17. Either don’t do it at all, or do it thoroughly!

Though Chen He had some martial training, he had not yet become a full-fledged warrior, and his age was against him. His combat ability was limited. Under the furious onslaught of Wang Wu’s broadsword, he was already wounded in several places.

In the end, Wang Wu stomped him to the ground, leaving him unable to move. Chen He could only watch helplessly as Wang Wu’s blade descended toward his neck, and he hoarsely screamed for help with all his might.

At that moment, Wang Wu, having just witnessed his elder brother’s death, was stunned, filled with terror.

How could this be?

Big Brother Li Wei was a warrior nearly at the Bronze Skin stage, yet he was killed by an old hunter?

In Wang Wu’s eyes, Xie An was no longer just a hunter; he was a terrifying killing demon.

Just then, Xie An drew his bow to its fullest, nocked an arrow, and aimed fiercely at Wang Wu’s head.

“Let him go,” he growled fiercely.

Feeling the cold steel of the arrowhead aimed at his back, Wang Wu’s spine chilled, but he knew he absolutely could not release Chen He. Without this hostage, he would be a sitting duck. He did not move the broad blade pressed against Chen He’s neck; instead, he tried to pull Chen He in front of him to shield himself from the arrow.

“Don’t move, or I’ll blow your head off!” Xie An threatened harshly.

In truth, Xie An did have a clear shot to kill Wang Wu, but he lacked confidence in his archery skills and feared hitting the wrong target. So he resorted to bluffing.

Wang Wu, unaware of Xie An’s poor shooting, dared not take the risk and held firm, shouting through the pressure, “Let’s see whether your arrow is faster or my blade. If you kill me, your friend won’t live either.”

A tense standoff ensued.

The autumn wind swept through the forest, birds cried out sharply. Moonlight spilled down from the sky. Though it was late autumn and temperatures had dropped below zero, both sides were drenched in sweat, their nerves stretched taut.

Of the two, Wang Wu was the most nervous—any slip could cost him his life. Xie An, on the other hand, was relatively calm; after all, he was not the one at risk of dying.

Chen He had a good relationship with Xie An, and had even offered him ten taels of silver to help earlier, showing he was someone worth befriending.

But if it came down to choosing between the two, Xie An would undoubtedly prioritize himself.

Still, if there was a chance to save Chen He, Xie An would try his best.

Simply because Xie An believed in acting with conscience.

After about fifteen minutes, Xie An, holding the bow fully drawn, began to feel fatigued. He knew continuing this stalemate was futile.

“Wang Wu, right? Actually, we just want to survive. There’s no need for us to kill each other. How about this: we both put down our weapons at the same time, and you use the chance to escape. How does that sound?”

Wang Wu flatly refused, “Okay, but you have to throw your bow far away. Otherwise, I won’t have run far before you pick it up and shoot me in the back.”

Xie An glanced at the critically injured Chen He and finally decided to give it a try. “Fine.”

Wang Wu considered the proposal, finding it reasonable but still uneasy. “You must throw your bow and arrows far enough.”

“I’ll throw them ten yards away,” Xie An said. “That distance means even if I change my mind and run back to get the bow, you’ll have enough time to slip into the forest and escape. If I throw too far, you might take Chen He as a hostage and leave together.”

Wang Wu thought it over.

For him, taking Chen He hostage and leaving was the safest plan, as it would restrain Xie An from acting rashly.

But the old man’s careful thinking cut off that possibility.

He also realized that if Xie An truly threw the bow ten yards away, even if Xie An ran back to retrieve it, it would take at least five or six breaths. That was plenty of time for Wang Wu to slip into the forest and disappear.

Moreover, if Xie An really discarded his bow, Wang Wu would feel more confident. He could kill Chen He quickly and then flee.

Xie An had considered this risk but had no choice—the side trying to save others was always the one at a disadvantage. This risk had to be borne.

Also, if Xie An were strong enough, he could have controlled Li Wei earlier and used him as a bargaining chip. But clearly, Li Wei was powerful, and killing him was already a feat. Controlling him would be too difficult and risky.

After weighing everything, Wang Wu finally agreed, “Alright.”

Xie An said, “I’ll count to three. When I say three, I’ll throw my bow and you throw your sword. If you cheat or harm my friend, I won’t let you live!”

“Don’t worry, I just want to live.”

Xie An began counting.

“One.”

“Two.”

“Three.”

At the count, Xie An threw his bow ten yards to the left, and Wang Wu threw his sword three yards away. Without looking back, Wang Wu plunged into the forest.

He ran wildly, screaming in panic.

After running two or three miles and finding no one around, Wang Wu finally stopped to catch his breath.

“This old hunter is tough. Luckily, I survived. But the other old man revealed my identity—Wuqiao Town, Chen’s Martial Arts School... Hmph, wait till my Whale Gang comes knocking. Li Wei was the gang leader’s mistress’s illegitimate son. You won’t get away…”

Suddenly, a chill ran down Wang Wu’s spine.

Whoosh.

A sharp arrow whistled through the air, fired from the thorns ahead.

Wang Wu tried to dodge but it was too late—the arrow pierced through his heart.

“Huff... huff...”

Wang Wu, staring at the arrow through his chest, struggled to lift his head and saw Xie An emerging from the thicket.

“How... how did you catch up...”

“Forgot to tell you, I’m more than twice as fast as you…”

Wang Wu’s eyes widened in disbelief, full of resentment.

This old man still had tricks up his sleeve...

Xie An stopped about six meters from Wang Wu but didn’t approach.

Though gravely wounded, Wang Wu still had the will to struggle. Xie An did not want to take any chances, slowly drawing his heavy bow and nocking an arrow to aim.

Wang Wu begged desperately, “Sir, please have mercy. I have money, I’ll give you everything...”

“Either you don’t do something, or if you do, you must do it thoroughly!”

Xie An’s expression was cold and unreadable as he suddenly released the bowstring.

Buzz!

The arrow shot out with a roar, smashing into Wang Wu’s skull.

His brains splattered—death could not have been more certain.

Whew!

Xie An finally exhaled.

Having killed twice now, he had grown accustomed to the pace and felt no emotional turmoil.

He slung his heavy bow again, then approached Wang Wu’s body to search.

Ten taels of silver.

He found a mountain ravine, tossed Wang Wu’s corpse into it, and then turned to leave.

Meanwhile, Chen He, having narrowly escaped death, sat by the roadside in a daze for a long while before regaining his composure.

Following Xie An’s earlier instructions, he dragged the bodies of Li Wei and A San into the nearby woods, dug a large pit with an iron tool, and buried them properly.

After completing all this, Chen He was utterly exhausted, sitting on the ground gasping for breath.

In his hand was the thirty taels of silver he had taken from the two corpses. Just thinking about it sent chills down his spine.

His mind kept replaying the scene of Xie An’s killings.

Calculating and ruthless, every move executed swiftly and with purpose… truly like an old hunter!

“Old Xie’s changed so much recently. If not for him, I’d be dead already.”

Lost in thought, Chen He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Xie An stepping out of the forest with his heavy bow slung over his shoulder, still looking like a harmless old man.

But Chen He knew this old man was no longer the same as before.

Fortunately, Chen He’s own martial training prevented him from being unnerved by Xie An and he quickly asked, “Did you catch Wang Wu?”

Xie An nodded, “Yeah, he’s dead.”

Whew!

Chen He finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness your speed was fast enough, Old Xie. If not, letting the tiger go would’ve spelled disaster, especially since they know my home. The Chen family would have suffered. Brother Xie, you saved not only my life but the entire Chen family. I have no way to repay you.”

Chen He moved to kneel and thank him, but Xie An quickly helped him up.

“Old Chen, don’t do that. You revealed your identity to help me earlier—we’re even. But this matter shouldn’t be made public.”

“I understand. Let’s head back to town.”

The two hurriedly loaded their cart and set off toward Wuqiao Town.

Along the way, Chen He gave Xie An the thirty taels of silver he had taken from the corpses. Xie An politely refused several times but had to accept in the end.

Snatching a bargain for two hundred and fifty, killing the bandit for forty more—totaling a hefty sum of two hundred and ninety taels...

The next step was to prepare for whatever dangers lay ahead.

This venture was far from a loss!

———

P.S.: A new book from the seasoned author. Please read with confidence. I will write well, but writing is not easy, and early readership is crucial to the book’s success. I kindly ask readers not to hoard the book.