[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou":3,"chapter-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-118":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ink Saint of Great Zhou",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2292081,4481,"Chapter 118: Roadblock","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-118",118,"\u003Cp>As Zhao Ya’s words ended, pirates surged from all sides of the caravan, raising weapons and surrounding them completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A small sandstorm landed on the dune, revealing a towering figure; merely standing there, the ferocious aura radiating from him made everyone sense he was no ordinary man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The newcomer was none other than the leader of these desert bandits, “Xiong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon seeing “Xiong,” Zhao Ya’s face darkened; though this was their first meeting, he had seen the man’s portrait before and recognized him at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Leader Xiong, what is this about? Let’s talk reasonably—I assure you, there’s no conflict of interest between us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the caravan leader, Zhao Ya stepped forward at this critical moment, spreading his hands in a gesture of goodwill, attempting to negotiate with Xiong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiong let out a light laugh, crossed his arms, and tilted his chin up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re Zhao Ya? I’ve heard you’re quite famous in these parts—any desert bandit who encounters your caravan never attacks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ya bowed slightly. “You flatter me. It’s all due to the respect of fellow travelers. I’ve long heard of Leader Xiong’s name, but heard you operate on a grand scale, so I feared approaching you might backfire.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now that we’ve met, let’s become friends.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Should you ever need anything in the future, just say the word—anything I can do, I won’t refuse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiong grinned, rubbing his thick beard. “You’re a true old hand—your words are polished indeed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then his tone turned cold. “But don’t try that crap on me today—I’m not just here to seize your goods; everyone here dies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, the surrounding bandits let out wild howls, their eyes fixed on the caravan members like they were already corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, the camel caravan’s people grew uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had Zhao Ya not warned them beforehand, and had they not been completely surrounded by bandits, they would have scattered immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang was certain of this. He assessed the situation and said, “The battle’s about to break out—Sister Si, it’ll be up to you then.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yiyi lay on a soft carpet, chewing on dried beast meat. Hearing this, he reached out, plucked a strip of meat as thick as a thumb, and vanished from sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Lu Fang’s ear, Zhou Yiyi’s voice echoed: “Leave it to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang smiled and stepped down from the carriage. From behind the curtain, he had already noticed that both the bandits and the caravan members had eyes fixed on this spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even behind the caravan, a scar-faced man and a bald giant had approached with hostile expressions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ahead, the caravan leader Zhao Ya was still desperately trying to persuade the bandit leader “Xiong,” while these caravan traitors could no longer contain themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In their eyes, since a major battle was inevitable anyway, there was no need to pretend anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, both men were Seventh Rank, Third Stage, while Lu Fang was merely a Seventh Rank, Third Stage Confucian scholar—no matter how you looked at it, the two of them together could easily eliminate Lu Fang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, the scar-faced man and the bald giant had already eyed Lu Fang as easy prey; now that an opportunity had finally come, why wait?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scar-faced man sneered as he strode forward; without warning, they lunged at Lu Fang—but halfway through their charge, they froze abruptly, as if two massive mountains had suddenly crashed onto them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were crushed to the ground, air thick as syrup, breath burning, bones in chest and body cracking like dry twigs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scar-faced man and the bald giant likely hadn’t even registered what happened before their pupils dimmed—this bizarre scene startled everyone who witnessed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A commotion erupted in the rear of the caravan, drawing the attention of Xiong and Zhao Ya. Once they understood what had occurred, Xiong’s eyes turned blood-red. He glared coldly at Zhao Ya. “Who among you is Fang Lu?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ya was baffled. “There is indeed such a person in the caravan. Why do you ask?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiong roared in fury. \"Bring me that Fang Lu—I will kill this murderer who took my brother's life with my own hands!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Done for!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Lu had killed the bandit leader’s younger brother!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ya’s last hope of negotiation vanished at this news; he was filled with regret. Had he known, he never would have allowed Fang Lu and the other three to join the caravan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These desert bandits had come looking for trouble to begin with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ya thought he could handle the situation—but now that they’d killed the man’s brother, he was certain Xiong would blame the entire caravan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, a thousand thoughts raced through his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around them, silence fell as Xiong’s roar echoed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You want to kill me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mocking voice rang out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All eyes turned toward the sound. A young man in Confucian robes, smiling calmly, walked steadily toward the front of the caravan, utterly unafraid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re Fang Lu?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If looks could kill, Xiong would have slain Lu Fang countless times already.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am.” Lu Fang stopped a short distance from Xiong, meeting the bandit leader’s gaze directly, expression calm, not a trace of fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiong snorted, appearing before Lu Fang in an instant, swinging his fist toward his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Xiong was massive, his speed was astonishing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To everyone’s eyes, in the blink of an eye, Xiong’s fist was about to crush Lu Fang’s skull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, everyone held their breath, imagining how, seconds later, Lu Fang’s head would burst like a watermelon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To everyone’s shock, Lu Fang stood motionless—while the attacking bandit leader “Xiong” collapsed to the ground as if struck by lightning, his body limp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang smiled faintly. “Too many have wanted my life. Yet here I am, still alive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the turn of events, the surrounding bandits, after a moment of panic, turned and fled in all directions. One who could kill Xiong without lifting a finger—these rabble were no match for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Lu Fang’s calm demeanor only fueled their wild imaginations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is Xiong dead?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ya was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang, expressionless, retrieved Xiong’s storage bag, flicked a finger, and ignited a flame that consumed the corpse. “The man is dead. The bandits have fled. Leader Zhao, continue onward.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Zhao Ya snap out of his shock, bowing deeply. “Thank you, Young Master Fang—had you not intervened, the entire caravan would have been wiped out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Lu Fang returned to his carriage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ya swallowed hard and asked Bennett beside him: “This Young Master Fang must be of great stature—his personal guard killed a bandit leader without anyone noticing. He’s surely a high-rank cultivator.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1106,"2026-06-20T03:56:21.568Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","7352333a8fc9d5562f09723e2a51f86e1ad5d53291d9b97753b10ed3312b6275","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-119","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-117",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]