Chapter 38 - Second World-20.

The narrow valley road lay strewn with stones and shadows as the clash began. Gu Yangjin and Qiao Zhi had stepped forward from behind the cart's cover, weapons in hand, ready to assist their guards—but already the four fifth-level guards were locked in a fierce struggle. Around them, more than twenty bandits—ranked at third and fourth cultivation levels—pressed the attack in rotating formations, trying to overwhelm the defenders by sheer numbers. The bandits wore ragged leathers, blades stained from past raids. Their faces were hardened, their eyes gleaming with greed and malicious intent.