ALL NOVEL If You Are Not That Good, Then Don’t Act As If You Are All That!
There were no obvious hints that indicated the reason for the drought, but the duo still had to start somewhere.
Since that was the case, Zhao Yunxiao and Nie Hanchang decided to head south – in the direction where the bandits had been most active previously.
This way, even if they ended up not finding any clues regarding the cause of the drought, they could at least take this chance to ascertain the current status of the bandits.
Because the bandit had not been active recently, Shan Shou speculated that the bandits had already been forced away by the drought.
However, this was still nothing but speculation in the end.
While they were here, the duo decided that they might as well make sure.
It would be good if that was the truth.
But if reality proved otherwise, they would take this opportunity to get rid of the bandits once and for all, resolving that issue for the poor villagers who were already suffering from the drought.
After all, it would be terrible if the rain returned, only for the villagers to be plagued by bandits immediately after!
The duo rode their horses and combed the area, quickly arriving at where the bandit activity had been highest in the past.
Shan Shou might not know the exact location of the bandits’ hideout, but he did provide multiple accounts on where they had been sighted previously.
By joining the dots on these encounters, coupled with the fact that the bandits had to be sufficiently near to the main travelling paths for sustenance purposes, that greatly narrowed down the possible locations for the hideout.
Further eliminating open areas that were unlikely options for the bandits to set up their hideout, there were only one or two remaining options.
“Stoneyard Hill,” Zhao Yunxiao said as the duo slowly approached the foot of a hill on horseback.
“Somehow, I have a feeling that this is it,” Nie Hanchang remarked as he took in the sight of the hill.
“Yeah, it sure looks like the perfect choice for a hideout. I would not even hesitate if I were a bandit leader,” Zhao Yunxiao agreed.
Stoneyard Hill – this was the first of the two options that they were visiting.
As the name suggested, it was a rocky hill with steep cliffs at almost every turn, leaving only a winding stone path that led all the way up to the peak.
The sparse vegetation that lacked signs of life made this place an extremely unlikely destination for curious travellers.
This meant that a hideout here would probably never be discovered by accident, ever.
And even if it were to be found by some unholy coincidence, the rough terrain also created the perfect condition to put up a defensive fight.
What more could one ask for when choosing the location for a hideout?
It was nearing the end of the month by now, so less than half of the moon could still be seen hanging in the night sky.
Had it been the night of a full moon, Zhao Yunxiao could imagine that the steep and rocky hill would look even more intimidating with that as a backdrop.
Nevertheless, it was just a potential bandit hideout.
As cultivators, Zhao Yunxiao and Nie Hanchang were not feeling too worried.
So long as they did not get careless, storming a mere bandit hideout should not prove to be much of a problem.
Still, they decided to leave their horses at the foot of the hill, slowly making their way up on foot just in case.
The terrain was rough, but also straightforward at the same time.
With only one path leading up the hill, there was no need for Zhao Yunxiao and Nie Hanchang to split up to search the surroundings.
Even then, they made sure not to make a sound on their way, sticking close to the sides of the path where their figures would be partially hidden against the cliff walls.
“Bingo,” Zhao Yunxiao finally exclaimed as signs of civilisation came into sight – a stark contrast to the rocky terrain of the hill that looked nothing but desolate.
It was a gate constructed with rocks and logs.
The thick logs made up the overall structure of the gate, fortified by the rocks that prevented any attempts at forcibly barging through.
With that, the duo was certain that they had found the bandits’ hideout.
Now, the only question that remained was whether the bandits were still around, or had they abandoned the hideout altogether.
Since they could not see any lights coming from behind the gate, the latter was definitely more likely to be the case.
Even then, it was better to be safe than sorry.
The duo proceeded with even greater caution after spotting the gate, concealing their presence as they carefully approached.
And when they got nearer, the two of them could not but furrow their brows.
That was because there was a man seated cross legged in front of the gate, his eyes closed as though in deep meditation.
Thankfully, it would appear that he had yet to notice the two.
“A cultivator?” Nie Hanchang asked with a frown.
“Doesn’t seem like it, but I can’t be sure,” Zhao Yunxiao replied solemnly.
This man looked to be in his early thirties, dressed in ragged clothes, and had a rather peaceful expression on his face.
But what led Zhao Yunxiao to doubt his identity as a cultivator was because of his parched lips that were similar to the villagers of Kindness Village.
That would suggest that he had been suffering from the drought as well.
However, a natural drought like this should not have much of an impact on cultivators, unless they had only recently embarked on the cultivation path.
And even without considering that, what could a cultivator possibly be doing here in the middle of nowhere?
“Bandits, then?” Nie Hanchang asked.
Zhao Yunxiao had no answers.
While he doubted that this man was a cultivator, it similarly did not make sense for a bandit to be sitting out here in the wilds, and in the middle of the night to boot!
“Let’s get the answer out of him,” Zhao Yunxiao suggested.
“Agreed,” Nie Hanchang nodded.
This was not an answer that they could get just from discussing between themselves.
If they truly wanted to know, they could only ask the man himself!
The two of them promptly released the concealment of their presences, and started walking straight towards the man.
They tried to maintain a calm disposition, but both of them were ready to jump straight into battle mode at the slightest hint of danger.
As expected, the man slowly opened his eyes as the duo neared.
“May I know what it is that has brought the two visitors here?” the man asked without standing up.
His composure only caused the duo to become more wary.
“Apologies for the intrusion, but we have been drawn here after hearing of bandit activities in the area,” Zhao Yunxiao clasped his fists towards the man. “May I know if you are aware of that, sir?”
“It used to be a thing indeed, but I’m afraid that you will have to be disappointed. The bandit activity in the area has already ceased,” the man answered nonchalantly.
“Forgive me for asking, but may I know if you are related to the reason for that?” Zhao Yunxiao asked.
“Yes, and also no,” the man answered in a cryptic manner.
“And by that, you mean...?” Zhao Yunxiao frowned.
“That doesn’t matter. The bandits of the past are no more,” the man said.
“In that case, may I ask where the gate behind you leads?” Zhao Yunxiao decided to change his approach.
“It is where I stay with my family.”
“If that’s true, why are you outside instead?” Zhao Yunxiao probed further.
“To prevent unwanted visitors from barging in,” the man answered.
“I understand. That said, the sun has already set, so can we humbly ask to stay for the night?” Zhao Yunxiao asked. “We can leave first thing tomorrow.”
“I’m afraid that I will have to disappoint you once again,” the man shook his head. “My family does not wish for any disturbance tonight. Please leave, and come again next time if you really have to.”
“...I’m afraid I can’t just take your word for it,” Zhao Yunxiao finally lost his patience. “Seeing that you are out here with us, don’t you think it is more likely that you are just a visitor like us? Unless you show proof that you belong here, I would just have to treat you like a fellow visitor.”
“It looks like there is no need to discuss any further,” the man slowly stood up to face them. “Since words do not work, I would just have to convince you to leave by force.”
“I understand. Let’s do this, then,” Zhao Yunxiao said.
“Come,” the man said with a calm expression, as though he was genuinely unconcerned about Zhao Yunxiao and Nie Hanchang.
Zhao Yunxiao and Nie Hanchang exchanged glances and nodded.
The man might be calm, but the duo was not afraid, either.
But at the same time, they also knew better than to allow themselves to get careless and complacent.
That was especially the case since this man’s demeanour did not fit those of a regular bandit at all. In fact, the man even moved to enter a proper battle stance, making it even more difficult to underestimate him.
Nie Hanchang slowly moved away, almost blending into the darkness of the night.
As an archer, he was the most effective when attacking from outside of the other party’s sensory range.
On the other hand, Zhao Yunxiao slowly approached the man.
Or at least, that was what he did initially.
But the moment Zhao Yunxiao got into range, he ramped up the rhythm without warning.
[Xuanwu Movement Art – Snapping Burst]
Zhao Yunxiao appeared before the man in an instant.
Without knowing anything about the opponent, it was almost always best to prioritise speed over power.
Because of that, Zhao Yunxiao chose to attack with the fastest move in the Xuanwu Fist Art!
[Xuanwu Fist Art – Invisible Snap]
The man widened his eyes in shock, not expecting the speed of Zhao Yunxiao’s approach. Nevertheless, he managed to bring his hand up to point two fingers at his own glabella.
“Moonlight Sutra – Body of Light!”
With that, his entire body started to emit a dim glow, a stark contrast to their dark surroundings.
Chime-!
Zhao Yunxiao’s fist connected squarely against the abdomen of the glowing man, but the result was not exactly what he had expected.
Rather than the feeling of hitting flesh, Zhao Yunxiao felt more like he had punched a metal rack instead.
Even the sound resulting from the impact resembled that of a bell’s chime!
However, Zhao Yunxiao’s punch was not to be underestimated as well.
With his strong fundamentals in the Xuanwu Fist Art, every punch that he threw out in seriousness could instantly knock out an elephant, and that was only strengthened further by the layer of essence energy on his fist.
The moment his punch connected, the glowing man finally lost his earlier composure, revealing a look of disbelief as he was directly sent flying into the wall of a rocky cliff nearby.
Bang-!
He slammed into the rocky wall and fell back onto the ground. Rocks and sand rolled down from above, hitting him from above as though shaming him for his failure to hold his ground.
Of course, all that was just insignificant psychological damage when compared to the punch from Zhao Yunxiao.
Pu-!
The man spat out a mouthful of blood and started coughing repeatedly as he struggled in vain to get up from the ground, all his energy seemingly knocked out of him from that last exchange.
At the same time, the glow from earlier vanished altogether, reverting his appearance to that of a regular person.
Zhao Yunxiao did not follow up with another move immediately, choosing to carefully observe the man instead.
No mere martial art could change a person at the fundamental level, allowing them to glow like this man did earlier.
What this man executed was a combat technique instead – one that seemed to strengthen his body by taking on properties similar to those of metal.
There was no doubt about it.
This man was a cultivator!
Foundation Building realm?
That was the only explanation.
After all, Zhao Yunxiao had not even put in his all during that punch earlier, and yet it still managed to reduce him to such a sorry state. He was far too weak to be at the Essence Gathering realm or higher!
“What faction do you belong to? What are you doing here?” Zhao Yunxiao questioned.
It was important to figure out things like that just in case he accidentally harmed someone from an ally faction.
“No- cough! That’s not- cough!” the man struggled to answer while catching his breath.
“No? Do you mean to say that you are an unaffiliated cultivator, then?” Zhao Yunxiao probed further.
“No- cough! Cough! COUGH!”
Zhao Yunxiao: “...”
Looking at the terrible state that the man was in right now, Zhao Yunxiao could not help but feel speechless.
What happened to your confident and calm demeanour from earlier, acting as if this would be a walk in the park for you?
If you are not that good, then don’t act as if you are all that!
If you hadn’t pretended to be an expert, I would have held back a little more as well.
And should that be the case, you wouldn’t have to suffer this much right now, either!