The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 122 This is actually a poet! (Please subscribe!)
After the blade broke, the third loach quickly took two steps back, drew a spare short sword from its waist, and looked warily at Tang Qi, who had suddenly attacked:

“Friend, we misjudged you this time. If you had stepped in earlier, we wouldn’t have let [Meat Worm] make things difficult for that boss lady.”

After a brief hesitation, they came to their senses.

He realized that Tang Qi was standing up for Catherine.

He feigned a closer approach and swiftly ended the lives of his two companions—a feat no ordinary adventurer could accomplish.

This caused their numerical advantage to vanish in an instant.

There's no need to confront this kind of person directly.

Once they're safely back in their gang, they'll naturally find a way to get their revenge:

"How about this, you can have the [Flesh Worm] to vent your anger? We've actually been wanting to get rid of this bastard for a long time—"

When we get back, we'll tell them that the three of them died in the underground city.

Nobody cares about their lives, and it saves you the trouble the gang might cause you.

Tang Qi never expected that even at this point, the 'loaches' would still be thinking of quelling the situation through threats:

Is there any way to leave the three of you here without them causing me any trouble?

"Damn it, it was only because we were distracted that you had the chance to launch a sneak attack!"

Seeing that negotiations failed, the mudskipper could only pull out two short blades and stab them fiercely at Tang Qi's waist and abdomen.

"【Silver Light Sharp Words】!"

The short, sharp syllable suddenly rang out, and he immediately felt a blinding flash of silver light before his eyes, obscuring his pupils and causing him to lose his senses for a moment, unable to discern direction:

"not good!"

The moment he cried out in alarm, two short blades were already thrusting towards Tang Qi's waist, but they missed.

The halo of light transformed into a stream of water, attaching itself to Tang Qi's scimitar. As it thrust forward, a straight silver line trailed past his ear.

"He failed too!?"

The two were so close that 'Loach' was overjoyed.

So he steadied himself, flipped the blade, gripped the short blade in reverse, and aimed it directly at Tang Qi's lower back, ready to thrust back with all his might.

The pain in the back of his neck struck first, forcing both of his short blades to freeze in place, allowing Tang Qi to stagger backward.

【Combat Skill - Serpent Fang】.

This skill, passed down from the Black Serpent, was one of the rewards I received long ago after leaving Star Plum Town.

Unlike the usual reverse hook, this technique makes his movements more decisive and swift, taking no more than a breath from thrust to reverse hook.

It even gave him enough space to hook the back of the opponent's neck, tear off a piece of neck flesh, and then simultaneously choose to retreat or deliver a glancing blow—

Considering that these 'loaches' couldn't possibly fight him one-on-one, Tang Qi immediately took a step back and widened his distance.

Sure enough, after the previous 'loach' fell, [Alertness] still stimulated every pore of Tang Qi's body.

This caused the other longsword that was slashing towards him, along with the arrow that arrived almost simultaneously, to gradually slow down in front of him.

"It's clear."

Sensing danger, he turned his body to the safest direction. The swung blade seemed to realize it was about to miss and still tried to slash at Tang Qi's waist, but it was easily blocked by the curved blade.

With a clang, Tang Qi dragged the blade along the sword's edge, leaving a blinding trail of sparks until it reached the opponent's hilt. With a slight flick of his wrist, the tip of the blade turned, instantly severing the opponent's tendon.

"what!!!"

Amidst the intense pain, the fourth loach dropped its weapon, clenched its wrist, and began to wail.

Dragging and cutting, reverse cutting.

This is all thanks to the muscle memory provided by the [Skilled Scimitar], which allows him to complete the movements subconsciously and intuitively without having to think about the next step, as if he had practiced it countless times.

Unlike two months ago, when he still needed to rely on sneak attacks when fighting against jackals.

Tang Qi understood that even with his martial arts skills alone, he could now hold his own against these skilled adventurers.

But now is not the time to feel how much progress you've made.

The sound of alertness made him instinctively point to the 'loach' in the distance, its longbow drawn and arrow nocked.

"boom!"

The longbow trembled as the arrow was released from the bowstring, its fletching seemingly piercing the air between the two men, carrying a strong gust of wind, aimed directly at Tang Qi's brow!
"【Silver Light Sharp Words】!"

The short syllables rang out again, and the silver light seemed to intercept the arrow's direction, forcing it to deviate from its trajectory before piercing past his ear.

"How the hell is this possible?!"

Everyone could clearly see that the arrow was only a few inches away from Tang Qi, and its speed showed no signs of slowing down.

How could it possibly veer off course like that?!

"It's magic? He's a spellcaster!?"

"I only had a sip of wine in the time it takes to drink, and he killed three people and crippled one. Now you're telling me he's a spellcaster?!"

At least in the adventurers' stereotypes, spellcasters are mostly the dignified mages in the upper city's Starlight Mage Academy, wearing robes, holding wands, and always chanting spells for several seconds.

The fact that spellcasters were already superior enough, and that they were easily defeated if caught in close combat, was the only excuse these adventurers could use to comfort themselves.

But now, many people realize that this excuse will no longer exist.

Regardless of the circumstances, Tang Qi couldn't afford to waste time explaining all of this.

He looked at the terrified 'loach' who had dropped his longbow and was desperately trying to escape the tavern, and sang aloud:
"With this weapon in hand, I will pursue Sheng Sheng relentlessly!"

A scimitar that slips from the hand is far more accurate than an arrow that misses its mark. Fueled by his own poetic inspiration, the 'Snake Kiss', like a black javelin, pierced the tavern's bright firelight and vanished into the desolate night, instantly piercing the chest of the last 'loach'.

The blow failed to take his life, but it firmly pinned him to the ground outside the tavern.

Tang Qi walked out of the tavern, drew his scimitar, and cleanly slit his throat.

After he fell silent again, he took the blood-stained 'snake's kiss' and walked up to the man whose tendons had been severed.

His creaking footsteps on the wooden planks were like a death knell, extinguishing even the slightest trace of arrogance from the 'loach':

"I was wrong, I was wrong—spare my life, and I'll give you all the profits from this dungeon!"

The sharp blade sliced ​​down onto his neck:

"Isn't it mine now?"

After he died, another angry shout rang in his ears:

"Damn it! Do you know the consequences of going against the Red Turban Gang?!"

Tang Qi found it strange; he had killed five loaches, so how could there be a sixth person's voice?

Turning around, I realized it was the commotion from before that had startled the only louse that had been stirring things up.
"Thanks for reminding me, I almost forgot about you."

"Wait—the laws of Longjin City forbid indiscriminate killing!"

"Now that he knows he's about to die, he's started talking to me about the law?"

Before the [Flesh Worm] could run away, Tang Qi decisively pierced its heart.

The stench of blood filled Tang Qi's nostrils, forcing him to pinch his nose and wave his hand in an attempt to disperse the pungent smell.

He looked at the man closest to him, dressed in what appeared to be an adventurer's attire:

"Friend, could you please move their bodies outside? I'll treat you to a drink later."

"Huh? Oh, okay."

The adventurer who was called stood up shakily, pinched his trembling legs to let the slight pain dispel his inner fear, and chuckled as he carried the corpses of several 'loaches' out.

Tang Qi then apologized to the drunkards:

"I apologize for interrupting everyone's drinking mood. I will personally distribute another glass of Star Plum Wine to each table later."

The unexpected apology gift dispelled the somber atmosphere of the tavern.

Apart from a few speechless civilians, most adventurers cheered for this.

They already felt a strong affinity for Tang Qi, and after some hesitation, someone couldn't help but offer a reminder:

"But it's best not to let the Red Scarf Gang know about this, lest we get smeared with a pile of dog shit."

Tang Qi thought for a moment about the council lords who coveted Iu, and Lord Mel, whom he had kicked out, and shrugged:

"It's okay, there are already enough of them sticking to me."

"Are you an adventurer from some well-known team? Is this tavern under your protection?"

Tang Qi blinked, then turned to look at the other person:
"What, you're quite interested in me?"

"me--"

The other party was unsure how to respond.

I was terrified that if I wasn't careful, I would end up lying next to the six corpses outside the door.

"That's great."

Tang Qi coughed twice and said loudly,

"Adventurers, are you troubled by the mist in the Dawn Forest, or worried about the endless stream of monsters?"
Do you want to know the truth behind Master Xingmei's 'resurrection'? Are you curious about the story of a bard?

Please stay tuned for "Tang Qi's Guide to the Dawn and Dusk Forest," which will be published in Longjincheng soon.

Forest scenery, monster encyclopedia—everything you want to know is there!

"what?"

Seeing that the ruthless and merciless spellcaster had just been about to start promoting his books, I was immediately struck by the sight of him.

Their mindset couldn't be adjusted immediately.

However, I noticed Tang Qi's words:

"travelling poet?"

I recalled the bards I had encountered in taverns in the past, those who sang praises to royalty and played outdated tunes.

Looking at the man before them who had picked up a lute and was joining in the faint singing from the tavern, they were utterly bewildered, exchanging surprised glances.
"This guy is actually a bard?"

"That, Mr. Poet?"

The adventurers who had been carrying the corpses suddenly shouted from outside the tavern.
"The city guards are here!"

His shouts pierced the ears of every adventurer.

Clearly, their adventurous nature made them inherently at odds with the law enforcement guards:
"I knew these guards had been bribed by the Red Turban Gang! Someone just died, and they rushed over here right after—I don't believe a damn person told them!"

"I've finally decided to taste the Star Plum Wine, so please don't smash up my tavern."

Hearing the murmurs of the crowd, Tang Qi couldn't help but speak up:
"Everyone, don't panic, drink up!"

The golden oak will be fine.

Because I was the one who called them.

(End of this chapter)