"Go check the goods."
The bearded leader, Sixth Master Diao Liu, waved his hand, and the bandits dismounted one after another.
The man with the goldfish eyes, sabre in hand, said brashly, "You lot, stand over to the side. Anyone makes a wrong move, and my sabre won't know you from a stranger!"
Headman Zhou Pao forced a smile. "That's our companion on the raft. Could you allow us to carry him down first?"
"Shut it. You move when I tell you to move," Goldfish Eyes snapped back arrogantly.
"One of the boar's tusks is broken. What a shame."
"This bear is huge. Look at these claws, these teeth..."
The bandits stood before the raft, sizing up the kill.
Zhu Dachun couldn't stand the sight of them, so he simply closed his eyes and feigned sleep.
Zhao Lin quietly shuffled over to Liang Song's side and whispered, "You know about the Drilling Mountain Leopard crew. Is this Diao Liu strong?"
He was unwilling to let the bandits just take the exotic beast they had expended so much effort to kill.
Liang Song's brow twitched. He also lowered his voice. "He's the sixth-in-command of the Drilling Mountain Leopards. He's a veteran, but in terms of strength, he's not in the top ten. To put it bluntly, he's just in charge of logistics and supplies. I hear he's at the Second Layer of the Power Realm."
"The Second Layer of the Power Realm? What kind of level is that? How strong?"
"The Power Realm has a Third Layer: Skin, Bone, and Sinew. Training to the Second Layer gives you what they call bronze skin and iron bones."
Zhao Lin frowned. "Bronze skin and iron bones? Does that mean he's impervious to blades and spears?"
Liang Song shook his head slightly. "Not quite. It just means his strength is greater, his skin is tougher, his sinews are stronger, and his bones are sturdier than a normal person's."
"Let me put it this way: if any Power Realm martial artist fought that bear head-on, they wouldn't last fifteen minutes. Otherwise, why would they be robbing us of our kill?"
Zhao Lin thought, 'That makes sense.' But he didn't know what other tricks the man might have up his sleeve.
Liang Song seemed to read his mind. "His raw strength probably can't match yours, but you've never learned any formal fighting techniques, so you'd be at a disadvantage there."
Zhao Lin glanced down at the iron spear on the raft. 'If I had that spear in hand,' he thought, 'and caught him off guard with a thrusting attack, I'm seventy percent sure I could kill him in one blow.'
But if he went for the spear now, the bandits would surely be on their guard. They might even swarm him before he could make a move.
"Go talk to Headman Zhou Pao first. I'll see if I can find an opening."
Liang Song nodded. "As long as we can take out the leader, the rest will be easy. Headman Zhou Pao and I have poisoned arrows. Perfect for shooting these bastards dead..."
"This spear is so heavy!"
One of the bandits saw the long spear lying on the ground. Curious, he reached for it, but couldn't even lift it and cried out in surprise.
"The Sixth Master is a spear expert. Take it to him, let him have a look."
Goldfish Eyes lunged forward, heaved the iron spear up, and presented it to the bandit leader as if it were a treasure.
"Let me give it a try."
Sixth Master Diao Liu took the long spear and praised, "A fine spear!"
He gripped the shaft with both hands—thrusting, lifting, chopping, dotting, smashing... he executed a few flourishes.
"What skill, Sixth Master!"
"Only the Sixth Master could wield such a heavy spear."
"The Sixth Master's spear technique is brilliant..."
The bandits cheered loudly.
Zhao Lin watched with a cold eye. He suddenly felt like a tiger watching a donkey's feeble kick.
The spear techniques looked flashy, but his movements were slightly sluggish. It was clear he lacked the strength to match his intent.
'This is the power of the Second Layer of the Power Realm?'
'Without absorbing the bear's Essence Soul, my strength might have been only a little greater than his. But now...'
'In a contest of pure strength, I have nothing to fear from him!'
Zhao Lin was now confident.
"This is a military spear, good for a cavalry charge, but a bit too heavy for regular use."
A smile appeared on Sixth Master Diao Liu's face as he feigned modesty. Then, his expression suddenly turned sharp, and his eyes fixed on Zhao Lin and the others.
"Whose spear is this!"
Before Headman Zhou Pao could speak, Zhao Lin cut in, "The spear was passed down in my humble family."
Headman Zhou Pao's expression flickered, momentarily confused by Zhao Lin's move. Liang Song leaned over and whispered a few words to him.
Sixth Master Diao Liu narrowed his eyes, sizing up Zhao Lin. "You can wield this spear?"
Zhao Lin looked up, putting on a simple, foolish expression. "I can't use it well. I can just mess around with it a bit."
Goldfish Eyes scoffed, "Pfft, you're bragging. It's a struggle for me to even carry it. Mess around with it? My ass..."
Sixth Master Diao Liu raised a hand to silence Goldfish Eyes and said in a low voice, "Show me."
"Alright." Zhao Lin obediently walked forward. Diao Liu suddenly tossed the spear at him.
Zhao Lin reached out with both hands to catch it, but the force was too great. He lost his footing and fell on his butt.
"HAHAHA..." The bandits roared with laughter.
Sixth Master Diao Liu let out a breath of relief, a smile touching his lips.
He had intentionally thrown the spear with extra force, intending to test Zhao Lin's skill.
The test revealed that while Zhao Lin was strong, he wasn't a trained martial artist.
"Stop laughing. Watch him use the spear."
Sixth Master Diao Liu wiped the smile from his face and pointed at Zhao Lin. "Let's see if you have what it takes to be a martial artist."
Goldfish Eyes yelled, "You hear that, kid? Do your best. If the Sixth Master takes a liking to you, he'll bring you back to the stronghold to live the good life!"
"Live the good life? That sounds great!"
Hearing this, Zhao Lin immediately stood up and brushed the snow off his rear.
He lifted the long spear, struck a proper-looking opening stance, then took a big step forward, and... SLIP...
His feet slipped from under him, and he went flying, spear and all.
The bandits burst into laughter again, and Sixth Master Diao Liu shook his head in disappointment.
"All brawn and no brains."
None of them noticed that Zhao Lin was now less than twenty feet from Sixth Master Diao Liu's mount.
Headman Zhou Pao and Liang Song exchanged a glance. Their fingers hooked the bowstrings on their chests, while their other hands reached back to their quivers.
"That doesn't count, that doesn't count! The snow was too slippery!"
Zhao Lin scrambled up with a look of indignation, muttering as he picked up the iron spear.
"Go on, get back. Leave the spear," Sixth Master Diao Liu said, waving his hand impatiently.
This time, Zhao Lin didn't listen. He suddenly bent his body, his legs exploding with power as he charged forward.
With a flick of his arms, the long spear shot upward, piercing through the horse's neck from below. With a PSHHT, it erupted from the nape of the horse's neck, skewering the abdomen of Sixth Master Diao Liu, who was still in the saddle.
Zhao Lin felt a resistance in his hands, similar to when he had stabbed the bear, but it was just as incapable of stopping the iron spear's advance.
"You dare...!"
Diao Liu had never expected Zhao Lin to pull such a move. Utterly terrified, he roared, summoning every ounce of his strength to execute an Iron Bridge, his upper body arching backward.
Because of this dodge, the iron spear that should have pierced his abdomen instead burst out from his chest, pinning him to the horse.
While all the bandits' eyes were on Zhao Lin, Headman Zhou Pao and Liang Song nocked their arrows and each fired a shot.
Two bandits fell.
"They dare ambush us! Kill them!"
The bandits were battle-hardened and reacted instantly. The remaining four drew their sabres. One rushed Zhao Lin, while the other three charged toward Headman Zhou Pao and Liang Song with a roar.
Headman Zhou Pao and Liang Song didn't have time to fire another arrow. They threw down their bows, drew their hunting knives, and met the charge...
"To think... the lifelong hunter would get his eyes pecked out by a goose..."
The bandit leader knew his wound was fatal; there was no escaping alive today.
Fighting through the excruciating pain, he reached into his tunic and found a vial. He broke off the stopper, and a faint scent of Musk was instantly released.
He opened his mouth and swallowed the red pill from the vial...