Chapter 28: All Set

With less than an hour left before the surprise attack on Black Wind Fort, Xuanfeng Xiao Li’s timely arrival relieved Kai Xin. Standing by the riverbank, he bowed in greeting.
In the jianghu, three years had taught Kai Xin this habit—unconsciously adopting the demeanor of a true jianghu warrior. This made Ximen Qing and the others who arrived feel excited. They quickly returned the greeting with respect, slightly overwhelmed by such kindness:
“Greetings, Eldest Senior Brother!”
“Eldest Senior Brother!”
“Kai Xin, big brother!” Various titles were used, but Kai Xin wasn’t bothered. Smiling, he bowed back one by one.
Xuanfeng Xiao Li had initially worried that so many people might offend the Eldest Senior Brother, but seeing the situation, he felt relieved. With pride, he introduced them to Kai Xin:
“Eldest Senior Brother, these are friends I met in the game. They all want to see your prowess. This is Ximen Qing—not that Ximen Qing from the stories. Qing, as in green…”
“…Ahem.” Ximen Qing blushed slightly and bowed again, “I’ve long heard of the elegance of Eldest Senior Brother Murong, the Gentleman in Blue Sword. Seeing you today, I confirm it’s well-deserved!”
“Too kind, too kind.”
Kai Xin nodded with a smile.
“Cang Lang and Qiankun Zi—those two are classmates, still in college…” Xuanfeng Xiao Li pointed to a young man with a few freckles on his face and another who was a head taller, standing beside him.
“Eldest Senior Brother.”
“Hello.”
The other two looked alike—they were twins. The older one was named Xuan Kun, and the younger, Xuan Zhong. Their names and appearances had a rugged vibe, and their voices were unusually loud: “Greetings, Eldest Senior Brother!” they said in unison.
Kai Xin smiled and waved his hand. “Come ashore, come ashore.”
Cang Lang stayed behind when boarding the boat. He quietly bumped into Xuanfeng Xiao Li’s arm and whispered, “Brother Xiao Li, your Eldest Senior Brother is so warm-hearted! I thought the Gentleman in Blue Sword would be as aloof as Murong Fu. Turns out he’s so approachable…”
“Of course!”
Xuanfeng Xiao Li raised his chin proudly. Suddenly remembering the important task assigned by his Eldest Senior Brother, he quickly went ashore and gathered the willow leaf daggers.
“Eldest Senior Brother, here are the daggers you wanted.”
Kai Xin took them without hesitation but didn’t pay. He put the five sets of daggers into his Qiankun Bag, leaving the six of them stunned.
Their belongings were always kept in bundles, which couldn’t be reshaped and felt heavy to carry. How could Kai Xin make five sets of daggers disappear so quickly?

“Elder Brother, what’s this treasure?” Windy Li, true to form, was the first to show curiosity, pointing in astonishment at the unassuming small bag hanging around Happy’s waist.
“A Qiankun Bag.”
Happy explained it to them with a smile, leaving the six of them green with envy.
Windy Li’s eyes lit up: “By the way, Elder Brother, are you working on the Black Wind Fort mission? I heard from Ximen Qing that it’s quite tricky. Do you need our help?”
“Oh?”
Happy glanced at Ximen Qing in surprise and quickly asked, “I wonder which stage Brother Ximen has reached?” He had already noticed Ximen Qing before—his appearance was somewhat similar to his own, and his swordsmanship and demeanor were impressive, suggesting strong skills. He just didn’t expect Ximen Qing to have also encountered this mission.
It would be great to have someone with experience, so he wouldn’t have to waste time explaining the dangers of Black Wind Fort and the situation in Suhe Village.
But he didn’t realize that his question would put Ximen Qing in an awkward position…
Ximen Qing smiled awkwardly: “Please forgive me, Elder Brother. I actually triggered it by accident. I died once outside Black Wind Fort and failed to complete the mission. Um, what’s the next stage? Isn’t it about rescuing the embroiderer?”
Happy immediately understood.
No wonder. The third leader of Black Wind Fort was extremely powerful—at least for newcomers like them. Even someone as experienced as him had to rack his brains; it was even harder for others.
He then explained his own mission situation to them and expressed his hope for their help.
“Wow… You single-handedly killed the third leader!”
Windy Li was shocked, his eyes clearly showing the word “amazing.”
Happy felt embarrassed and quickly stopped smiling, then shared his plan: “But things have become even more complicated and dangerous. To prevent something from happening to Suhe Village, I plan to ambush the people from Black Wind Fort halfway down the mountain before they leave! But it’s extremely risky! Brother Ximen can fight them head-on, while I hope the rest of you can hold off their attacks for me…”
“No problem!”
“At worst, we die once!” “Since Elder Brother has spoken, we brothers will definitely help!” Windy Li’s friends seemed unexpectedly generous and bold, all agreeing without hesitation, showing no concern for life or death.
Whether they knew or not that the loss of newcomers was minimal, the fact that they agreed without hesitation after hearing the dangers only made Happy even more moved.

“Say nothing. For this mission, whether it succeeds or not, I’ll host a feast at Yumen Tower—everyone must drink until they’re drunk!”
“Yumen Tower? That place where drinks are insanely expensive and there are beautiful servers to keep you company?” Xuanfeng Xiao Li’s eyes suddenly lit up with a glint only men could understand.
Wait…
It’s indeed expensive… but what about those beautiful servers?
Kai Xin was momentarily stunned.
By this time, the others had already started responding:
“Great!” “Elder Brother!” “Tell us what to do—just give orders.” Except for Ximen Qing, everyone else looked extremely excited, whether it was because of Kai Xin or Yumen Tower.
Whatever.
Seeing everyone so enthusiastic, Kai Xin didn’t want to dampen their spirits, so he led them to Suhe Village.
“This is Suhe Village.”
“Heifeng Fort is in the mountains over there. There are only two routes from there to here. I guess the troops from Heifeng Fort have already come this way, but I still don’t know their exact route. So, I need you to help me figure it out.”
“That’s easy. Leave it to me.”
Xuanfeng Xiao Li patted his chest and said, “I might not be as skilled in martial arts as you guys, but my agility is top-notch. Spying on situations like this is a piece of cake for me.”
“Good!”
Kai Xin nodded and instructed, “Go to a hidden spot on the northern mountainside. If anything happens along the way, send a messenger pigeon right away! We’ll arrive quickly! If they come from the south…” He turned to the tall young man, “Canglang! You send a messenger pigeon for me…”
Canglang nodded without hesitation.
Just then! Ximen Qing suddenly blurted out, “What if Heifeng Fort sends troops in two groups?”
“That’s even better.”
Kai Xin replied calmly, as if he’d anticipated this:
“I’d prefer them to split up! After all, there’s only one second chief, who can only be in one group. Keep an eye out for anyone standing out in the group. If there are no particularly strong fighters, distract them and buy me as much time as possible—the longer, the better.”
“Understood.”
Xuanfeng Xiao Li and Canglang nodded, excited yet nervous.
Who would have thought that just half an hour ago, they were waiting in an inn with a bunch of players for some lowly scoundrels who hadn’t even arrived, and now it was their turn to face a group of fierce Heifeng Fort bandits… How thrilling!