"This is an ownerless place. Suit yourselves."
Finally, a cold, clear voice echoed from inside the temple.
"Then I thank you, my friend." The members of the Weiyuan Escort Agency immediately entered the ruined temple.
Han Jin, the Chief of the Escort, swept his gaze across the temple and saw a man wearing a cloak and a white robe. Perhaps due to traveling in the mountains for too long, the white robe on the man had turned black and gray, covered in stains. Behind the man was a bamboo basket. A young girl, about six or seven years old, sat inside the basket. She poked her head out, her lively eyes looking at the Escort Agency members with curiosity.
Han Jin walked toward the white-robed man. He noticed that the man suddenly tightened his grip on his saber hilt, so he immediately stopped, maintaining a certain distance. Cupping his fists, he said, "I am Han Jin, the Chief of the Escort for the Weiyuan Escort Agency. We are intruding today, and I ask for your understanding, brother."
"Stay at this distance, and do not come any closer!"
Ji Qing did not even lift his head. Instead, he used a piece of charcoal to draw a line on the ground.
Han Jin glanced at the line by his feet, nodded, and said, "We naturally understand the rules of the Martial World. I won't disturb you further."
Han Jin turned and walked away.
The people of the Escort Agency cleared out an empty space on the other side of the ruined temple and immediately started a fire to cook. Among the crowd was a woman in a long white dress. She had a slender figure and wore a veil hat that concealed her face. Accompanied by a maidservant, she did not look like someone from an Escort Agency who traveled the Martial World.
Han Jin called the woman to a corner and said softly, "That person should be a passerby traveling the Martial World, also resting in this temple. He isn't here for us, so Miss Lin can rest assured."
"With the Chief of the Escort keeping watch, I naturally feel at ease. I owe you a lot for this trip. However, the closer we get to Li City, the more uncertain I feel. My Third Uncle is ruthless and merciless; he probably won't let me go back so easily."
"Miss Lin, please rest assured. Since I took on this escort job, I will naturally escort Miss Lin safely into Li City! We are already very close to Li City now, just two or three days away. Miss Lin, please go eat and rest early; we have to set off bright and early tomorrow morning."
Miss Lin nodded.
After the members of the Escort Agency finished their meal, everyone gradually fell asleep, except for the Darts Masters who took turns keeping watch and remained vigilant.
An unknown amount of time passed. The ground of the temple began to vibrate slightly.
"SWISH."
Han Jin was instantly jolted awake. He grabbed his saber hilt and asked the Darts Master on night watch, "What's going on?"
"Chief of the Escort, a group of riders is approaching. It sounds like quite a commotion; there must be a lot of them," the Darts Master reported.
"Riders? Wake everyone up quickly!" Han Jin exclaimed, his heart skipping a beat.
Everyone in the ruined temple was quickly roused.
"Brother, there is a group of riders outside. Please be careful," Han Jin kindly reminded Ji Qing.
"Thank you, Chief Han," Ji Qing replied aloud.
With such a loud commotion from the riders outside, he had actually woken up long ago. He had even discerned their numbers by sound. There should be eighteen fast horses.
The riders arrived quickly. Eighteen horses and eighteen men in black stood silently in front of the ruined temple, invisibly exuding an aura of cold-blooded murder! The previously noisy surroundings suddenly went dead silent.
"By the order of the Third Master, we have come specifically to invite Miss Lin into the city!" one of the men in black shouted loudly.
Miss Lin's heart sank upon hearing this. Her Third Uncle couldn't hold back in the end.
"Go back and tell Third Uncle that I have the Darts Masters of the Weiyuan Escort Agency escorting me, so I won't trouble him." As soon as Miss Lin finished speaking, Han Jin and the other Darts Masters immediately blocked the entrance of the ruined temple, staring intently at the eighteen men in black.
"The Third Master said that if Miss Lin doesn't cooperate, then don't blame us for not being polite!"
"SWISH."
The eighteen men in black simultaneously drew their scimitars. Under the illumination of the torches, the snow-bright scimitars radiated a fierce and intimidating aura.
"Protect the escort!" Han Jin shouted loudly.
The "escort target" the Weiyuan Escort Agency was transporting this time was actually Miss Lin. This was a "living escort." Under normal circumstances, the Weiyuan Escort Agency did not take on living escorts. However, Miss Lin's father had been a great benefactor to the Weiyuan Escort Agency, so Han Jin could only brace himself and transport a "living escort" this one time. He knew there would definitely be trouble on this trip. Now, it seemed that what was meant to come had finally arrived!
"Kill everyone else without mercy, except for Miss Lin!" The eighteen men in black instantly charged toward the ruined temple.
Han Jin was a Third-class Martial Artist and also the strongest Strong Person in the Weiyuan Escort Agency. Therefore, he rushed out of the ruined temple with his saber in hand, engaging in battle with one of the men in black.
"BANG."
The two exchanged a hard blow, and Han Jin's entire body shuddered.
"What powerful Inner Power! And this is just one of them?" Han Jin thought, deeply shocked.
Just one person was already a Third-class Martial Artist. The opposing side had eighteen men in black—how could they possibly stop them? After all, the entire Escort Agency only had three Third-class Martial Artists; the disparity was simply too immense.
Sure enough, as the slaughter unfolded, the members of the Escort Agency practically collapsed at the first touch. After just a few exchanges, the Escort Agency suffered heavy casualties. Even Han Jin was injured; he took a saber slash to his arm, though fortunately, the wound was not severe.
"I remember now! You are the Desert Eighteen Riders!" Han Jin's gaze swept over the eighteen men in black one by one.
The weapons of this group of men in black were too unique. They were not the long sabers commonly seen in the Martial World, but rather, scimitars! Normally, very few people in the Martial World used scimitars. Coupled with the fact that all eighteen were skilled equestrians, this perfectly matched what Han Jin knew of the Desert Eighteen Riders.
"Hehe, I didn't expect there to still be people in the Martial World who recognize us. Since you know we are the Desert Eighteen Riders, then you should know the consequences of fighting us," the leader of the men in black sneered.
Han Jin's heart sank as he tightened his grip on his long saber. The Desert Eighteen Riders were actually eighteen horse bandits who ran rampant in the desert. These eighteen horse bandits committed numerous atrocities, specializing in robbing merchant caravans and harassing villages. Whenever they struck, they would often slaughter entire villages and massacre whole households, sparing absolutely no one. They had committed countless crimes in the desert. Later, the Desert Eighteen Riders were wanted by the Government and could no longer survive there, which was why they fled into the Martial World. To think they had actually been taken in by "Third Master Lin."
"It looks like our Weiyuan Escort Agency is doomed today..." Han Jin retreated into the temple, and the Darts Masters who could still move gathered together.
Even though they knew they were outmatched, not a single Darts Master backed down. The Escort Agency's rule was absolute: the men live as long as the escort target is safe; if the escort target is lost, the men perish! Miss Lin was their "living escort," and if the bandits wanted to take her away, they would have to step over their dead bodies!
"Brother, I'm scared..." a timid voice suddenly rang out from within the temple.
"SWISH."
Everyone's gaze turned toward the young girl who had spoken.
Ji Qing gently stroked the young girl's head and said calmly, "Don't be afraid, Yao. I am here."
Although she had Ji Qing's comfort, Ji Yao was only six years old. The scene before her was simply too bloody for a six-year-old girl.
Ji Qing raised his head and looked at the night sky outside the ruined temple. "How much longer are you three going to keep watching the show?"
Although his voice was quiet, it clearly reached everyone's ears. Whether it was the Desert Eighteen Riders or the members of the Weiyuan Escort Agency, all of them were startled. Other than them, could there be someone else here? But as they looked around, they couldn't see anyone else in the pitch-black night.
"Hahaha, as expected of the newly ranked eighth on the Evil People List, a ruthless and heartless Demon. To think you discovered the three of us so early?" A hearty burst of laughter echoed from far to near, reverberating in everyone's ears.
By the time they snapped back to their senses, they found that, at some unknown point, three short and peculiarly-looking Martial Artists were standing outside the ruined temple.