Su Hao eagerly opened his inventory.
[Antique Monocular Telescope]: From a distant island world, this telescope boasts ultra-high clarity. It's an essential tool for home, travel, and observation.
[Phantom Yin Finger]: A martial arts technique from the Wuxia world, the signature skill of Cheng Kun from the Primordial Thunderbolt Hand. school. It's an extremely vicious finger technique. Once mastered, it can convert any internal energy into cold energy through the Phantom Yin Finger. When struck into an opponent's body, it causes a yin poison affliction that can only be countered by pure yang techniques.
[80 skill points are required to learn the Phantom Yin Finger.]
"80 skill points? I'll have to put that on hold for now," Su Hao thought, reading the description of the Phantom Yin Finger. He wasn't in a rush, considering he still hadn't cultivated the family's Brahma Raging Flame technique.
It wasn't that Su Hao wasn't tempted, but he currently lacked sufficient skill points. He planned to accumulate more after reaching Qingyuan County and quickly advance to the Earth Realm.
"All in all, this double draw wasn't bad!" Su Hao's earlier nervousness had disappeared. He then noticed the system's shop interface and decided to open it.
The shop still only offered the small restoration pill for exchange. Despite researching for several days, he hadn't been able to develop anything new. So he had basically given up on it for now.
He'd wait for the system to prompt him.
Qingyuan County was the most remote county under Fu City. A normal carriage ride would take most of a day.
Along the way, Su Hao didn't encounter any dangers. He even stopped at a small inn for a meal.
"Maybe they won't make a move after all," Su Hao thought as he got back into the carriage after his meal.
He was a bit puzzled, as they were only about 20 kilometers away from Qingyuan County, though they still had to pass through a small valley.
"Young Master, if anyone's going to make a move, it'll likely be at Qingfeng Cliff ahead," Su Yuan, who was driving the carriage, said.
"Up ahead?" Su Hao lifted the carriage curtain and took out the monocular telescope from his inventory, intending to scout the situation in the valley.
At that moment, near a rock in the valley, Pan Ta and Lu Yi from the Blood Demon Cult were waiting for Su Hao's carriage.
"This kid is so slow. Why hasn't he arrived yet?" Pan Ta grumbled in his gruff voice.
"Look at that small hill. There are some bandits who've been waiting there for quite a while," Lu Yi pointed out a group of bandits on the opposite hillside.
"Bandits? Aren't they always like that? Waiting for prey to rob," Pan Ta remarked disinterestedly after a glance.
"I've been observing them for a while. Several merchant caravans have passed through, but they didn't make a move. It seems they have the same target as us – the Su family's third young master. Looks like this young master has offended quite a few people," Lu Yi said softly.
"You mean they're going to compete with us for the kill? I'll go take care of them now!" Pan Ta said urgently, ready to eliminate the bandits on the opposite hill.
"That's unnecessary. Perhaps we can let them make the first move to test this young master's capabilities. Moreover, those bandits are likely from the Qingyu Stronghold. We don't know which of their leaders is present, so charging in might not be advantageous. Don't be rash," Lu Yi restrained the eager Pan Ta.
"I'll follow your lead," Pan Ta relented, taking another look at the bandits. Due to the distance, he couldn't make out how many there were, so he gave up on the idea of eliminating them first.
Outside the valley, Su Hao raised the high-clarity telescope to scout the area.
"Damn, there really are people targeting me, and two groups at that!" he exclaimed.
What he saw through the telescope surprised him. The situation both in and above the valley was clearly visible. If Su Hao could read lips, he might even have understood what they were saying.
"Young Master, what's wrong?" Su Yuan, driving the carriage, asked when he saw Su Hao cursing after looking through some strange object.
"Take a look," Su Hao said, placing the monocular telescope over one of Su Yuan's eyes.
"Close your other eye," he instructed. Su Yuan didn't know what this thing was but followed Su Hao's instructions. Suddenly, he could see clearly into the valley.
As Su Hao moved the telescope, Su Yuan got a clear view of the situation in the valley.
"Young Master, I recognize that group of bandits. They're from the Qingyu Stronghold. The one in the middle is their second-in-command, Xiao Hu. I don't know the other two," Su Yuan reported gravely when Su Hao took back the telescope.
"Young Master, perhaps you should get out of the carriage. Su Neng and I can drive ahead to scout," Su Yuan suggested solemnly.
"It's fine. My father should be nearby. If they dare to make a move, he'll take care of them all," Su Hao said nonchalantly.
He knew his father had been following them, and besides, his own strength wasn't weak. Perhaps he could even take action himself.
"Let's go," Su Hao ordered, and the carriage continued forward.
On the hilltop above the valley, a group of bandits stood at the ready.
Behind the bandits, a large man with a cleaver on his shoulder sat on horseback.
This was Xiao Hu, the second-in-command of the Qingyu Stronghold, at the fifth level of the Earth Realm.
"Second Boss, this pampered third young master of the Su family is only at the third level of the Human Realm. There's no need for you to personally take action. We underlings can handle it," a weasel-faced bandit beside him said dismissively.
In his eyes, Su Hao wasn't worth mentioning. After all, the third level of the Human Realm was considered bottom-tier among their bandits.
"The Su family is a major clan in Fu City. Even if Su Hao is a wastrel, he'll have some guards. We can't underestimate him. Moreover, this is a secret order from Young Master Qin Hao. We can't be careless. We must kill this kid," Xiao Hu said seriously.
"Second Boss, Su Hao's carriage is about to enter the valley!" a scout suddenly ran over, reporting urgently.
"They're here?" Xiao Hu's eyes flashed as he rode his horse to the front of the bandit group, looking towards the valley entrance.
He saw two carriages but couldn't spot Su Hao.
"Which carriage is Su Hao in?" Xiao Hu asked gravely.
"In the first carriage, Second Boss. Should we charge down now?" the scout quickly replied.
"Give me your bow and arrow. You take my cleaver," Xiao Hu said, handing his weapon to a bandit and addressing another carrying a bow.
The nearby bandit immediately handed over his longbow and an arrow to Xiao Hu.
Xiao Hu drew the bow to its full extent.
Whoosh!
He released the arrow, aiming directly at Su Hao's carriage.
Inside the carriage, Su Hao was on high alert. Though he trusted his father, he was still a bit nervous, being somewhat inexperienced.
Suddenly, the sound of an arrow cutting through the air came from the hilltop.
Whoosh!
Su Yuan, on the second carriage, instantly leaped into the air upon hearing the arrow. He drew his sword in a flash, striking at the incoming arrow.
Crack!
The speeding arrow was cleaved in two by his sword, falling to the ground. However, the force of the arrow sent Su Yuan retreating in front of Su Hao's carriage.