Chapter 16

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Chapter 16: I’ve Made Up My Mind About This Person!

After sharing drinks, Qiao Mu and the soldiers under his command grew somewhat familiar with each other.

However, the city lord didn’t keep Qiao Mu in the army to let him gradually familiarize himself with the troops, nor did he leave him time to practice Iron Crotch Skill.

A few days later, Military Officer Chu called for a roll call in the military camp, preparing to dispatch a thousand troops to leave the city and eliminate the bandits.

“Qiao Mu, I’ve heard that you are exceptionally brave. For this bandit elimination mission, I appoint you as the vanguard, leading a hundred men to search the mountains!” Military Officer Chu ordered.

“Yes, sir,” Qiao Mu lowered his head, his gaze flickering slightly. He sensed a hint of danger.

Among the thousand troops, there were ten centurions.

And among these ten, all were 9th ranked martial artists, except for Qiao Mu.

Yet somehow Military Officer Chu chose him as the vanguard…

“You say I have extraordinary strength? It’s just the city lord finally making his move, using such a flimsy excuse.”

Qiao Mu grumbled inwardly.

However, not only did he not mind, he felt slightly excited.

His martial talent could only be considered above average, not outstanding. If he were to rely on his own practice, it would naturally be very inefficient.

And once he died, it would be time to cash in on his bargaining chips.

………….

This army of a thousand men left the city and headed straight for Mount Dong.

Military Officer Chu didn’t know the exact location of the bandits’ lair, but he knew it was somewhere around Mount Dong.

Therefore, Qiao Mu, who was responsible for scouting, held the most dangerous position, as he could be ambushed by bandits hiding in the mountains at any time.

Qiao Mu held a long spear and climbed a small hill. Looking out, he saw only vast forest, without any signs of people or bandits.

“Is anyone familiar with the terrain around Mount Dong? Take the lead ahead,” Qiao Mu turned his head and looked at the soldiers behind him.

These soldiers kept their eyes down and pretended not to hear, some even whistling, just like students avoiding their teacher’s attention during roll call.

These soldiers weren’t foolish.

They had just been drinking with Qiao Mu recently.

But now, with bandits potentially appearing in the mountains at any moment, leading the way meant facing greater danger.

Everyone seeks advantages and avoids disadvantages. Most of these soldiers were just earning a living—what was the point of risking their lives for such meager pay?

Qiao Mu’s face darkened slightly. He was about to speak again when he saw a familiar figure step forward.

“Boss, I’m familiar with this area,” Old Huang grinned, showing his yellow teeth, and said with a smile:

“Since we can’t see any trace of the bandits’ hideout around here, maybe it’s hidden in the valley to the west… If we walk another mile westward, there’s a small valley, shall we go in that direction?”

“Okay,” Qiao Mu nodded in agreement.

Old Huang led the way, with Qiao Mu following closely behind, while the hundred soldiers spread out behind them.

These soldiers unknowingly or intentionally stepped back, creating distance between themselves and Qiao Mu at the front.

Old Huang seemed oblivious, focused only on talking.

Qiao Mu didn’t mind at all; in fact, he welcomed it.

As they proceeded westward, the bushes grew denser and more lush, some reaching waist height.

Old Huang raised his knife and hacked through the bushes, simultaneously walking forward and turning his head to speak to Qiao Mu:

“Boss, my oldest son is really impressive. He’s been strong since childhood. He’s only fifteen this year, and he can lift a 300-pound stone lock. His strength surpasses mine…”

Since that drinking day, Old Huang had become quite talkative, always chattering about trivial matters.

“Boss, when you were fifteen, how strong were you? Looking at my eldest son, do you think he’ll be able to develop internal strength in the future?”

When I was fifteen, Butcher Zheng killed me with a single knife… Qiao Mu didn’t respond, only saying:

“Focus on leading the way, talk less.”

Just as Qiao Mu finished speaking, they heard several consecutive whooshing sounds, followed by sharp arrows cutting through the air. At this moment, Old Huang was still maintaining his turned-back posture….

In an instant.

Qiao Mu stepped forward and kicked Old Huang down in front of them.

Faced with the incoming arrows, he gripped the long spear with both hands and quickly spun it before his body, then….

Plop, plop, plop.

He deflected three arrows in succession, but the long spear in his hands completely missed.

As expected, games are all lies… people can’t block arrows with a spear! Qiao Mu hadn’t even caught his breath when dozens of bandits with headscarves emerged from both sides of the grass.

Qiao Mu’s eyes nearly turned red!

Bandits! He finally saw the bandits!

Surrounded, he would soon die!

At this thought, without even removing the three sharp arrows lodged in his body, he immediately roared:

“Follow me! I will lead the charge!”

Before his words had finished, without waiting for the soldiers’ response, he charged into the group of bandits, brandishing his long spear.

The more courageous the battle, the higher the Death Assessment!

Nothing can stop me from dying today!

Hiss!

Qiao Mu’s spear swiftly pierced the waist and abdomen of a bandit, cutting through the air with a sharp sound.

Although Qiao Mu had only started practicing with the spear days ago, his strength was considerable, with arms capable of lifting five hundred pounds.

Military Spear Skills weren’t complicated; he had just practiced a few moves repeatedly.

With one swift thrust, his spear pierced through the bandit’s chest and abdomen, and with the remaining force, it skewered another bandit behind.

Hoo…

He took a deep breath and kicked the impaled bandit’s body, simultaneously withdrawing the spear and swinging its shaft backward.

Another bandit’s body was struck by the spear’s spinning motion, and with a clear sound of breaking bones, he was sent flying.

These bandits were ordinary people, but Qiao Mu’s extraordinary strength of 500 kilograms gave him a significant advantage.

After killing seven or eight in succession, the hundred soldiers behind him joined the fight.

The dozens of bandits quickly retreated, leaving behind only a few bodies, then vanished into the deeper grass.

*sigh*

Qiao Mu exhaled and looked down at the three arrows lodged in his chest and abdomen. With slight effort, he pulled them out with his bare hands.

“Bring me some medicine to stop the bleeding.”

After Qiao Mu spoke, he heard deafening silence behind him. Turning around, he saw many soldiers staring at him with bewildered expressions.

Yan City was just a small town, and its defending soldiers weren’t elite. These soldiers were seeing someone fight so bravely for the first time…

“Boss, you fight so fiercely, it’s like you don’t care about your life at all.” Bald Monk Soldier chuckled.

He thought he had about four to five hundred pounds of strength, not much weaker than this young centurion. However, he now realized the difference between them.

This wasn’t just about strength or martial arts… he knew he couldn’t match it.

The most surprised person was Old Huang. He hadn’t suffered much injury, only a clear shoe print on his buttocks. At the battle’s start, Qiao Mu had kicked him down, and the mark remained.

Old Huang stared at the three arrow wounds on Qiao Mu’s body, stunned and amazed.

In this world, there was actually a military officer who would shield an ordinary foot soldier from arrows?