce highwaymen erupted with killing intent, drew their machetes, and charged down the dune.

’Three at the Fourth Training, five at the Third Training.’

Xie Yuan gauged their strength in an instant. He raised an eyebrow. ’This group isn’t weak?’

’We just got to Fengsha Collection, and there are already this many at the Fourth Training realm?’

Pei Yu and Lin Zhen each took on one Fourth Training and one Third Training bandit. Although Huang Zifeng intended to watch from the sidelines, the opposition didn’t know he planned to stand by, so they sent a Fourth Training bandit to attack him. He ended up engaging the man, using the opportunity to observe the other four’s performance.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!