Mei Qian let out a sigh of relief.
So the boss cared about that.
He wanted a worthy opponent?
Well, that's easy enough.
Even a minor overseer guarding the mine was Level 4—how strong could the leader of the bandits be?
Level 10, at the very least!
But… could the boss handle a Level 10 opponent?
If it really doesn't work out, then… maybe we should retreat after this job is done…
Mei Qian thought silently to himself.
"Boss, I think that bandit must've gone out. Lucky guy—escaped death by a hair. So… should we just call it a day and head back?" Mei Qian forced a smile as he spoke.
Retreat?
I've already drawn my blade, and now you want me to leave?
"No need. We'll wait right here. This mine's spacious enough anyway waiting for the prey to come to us might just work out."
Liu Yuan's tone was calm, but he felt a little awkward inside.
He got carried away earlier, hacking and slashing, and completely forgot to leave someone alive to interrogate about the bandits' main base.
From the moment Liu Yuan entered the mine, he had a gut feeling—
These bandits weren't that simple.
There was no way their strength stopped at what Mei Qian knew.
That much was obvious from the weapons they wielded.
Before long, the refugees under Mei Qian's command arrived.
Seeing the corpses littering the ground, they were shocked and thrilled, staring at Mei Qian with worshipful eyes.
Mei Qian puffed up his chest and gave a casual wave of his hand. "Go inside and start hauling stuff."
"As long as you follow me, you'll be eating good food and drinking good wine in no time! Bandits? Pfft! I can wipe them out with a flick of the wrist!"
Seeing Mei Qian boasting shamelessly in front of the refugees, Liu Yuan didn't expose him.
After all, for any lord-player, NPC loyalty was extremely important.
If loyalty fell too low, refugees might run away.
Worse yet, they might even rebel and kill the lord.
"Fatty, you're quite the actor, huh," Liu Yuan shot him a sidelong glance.
The pride on Mei Qian's face instantly turned into flattery.
"Boss, you're joking! I'm just borrowing your thunder. If it weren't for you, how could I scare these folks into line?" he said with a laugh, rubbing his hands together.
Liu Yuan smiled slightly and was about to speak when suddenly—
He looked up into the distance.
"They're coming."
Without waiting for Mei Qian's response, Liu Yuan grabbed his blade and charged forward.
Coming?
Who's coming?
Mei Qian watched Liu Yuan's fading figure, his face first showing confusion…
And then realization.
Liu Yuan charged with blade in hand, sprinting several hundred meters until he spotted a group ahead.
A bandit in leather armor was walking slowly toward him, holding a long spear. Behind him were four underlings—
Each pair carrying a fat pig over their shoulders.
When the leading bandit saw Liu Yuan, he raised a hand, signaling his men to stop.
Then pointed his spear forward and asked,
"Who goes there? Do you know who I am?"
Liu Yuan blinked.
How was he supposed to answer that?
Since when did bandits start speaking like ancient scholars?
What next—try to confuse players with classical Chinese?
"Shut the hell up!"
Liu Yuan cursed, then dashed forward with his blade.
He moved fast covering several hundred meters in the span of a few breaths.
The bandit narrowed his eyes, not daring to be careless.
He could feel a terrifying killing aura from this man.
"Courting death!"
The bandit roared.
His spear trembled in his hands, the tip spinning fiercely.
He struck—his spear shooting forward like a dragon, with a piercing whistle—
Straight for Liu Yuan's chest!
The best defense is a good offense!
A single thrust, aimed straight for Liu Yuan's heart.
But Liu Yuan didn't dodge.
He charged head-on toward the incoming spear.
The bandit grinned cruelly.
In just a second, he'd see the spear pierce through this arrogant bastard's chest.
But—
The scene he expected never came.
Suddenly, the world turned stark white.
Then… red snow began to fall.
His body felt light… weightless…
In his lifeless eyes, he could see a familiar figure—
That was… his own body.
One strike. Decapitation.
Liu Yuan sheathed his blade and glanced at the fallen bandit. His expression calm.
A Level 4 bandit—nothing special.
Then his gaze shifted to the four underlings.
They were terrified.
They dropped the pigs and bolted in all directions.
Liu Yuan moved like the wind, blade flashing.
In moments, three corpses lay on the ground.
Only one remained.
That lone underling was scared out of his mind.
He answered every question Liu Yuan asked, spilling everything.
They were part of Whirlwind Fortress.
There were 110 people in total.
The leader was a ninth-tier martial artist.
Under him were four lieutenants, named after the elements: Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain.
Below them, the so-called Four Great Vajras.
Then came grunts like him.
The one Liu Yuan had just killed was the Wind Hall Leader.
As for the mine—
It was an extremely important resource hub for Whirlwind Fortress.
It supplied most of their weapon materials.
That's why they had stationed a quarter of their forces here, plus a hall leader.
The main base of Whirlwind Fortress?
Just two li away—in a mountain valley.
"I see."
Once he got what he needed, Liu Yuan nodded slightly.
Then, with a swing of his blade, decapitated the last bandit.
Afterward, he searched the body of the fallen Wind Hall Leader for loot.
Sadly, the most valuable item was just the spear.
He checked the stats—
Only +1 attack.
Worse than the spears he had already looted earlier.
As expected—there's a clear gap between trained soldiers and scrappy bandits.
He sighed and glanced at his experience bar.
After all that killing…
Only a 1.5% gain.
Watching that snail-paced growth…
Liu Yuan suddenly understood how hard leveling up was for players like Mei Qian.
"Maybe next time I should leave a few wounded for Fatty to finish off," he muttered.
"Low-level minions aren't worthy of my blade anyway."
He stored the spear in his inventory, then walked back toward the mine, blade still in hand.
The spear was crap, but resources were tight.
Worst case, he'd give it to Sister Qing as a gift.
Less than fifteen minutes later, Liu Yuan returned.
Seeing him come back, Mei Qian quickly ran up to him.
"Boss, was it a false alarm? If so, it's no big deal. I don't think that group will be back anytime soon. We can rest up and then go take down that Level 4 bandit together."
Liu Yuan raised an eyebrow and gave Mei Qian a sideways glance.
"False alarm? You really think I could be wrong?"
"That bunch? I already wiped them out."
"Tell your guys to get ready. In half an hour—we march on their main base."
"Today, I'm razing their entire fortress."