Sword Among Us

Night fell!

The crescent moon high in the sky was gradually covered by dark, drifting clouds. Lamps were lit around the courier station. The land was swiftly enveloped by darkness, and it swiftly covered all the carriages that stopped outside the courier station.

The four guards arranged by the Murong Clan sat, stood, or leaned against the four sides of the carriage. They took turns in shift duty and protected the tribute from the Murong Clan with a great sense of responsibility.

The NPCs in World of Martial Arts would have their fighting abilities greatly reduced once night fell, and they had to rest. This made Happy and his group a little gloomy. They had to stop at the courier station and stay the night.

However, Happy and his group did not idle around.

When the horses prepared by the Murong Clan were brought over, they did not care about whether they would bother the citizens at night and saddled them to run about the walls of the courier station.

Since those were normal, tamed horses, the group got to understand their animals in no time, or at the very least, they learned how to make their steeds walk forward, stop, and change direction. All of that exploration greatly entertained them.

Happy became the abnormality in his group again.

Be it holding the reins, stepping on the stirrup to get on the horse, some of the small tricks to control the horse, or the execution of simple commands, he showed abnormal familiarity and decisiveness in his actions. He looked like an experienced rider who had ridden horses for many years. He easily controlled his horse and stood by the side while watching the group try to get to know their animals in a bustle of activity in the courtyard.

“Senior brother, where did you learn your riding skills? You give off a feeling that you’re very relaxed and comfortable while riding.”

Dawn Lotus struck her horse with jerky movements to arrive next to Happy. While speaking, the movement of her arm was incredibly stiff. She kept her eyes fixed on the fine horse beneath her and did not dare show any sign of relaxation.

“Well, I rode horses for some time while I was in the north.”

“No wonder.”

Dawn Lotus pursed her lips and tightened her grip on the reins. After some time, she managed to control her horse to get close to Happy.

While they were close to each other, Happy could smell a faint fragrance about her. When he looked closely, he saw that her cheeks and neck were flushed red and there were beads of sweat on her brow.

Dawn Lotus seemed to have noticed Happy’s slightly heated gaze. Since she wasn’t overly familiar with him, her cheeks became even redder. She quickly lowered her head and instinctively clamped her thighs around the horse’s belly.

“Walk!” The horse moved forward so that she could take refuge in the distance.

Happy realized that he had just looked at her impolitely and turned his head to look toward the east. It just in time to see a blurry black figure nimbly fuse into the shadows behind the courier station.

“Protect the items!” he shouted loudly, and without hesitation, he struck his horse.

With a whoosh, he jumped up. He executed his Cloud Treading Steps, and with a few steps, he reached the corner of an eave in the courier station. With a few more steps, he landed on the courier station’s roof. He could now see around the walls without missing a single spot.

Whoosh!

Eleventh Crane was not slow either. The moment Happy flew up and landed on the roof, he also jumped up from his horse to land beside Happy. He looked around vigilantly, his wooden bow already in his hands.

The guards of the Murong Clan had been shocked awake. They drew their weapons and rushed to guard the carriage from all sides. They looked around in a flurry of motion as if they were up against a great enemy.

Ghost’s Worry, Xu Lang, Orchid Researcher, and Dawn Lotus were at a loss at that moment. They were on horseback, and they did not know whether they should face their enemies from such a position or if they should abandon their horses and face their enemies like Happy and Eleventh Crane.

Before the four of them could make a decision, Happy and Eleventh Crane noticed the enemy on the roof. A few black figures crouched in the shadow at a corner of the courier station. They were very inconspicuous, but when they saw that the guards had been alerted, rows of torches suddenly appeared beyond the wall. Dark figures leapt in from outside in a continuous stream.

“Kill them!”

“Leave not a single person from the Murong Clan alive!”

“Brothers! Attack!”

The group who had snuck in was powerful, and it was the one which had been lurking outside the courier station earlier. There were more than thirty people, and all of them had reached Gate Realm. They earned a living by robbing carriages and wandering merchants.

They had been discovered by Eleventh Crane a long time ago, but their spy was incredibly alert. Hence, they had left on their horse, and the competition between Happy and Eleventh Crane had ended without ever starting.

The bandits were also very smart. They did not attack during the day, but chose to attack the courier station where the carriage had settled for the night when everyone’s wariness had been reduced. They chose to attack a courier station where only two soldiers were on guard…

However, their plan to ambush the courier station had failed. Happy’s extraordinary alertness not only made the four guards react to the situation, the two soldiers standing guard at the entrance also rushed in from outside.

“How dare you!”

The soldiers might be of low rank, but they were filled with righteousness! They shouted in anger and showed no fear toward the bandits who entered by climbing over the walls. With their spears, they rushed to face them…

Almost at the same time, the six people heard the clear notification from the system.

“Ding!

“Triggered mission: Protect courier station!

“While protecting the carriage, you are to help the soldiers of the courier station protect the station. You must protect the officials so that they are not killed. Once you finish this, you can continue onward to Beijing and carry on with the item protection quest. Once you finish the second step, you will gain the favor of the court. Once you finish the third step, you will gain the favor of the soldiers and officials in the courier station…”

“Attack!”

By the time the system finished its notification, the two soldiers at the courier station had already engaged the bandits who had jumped over the wall. They were swiftly surrounded and sank into an incredibly dangerous situation.

Happy had his weapons ready, and his lancet knives turned into two streams of light. The people in black who were closest to the two soldiers were instantly pinned to the ground, which temporarily resolved the danger for the soldiers…

Eleventh Crane had his wooden bow in his hand. He released the bowstring, and three arrows shot into three different directions, landing in the crowd of bandits.

Three grunts rose from below, for three bandits in black were shot through by the arrows. They staggered out of the battlefield, but when Eleventh Crane swept his gaze over them, he frowned.

Even though his accuracy was pretty good, the result was nor the same. Happy’s throwing knives had managed to take the lives of the two people they hit, while his three arrows had only managed to reduce the fighting power of the three men in black. The difference between the two was instantly shown.

Happy did not mind this.

What mattered to him were the three completion rates for the unexpectedly triggered mission. The more perfectly they wanted to complete the mission, the more difficult it would be, but they could also receive even greater rewards.

Hence, no matter what, the soldiers in the courier station had to be protected!

Two lancet knives appeared in his hands, and his Green Jade Shrouded in Heavenly Silks was swiftly equipped!

“Cover me!”

With hands behind his back, Happy jumped off the roof, flew in the air, and landed in the middle of the men in black who surrounded the soldiers.

“Orchid Researcher, Dawn Lotus, protect the carriage! Xu Lang, let’s go!”

When he saw Happy land among the bandits by himself, Ghost’s Worry finally reacted to the situation. He struck his horse and jumped high into the air. With a whoosh, he drew out a black broadsword, which was half a foot in breadth, from behind his back.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Arrows were continuously released. Eleventh Crane remained on high ground and aimed at the men in black without any pressure. His quiver was emptied soon, but unfortunately, after the first round, his accuracy had dropped from 100% to 50%.

Even so, with Eleventh Crane providing cover from high ground, Happy managed to land beside the soldiers of the courier station. The moment his toes touched the ground, he nimbly avoided the weapon that aimed for his chest. Metal clashed against metal, and he clenched his fists, which were placed by his waist and equipped with the Green Jade Shrouded in Heavenly Silks!

“Get lost!”

He attacked decisively. With a low growl resembling that of a tiger, he struck the two men in black who were closest to him in a very straightforward and savage manner!

Bang!

The men in black who were struck felt as if they had run headfirst into a speeding train. They knocked into the people behind them, and the orderly formation behind them was instantly destroyed.