Infinite Hunter

The man screamed in terror, reaching out to try to stuff back his entrails as they spilled out, and then he collapsed from his horse, still bleeding. In this era, he was already dead.

The next cavalryman killed was killed by a thrust. After beheading the first cavalryman, Cheng Yijiu didn't even look at him. He quickly advanced and crouched down, grasping the greatsword with both hands and using his body and arms to push forward, launching a diagonal upward thrust. His speed and reaction were extremely fast. The hunting spear in the opponent's hand was completely missed, and Cheng Yijiu easily dodged it by slightly deflecting his body using dynamic vision.

With the help of the horse's momentum, Cheng Yijiu twisted his wrist after thrusting. His strength was enough to stabilize his wrist. Another person would have suffered a broken wrist or severe contusion at this time, because the sword was twisting rapidly due to the horse's movement. However, Cheng Yijiu stabilized himself and directly used the horse's force to cut the blade through the body through the puncture point without getting stuck at all.

In his hands, the human body was as soft and juicy as a mushroom. He killed two people in the blink of an eye. The remaining three cavalrymen had already reined in their horses and turned to flee, but there was still one stupid guy who rushed straight towards Cheng Yijiu.

This time Cheng Yijiu did not swing his sword. He just tilted his head to avoid the opponent's spear, then grabbed the handle of the spear and pulled it. The unlucky guy fell off the saddle, but one of his feet was still stuck in the stirrup. He was dragged by the horse while screaming. His two teammates did not come to rescue him and just ran away.

When the warhorse stopped, the guy was in a terrible state—not only were he bruised and dislocated from being dragged, but he'd also been trampled a few times by the horse's hooves, and it looked like he was breathing more than he was breathing in. Cheng Yijiu walked up to the guy, kicked away the weapons he hadn't dropped, and squatted in front of him to question him.

Finally, before he died, he managed to find a partial answer. "Westeros? Ser Gregor Clegane's men?" Cheng Yijiu scratched his head. He couldn't remember where this place was—it definitely wasn't Earth. Cheng Yijiu hadn't read "Game of Thrones." He had heard of the books and the American TV series—it was a famously erotic film, after all—but he had never found it and watched it.

Because his hobbies are mainly real pornographic movies and popular science movies like National Geographic...

At this time, the farmers came out trembling with fear. They began to pick up the bodies of the dead cavalrymen on the ground and stripped away any valuables. However, they did not dare to touch the four horses that were safe and sound. At the same time, Cheng Yijiu saw that their expressions made them look like they were about to face a disaster. "Will that Sir Clegane come to settle accounts with you?" Cheng Yijiu asked casually, and received a positive answer. "Sorry, I can't help you with that. You can only take your valuables and hide."

Cheng Yijiu only asked for the two best horses of the four: one to carry his belongings and one to ride. He also asked about the area, but all he knew was that there was a large city and port nearby, and that the area was called the Westerlands, belonging to the Duke of Lannister. "So where are the dragons?" Cheng Yijiu asked. The farmers all shook their heads, saying they had never seen a dragon and that those were just legends from long ago.

Cheng Yijiu immediately felt that this mission was going to be a long one, and it was likely to be an unprecedented long mission. He had to find the dragon before he could kill it. However, he heard that the dragon family seemed to have died out more than ten years ago, and there seemed to be no dragons for hundreds of years before that.

"Damn it, if I spend more than ten years on this mission, won't I become a middle-aged old man when I go back?" Cheng Yijiu was very depressed. He didn't know whether he would grow old during the mission in this hunting lodge. Apollo's blessing alone might keep him young until the end of his life.

Cheng Yijiu truly didn't know, but the mission had to be completed. He felt the need to continue gathering intelligence. Perhaps there was a dragon somewhere, and killing it would complete the mission—no need to worry about whether or not he could accomplish it right now. The dragons here were most likely giant lizards, at best, flying ones.

Cheng Yijiu rode away on his horse. He decided to go to the city first and gather some information, but before that, he decided to put on his armor. "The security in this damn place is really like the Middle Ages. The nobles are just robbers. I can't do it without armor. I guess I'll have to rely on my own weapons to collect tolls in the future."

This place wasn't far from the Stone City, and it would take about two days to get there by horseback. However, on the way, they had to pass by the manor of the so-called Sir Clegane. Cheng Yijiu used his knowledge to analyze that the Sir was probably just a wealthy knight, and he probably didn't have many soldiers. "Maybe only 20 or 30. He can't afford more. Relying on looting to support his troops doesn't seem to work, right?" Cheng Yijiu didn't expect that the Sir actually relied on looting to support his troops.

He didn't have more than 20 or 30 soldiers, but a full 200 bandits. Fortunately, one of the more capable fighters besides the knight had already died here. It was the one killed by Cheng Yijiu's spear throw. Today, he brought his confidants out to rob, but he didn't expect to lose his life.

Those who escaped didn't go back to report the news - unless they wanted to die, they would never dare to go back and tell the bad news to that extremely cruel monster...

Chapter 4 News

Cheng Yijiu had never watched Ice and Fire or Game of Thrones, so of course he didn't know the reputation of Ser Clegane, "The Mountain". This guy was eight feet tall, equivalent to two meters forty-three, and was extremely strong. He could wear triple armor and wield an eight-meter-long two-handed sword like a meat grinder on the battlefield. He was probably the most powerful battlefield killer in Westeros - a physical killer rather than a technical killer.

But would Cheng Yijiu be afraid? How could a man who had faced cave bears standing four meters tall and weighing over 800 kilograms, and who had once faced a Bengal tiger nearly three meters tall and weighing 350 kilograms, be afraid of a human who was less than two meters and a half? Moreover, Cheng Yijiu himself seemed to have a perfect body—a body subtly strengthened by successive missions, a body blessed by the gods, no less powerful than the Mountain.

Cheng Yijiu is just not that tall...

He was headed for Lannisport—Cheng Yijiu had given up on the idea of ​​going to the so-called Lannister capital. He felt he could get more information in a bustling port city, and perhaps even find a suitable job. He was prepared for the possibility of living on the edge of a knife. While he might become a good blacksmith, he didn't know how to smelt metal. As for alchemy... he wasn't sure if it would be possible.

He vaguely remembered someone online complaining that the King of the White Walkers was gone for eight or nine seasons, only to be stabbed to death in a matter of minutes. A world-class boss died worse than a dog. It seemed a dragon had even died in the battle? Perhaps this was his way out; at least there would be dragons by then, though he didn't know how long in the future it would take.

The road wasn't peaceful either, as he spotted a group of rogue soldiers blocking the road. Their equipment wasn't uniform, and they were undoubtedly just a bunch of armed thugs. Cheng Yijiu wasn't good at mounted combat, so he dismounted, tied up his horses, and joined the group on foot. "Alas, I only came here to kill a giant lizard. I didn't expect to have to make a living killing people," he lamented. The previous battle had left him feeling pretty good, and the swordplay skills he'd learned were indeed useful.

And it's incredibly effective, worthy of the skills of European sword masters. He's mastered the art of the true sport of slashing, his experience points skyrocketing, and his combat prowess is naturally growing daily. His specialty isn't blocking, but engaging, using the guard to pry off the opponent's sword momentum, even disarming it, while simultaneously delivering a brutal blow. This behavior, once practiced, is incredibly stimulating, and it kills with incredible speed.

The instant they clashed, the more fatal or injured they were, and they usually didn't give their opponent a second chance to strike. It was a mistake for Cheng Yijiu not to wear a helmet, but his skills proved that he was indeed a killing machine. Could he expect a friendly exchange with a rogue soldier blocking his way? Cheng Yijiu drew his sword as soon as he came up, and of course his opponent drew his sword as well, ready to attack. The exchange began with an upward chop, but Cheng Yijiu turned his wrist and used his sword guard to deflect the opponent's blade, then thrust his sword into the opponent's eye socket, piercing his brain directly.

He drew his sword, twisted his wrist, deflected the second sword, and then slashed it down, slashing the second soldier from shoulder to waist. It had to be said that a sword made of cold iron, carefully heat-treated, and then enchanted was really effective against ordinary soldiers. It was truly a magical weapon. After killing two people, the others fled. This made people very happy. If possible, Cheng Yijiu didn't want to kill people indiscriminately. It was tiring to kill people all day.

He cleaned the Soul-Breaking Sword with a cloth torn from the dead. While cold iron wouldn't rust, fat and blood would stink and stick to the blade. After wiping the sword clean, Cheng Yijiu sheathed it and hung it on the side of his saddle. He switched to his boar-hunting spear. He encountered no obstacles on the way, and by the evening of the next day, he could see the outline of the harbor in the distance.

Cheng Yijiu led his horse into Lannisport—he planned to sell the horse for money to live in the area for a while. He didn't want to spend his money if possible—the silver and copper coins he had found on the bodies of the people he had killed were far finer than those, and contained almost no impurities. Furthermore, his silver coins were significantly larger than those here—after all, they were high-purity silver coins, minted from Yuan Datou and Yingyang coins.

The silver coin had an abstract tiger head on one side and a plum blossom on the other. The edges were serrated to prevent scratching. Since it was stamped rather than cast, the pattern was clear and the surface was smooth. Perhaps it would be worth the same as a "gold coin" in this world? Cheng Yijiu couldn't bear to use it anyway. Those highway robbers he'd killed were also poor, having contributed only eleven silver coins and nine copper coins. But two war horses should probably fetch two gold coins, right?

Cheng Yijiu's current attire was actually quite common for mercenaries—mercenaries equipped themselves with their own weapons and armor, as was his case. However, his equipment was quite impressive among mercenaries—most mercenaries only wore chain mail or leather armor, and their weapons were usually just a sword and dagger. Cheng Yijiu's chain mail, however, was inlaid with steel plates to reinforce vital areas, making it a very valuable piece of equipment.

He also possessed a broadsword and a short spear, proving he was proficient in at least two weapons and capable of handling several positions. Such a mercenary wouldn't be cheap to hire, and Cheng Yijiu wasn't in a rush to find work. Westeros was medieval Europe, a fact Cheng Yijiu knew perfectly well. Naturally, there wasn't much food to speak of—the spices came from another continent and the south, and the salt wasn't very good, so the food was merely edible.

Anyway, it was all stews, grilled meats, pickled meats or smoked meats, and the only vegetables were kale, spinach, lettuce and garlic. Fortunately, there were rosemary and thyme in this place, so the grilled meat was finally edible. The meat had a strong mutton smell, and it looked like it hadn't been castrated. The beer and wine here were okay, so Cheng Yijiu could only use this as a drink - much better than soup. He now lived on the second floor of a tavern in the port, which was also the place where mercenaries did business.

Cheng Yijiu's focus was on getting information. "Okay, there are no dragons. The current king is Robert I, and the remaining bloodline of the dragon family has gone to the eastern continent. So it seems I have to find a way to get enough money, then go to the so-called King's Landing and look for a ship to the eastern continent to look for news about dragons there."

Chapter 5 Plan

The package he carried contained a reinforced mail armor and greaves and arm armor blessed by the gods. Though unremarkable in its grayish hue, it offered exceptionally strong defense. Previously, his armor had been reinforced with steel plates inlaid on top of the mail armor. Cheng Yijiu remembered it clearly, "I didn't bring it with me, so how did it end up in my package?" Inside, stuffed to the brim, was a trimmed lion skin.

The lion's skull had been stuffed and covered with a lion's skin, which could be put on his long-tailed helmet like a helmet. The natural drooping part of the lion's skin could be fastened with the skin of the limbs at his shoulders and waist to prevent it from hanging to the ground. This was the lion he had strangled, and its current appearance was not the lion skin he had hurriedly skinned at that time, but a lion skin "armor" that had been carefully trimmed and tanned.

Dressed like this, Cheng Yijiu shouldn't be wearing his chain mail. He should be wearing muscle armor or even shirtless. That way, he'd look like a god—even if he wasn't really that good-looking. "This outfit is way too flashy. I can't go out." If he accepted a job and went into battle, he'd wear it anyway. Mercenaries were known for their flamboyant attire, and they usually didn't have uniforms.

Cheng Yijiu stayed in the port for less than a week, gathering a considerable amount of information. Honestly, he found the environment difficult to endure. Medieval European cities were renowned for their filth and stench, even for a port city like this. By listening to the bard's tales many times, Cheng Yijiu gained a general understanding of recent events. Over a decade ago, Duke Robert launched a rebellion/uprising, slew the Dragon Prince Rhaegar on a river, and defeated the royal army, ultimately winning the battle and being crowned King of Westeros.

The continent was currently governed primarily by the Four Guardians, while King Robert primarily lived in the capital, King's Landing, where he indulged in debauchery and held tournaments day in and day out—and yet, even such a king was held in high regard by the common people. Cheng Yijiu had also heard that the remnants of the previous royal family had fled to another continent. In that case, he would have to travel by road to King's Landing, the capital of the ancient dynasties, and sail from the port there.

Rather than wasting time waiting for a dragon to arrive, it would be better to proactively look for one himself—because Cheng Yijiu still vaguely remembered a "Dragon Mother," likely referring to a female heir to the previous royal family. They were all on that continent now. So, he needed some money, so he could indulge himself in this world. After observing for a while, Cheng Yijiu set his sights on the convoy transporting gold coins to the city's warehouse.

This city, ruled by a branch of House Lannister, provided a substantial tax revenue for the entire Lannister family. Every day, gold and silver coins were deposited into the treasury, and regular convoys transported these coins to the nearby Lannister capital—a city carved out of stone. Cheng Yijiu's goal was to rob these taxes—but he didn't need to take them all; he only needed to seize a portion of the gold dragons and silver deer.

"I can't take any more than that," Cheng Yijiu thought. He hadn't brought a bow and arrow this time—it was obvious that something so small wouldn't be able to kill a flying dragon at least the size of an elephant. It should be a flying dragon. If he were to rob someone this time, he'd have to wear a camouflage robe and cover his face with cloth or a mask. Killing all the escorts wasn't realistic.

After deciding to proceed, Cheng Yijiu's first priority was to prepare a retreat. How to escape after obtaining the stolen goods, and how to avoid being discovered and captured by the pursuing soldiers, was truly paramount. Therefore, he had to scout the route. For this type of escort, they usually set out at dawn and arrived at Casterly Rock before nightfall, without spending the night on the road. Therefore, Cheng Yijiu had to carry out the robbery somewhere along the way and successfully escape.

Over the next five days, Cheng Yijiu traveled back and forth along this route seven times. He bought a donkey for transportation and disguised himself as an ordinary pedestrian. The Western Territory is rich in mountains, all of which are rich in metal ores, hence its claim to be the richest region in the world. These mountains diversify and complicate retreat routes, but truly escaping the pursuit of local soldiers familiar with the terrain still requires considerable effort.

Cheng Yijiu had the advantage of being blessed by Apollo, allowing him to see at night as clearly as in the day. Therefore, his best option was to immediately enter the mountains after the afternoon attack, taking advantage of the night to escape and shed his pursuers. He carefully selected his ambush location, leveraging his mountainous mobility to avoid an ambush. He had already carried his equipment to the location on a donkey, fully armed except for the lion skin.

Cheng Yijiu put on a black robe over his armor and covered his face with a mask he had just bought. He then let the donkey go. The next step was to wait. Cheng Yijiu hid in the bushes on the side, waiting for the caravan to pass by.

He chose the third carriage in the convoy—considering the speed of travel, a convoy transporting taxes wouldn't overload the carriages. They had to deliver the taxes before nightfall. Cheng Yijiu leaped from his hiding place with astonishing speed, severing the ropes pulling the carriage with a single blow of his sword. The carriage was now temporarily halted on the road, and the soldiers guarding it immediately shouted.

These escorting soldiers were almost all cavalry, or at least mounted infantry, numbering around forty or so, commanded by two knights. Cheng Yijiu's second strike directly split the carriage's cargo box, revealing a bag inside. He poked it with his sword, and from the feel and weight, he knew it was a bag of gold dragons. His demands were modest; grabbing a bag of gold dragons would be victory—this bag should have contained a hundred, which would definitely cover his travel expenses.

The soldiers who were trying to intercept him had already rushed over. If it was possible that Cheng Yijiu had no intention of killing anyone, he quickly turned around and knocked the soldier off his horse when he passed by him. The soldier fell to the ground and was unable to move for a while. Cheng Yijiu grabbed a bag of golden dragons and hung it directly on his back, then prepared to run.

Four cavalrymen had already arrived, and the knight in front had already circled around, cursing furiously and preparing to join the fray. Cheng Yijiu swung his sword, quickly striking down one man and wounding a horse, using them as cover to block the other three's attack. As for the knight? Cheng Yijiu took the initiative, and after only two exchanges, the knight's sword was wrenched from his hand, and he was pulled off his horse and restrained by a sword.

"Hold them still!" Cheng Yijiu said, but the knight, fearing Lord Lannister more than his own predicament, ignored him and tried to resist. Cheng Yijiu could only strike the knight in the head with the hilt of his sword, knocking him unconscious. He then quickly rushed into the woods.

Chapter 6: Road Blockage

After Cheng Yijiu rushed into the woods, he didn't run away immediately. Instead, he took advantage of the trees to separate the cavalry, knocking down several cavalrymen with stones, and finally escaped with the bag of gold dragons on his back. All of this took less than two minutes, and Cheng Yijiu's movements were very clean and efficient. From then on, he was simply being pursued - considering that he only robbed a bag of gold dragons, the escort team probably wouldn't bother him, but would continue to deliver the remaining taxes to the local authorities and let the old lion decide how to deal with them...

A bag of one hundred gold royals was a considerable sum for a single person—of course, a lavish noble could easily spend several hundred gold royals in a single day, but for ordinary people, even mercenaries, a hundred gold royals was enough to support a comfortable life for several years, or even decades. Mercenaries, hired out on the battlefield, could earn only five gold royals a month, and that was for those with a long career and relatively strong combat capabilities.

Most mercenaries have to kill for a gold dragon.

After crossing the ridge, Cheng Yijiu removed his robe and mask and burned them clean over a fire. He then draped the lion skin over his clothes to complete his outfit. Although it was summer in Westeros, the daily temperature was only around 20 degrees Celsius, at least here, so he wouldn't die of the heat. Cheng Yijiu also transferred the golden dragon into his bag and casually tossed the leather bag into the stream. It didn't matter whether anyone found it or not.

The next step was to cross the mountains and ridges. The first twenty-four hours of their escape were crucial. Given the technological level of this area, the robbers should be "untraceable" after escaping for more than two hours. This was Cheng Yijiu's personal opinion, but if the old Lannister lion, who was said to be very capable, felt his authority was insulted and used a large number of manpower, he would probably be helpless after twelve hours.

He couldn't seal off the entire border, but he could easily search anyone on the road—the Lannisters were capable of doing just that. Cheng Yijiu had traveled a considerable distance northward through the mountains overnight. He wouldn't get lost and die in the mountains; all he had to do was buy time. According to common sense, the smartest way to rob the Lannisters of their taxes would be to quickly return to Lannisport. Even with the Lannisters' power, it would be difficult to find the robbers among so many people.

The key was that the gains outweighed the losses, and who knew if the old lion would go mad? So Cheng Yijiu took advantage of the time difference and decided to go in the other direction. As long as he was fast enough or slow enough, he would cause the other side to misjudge.

In the mountains, Cheng Yijiu felt no fear. The most dangerous beasts in the western mountains were bears and lynx. Even a lynx, while as big as a tiger, had a weaker head and claws than a tiger, so much so that even Cheng Yijiu found them rather shameful. "You useless piece of feline junk! You're so big for nothing." Cheng Yijiu encountered a lynx, and it fled. There were also wolves here, but they posed little threat.

At least no wild beast appeared in front of Cheng Yijiu who lit the bonfire.

The next day, Cheng Yijiu was already on the highway. He crossed the mountains and emerged onto another road. "If I pass through a town, I'll hopefully buy an animal for transportation," Cheng Yijiu thought, and so he did. He used a gold royal to buy a mule and a two-wheeled cart, along with some food and beans to feed the mule. He also filled a leather bag and an aluminum can with clean drinking water and prepared to continue along the highway until he reached King's Landing.

This was a leisurely journey. Cheng Yijiu placed his short spear on the cart and his broadsword at his side, letting the mule move along the road on its own. However, things never quite went smoothly. After two days of travel, before even leaving the Western Territory, Cheng Yijiu spotted roadblocks. "I thought this stretch would be relatively peaceful," he muttered. The roadblocks ahead were likely noble bandits. During this time, Cheng Yijiu had gotten to know the Western Territory nobility quite well.

They usually earned their income from mining. The Westerlands were rich in gold and silver mines. They mined the minerals, refined the gold and silver, and then sent them to the King's Mint in King's Landing to be cast into golden dragons and silver stags. After the King took his cut, the rest became the nobles' money. Therefore, most nobles in the Westerlands did not need to rob people on the road, and the Lord of the Westerlands, Lord Lannister, would not allow it to happen. There was only one exception, and that was Ser Clegane the Mountain, whom Cheng Yi had heard of for a long time.

This man was incredibly ferocious, a Lannister equivalent of a knife and a dog. And I heard he was so poor he made a living by robbing people on the road? Amidst the bandits, a towering figure stood before him. Sitting as tall as an average person, he was probably two and a half meters tall when standing, and incredibly broad, like a brown bear. Cheng Yijiu didn't stop or turn around; he simply grabbed the Soul-Breaking Sword and prepared for battle.

The Mountain really did look like a bear, though he wasn't as big as the cave bear Cheng Yijiu had once fought. As for his threat? When Cheng Yijiu saw him, he felt he couldn't compare to the Alpha Werewolf, who was taller, faster, and stronger than the Alpha Werewolf. After all, he was still a human, not some weird supernatural creature like a giant. This world had giants, dragons, and even monsters like White Walkers.

The distance was getting closer and closer. Two bandits were approaching. One looked grinning, the other had a bandit-like face. Both were tall, not shorter than Cheng Yijiu. Judging by their gait and the way they moved, they were undoubtedly skilled swordsmen. "Hey, tax collection," said the grinning guy, while the bandit had already drawn his sword without a word.

Cheng Yijiu also dismounted, grabbing the Soul-Breaking Sword. After Apollo's blessing, he had mastered the techniques of the Nine Sword Masters, becoming a professional swordsman. Having recently gained experience killing someone with a bastard greatsword, his combat prowess must have improved dramatically—though swordsmen couldn't actually kill people. Cheng Yijiu didn't bother to waste time. With a wave of his hand, a lion skin flew out of the carriage and draped itself over him, unsheathing the Soul-Breaking Sword.

His attire surprised the two men—not the Soul-Breaking Sword or anything, but the golden lion fur. They had never seen such a striking outfit before. Cheng Yijiu didn't waste any time talking to the two bandits and rushed forward directly—taking the opportunity to reduce the fighting power of the so-called Demon Mountain and save trouble later.

Chapter 7: Destroy

Cheng Yijiu's height and build are similar to those of the stronger warriors in this world. According to the standards of Westeros, he is a little over six feet tall, and his body is very strong and well-proportioned. His appearance is not as photogenic as Johnson and Arnold Schwarzenegger, so naturally, when he wears a lion skin, he does not look as mighty and imposing as them at first glance.

However, this man was a Hercules-like warrior, his swordsmanship undoubtedly surpassing that of Conan the Barbarian. The two men under the Mountain were no weaklings; in a moment of haste, they were more than capable of drawing their swords and engaging Cheng Yijiu in combat. If it was a two-on-one fight, since they weren't a meat grinder like the Mountain, these two bandits believed they could definitely outmaneuver him.

However, as soon as they started fighting, these two bandits who were used to fighting knew that they were wrong, and they were very wrong - the opponent they were facing, who was covered in gorgeous lion skin, was completely different. He did not block their swords but directly counterattacked, which was very unexpected.

For Cheng Yijiu, the swordsmanship he had learned from the European sword masters taught him to avoid blocking whenever possible, using his strong blade to deflect or disrupt the opponent's sword, while using his weaker blade to deliver a direct, devastating blow. Now that his speed and reflexes had reached or even surpassed the peak of human power, he could undoubtedly unleash this incredibly lethal swordsmanship to its fullest potential.

The first person to be chopped was the bandit who had been holding a sword from the beginning. He had originally intended to pierce Cheng Yijiu's chest with a simple and sharp sword, but the sword guard and the strong sword body turned, which deflected the impact point. Instead, his neck was chopped off by the sharp sword, and he fell down with blood spurting out.

The gangster who had been laughing all the time still had a distorted expression on his face. He was just a little slow and didn't expect his teammate to be chopped down. This guy also chopped down quickly, but was chopped down by Cheng Yijiu with a glance.

It was just a single exchange, less than three seconds between the two men, the clash of swords barely a single sound, and already two of the Mountain's loyal followers had lost their lives. Ser Clegane, who had been sitting, roared in anger and rose to his feet.

Although he was a truly crazy butcher, he was still kind to the bandits under his command. Although some of his loyal subordinates were inevitably killed by him in a fit of rage, he would never allow others to kill his subordinates casually - perhaps with the exception of His Majesty the Duke.

The Mountain roared, casually snapping off his mask, and with one hand pulled out the two-meter-long giant sword beside him, and charged forward aggressively - the guys around him didn't dare to follow, because when the Mountain swung the giant sword, he wouldn't distinguish between friend and foe, and it wasn't worth getting involved.

The 2.5-meter-tall man wielded a 2-meter-long giant sword, whose attack range was no less than that of a foot soldier's spear. If Cheng Yijiu wanted to kill the guy, he had to force himself into the inner circle of his sword. The Nine Sword Masters had many tricks to deal with such a guy, but most of them suggested running away first, sir.

A few suggested pulling out their flintlock rifles and firing a single shot—the flintlock rifle of a hundred martial arts. Cheng Yijiu wouldn't run. Although the Demon Mountain was incredibly powerful, swinging his giant sword could create a powerful whirlwind that could easily split him and his armor apart, Cheng Yijiu wasn't afraid.

The werewolf's claws were far more terrifying. The standing man-eating bear was half a body taller than the Demon Mountain in front of him. Even the stinking ape looked scarier than the Demon Mountain. So Cheng Yijiu stood firmly amid the sound of the collision, and the Demon Mountain's giant sword also paused in the air.

This was probably the first time that someone had blocked Sir Clegane's attack head-on, and judging from the situation, there was a huge gap in the giant sword in his hand. The power displayed by the opponent might even be greater than his - Clegane swung with one hand, while Cheng Yijiu blocked it with both hands.

Cheng Yijiu, with the advantage in strength, pushed Moshan's sword away with a single effort. Moshan's sword instantly flew wide open, and his battlefield instincts immediately knew something was wrong. He had lost his balance, while his opponent seemed perfectly stable, giving him an opportunity to penetrate. A simple thrust could have ended Moshan's life.

The huge body was actually quite agile, but even if it was so big, it would be too late to dodge. So, Moshan roared and used his left hand to block the path of Cheng Yijiu's possible thrust. Cheng Yijiu took a very steady step forward and, as expected, thrust directly through Moshan's arm. Then he drew his sword and slashed, cutting Moshan's reverberating giant sword in half.

The giant was mad, but also afraid. Cheng Yijiu, having slain many man-eating beasts, was acutely aware of this. However, now didn't seem like the right time to kill this savage giant. Seeing that the Mountain had been defeated, his men had already rushed over. Moreover, the Mountain, driven mad with fear, had also fallen into a berserker state—fear-induced madness was common among beasts. Cheng Yijiu felt this was not going to be easy. Taking the Mountain's blow head-on actually left him slightly bruised. The giant's arm strength was indeed extraordinary.

"Can he strangle a lion? No, with his size and skills, he can only be killed by a lion." Cheng Yijiu shook his hands, feeling a slight numbness, but now he was fine. In front of him, the Mountain roared wildly and was dragged onto a carriage by his subordinates and fled in panic. They must have been afraid of the martial arts of the knight wearing a lion skin.

Cheng Yijiu examined his Soul-Breaking Sword carefully. There wasn't a single chip or curl on the blade; even when his fingers brushed against the sides, it remained perfectly smooth. He wiped the blade clean with the clothes of the two dead bandits. He searched the area and discovered that, despite being officers, they were penniless. He only managed to find one gold dragon and six silver deer. However, their weapons and armor were still worth a bit of money.

Cheng Yijiu threw the two bodies aside and drove away in the mule cart.

The Mountain himself would not tell anyone about his defeat, and his subordinates probably wouldn't tell anyone either, but the news would spread. After leaving the Western Territory, Cheng Yijiu continued on the highway, killing every bandit who dared to block his way and rob him. When he arrived at the first town, he discovered that the legend of the Lion Knight had already appeared in the tavern.

It was said that there was a knight wearing a golden lion skin, who defeated the Mountain and his men with amazing swordsmanship, and also killed many bandits who blocked the road to rob. Cheng Yijiu looked at himself and said, "Fortunately, I packed up and hid all the armor and furs before entering the city. Otherwise, it would be troublesome."

Chapter 8 Lion Knight

The seven kingdoms of Westeros are now relatively peaceful. At least the open war has ceased, and the seven kingdoms are united under the rule of the Baratheon dynasty. Occasional conflicts between nobles exist, but at least they are manageable. This peace has lasted for over a decade. Under these circumstances, the need for strong knights is naturally less urgent than in times of chaos. Many knights, without serving a master, instead travel the world, earning a living from tournament bonuses.

These knights were almost all sons of noble families besides the eldest son. Westeros adopted the system of primogeniture, where the eldest son owned everything. Unless their father or older brother showed some mercy, their younger brothers would legally be left with nothing after their father's death. Cheng Yijiu hadn't considered being recruited, even though he had defeated the Mountain and proved himself a top-tier warrior in the Seven Kingdoms.

Since they didn't know his name, they all referred to him by his attire. Cheng Yijiu's most striking feature was his unprecedented golden lion fur. No one in the Seven Kingdoms had ever seen such a magnificent lion fur—there were no lions in Westeros anymore. Even the Lannisters, whose family crest was a lion, probably couldn't produce such a lion pelt.

Because of this unique attire, and his victory over the Mountain, Cheng Yijiu's reputation as the "Lion Knight" spread even faster than he did. Cheng Yijiu was so focused on hunting dragons that he never considered becoming famous in the Seven Kingdoms—he even purchased some extra cloth to hide the lion's pelt. As for the tournament? Perhaps Cheng Yijiu would go and watch the excitement. After all, the king loved to hold tournaments, and was not afraid to waste hundreds of thousands or even millions of gold dragons on them.

From the intelligence Cheng Yijiu had gathered so far, there was no evidence to indicate the existence of dragons—dragons were a legend from centuries ago. The closer Cheng Yijiu got to King's Landing, the less he had to resort to direct attacks, and the better the order on the roads. The legend of the Lion Knights could at least stop when approaching King's Landing. King's Landing was huge, but to Cheng Yijiu it looked like a medieval dunghill. There were definitely no sewers in the city, as the stench could be smelled even outside the city.

Cheng Yijiu had no interest in entering this stinking city. Beyond the city walls, this massive city also had a continuous network of residential areas, as well as hotels and taverns. As long as one was willing to spend money, one could always find suitable accommodation. Many nobles and wealthy individuals owned gardens and villas outside the city, so there were also quite high-end service industry buildings outside the city. The only downside was that if a war broke out, one could not count on the city walls to protect them.

Many of the buildings here are relatively new, having been built in the last decade or so. Cheng Yijiu lives in one of the inns—a place that allows livestock to be boarded, the rooms are clean, and the food is decent. Compared to those poor people who drink "brown soup," Cheng Yijiu's bread and bacon soup are far better off. The only thing left now is to find a boat, one that can go to the other side of the strait. I heard that the remnants of the Targaryen family have fled to the other side.

Entering King's Landing was a rather painful experience. With only a small dagger for self-defense, Cheng Yijiu went to the stinking King's Landing docks to look for a ship—it was a pity that there had been no boats out to sea during this period. It seemed that the Royal Navy was carrying out some mission, perhaps to blockade the strait and strike at the remnants of the enemy.

King Robert was about to hold another tourney, on the banks of the Blackwater River, outside King's Landing. There was no such stench here. Cheng Yijiu also saw the so-called king for the first time. "A big, fat man with a burly figure. How could this guy be forty? He looks like a fat man in his fifties." Actually, he was only in his thirties. Cheng Yijiu thought it was because foreigners looked old, and it was normal for this guy to be like this, given his excessive drinking and sex.

As for the queen, she was a true golden-haired beauty, but Cheng Yijiu had forgotten her name. He didn't even know the king's last name, he only knew it was Robert—thanks to the people in the tavern. And of course, there was the king's prince, a similarly blond young man. Cheng Yijiu felt something was amiss. "Is there something about genetics? I've forgotten the details...dominant or recessive inheritance or something."

He wore no armor or weapons; Cheng Yijiu was merely a spectator. King Robert was holding a tournament open to the residents of King's Landing—though of course, those from the slums were essentially barred from entering; only wealthy citizens could enter. Cheng Yijiu's clothes were fine, clean and dry, making him look like someone wealthy. Therefore, he could squeeze into the side reserved for the citizens, watching the tournament alongside the nobles and the king's family.

Both the individual and team events featured knights, and Cheng Yijiu found it quite entertaining to watch. He had only seen these knightly competitions in television dramas and documentaries before, but this was his first time experiencing it in person. Two fully armored knights, each on an equally armored warhorse, charged head-on, wielding a specially crafted lance to see who could unseat the other. This kind of competition was truly different from watching it live.

Specially crafted lances generally don't cause casualties, but that's not always the case. Splintered wood can become lethal weapons in unfortunate circumstances. Cheng Yijiu was well aware of this. "These knights are not weak," he sighed. He definitely wasn't good at cavalry combat. First of all, he had no training in lance wielding—fencing warriors weren't considered wealthy, and they didn't usually engage in cavalry combat. Cheng Yijiu could ride a horse, but asking him to fight fully armed on horseback was a sure thing.

"I could give it a try with a cavalry rifle, but switching to a bow would be quite difficult, not to mention a one-handed lance." Cheng Yijiu knew he was a foot-combat general, so he paid more attention to the knights' foot-combat competitions. Of course, there were also team competitions, but in team competitions, there was no cavalry fighting, only infantry. After watching the foot-combat for a while, Cheng Yijiu knew that if he participated, he would most likely take first place - these people's fighting skills were not as good as his.

"Can I be called a Sword Master? Hahaha." Even Cheng Yijiu couldn't help but laugh a few times, while the citizens watching the fight and gambling nearby lamented that it was a pity that the Lion Knight didn't come. "It would be troublesome if the Lion Knight came," Cheng Yijiu replied in his mind. King Robert laughed heartily; it seemed he really, really enjoyed the tournament and was quite good at wasting money.

Chapter 9 Victory

Tournaments weren't just for the Second and Third Sons knights, but even citizens who could provide their own weapons could participate—though they generally stayed away. Mercenaries also participated, as the prize money was considerable. The team tournaments, in particular, were the king's favorite, and in most cases, they were much easier to earn than risking their lives on commissions.

Cheng Yijiu watched for a long time, and he felt an urge to try it out. "If I just use the Soul Crushing Sword without the lion skin, it won't be noticeable. My mail and helmet, at least from the outside, look like common items. Why not give it a try?" The hunter and swordsman watched this authentic medieval tournament, and his hands itched. He quickly returned to the hotel and retrieved his armor and greatsword from the safe provided in the hotel's luxury rooms.

Of course, he also bought a mask—a white clown mask with a teardrop mole. The tournament didn't prohibit wearing masks; after all, it was a kind of romance. "Mysterious Knight," Cheng Yijiu casually put on the mask, then went to the registration office to sign up—just a nickname for himself—for the event. This place didn't even ask about your background; as long as you brought your own weapon, you were a qualified contestant.

Only the Knights' Tournament asked about one's origins, but it didn't matter. If someone could afford a knight's full armor, a warhorse, and servants, he must be someone of note. Cheng Yijiu happily stepped onto the field. He faced a mercenary—a rather young man with a face covered in acne. Of course, Cheng Yijiu wouldn't kill or injure anyone during the tournament, so he used the disarmament technique from the sword technique.

He used the strong blade and guard to pry and twist the opponent's sword, using the principle of leverage and the limitations of human joints to force the opponent to drop the sword or become immobilized, and then easily disarm the opponent. Cheng Yijiu used three different disarming techniques in three rounds. The boy simply covered his face and ran away, almost dropping his sword. Cheng Yijiu played like this, using simple strikes and flips to easily defeat one opponent after another, regardless of whether they were holding a sword, a war hammer, or some other weapon.