Chapter 54 Enemies Meet on a Narrow Road

54. Enemies meet on a narrow road.

Halfway there, they suddenly saw a group of four people below, four men. Two of the men were dressed in the same attire as the man who had died in the mine and claimed to be an immortal. This was the Ten Thousand Swords Manor!

They found us after all. There was no escaping it! And something seemed off about the four of them! They were herding animals—some thin, some small. I counted about ten of them. They were heading towards the border.

Sheep are always herded to the county town to be sold; who would herd sheep across the border? That's the domain of wild beasts. Common wild dogs, wolves, leopards, tigers, and so on. They'd eat all the sheep.

And they look so small, some are so thin. They don't look like sheep. They're more like 'two-legged sheep!'

So, he slowly descended ahead. He sheathed his gentleman's knife and changed into a scholar's robe sewn by Sister Lan. Combined with his delicate features, he really did look somewhat like her. He took out a gourd-shaped water bottle from his spatial ring and hung it at his waist. Then, he held a thick, dry branch he had picked up from the roadside.

I walked slowly forward. Then I sat down by the roadside to rest, thinking, 'I'm not going any further, I'll just wait here!'

Not long after, the two groups met. They chatted and laughed, "This haul was quite good. Do you two like anything? If so, feel free to take it. This border region is so nice! No demon-slaying dogs or brocade-clad dogs biting us!"

"Yes, you've done a good job this time. You'll probably get a good price. I've heard some kings especially like tender, delicate flesh."

'Yes, some females specifically prefer young, handsome men, especially scholars; those are truly valuable, like ginseng or gold—a real reward!'

"Brothers of Wan Jian, if you see someone you like, don't hesitate. You can choose any one you like after dark."

"Then you won't be polite! Thank you very much!" A string of lewd remarks followed.

As the group turned a corner, they saw someone sitting on the ground practicing meditation. He was dressed in a scholar's robe, clean and fair-skinned! This was a fat sheep that had come to them!

He Chen also carefully observed this group of people.

The two men from Wan Jianzhuang had fair, rosy complexions and upturned eyes with a hint of wickedness in them. The two sheep herders were extremely thin, as if their blood and energy had been drained, or perhaps they had indulged in excessive sexual activity. Their faces were wrinkled like walnuts without them even realizing it!

They bowed their heads and listened meekly to the two from Wan Jian Manor, speaking blatantly while trying to curry favor, making it hard to provoke them!

The four men looked at the big fat sheep, not worried that it was fake. Apart from being a bit strong, it really did have the kind of body that some monsters would love. They couldn't tell that it had been trained!

"Young man, where are you headed? If you're going beyond the border, we can travel together. More people means more opportunities!" A thin man with a face like a walnut, wearing a black short-sleeved shirt and fine mink shoes, with a knife at his waist, asked with a smile. His smile was so chilling it gave everyone goosebumps.

Are you guys also heading to the border? Which village are you from?

"We're going to Stone Village." The man just mentioned a village casually. After all, in border areas, villages change quickly and are named arbitrarily.

"What a coincidence! I'm also going to Stone Village. Let's go together, guys."

'Okay, let's do it together.'

The two exchanged a glance and slowly approached, stopping when they were about three feet apart. Suddenly, the man from before scattered a gray powder in his hand, intending to knock He Chen unconscious.

"Hehe, just waiting for you." He took a step forward, appearing behind him with incredible speed, his gentleman's blade in hand. With a swift and unparalleled strike, he severed one man's arm. Then, with a follow-up chop, he severed both his legs. The other man reacted quickly. A flash of his blade, and he aimed directly for the neck. His eyes were filled with fierce rage.

Then, suddenly, a slash came horizontally, a swift blade that wasn't even there! A flash of light.

"Ah," followed by another sound.

"Ah, my hands, my feet!" With two swift strokes, his hands and feet were severed.

At that moment, a hissing sound of sword energy piercing through the air came from the back of his head.

A buzzing sound emanated from the divine bell-shaped shield. However, unlike before when several layers of the iron bell-shaped shield could be penetrated, this time not a single layer was broken.

Without much thought, he instantly rushed in front of the two men from Wan Jian Zhuang, slashing horizontally with his broadsword. He unleashed his sword technique, "One Strike, One Hundred Cuts," and with a flash of light, his limbs were severed from his body at lightning speed.

"Ah!" "Ah!" "How did you break through my divine armor so quickly?"

He Chen chuckled, "Divine Armor, more like a protective talisman, but you've certainly made a big fuss about it!"

The two people on the ground had just been strategizing and had everything under control. Now, they were howling loudly, no different from ordinary people.

Ignoring the two men from Wan Jian Zhuang on the ground, he approached the flock of sheep. These sheep were strange; the elder resembled a sheep, but had a human-like complexion, and his eyes were bright, as if pleading for help.

"If you're human, nod!" the voice asked softly, to confirm again. Several of the larger-looking sheep immediately knelt on all fours and nodded repeatedly.

"I understand. I'll see how to break this little trick." Then he went to the two shepherds. The two men on the ground were in pain, their faces contorted with rage, cursing angrily.

One of them glared menacingly and shouted, "Who are you? Why are you so aggressive, robbing us?"

'How do they get rid of their sheep forms! Tell me, and I won't kill you. But only one of you can live.'

"Pah! Do you think we're new here? I'd rather die than tell you!" one of them shouted, his eyes darting around at the person next to him.

"My lord, spare me! I know, please spare me!" The other person couldn't even look at the person next to him.

With a pleading expression, he said, "My lord, I'm innocent! It was all that San Gouzi who instigated me to do this. I obtained this Border Sheep magic by chance. I kindly shared it with San Gouzi, but he couldn't learn it himself, so he instigated me to do this. It was also San Gouzi who arranged the deal with the wolf demon. My lord, I'm truly innocent! Please, have mercy!"

The three dogs beside him flew into a rage, yelling, "Are you crazy? You actually believe something like that?!"

With a whoosh! A flash of light! A blade of light shot three feet away, and San Gouzi's head fell to the ground, only his mouth was still opening and closing.

"Alright, I promise you. Tell me now! If you don't, I'm sure others already know." After saying that, he glanced at the two men from Wan Jian Manor not far away.

"Yes, sir."

"The problem can be solved simply by giving these sheep water." Upon hearing this, He Chen carefully searched the water pouches carried by the two men.

Then he came to the sheep and shouted, 'Don't move! Line up! Drink some water and your spell will be lifted!'

The water sac was given to a robust black sheep, and soon the sheep slowly transformed into a strong young man dressed in black. With delicate features, jet-black hair, and an elegant, picturesque appearance, he was truly handsome.