Chapter 25: Chapter 25

“You are quite arrogant, brat!”

The Third Chief grinned, his bushy beard trembling. A terrifying gleam shone in his eyes, making him resemble a man-eating beast.

Zhao Jiu offered no response.

Fighting someone like this would only lower his standing.

“Heh…”

The mustached man frowned slightly.

“The Pale-Faced Scholar fearless composure was clearly abnormal.” Faced with so many people, he showed not the slightest trace of panic. He even dared to mock them openly.

That calm, indifferent air—and the faint disdain beneath it—set alarm bells ringing in the man’s mind.

Could this brat be an expert?

He turned to glance at the middle-aged man with a goatee on the Third Chief’s other side.

The goateed man noticed his gaze and shared his doubts.

His cultivation technique was unusual, allowing him to sense even the faintest fluctuations of Internal Qi. However, he could not detect any Internal Qi from Zhao Jiu at all.

He shook his head, then gave the mustached man a look that said they should test him.

The mustached man nodded in understanding. He stepped forward and leaned close to the Third Chief’s ear.

“Third Chief, the Strategist cannot determine whether he is hiding his strength. To be safe, we should test him first. We do not want to offend someone we cannot afford to provoke…”

The Third Chief had not risen to his current position by being a fool. After considering the matter briefly, he nodded in agreement.

The mustached man rode forward and chuckled amiably.

“I am Qian Nian of Fangtou Mountain. May I ask where you hail from, young brother, and where you are headed?”

Zhao Jiu raised an eyebrow.

It seemed these bandits possessed some intelligence after all. They even knew enough to probe him first.

Nevertheless, Zhao Jiu remained perfectly composed. He continued warming himself by the fire without answering Qian Nian’s question.

“Heroes, this Brother Zhao hails from Chang’an and is traveling to Liangzhou to visit relatives,” Lin Zheng hurriedly interjected when Zhao Jiu remained silent. “His family is fairly well-off, but who carries much silver merely to visit relatives?”

Although Lin Zheng knew nothing about Zhao Jiu’s background, earning a little goodwill from him could do no harm.

The Third Chief flew into a rage upon hearing him.

“No one asked you! Why are you talking? Did that little bit of silver make you think you were our master?”

“Young brother, it would be best if you answered.”

Qian Nian continued smiling, but his tone was thick with menace.

Zhao Jiu glanced at him and said coldly, “Attack if you have the courage. Why waste so many words?”

“Good brat!”

Qian Nian flung out two Throwing Knives.

One struck the snow beside the fire, scattering a spray of white powder. The other landed squarely in the flames, causing the firewood to burst apart and send sparks flying in every direction.

“Brat, we seek only wealth, not lives. Fifty taels is not much. Hand it over, and my brothers and I will turn around and leave. What do you say?”

“I say that sounds terrible.”

Zhao Jiu rose to his feet, a Throwing Knife appearing in his hand.

WHOOSH!

The knife struck a large tree nearby. The entire blade sank into the trunk, leaving only the very end of its handle exposed.

“Pfft.”

Qian Nian sneered disdainfully.

He had thought Zhao Jiu might truly be an expert, but this was nothing he could not accomplish himself. Without exaggeration, he could even do better.

Ignoring everyone’s reactions, Zhao Jiu produced another Throwing Knife and flicked his wrist.

CLINK!

The second knife struck the exposed end of the first.

Its tip lodged firmly into the first knife’s handle, joining the two end to end without the slightest sign of falling. Meanwhile, the first knife remained as steady as a mountain and did not sink even a fraction deeper into the tree.

That display immediately stunned both groups.

Qian Nian, the Third Chief, and the goateed man all became grave.

The three of them could also have performed the first throw, but the second was far more difficult.

It required more than perfect accuracy. The force behind the throw also had to be controlled with extraordinary precision.

A little too much strength would have driven the first knife farther into the tree. A little too little would have prevented the second knife from lodging securely.

None of them believed they could accomplish such a feat.

Zhao Jiu calmly observed their solemn expressions without saying a word.

Another Throwing Knife appeared in his hand.

Qian Nian and the other two immediately widened their eyes.

They could hardly believe the brat intended to throw a third knife, but the weapon in his hand was unmistakably real.

On Lin Zheng’s side, Lin Zheng and Old Liu exchanged glances, unable to conceal their shock.

They had already known that Zhao Jiu was a Fourth-Rank martial artist, but hearing about his strength was entirely different from witnessing it.

Now that they saw the third Throwing Knife in his hand, a troubling thought entered their minds.

Was Zhao Jiu planning to suddenly slaughter these bandits?

CLINK!

The sound interrupted their thoughts.

The third knife struck the second one squarely and lodged firmly into its handle, just as the second had done to the first.

The first knife still did not move a fraction deeper.

The three Throwing Knives remained perfectly stable, joined from end to end in a single straight line without the slightest deviation.

That display transformed the expressions of both Lin Zheng’s group and the bandits led by the Third Chief from caution to astonishment.

Everyone stared blankly and remained silent for a long time.

“Do I still need to hand over my silver, heroes?” Zhao Jiu asked with a cold smile.

He spoke one word at a time, placing particular emphasis on the word heroes.

The Third Chief, Qian Nian, and the goateed man hurriedly shook their heads, as though the Throwing Knives would appear in their foreheads if they reacted a moment too slowly.

“No, no, no! We are not heroes. You are the hero—a great hero!” the Third Chief said with an ingratiating laugh. His expression hovered somewhere between crying and smiling. “Heh, heh. We will leave immediately. We are leaving right now.”

He tossed the money pouch in his robes at Lin Zheng’s feet and apologized repeatedly with a fawning smile.

“This lowly one failed to recognize Mount Tai. We will leave immediately. Esteemed sirs, please show your great magnanimity and let us go as though we were nothing more than a fart.”

After speaking, he slapped himself several times.

When Lin Zheng offered no reaction, the Third Chief pulled on his reins and turned his horse around to leave.

“Stop. I have a few questions for you,” Zhao Jiu said with a smile.

His voice was gentle, and a faint smile rested on his face, giving others the pleasant sensation of standing in a spring breeze.

The Third Chief turned back and broke into a cold sweat.

The scholar was smiling warmly, yet the Third Chief could not shake the feeling that a Throwing Knife would come flying at him in the next instant.

However, he could not pretend not to hear.

He hurriedly jumped down from his horse, bowed deeply, and repeatedly cupped his hands.

“Ask whatever you wish, Great Hero! I will tell you everything I know and hold nothing back. I would not dare utter a single lie!”

“Let me ask you something. You traveled all this way through the ice and snow, yet you gained nothing. That does not seem appropriate, does it?”

“It does not—ah, no, no! It is appropriate! Entirely appropriate!”

The Third Chief first shook his head, then hurriedly nodded.

Zhao Jiu toyed with the Throwing Knife in his hand and smiled.

“You said you would not tell a single lie. I will ask you again. Is it appropriate?”

The Third Chief did not know whether he should cry or laugh. He could only answer helplessly, “Then… it is not appropriate…?”

“There, that is more like it.”

Zhao Jiu continued, “Now let me ask you another question. You woke me before I had finished sleeping. That was not appropriate either, was it?”

“It was not appropriate. Of course it was not appropriate! We disturbed your rest, Great Hero. We deserve to be beaten!”

He slapped himself twice more.

When Zhao Jiu asked nothing further, the Third Chief cautiously said, “Then please continue resting, Great Hero. This lowly one will be leaving now. I will be leaving…”

Zhao Jiu grinned and raised an eyebrow at him. He lifted the Throwing Knife before his eyes and waved it gently.

“Leave? Then wouldn’t you have come all this way for nothing? And wouldn’t I have been woken up for nothing?”