Chapter 10: The Disobedient, All Are Dead

A faint cold smile appeared on Chu Xiu's face; this mother and son truly did not regard him highly. Perhaps in their plan, even if he were to discover that those team leaders and managers were their people, he would still be powerless to do anything about it

Ma Kuo stated that his shack is quite rudimentary, and this is not mere modesty. A small shack like this does not even have a proper room; what is referred to as a conference hall is merely constructed from wood in a haphazard manner.

Gao Bei, tomorrow morning accompany me out of the city to visit Shangmang Mountain, to find that bandit leader Ma Kuo whom you invited last time

Upon seeing Chu Xiu, Ma Kuo laughed heartily and said, "Young man from the Chu family, the ore from your family is truly remarkable. The weapons forged from it can reach a maximum of three transformations. What good business do you have this time?"

Chu Xiu pushed open the door, and in the courtyard, more than ten thick wooden stakes had already been erected. Last night, Gao Bei had come with people to set these things up.

Now there are only Chu Xiu and Gao Bei riding fast horses, and they arrived in just over a day

At such a close distance, Ma Kuo was unable to even defend himself by sheathing his sword. He kicked the stool behind him to pieces, intending to retreat, but at that moment, Chu Xiu's short knife was already pressed against his neck

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiu's eyes narrowed instantly. His previous conjecture was not wrong; Ma Kuo should indeed be one of that group of people.

Gao Beidao: "It is not so blatant; the information was conveyed by a maidservant of the Second Madam, who is also a concubine of the Third Young Master"

Gao Bei had visited Shangmang Mountain once, and his memory was quite good. He turned left and right in the dense forest and soon found the hideout of the bandit leader Ma Kuo, a completely wooden structure that looked exceedingly simple and crude.

Ma Kuo淡淡 said: "No need, these are all brothers who have shared life and death with me, and there is nothing to hide."

Chu Xiu did not pay much attention; he simply said to Ma Kuo, "Master Ma, the matter I wish to discuss with you is somewhat significant. Could you ask your men to step aside?"

After a while, Ma Kuo came out with some people, but he did not bring his heavy sword with him

Currently, Chu Xiu possesses no talent, his comprehension remains unknown, and he cannot seize opportunities. Therefore, he can only focus his efforts on perseverance.

Chu Xiu said expressionlessly: "Master Ma, do not be agitated, I mean no harm. If I wanted to exploit your identities, I would directly inform the Northern Yan court. Even though Wei County is not actually under the jurisdiction of Northern Yan, as long as the Northern Yan court issues a statement or a bounty order, you would be eradicated by the local martial arts forces in Wei County, and I would also receive a considerable reward"

As soon as Chu Xiu spoke these words, not only did Ma Kuo's expression change drastically, but the faces of the bandits present also shifted suddenly. The heavy sword in Ma Kuo's hand was raised immediately, ready to strike at Chu Xiu.

As soon as he arrived at the entrance of the mountain stronghold, two small henchmen sprang out with bows and arrows, pointing at Chu Xiu and shouting: "Who goes there!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Ma Kuo's expression changed instantly, but he quickly laughed twice and said: "The people behind me? Besides my brothers, who else is there behind me?"

The ordinary warriors wield common weapons, crafted by regular blacksmiths. Only those weapons forged by renowned weapon masters or swordsmiths in the martial world, which bear their own names, are considered treasured weapons.

To be able to severely injure the well-known Lian Laosan in the Shangmang Mountains, and to negotiate business with these bandits without changing one's expression, how could such a person be simple-minded?

Chu Xiu cupped his hands towards Ma Kuo and said: "Master Ma, I am Chu Xiu, and indeed I have a business matter to discuss with you, and it is a significant one."

In the practice of Taoist arts, the principles of balance and harmony are paramount; the more one cultivates, the more abundant one's energy becomes, which indeed surpasses that of other practices.

Within the Chu family, apart from Chu Xiu, the eldest, Chu Kai, and the third, Chu Sheng, are managing the business affairs in Tongzhou Prefecture, while the fourth, Chu Shang, is training in martial arts to build a solid foundation

Ma Kuo's expression turned serious as he said: "The humble village is simple, please enter, Young Master Chu, to discuss matters."

Gao Bei revealed a faint bitter smile upon hearing this; bandits do not eat people, but they certainly can kill

The quality of the ore from the Chu family is indeed unquestionable, but even if the Chu family were to use the finest batch of ore, they would still be unable to forge weapons of the third transformation; the second transformation is already the limit. Those who can forge third transformation weapons with ore of this caliber should not be called blacksmiths, but rather weapon casters or artifact refiners.

On this day, Chu Xiu practiced with the sword throughout the day. He was unaware of how many strikes he had made; whenever his arms reached a point of unbearable fatigue, he would begin to cultivate his innate energy before continuing his practice.

A bandit group consisting of only a few dozen people surprisingly includes a weapon refiner; it is indeed puzzling to think about.

A flash of silver blade glimmered, and in an instant, it had already arrived before Ma Kuo

At ten o'clock in the evening, Gao Bei came to deliver food to Chu Xiu. After hesitating for a moment, he said: "Young Master, I have heard some news. The head of the family entrusted you with the merchant convoy to Yan State, but the managers and leaders within that convoy are all people of the Second Madam. It is said that when the convoy returns, they intend to give you a show of strength."

The distance from Tongzhou Prefecture to Shangmang Mountain is actually not far. The last time Chu Xiu and the others took several days because there were many people, and they were also driving a horse-drawn carriage, which made it impossible to travel quickly on the mountain roads

However, before his heavy sword could be swung, Chu Xiu's blade was already faster than his!

Martial arts have levels, and naturally, weapons also have distinctions in their levels

Therefore, upon hearing that Chu Xiu was going to seriously discuss business with him, Ma Kuo immediately changed his attitude.

Feeling the cold blade on his neck, Ma Kuo did not even dare to move

Chu Xiu smiled lightly and said, "There is no need to be nervous, I am an old friend of your village chief, here to discuss business with him"

Looking at Ma Kuo, Chu Xiu said in a deep voice: "In fact, I would like to discuss this matter with the person behind you, Master Ma. I hope you can assist in making an introduction."

At this moment, one of the henchmen finally recognized Chu Xiu and suddenly realized: "I remember now, you are the wealthy young master who was killed by Lian Laosan last time. Please wait a moment, I will go report to the leader right away"

However, before Chu Xiu practiced the Han Hai Mind Method of the Chu family, he hardly felt anything; his true energy could only sense a faint flow of heat, which was quite vague.

The Chu family did not harbor any suspicions, as the previous Chu Xiu often went out and about.

Last time, Ma Kuo observed that Xiu still carried a hint of mockery in his demeanor, yet he could sense that this seemingly ordinary young master was far from simple

The short knife in Chu Xiu's hand is crafted from refined ore produced by the Chu family in the Nanshan mining area, and its grade should be around the second transformation. Among ordinary weapons, it can be considered relatively sharp.

After cultivating for an entire night, Chu Xiu directly sat cross-legged on the bed and fell asleep. When he woke up the next day, he felt no discomfort whatsoever in his entire body

Concealing the dagger in his sleeve, Chu Xiu remained still without using his true energy, practicing the technique of drawing the Azure Dragon from within his sleeve, one stroke at a time

In the realm of martial arts, weapons are categorized similarly to martial techniques, generally divided into nine transformations

He picked up his personal short knife and flicked it, causing the blade, exuding a sharp aura, to emit a soft hum.

The meridians move autonomously, and the eight vessels are all interconnected

The faint trace of innate energy flowed through Chu Xiu's meridians; the quality of advanced goods is indeed different. Chu Xiu could distinctly feel the energy circulating and strengthening within his body, refining his physique.

Even the simplest and most ordinary techniques, if practiced persistently one hundred times, one thousand times, ten thousand times, or even one hundred thousand times, will no longer be ordinary. Not to mention the Sleeve Dragon, which is inherently a complex and swift sword technique. While Chu Xiu practiced, he also envisioned in his mind the scene of the dragon emerging from the sea.

His current sword only possesses the form of a blade, lacking the essence of the sword. When will Chu Xiu be able to cut forth the essence of the sword? Only then will his hidden Azure Dragon truly be considered to have entered the realm of mastery

On the morning of the second day, Gao Bei prepared the horses and set off with Chu Xiu to Shang Mang Mountain

Chu Xiu stared directly into Ma Kuo's eyes and said in a deep voice: "You are the great bandits! The remnants of the thirty-six great bandits of the northern lands!"

An inch longer is an inch stronger, an inch shorter is an inch more perilous

Chu Xiu glanced at him and said, "What are you afraid of? Bandits are also human; they won't eat people. Besides, you have been there once before, so why are you still so scared now?"

Chu Xiuxiu leisurely said: "Master Ma, you need not hide it any longer, I know that you are not a bandit."

The first three are ordinary soldiers, the middle three are precious soldiers, and the last three are divine soldiers, while above the divine soldiers are the legendary peerless divine soldiers

Chu Xiu raised an eyebrow: "Did the other party really spread this matter so openly?"

The foundational aspect of Taoist martial arts is of utmost importance. Although the innate skills of the Quanzhen lineage do not possess any specific techniques for practical combat, they can significantly strengthen Chu Xiu's foundation, even compensating for the lack of a solid foundation during his childhood

Only Chu Xiu was idle, and after getting bored playing in Tongzhou Prefecture, he went out to travel for a few days. As long as he did not cause any major trouble, the Chu family was too lazy to bother with him

Gao Bei immediately shuddered upon hearing this, asking where they were going. The scenes of the bandits killing people from last time had left Gao Bei with considerable psychological trauma

Unfortunately, this mother and son have still underestimated the ruthlessness of Chu Xiu; those who do not obey are no different from the dead

Ma Kuo retracted the smile from his face, placed his hand behind the chair, and silently grasped the heavy sword that was resting there, saying lightly: "Nonsense! With my appearance, what else could I be if not a bandit?"

The other bandits present all shouted curses and drew their weapons at Chu Xiu and Gao Bei, a scene that nearly caused Gao Bei to wet himself