This scene caused a slight change in Nalan Ping's expression, but being a businessman, he knew the importance of maintaining amicable relations. Constantly engaging in battles would quickly deplete his resources for hiring mercenaries. Nalan Ping smiled faintly and said, "It seems these few thousand gold coins don't catch your fancy. That was thoughtless of me. Given the number of your brothers here, this amount must indeed be insufficient. How about I add a few thousand more as a token of goodwill, and we let bygones be bygones today?"
A low, cold laughter came from a distance, filled with disdain. The voice coldly said, "Nalan Ping! We are well aware of the deep background of your Nalan Merchant Group. However, even the Nalan family's influence doesn't extend into these Naga Mountains! Hmph! We didn't come tonight for a few gold coins. We're here to find someone in your group. Just open up your team and let our people search thoroughly. Once we find the person, we'll leave without a word. But if you resist... Hmph!"
Nalan Ping frowned slightly, pondering for a moment before asking, "May I know who you are looking for?"
The same cold voice responded, "That's none of your concern. Just open up your team, and we'll do our searching. Nalan young master, let's be clear – though you have nearly a hundred mercenaries and dozens of guards, you won't be able to stop us if we all attack at once. The choice of life or death is in your hands!"
Nalan Ping's frown deepened. As someone who regularly traversed the Naga Mountains, he knew these seemingly ordinary mercenaries who were actually bandits were not to be offended. Hiring a group of mercenaries and bribing bandits with gold coins was an unspoken rule in the Naga Mountains. Generally, if you complied with these two points, you wouldn't have any trouble since everyone was out for profit. But this rule didn't mean blindly agreeing to the demands. If the bandits wanted to swallow up his entire group, where would the rule be then? If the bandits simply wanted more wealth, Nalan Ping would have given it, since all that mattered was getting the remaining goods out of the Naga Mountains. But them wanting to search for a person within his defense circle was a significant risk. If they suddenly went back on their word, his group wouldn't even have a chance to resist. Therefore, he absolutely couldn't let them in. It seemed they might have to fight tonight.
While Nalan Ping hesitated, the bandit leader shouted, "Nalan Ping! Are you going to let us search or not? If you refuse, we'll have to take action! I'm determined to find the person tonight. If we can't find them, we'll annihilate your Nalan Merchant Group!"
After saying this, the bandit leader signaled subtly, and the bandits behind him began threatening loudly. "No more nonsense! Boss, let's attack!" "Kill them all and search slowly! As the boss said, dead or alive is fine!" "Yeah! Yeah! There are some women in the merchant group; it's been long since I touched a woman, I'm itching for it!" "Let's kill! Just leave the women!"
Hearing this, Nalan Ping's expression changed slightly. He knew that tonight's situation couldn't end peacefully, but he was reluctant to lead his people into a senseless battle.
Meanwhile, Li Yi had retreated to a dark corner, chuckling softly, "It seems the Nalan Merchant Group has run into unprovoked trouble this time. If I'm not mistaken, these people are not here for the merchant group, but for me." The Serpent Venerable's voice softly said, "You're right. Among those bandits are several extremely strong presences, similar to those hidden figures at the Naga auction. It seems they haven't forgotten that you got the Martial Deity's remnant jade... Kid, aren't you leaving? If Nalan Ping falters and lets them search, where will you run?"
Li Yi coldly smiled, "Finding me, Li Yi, is not that easy. Moreover... I'm ready to stir things up. Old Coot, just watch my methods." As he spoke, Nalan Ping had made up his mind. After a moment's deliberation, he solemnly said, "Gentlemen, how about I..."
Before he could finish, a low, mocking laughter arose from within the Nalan Merchant Group: "Just a bunch of rabble daring to target our Nalan Merchant Group? You've never faced death!" A strong gust of wind brushed past Nalan Ping, and a mysterious figure, swift as lightning, charged towards the bandits. The speed was so astonishing that even Nalan Ping, a Warrior, was impressed.
Yet, he was immediately angered. He hadn't decided on a course of action, and someone had already taken initiative. With someone already attacking, any further preparation was pointless. Biting his teeth, Nalan Ping waved his hand, issuing a command for a desperate fight.
The mysterious figure, moving like lightning, reached the bandits' frontline in an instant. With just a flash of silver light, the bandits, caught off guard by the sudden attack, hesitated momentarily. Before they could react, a scream rang out...
With a burst of blood, the head of a leading bandit was smashed into mincemeat, his neck spouting blood from a gaping wound, collapsing only moments later. Li Yi lightly stepped onto a horse's back, holding a silver long spear in his right hand, his face bearing a hint of mockery. The bandit he had just killed was a Fighter, but in Li Yi's eyes, Fighters were merely trash... The bandits were initially shocked, then someone shouted, "Kill him!" Several swords slashed towards Li Yi, who coldly chuckled. With a flick of his spear, he deftly parried, his black Qi flaring like boiling flames. With just a light touch, he sent the bandits' swords flying. Then, shaking his spear, he whipped up several spirals of Qi, raining down like snowflakes. The sound of clashing metal rang out as the bandits who had attacked were hurled backwards, already gasping for air, unlikely to survive.
However, these bandits were ferocious by nature. Despite seeing over a dozen of their own taken down by Li Yi, none of them retreated, continuously shouting, "Kill him! He's just one person! What's there to fear?" The bandit leader, however, merely observed Li Yi with a fleeting intrigue in his eyes, showing no intention to engage.
"You brought this upon yourselves; don't blame me!" Li Yi sighed lightly, standing motionless on the horseback but pointing his spear towards the group of bandits. As countless blades and waves of Qi came at him, Li Yi burst into laughter, his fighting spirit reignited. He raised his spear slightly, and frost appeared at its tip. Then, with a "boom," a burst of Qi exploded, clashing fiercely with the bandits' attacks.
"Return Wind Palm! Dissipate Force!" Tumultuous black Qi formed whirlpools as Li Yi unleashed them with his spear. In just a moment, the attacking Qi was detonated simultaneously, creating a shockwave that sent the surrounding bandits tumbling. In the blink of an eye, dozens of bandits around Li Yi were down, some dead, others writhing in agony.
The remaining bandits were stunned, having never encountered someone like Li Yi, who could fight off hundreds with just one spear. In Li Yi's current state, how could these bandits, who hadn't even formed Qi armors, stand a chance against him? The bandit leader's eyes gleamed as he watched Li Yi, then smiled lightly, "Impressive skills! But if that's all you've got, you'll meet your end tonight!" Drawing his sword, the leader's Qi ignited into a fiery red blaze...
Observing this, Li Yi's pupils contracted slightly before he chuckled, "Interesting!" The leader sneered, "You'll find it even more interesting when you're dead!" With a swift movement, he lunged at Li Yi, his sword engulfed in flames.
"Xuanwu Advanced Technique, Fire Split Slash!" A sea of boiling flames seemed to split in two, engulfing the bandit leader as he charged towards Li Yi. Li Yi's eyes narrowed, and he tossed his spear aside while channeling his Qi to his palms, forming a faint blue membrane. But this membrane was almost imperceptible unless closely examined.
"Then, let's see how my newly mastered fighting technique fares against you!" Li Yi exclaimed, "Qinglong Hand!" With a low shout, his hands moved like plucking flowers in a breeze, effortlessly passing through the fiery sea and landing firmly on the bandit leader's chest... The technique's boiling flames had no effect on him!
With a loud "bang," Li Yi's hands seemed to appear out of nowhere in the leader's vision. In an instant, his hands struck the chest. The leader felt an overwhelming force hit him, sharp Qi piercing through his Qi armor and entering his body. Coughing up blood, he was flung back like a falling stone, crashing into a tree, breaking it in half, and finally collapsing far away, his condition unknown.
Li Yi smiled lightly, as if speaking to himself, "Daring to be arrogant in front of me, and not even a Warrior..." The entire field was shocked!