Fang Jie looked at the five hundred elite soldiers before him and suddenly realized he was in an unsolvable predicament.
He knew that individual strength could influence the outcome of a small-scale battle, but he absolutely refused to believe that anyone in the world could fight five hundred men single-handedly and win. Let alone facing five hundred heavily armed elite Sui soldiers, even against five hundred thugs, what kind of expert could withstand a barrage of punches and kicks?
Five hundred well-trained Sui soldiers were far superior to an equal number of hooligans. Without a doubt, fifty soldiers like Fang Jie could easily take down hundreds of hooligans. An elite soldier might only be able to defeat three or five thugs. Therefore, the fighting power of fifty soldiers would likely be more than ten times greater.
The soldiers' teamwork was flawless; once their small plum blossom formation of five men was formed, even dozens of ordinary people rushing in wouldn't necessarily gain an advantage.
Moreover, Fang Jie noticed that all five hundred men carried heavy bows on their backs.
Although the old cripple's strength had only been revealed to be the tip of the iceberg, Fang Jie had no doubt that he was the kind of freak who could take on dozens or even a hundred men single-handedly. But facing five hundred heavy bows, even if the old cripple was a freak, what chance did he have?
Therefore, not only did Fang Jie's expression turn extremely grim, but the old cripple's expression also turned extremely grim.
"What do you think?"
He asked Mu Xiaoyao.
Mu Xiaoyao stared at the steel-like square formation of five hundred men and answered almost without hesitation, "I can't think of a second way besides running, but now I'm worried that... I won't even be able to run."
Big Dog was calmer than them at this moment: "I think I can still run."
Old Cripple glared at him, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice, "These past few years, we've rarely heard of anyone with ninth-grade cultivation making a move. The battle ten years ago was the one I know of with the most ninth-grade experts. Besides that, only fifteen years ago, when the Great Sui conquered the Shang Kingdom, did Luo Manzi kill several eighth-grade experts. Thinking back carefully, in the past fifteen years, there have only been these two instances that have prompted ninth-grade individuals to act."
He chuckled coldly, "It's because ninth-grade individuals act so infrequently that people have lost even the most basic sense of awe."
Hearing this, Fang Jie's eyes lit up immediately.
These words immediately stirred a sense of anticipation within him. To be honest, he desperately wanted to see what a ninth-rank expert, supposedly at the pinnacle of power, would look like, and what kind of imposing presence they would display. He hadn't heard of the massive battle ten years ago involving so many ninth-rank masters, but the story of Luo Yao's slaying of his enemy fifteen years ago still stirred his heart. Every man harbors a dream of becoming the strongest, and even the mere appearance of a legendary figure fills men with burning desire.
Not only Fang Jie, but Mu Xiaoyao and Da Quan were also filled with anticipation.
Being cultivators themselves, they understood more deeply than Fang Jie what a ninth-rank expert represented. It wasn't just worldly status, but also a challenge to break through the limits of humanity. As the old cripple had said, news of ninth-rank experts making a move had become increasingly rare in recent years. Whether one could cultivate or not, the presence of an expert at this level always held an irresistible allure.
The old cripple picked up his gourd, took a sip, and then handed it to Mu Xiaoyao: "Hold this for me."
For the first time, Mu Xiaoyao looked directly at this unassuming old cripple and solemnly accepted the gourd. For the first time, she felt genuine respect for this old man.
The old cripple gulped down a large mouthful of strong liquor. Then, he took a step forward.
"Bow!"
At the very moment he took that step, the armored general at the head of the group immediately raised his command flag. With a thunderous shout of "Bow!", five hundred soldiers drew their bows in perfect unison. Their movements were almost perfectly synchronized; as they drew their bows, the square formation transformed into a crescent formation. In just a minute or two, the crescent formation enveloped the entire Red Sleeves Caravan within range.
Without a doubt, all that remained was for the general to give the order. Without hesitation, five hundred soldiers would unleash their nocked wolf-tooth arrows. And without a doubt, once the arrows rained down, even if the old cripple managed to kill some and save others, he couldn't kill or save them all.
"Bow!"
A simple word, yet it carried an overwhelming killing intent.
One could imagine how many people were terrified by that single command.
The leading officer stared coldly at the old cripple. Fang Jie felt he should be able to sense the old cripple was a dangerous man. But the officer showed no respect whatsoever; his gaze towards the old cripple was no different from his gaze towards Fang Jie and the others—the same disdain.
The old cripple's expression changed, clearly angered.
In his anger, his robes billowed. He took another step forward, seemingly without fear of the five hundred soldiers whose bows were already drawn.
Truly the demeanor of a master! Fang Jie couldn't help but admire him inwardly.
"Don't shoot! I just wanted to ask what you're up to."
Just as Fang Jie was beginning to feel respect for the old cripple, the old cripple suddenly bowed and scraped, smiling obsequiously at the officer in charge: "We are all legitimate merchants on our way to the capital. We have official travel permits and border guard clearance. What are you doing, General?"
The officer was clearly taken aback, then asked coldly, "Which of you is Fang Jie?"
"Him!"
The old cripple didn't hesitate, immediately turning and pointing at Fang Jie.
The officer's gaze shifted from the old cripple to Fang Jie, chillingly: "You're the deputy commander of the border scout team, Fang Jie, preparing to go to the capital to take the martial arts academy exam?"
Fang Jie first gave the old cripple a disdainful look, then took a deep breath, straightened his chest, and declared righteously, "No!"
This time, the officer was truly stunned. ...
...
Li Luo, the Right Valiant Guard's elite infantry commander of the Great Sui Dynasty, had never encountered someone who could lie with such righteous indignation. So righteous was he that he even suspected the old cripple might be lying. After a moment of stunned silence, he beckoned to his personal guard for a portrait, took two steps forward, looked at the portrait, and then carefully examined Fang Jie.
"General Li Xiaozong's assessment of you as brave and resolute is quite disappointing."
Li Luo snorted coldly, then raised his right arm high.
"Archers, prepare!"
With a crisp rustle of armor, five hundred strong bows were simultaneously aimed at Fang Jie.
"Wait!"
Fang Jie immediately shouted, then asked Li Luo from afar, "Since you know I'm the deputy commander of the border scout team in Fan Gu, a border city of the Great Sui Dynasty, and since you know I'm a candidate recommended by General Li Xiaozong to take the exam at the Chang'an Martial Arts Academy, why are you pointing so many arrows at me? What do you mean by this?!"
"I just received a document from the Ministry of War stating that Fang Jie is a spy sent by the Mongol Yuan Dynasty to Fan Gu City, attempting to infiltrate the Martial Arts Academy to steal military intelligence. Anyone who discovers Fang Jie's whereabouts is to be killed without exception,"
Li Luo replied coldly.
"I never thought you were this kind of person!"
The old cripple glared at Fang Jie with extreme righteousness, then took three steps back and stood beside Mu Xiaoyao, saying, "As a loyal subject of His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Sui Dynasty, I will never stop the military from eliminating spies. This is none of our business; let's go."
He pulled Mu Xiaoyao, only to find that her gaze towards him was fierce enough to kill.
"Big Dog, you take Fang Jie and go first. I'll cover the rear."
After Mu Xiaoyao finished speaking, the red ribbon at her waist automatically coiled around her arm like a sentient snake. While not a particularly powerful weapon for attack, her red ribbon was perfect for defense.
"Alright!"
Big Dog didn't hesitate for a moment, grabbing Fang Jie's belt and preparing to retreat.
"Fire!"
Before Big Dog could move, Li Luo, a sixth-rank general, shouted this single-word military order. He himself couldn't remember how many people had died under this order. Since its founding, the Great Sui Dynasty had never lost a single foreign war, relying on these well-trained and determined elite infantry. And arrow formations had always been one of the most effective means of combat for the Great Sui army.
Besides the heavily armored infantry of the Sui Dynasty, what the Mongol cavalry feared most was the terrifying arrow formation. Over a century ago, the Mongol Khan, leading an army of hundreds of thousands, suffered heavy losses under the Sui infantry's arrow formation.
In the campaign to conquer the Shang Dynasty, at the foot of Qingfeng Mountain, the last Shang northern border army launched a desperate counterattack against the Sui army. Five thousand men were slaughtered by a hail of arrows before they even reached within thirty paces of the Sui lines.
Nine years earlier, the Eastern Chu army, which had subdued the Eastern Chu and boasted the most elite archers in the land, couldn't even hold out for half an hour against the Sui northeastern border army's arrow formation. After losing over four thousand men, they were forced to flee in disarray.
Five hundred men drew their bows, but not all five hundred released their arrows simultaneously.
The first rank, about two hundred soldiers, released their bows first, and over two hundred arrows flew out almost simultaneously. With the twang of the bowstrings, the arrows arrived with lightning speed. No one doubted that if they closed their eyes and opened them again, Fang Jie, Da Quan, and Mu Xiaoyao would be riddled with arrows!
The red ribbon moved.
The instant the arrows left the bowstring, the ten-foot-long red ribbon leaped from Mu Xiaoyao's arm like a serpent. The ribbon twisted and turned, forming a magnificent red wall in front of Mu Xiaoyao. This wall didn't appear sturdy or thick, but the arrows that touched it all fell to the ground.
"Seeking death!"
Li Luo snorted coldly, raising his arm again: "Leave no one alive, fire!"
*Whoosh!*
A second volley of arrows was fired, dense as a torrential rain.
"Damn it!"
Just then, an angry curse rang out, followed by a gray-black blur that flashed through the dense rain of arrows. When people reacted, they realized that the seemingly cowardly and despicable old cripple was now standing right in front of General Li Luo, nose to nose, inches apart!
...
...
Two volleys of arrows flew. Even with Hong Ling's tight protection, many arrows still slipped through. Da Quan shielded Fang Jie behind him, raising his hand with lightning speed to deflect the stray arrows. It was unclear what material his gloves were made of, but even the sharp wolf-tooth arrows couldn't pierce them.
But even with Hong Ling and Da Quan's steel claws, hundreds of arrows were ultimately beyond their ability to withstand. A wolf-tooth arrow flew past Da Quan, heading straight for Fang Jie's throat.
Fang Jie shifted his stance and drew his sword.
The standard-issue horizontal sword of the Sui Dynasty border army. A flash of light, like a bolt of lightning.
With a snap, the wolf-tooth arrow that had reached Fang Jie was deflected by his blade. The strike landed precisely on the arrowhead, creating a small, dazzling spark in mid-air.
At the same time, the old cripple finally made his move.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Li Luo.
Eyes met eyes, noses touched.
The old cripple opened his mouth, the smell of alcohol making Li Luo's stomach churn.
"If you want to kill Fang Jie, then kill Fang Jie! Why did you insist on saying you wouldn't leave a single one alive? While I, your old man, don't want trouble, it doesn't mean I'm afraid of it. You shouldn't have said you'd kill them all, and you definitely shouldn't have laid a hand on my precious disciple!"
Li Luo was shocked and hastily retreated.
Where was there any way out? The old cripple grabbed Li Luo by the neck and lifted him up like a chick. Li Luo, a burly man, was a head taller than the old cripple, yet this strong man appeared incredibly weak, choked and dragged back by the old cripple.
"I'll count to one. If your men don't leave, I'll strangle you!"
The old cripple dragged Li Luo back to Mu Xiaoyao's side, looking at Li Luo's face, now a deep purplish-red, and said viciously. Li Luo's eyes were filled with terror, but he didn't give the order to retreat.
"Master Luo, don't kill him."
Just then, Xiao Dingdian ran over, her ponytail swinging. She waved something in front of Li Luo's eyes and said in a clear voice, "My master said that if you've seen this and still want to fight, then she has nothing more to say. Although the Red Sleeves Pavilion is mostly made up of women, they might still be able to slaughter five hundred elite soldiers!"