Chapter 78

The darkness after the bonfire was completely extinguished, thick as ink.

Inside the large house of the deserted village, deathly silence.

Only the wind outside the window wailed, rendering this silence especially oppressive.

Everyone's breathing unconsciously softened, ears perked, catching any slightest abnormal sound outside.

Chen Wen leaned against a thick beam.

His right hand lightly rested on the hilt of the saber at his waist; the icy touch made his mind focus even more.

He could clearly hear Zhao Dayan's slightly heavy breathing beside him.

He could also feel the opposing group of blue-gray clad warriors emanating a killing intent as taut as a bowstring.

That 'brother' was guarded in the center, his expression indiscernible.

Yet his calm aura invisibly steadied the situation.

Time trickled by, the rustling outside the village came and went.

It seemed like they were probing, or adjusting their deployment.

This waiting tortured the nerves more than direct combat.

Suddenly.

Whoosh—bang!

A whistling arrow shot into the night sky with a piercing shriek, breaking the deathly silence!

Kill!

From the village entrance, a frenzied shout suddenly erupted!

Dozens of black shadows leapt out from behind the ruined walls like ghosts, brandishing various weapons as they lunged at the main house.

Although the firelight had gone out, the faint moonlight still revealed their ferocious faces and the cold gleam of their weapons.

Hold steady! Shoot when they're close!

The 'brother's' voice sounded calm, carrying an undeniable authority.

His men were obviously well-trained; facing the swarming bandits, they did not panic.

The few men occupying the windows and door cracks instantly unleashed their strong bows and crossbows!

Pfft!

Ah!

The arrows tore through the air, piercing precisely into the chests of the bandits at the front.

Tragic cries rang out instantly, and the charge's momentum stalled.

But the bandits were numerous; those behind continued to howl as they surged forward.

Boom!

With a tremendous crash, the crude wooden door was violently split open by a burly bandit wielding a great axe!

Wood chips flying, that bandit snarled as he prepared to charge inside.

Block the doorway!

A guard captain beside Rongxiong barked lowly.

Immediately two sword-wielding men stepped forward, blades flashing.

They clashed with the axe-wielding bandit, the metal-on-metal ringing piercingly.

More bandits poured in through the broken door and windows, the hall instantly descending into melee.

The bandits were clearly blood‑soaked desperadoes, their fighting style brutal.

They disregarded their own casualties, only wanting to quickly dispose of those inside the house.

Chen Wen saw the moment had arrived and barked low:

Move! Guard the flanks!

Before his words finished, Zhao Dayan and the five elite warriors had already lunged out like leopards.

They did not choose to clash head‑on with the bandits by strength, but formed groups of three.

Forming a small Three Talents Formation, they moved swiftly as wind, their coordination seamless.

Wherever their blades flashed, it was always a gap in the bandits' defense or a moment when their move had grown stale, their efficiency astonishingly high.

Chen Wen himself did not rush to act; his eyes blazed as he scanned the entire battlefield.

He noticed that, although our five were brave,

but facing enemies several times their number, who were fearless of death,

over time, exhaustion or lapses were inevitable.

With a thought, the pale golden System Interface quietly appeared in his sea of consciousness.

The 【Ability Granting】 option flickered faintly.

Chen Wen focused his intent and selected 【Small-scale Refined Ability Granting】.

He locked onto Zhao Dayan and the five, the effect focusing on 'nerve reaction speed' and 'attack precision', with a multiplier set to an imperceptible 2×.

An invisible ripple spread from Chen Wen, quietly enveloping the five elite warriors.

This granting was not a direct infusion of power, but rather a near‑'enlightenment'.

It instantly boosted the speed at which their brains processed information and the fine control of their muscles.

Zhao Dayan, who was tangled with a spear‑wielding bandit, suddenly felt the opponent's movements seem to slow a fraction.

The trajectory of the incoming spear became unusually clear in his eyes.

He almost instinctively sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the spear tip.

At the same time, his saber swept upward along the spear shaft, its speed increased by a notch!

Skree! a sound.

The bandit's spear-wielding fingers were sliced off at the base, and the spear flew from his grasp.

Before he could cry out, Zhao Dayan's blade had already slit his throat.

On the other side, a sharp warrior was being attacked by two bandits, struggling to cope.

At the moment the Ability Granting took effect!

He seemed to have eyes in the back of his head; a low dodge roll not only avoided the slash from behind,

and he followed up with a slash that cut the ankle of the bandit on the side!

That bandit screamed as he fell, and his attack collapsed instantly.

The five sharp warriors seemed to have been infused with new vigor.

Their already superb martial skills were now displayed to full effect.

Their dodges became more agile, and their strikes more cunning and vicious.

They often defused danger at the last possible moment and dealt the enemy a fatal blow.

Although they were vastly outnumbered, the formation they formed was like a hard reef.

Amid the bandits' frenzy they stood unmoving, instead continually sending up sprays of blood like waves.

This sudden change naturally fell into the eyes of the sir who was fiercely fighting the enemies and his followers.

They had thought this group of merchants merely had some guts, never expecting that when they fought they would be so brave and elite!

Especially the five-man team's ultra-efficient killing and near-prescient coordination left everyone astonished.

This is something no ordinary merchant convoy guard could possess.

It's more like... veteran elite soldiers who have survived a hundred battles!

Sir deflected a bandit's attack with a swing of his blade.

His gaze involuntarily shifted again to Chen Wen, who sat steadily in the corner, seemingly not directly participating in the fight but merely observing the battle calmly.

His heart shook even more:

His subordinates already have such fierce warriors; what kind of ability must he himself possess?

Just what is his background?

With the strong support of Chen Wen's five-man team, especially their strange and highly efficient fighting style,

The situation in the hall began to turn around.

Although the bandits were numerous, they were now being attacked from both inside and outside.

Especially when facing a team that was like a killing machine.

Casualties were heavy, and morale plummeted quickly.

"Retreat! Pull back!"

Some bandit shouted, and the remaining bandits, seeing no advantage to be gained, fell dead and wounded in heaps.

They instantly lost the will to fight and let out a cry.

They scrambled to flee outdoors, not even bothering with their comrades' corpses.

The battle came quickly and ended just as fast.

In the blink of an eye, the hall was left with nothing but a mess on the floor, mottled bloodstains, and the lingering scent of blood that had not yet dissipated.

The firelight was lit again, illuminating faces still panting, smeared with sweat and blood.

The two groups looked at each other, although they still kept their distance.

But after fighting side by side just now, that sense of unfamiliarity and wariness had clearly faded considerably.

A sense of relief at having survived, along with a renewed appraisal of each other's strength, spread through their silent exchange of glances.

Sir sheathed his blade, walked up to Chen Wen, and solemnly clasped his fists in salute:

"Brother, thanks for the help!"

"If it weren't for you and your brothers, tonight would hardly have ended well."

This time, his tone was no longer mere politeness.

but carried genuine gratitude and unreserved appreciation.

Chen Wen rose to return the salute, calmly saying:

"Sir, you're too courteous; sharing the same boat, we help each other as it's our duty."

His gaze swept over the bandits' corpses on the ground, his brows slightly furrowed.

"I just don't know whether these people are ordinary bandits who waylay travelers, or……"

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.

These bandits appeared suspiciously, and their actions were quite orderly; they were not a rabble.

Sir followed his gaze, and his expression also grew solemn:

"This matter is probably not that simple."

"Let's clean up first, then discuss further."

The night in the desolate village was destined not to be calm.

And after this battle,

Chen Wen's relationship with this mysterious sir had already quietly grown closer.