The next morning, under the protection of dozens of Wei family knights, Wei Yi departed the family estate and set off for the True Martial Academy.
As his father had said, although half a month had passed, the number of people still keeping an eye on him had not decreased. Or rather, they were still watching the Crimson Crystal True Flame.
As soon as he left the family estate, several individuals immediately began to follow from a distance.
Fortunately, with the protection of the Wei family knights—each of whom was a finely trained warrior, at least at the level of a high-tier Martial Master or even a Grand Martial Master, and the leader of the knights was a top-tier expert in the Martial Spirit realm—there was little to fear. Though the followers behind seemed eager to act, they dared not take risks, simply trailing from afar.
"Uncle Hu, thank you for your trouble this time."
Wei Yi, riding on horseback, expressed his gratitude to the burly man beside him.
This man was none other than the captain of the knights—Lu Hu.
Though Lu Hu was not a direct member of the Wei family, he had married into it. With his Martial Spirit realm cultivation, he was regarded as one of the Wei family's most renowned experts.
"You're welcome, kid. No need to be so polite," Lu Hu grinned.
"I heard from the family head that you plan to join the Overlord Sect? You'd better work hard and not embarrass the Wei family."
"Is it true, Uncle Hu, that you were once a disciple of the Overlord Sect?" Wei Yi asked curiously.
"Yes, but that was more than a decade ago. At that time, I was just an ordinary disciple. I worked for years but never advanced to the core disciple status. Later, due to some circumstances, I left the Overlord Sect..."
Lu Hu's eyes flickered with a hint of nostalgia as he spoke.
The two continued chatting for a while.
Lu Hu briefly explained the internal workings of the Overlord Sect to Wei Yi.
Soon, the group left the city of Jinling.
At this point, Wei Yi's attention was drawn to a group of riders stationed at the city's outskirts.
It was another party of several dozen people, most of them burly and powerful men dressed in rugged attire. Their silence and the sharp gleam in their eyes indicated they were all elite warriors of considerable strength.
However, what surprised Wei Yi most was the young, radiant girl in the center of the group—none other than Zhu Ling'er, with whom he shared a close friendship from the same class at the academy.
"What are you doing here?" Wei Yi asked in surprise.
"Why can't I be here?" Zhu Ling'er tilted her head with a playful smile, clearly pleased by his astonishment.
"Uh, Uncle Hu, is there something you've been hiding from me?" Wei Yi turned to Lu Hu beside him.
"This is all the arrangement of the family head," Lu Hu shrugged and explained with a smile. "Miss Zhu also happens to be returning to the academy, so we decided to travel together for safety's sake."
Wei Yi then understood.
His father must have been concerned for his safety on the journey, which was why such an arrangement had been made. With the Zhu family's group accompanying them, the journey would indeed be much safer.
"What's this?" Zhu Ling'er asked, her eyes narrowing. "You don't want to travel with me?"
"Of course not," Wei Yi replied, urging his horse forward. "It's a rare honor to travel with someone as beautiful as you."
"Hmph, that's better." Zhu Ling'er wrinkled her delicate nose before breaking into a dazzling smile. "I've heard you caused quite a stir recently, and everyone in Jinling is talking about you. Care to share the details?"
"If you really want to hear it, we have time on the road, and I'll tell you all about it then."
"Alright, let's get going then."
The two groups quickly merged, and nearly a hundred riders galloped ahead together.
...
With both the Wei and Sun families each having a Martial Spirit realm expert at the helm, and supported by numerous Grand Martial Masters and high-tier Martial Masters, the guard force was undoubtedly formidable.
Along the way, there were no bandits or outlaws daring to block their path, and even those martial artists hoping to seize the strange fire gradually dispersed.
However, when the convoy reached a vast plain, the sound of pounding hooves suddenly rang out.
"Stop!"
Lu Hu, at the head of the group, spoke in a deep voice. "A large number of riders are approaching!"
"At least three to five hundred," the captain of the Zhu family's guard added, his expression now serious.
Before either of them could finish speaking, a long black line appeared at the edge of the plain.
Growing closer, the sound of hooves grew louder, revealing a large group of bandit cavalry charging toward them.
Seeing their distinctive attire and the black flag fluttering in the wind, Wei Yi's expression immediately darkened.
The Blackwater Bandits!
"Not these guys again."
"Truly, they're like a lingering ghost."
These several hundred cavalry were undoubtedly from the Blackwater Bandits.
Truth be told, there was no other group near Jinling with such a force. After all, several hundred fully equipped riders were a rare sight, even for many second-rate forces.
"This time, I've dragged you into this," Wei Yi turned and apologized to Zhu Ling'er.
"If it weren't for saving me back then, you wouldn't have offended them."
Zhu Ling'er, with her grace and intelligence, understood his words immediately. She blinked, then comforted him in return.
"A bunch of ragtag fools, what's there to be afraid of? You're overthinking it, Wei Gongzi."
The captain of the Zhu family's guard also spoke up, clearly unperturbed.
As he spoke, he waved his hand, and dozens of Zhu family warriors on horseback drew out sharp throwing spears, their tips glinting coldly in the noon sunlight—deadly weapons, ready for use.
They were clearly well-prepared.
Wei Yi and Lu Hu exchanged a glance and couldn't help but chuckle.
The Zhu family was ready, but how could the Wei family not be?
Wei Yi clapped his hands.
"Creak, creak..."
A series of crossbow sounds rang out.
Every Wei family guard swiftly revealed black, sleek crossbows.
Their cold, gleaming tips exuded an aura of lethality. The bolts, as sharp as the throwing spears, were aimed directly at the Blackwater Bandits' approaching cavalry.
Even the experienced captain of the Zhu family's guard couldn't help but inhale sharply. Several dozen military-grade crossbows were not something to take lightly. No wonder they were so confident!
By comparison, their preparations were far inferior.
With a deep glance at Wei Yi, the captain spoke in admiration. "So, Wei Gongzi was already prepared."
Wei Yi glanced at the calm Zhu Ling'er beside him, a silent praise rising in his heart, as he smiled.
"Even if I don't consider myself, I have to think of Miss Zhu."
"I don't mind taking risks, but I can't let Miss Zhu be dragged into danger as well."
Wei Yi's words, though clearly meant to sound noble, were, in truth, nothing but empty rhetoric. He had never expected Zhu Ling'er to accompany him, and both Lu Hu and the Zhu family captain couldn't help but roll their eyes at his attempt to charm the lady, especially in such a tense moment.
However, Zhu Ling'er was clearly pleased, her face flushing slightly as she cast a softer glance toward Wei Yi.
Just then, the Blackwater Bandits' cavalry charged forth.
The two sides exchanged a glance and gave simultaneous orders.
"Throw!"
"Shoot!"
The throwing spears and crossbows were released in unison.
The result was immediate: several dozen of the Blackwater Bandits' cavalrymen fell to the ground, their screams drowned by the splatter of blood.
A massacre swiftly began.
If it had been an ordinary group, they would never have been able to withstand the charge of several hundred Blackwater Bandits.
But the Wei and Zhu families' combined forces were different.
Led by two Martial Spirit realm experts, with nearly a hundred elite warriors at the high-tier Martial Master and Grand Martial Master levels, the quality of their fighters far surpassed the enemy, even though they were outnumbered.
"Kill!"
Wei Yi commanded, and all the Wei family warriors immediately surged forward.
The Zhu family warriors, leaving a few behind to protect Zhu Ling'er, also rushed into the fray.
Wei Yi spared no mercy, his Qinggang Sword sweeping through the Blackwater Bandits with deadly precision.
Though his cultivation had reached the tenth level of Martial Master, unable to break through without a breakthrough task, he still gained skill experience.
For instance, his "Thirteen Killing Swords" was still far from reaching level 20...