The Imperial Guards, like Yama, slaughtered until the Empress cried out for help.

The moon rises above the branches, beneath Ox Horn Mountain.

Under the cover of night, a group of Imperial Guards ambushed at the foot of Niujiao Mountain.

Xu Quan, the head of the company, looked up at the bright moon in the sky and asked in a low voice.

"What time is it?"

One of the captains estimated, "It should be around 1 AM."

Xu Quan nodded, his eyes hardening: "Everyone, perk up. Commander Yang should be at his post by now."

"After tonight, I'll treat you all to a night of heavy drinking at the Yihong Pavilion."

With the promises made by the flag officer, whether they were true or not, the Imperial Guards were more alert.

Suddenly, the chirping of sparrows came from the woods.

This is a code word used by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Xu Quan waved his hand.

"Let's do it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two crossbow bolts shot out from the forest, piercing the throats of the bandits guarding the mountain.

A rustling sound came from the woods; it was the sound of the Imperial Guards' robes brushing against the leaves.

The group of Imperial Guards rushed up the mountain.

Just then, a scream came from Niujiao Mountain.

Then came a loud roar.

"A night raid! It's the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

Everyone looked up at the mountain, realizing they had been exposed.

The captain was also at a loss: "Sir, what should we do?"

Xu Quan's face darkened, and he roared as he drew the steel knife from his waist.

"All of you, charge! Our objective is to hold off Xu Lao Er and then take him down."

"kill!"

A figure suddenly appeared in the darkness; it was Xu Lao Er.

Xu Lao Er was also two meters tall, and his physique was several times more robust than Xu Lao San's.

He held a tiger-headed broadsword and stared at the Imperial Guards with eyes as sharp as copper bells.

"What? Are they all dog noses? I've only been at Ox Horn Mountain for three days, and they've already caught up with me?"

"Oh my! You old fool, you're really calling me that? Come back to the Zhenfu Division with me and have a chat. I promise you'll get what's coming to you."

Xu Quan chuckled, then waved his hand: "You guys go deal with the henchmen, I'll handle this old fool."

The Imperial Guards immediately dispersed and attacked the scattered bandits in the forest, leaving a clearing for Xu Quan and Xu Lao Er.

But neither of them moved.

Suddenly a gentle breeze blew by, stirring up a few fallen leaves, and Xu Quan stirred.

A surge of warm internal energy enveloped the tip of the knife, which pierced towards Xu Lao Er's chest.

However, Xu Lao Er was no ordinary person who had escaped the pursuit of the Embroidered Uniform Guard multiple times. He raised his tiger-head broadsword and drew a silver semi-arc that collided with Xu Quan's steel blade.

With a loud bang.

In an instant, a violent shockwave erupted, the blade's aura sharp and fierce, knocking down the surrounding bushes.

Now that they've clashed head-on, neither of them holds back anymore.

Xu Quan brandished his steel knife wildly, unleashing a series of slashes at Xu Lao Er.

Xu Lao Er looked burly, and the tiger-head knife in his hand was indeed fast.

Sparks flew through the air, but Xu Lao Er ultimately had a slight advantage in strength. The immense force caused Xu Quan's tiger's mouth to ache, and there was even a slight gap in his ability to keep up with the slash.

Xu Lao Er seized this opportunity and shouted loudly.

"Die!"

The tiger-headed saber suddenly slashed upwards at an angle, and Xu Quan hurriedly blocked it.

The next moment, Xu Quan was blasted away by the enormous force, staggering back several meters. When he regained his footing, his tiger's mouth was already split open and bleeding.

Seeing this, Xu Lao Er laughed and rested the tiger-head broadsword on his shoulder.

"Xu Quan, you think you can fight me with a knife?"

"I, Xu Hu, started practicing with a knife at the age of three. At five, I defeated a boy two years older than me with a wooden knife. At twelve, my knife emboldened me, and I ventured into the mountains alone with just my knife. And then, at seventeen..."

Suddenly, a voice came from a tall tree to the side: "What's wrong with being seventeen?"

Xu Quan and Xu Lao Er were startled and looked up abruptly.

Shen Qing, dressed in a black flying fish robe, stood atop a tall tree, with a full moon reflected in his back, and several crows flew by, perfectly fitting the scene.

How pretentious!

Xu Lao Er's face darkened: "Xu Quan, you're calling in outside help?"

Xu Quan was also completely bewildered. Foreign aid? He had no idea when they called in foreign aid.

When did Shen Qing get up in the tree?

Xu Lao Er snorted and flicked his hand, throwing three red darts at Xu Quan. Xu Quan raised his hand and slashed three times, blocking the hidden weapons one by one.

But Xu Lao Er had already run dozens of meters away.

Xu Quan's expression changed: "This is bad!"

But the next moment, a black figure flashed past him and rushed towards Xu Lao Er at an extremely fast speed.

Xu Lao Er ran a hundred meters and looked back, while Xu Quan was still standing there, stunned.

"Everyone says I, Xu Hu, am stupid, but now I see that Xu Quan is the real idiot. He didn't even chase after me after I ran away."

"However, now is not the time to be happy. Xu Quan has outside help, so we need to inform our eldest brother, third brother, and Mr. Lan as soon as possible."

Just then, Shen Qing's voice came from beside him again.

"I think so too. You really should inform them, but your third brother doesn't need to.

When Xu Lao Er turned around, he was immediately terrified. Shen Qing was smiling at him from the side.

He instinctively threw a punch at Shen Qing.

A scream rang out, and a thick arm flew high into the air.

Xu Lao Er's eyes were filled with terror as he tightly covered his wound.

Ignoring the pain, he frantically plunged into the mountains and forests.

With just one strike, he realized that he was no match for Shen Qing.

Xu Lao Er roared in a voice as loud as a broken gong.

"Help! Help me!"

Shen Qing's lips curled up slightly.

Yeah.

That's it.

Shout louder, the louder you shout, the happier I'll be.

It would be best to call your older brother out as well, so you don't have to look for him yourself.

Only then did the scholar and his companions rush over, each one leaning on their knees and panting heavily.

"Boss, Lord Shen... wait a minute... we can't keep up..."

Xu Quan arrived beside the group at this moment and asked.

"Which Imperial Guard are you from?"

Only then did the scholar and the others notice that there was a captain present, and they all hurriedly stood up and saluted.

"Inform the head of the banner that we are from the Baiyun County Banner Office."

Xu Quan was filled with countless thoughts.

Baiyun County? The head of the county's General Banner Office?

Is that correct?

He was the commander of the Wan'an City Hundred Households Office, and in terms of strength, he was among the top commanders in the Hundred Households Office.

Even so, he was still utterly defeated by Xu Lao Er.

Xu Lao Er, who could easily defeat him, was instead thoroughly thrashed by a county-level commander.

You're not as strong as some centurions, are you?

Instead of making a name for yourself at the Zhenfu Division, you hid in the county town as a squad leader, competing with yourself for a job.

Is it in this river?

That's not in the river!

Xu Quan took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and continued to ask.

"Who ordered you to come here to provide assistance? I haven't received any news about it."

The scholar recounted the whole story.

Xu Quan's expression was strange.

Goodness, I already thought Shen Qing's strength was unreasonable enough.

I never expected there to be something even more brutal.

Fearing retaliation, they went to their doorsteps beforehand and chopped off their heads.

But at first glance, it doesn't seem like there's any problem.

If I kill you beforehand, you won't be able to get revenge.

This is so rivery!