Infinite Hunter

In foot combat, he easily defeated his opponents armed with short spears. The sword versus spear victory was a pure victory of skill. The spear's original advantage was length and speed—thrusting was much faster than slashing. Finally, he stood in the main arena of the tournament—directly facing the king and queen, the prince, and the nobles around them. Cheng Yijiu's opponent was a knight wielding a short spear, who seemed to be quite famous.

The masked Cheng Yijiu exuded a mysterious aura. The spectators, especially the knights and nobles, who watched him fight, could see that he was incredibly powerful. They all whispered to each other that the masked knight's swordsmanship was astonishing. Even King Robert and the White Knight behind him watched Cheng Yijiu with great interest. "Do you think he's as powerful as Ser Dayne, the Sword of the Dawn?" Robert asked his White Knight and brother-in-law.

Out of respect for Ser Dayne, who had once taught him, James flatly denied the possibility that Cheng Yijiu could be compared with Ser Dayne, "Not as good as Ser Dayne, Your Majesty."

Cheng Yijiu was already engaged in combat with his opponent. It was undeniable that no one was weak in the finals. The knight before him was a master in the use of the infantry short spear, a formidable serpent—the spear tip was a fang. Though now covered in soft cloth like Cheng Yijiu's sword, a sting from it would certainly be unpleasant. "Excellent distance control! Judging from this alone, this knight's defensive abilities are absolutely formidable," Cheng Yijiu praised.

Unfortunately, his opponent hadn't anticipated Cheng Yijiu's speed and strength. He used his powerful sword to block the opponent's spear tip, effectively deflecting it. He then cut through the middle, his sword tip resting on the opponent's face. The first half of the finals involved multiple thrusts from the knight's lance, but Cheng Yijiu resolved the fight with a single block and thrust. Cheers erupted from all sides; Cheng Yijiu's strength, speed, and skill were all top-notch—but this was merely a competition; the hunter hadn't shown any real skill.

The king at the top laughed heartily and stood up holding a huge golden cup. "Well! What a beautiful fight! Take off your masks!" Cheng Yijiu laughed from behind his mask. "No, I think mystery is quite interesting, Your Majesty." Robert laughed even harder and threw down a leather bag of money beside him. "All right! Keep your damn mystery! Here's your bonus!"

Cheng Yijiu took the leather bag with ease. He saw the prince's ferocious expression. He must have been angry that the prince had dared to disobey the king's orders. Even with Cheng Yijiu's weak memory, he remembered that the king's successor seemed to be the worst of scumbags... and he vaguely remembered that he seemed to be the product of a **? Cheng Yijiu's expression could not be seen under the mask, otherwise the prince would probably be furious.

Cheng Yijiu accepted the purse and gave the king a rather fancy court salute—perhaps this was the French court etiquette he'd seen in movies. This gesture made the nobles and the queen laugh—from today's perspective, Cheng Yijiu's actions seemed frivolous and comical, like a court jester. Cheng Yijiu didn't care what they thought. He had a great time today, was quite satisfied, and had earned some money—at least fifty gold royals, a nice extra income, at a casual estimate.

By the time Cheng Yijiu returned to the inn, he'd noticed a few more people following him—how could a kingdom be without a secret organization? At least Cheng Yijiu vaguely remembered seeing one in the books. He figured they were here to file away warriors like Cheng Yijiu, or at least to uncover his true identity. That didn't really matter. Even if they found out he was the Lion Knight, it wouldn't matter. Cheng Yijiu was planning to leave Westeros anyway, so what was the big deal?

The Lion Knight had committed no crime. The man who robbed the Lannisters of their taxes had nothing to do with the Lion Knight. If anything, it was probably wounding the Mountain—but such an incident only served to demonstrate Cheng Yijiu's prowess. Perhaps many nobles would attempt to recruit him. In this era, the continent of Westeros still valued personal prowess. Cheng Yijiu knew he had no commanding talent; he was just a swordsman.

Because of the remnants of the Long family, it seems that the outer sea of ​​King's Landing is intentionally closed. Cheng Yijiu feels quite depressed - in this case, he has to go southwest to the largest port, Old Port, to go out to sea. It will take more time to bypass the continent of Westeros.

Chapter 10 Glory

Before Cheng Yijiu could figure out what to do, someone came to him—a recruit on behalf of the royal family. Of course, the Iron Guards couldn't be one of them, but the king hoped Cheng Yijiu could become one of his knights. Of course, Cheng Yijiu declined the king's offer—he had no interest in serving under anyone.

I also heard that the king was constantly enjoying himself outside the palace, and his own queen wasn't much of a presence, but she frequented the luxurious brothels of King's Landing. If I really became his knight, I'd be annoyed to be guarding this guy—Cheng Yijiu was trying to hunt a dragon, so what could he do with Robert? Killing pigs?

But Cheng Yijiu probably had no choice but to accept the king's invitation - especially since the champions of the tournament and other famous knights were also invited.

According to King Robert's personal preference, all warriors attending the banquet had to wear their armor—not full armor, such as helmets, and some armor plates could be removed, but a cloak and various decorations were essential. Cheng Yijiu had no interest in wearing lion skins. Weapons were allowed at this kind of banquet, but only longswords.

The king was safe, for he had the Kingsguard with him. Technically, the weapons of the other attendees would be bound with golden thread by the guards, making them difficult to remove. Cheng Yijiu didn't wear armor. He changed into a military vest, a simple lapel jacket, leather boots, and a cloak with a cape.

This outfit was also presentable, more like the 18th century style—but then one should have a swift sword slung around one's waist, as they were used in street fights. "My lord, take my advice, a swift sword is not as good as a bag of stones..." Cheng Yijiu muttered to himself, a joke he knew.

He wore a half-mask this time. Unfortunately, Junlin didn't have any masks suitable for the Venice Carnival in Italy, so he could only cut off the lower half of a clown mask he bought and wear it. Although he couldn't wear a helmet, Cheng Yijiu replaced it with a large round hat with feathers. "If this continues, I should change my name to Zorro."

Cheng Yijiu rode in a carriage into King's Landing and arrived at the Red Keep, where the king held a grand banquet to entertain his vassals and the knights who caught his eye at the tournament. King Robert spent most of his time either at banquets or in brothels, and left the handling of state affairs to his adoptive father and king.

When Cheng Yijiu arrived, many knights and nobles had already arrived. Most of them were wearing half-body armor, but Cheng Yijiu was different. This time, even the queen paid special attention to Cheng Yijiu's outfit - in this day and age, Cheng Yijiu's outfit was considered extremely coquettish.

Many noble knights were also impressed, and some were silently scanning the style of Cheng Yijiu's clothes, apparently preparing to buy a set for themselves. When the name was announced loudly, Cheng Yijiu said in a low-key manner, "My name is Daniel, not a knight." This pseudonym was completely random.

Cheng Yijiu's words made it clear that he was actually a mercenary, which drew contemptuous glances from the princes present. However, half of Cheng Yijiu's face under the mask smiled. He had already remembered, "Robert has dark brown hair, Queen Cersei has blonde hair, and Prince Joffrey has blonde hair... Genetically speaking, this is not Robert's child."

Then Cheng Yijiu vaguely seemed to remember that it was a sibling affair, so Joffrey's father... Cheng Yijiu glanced at Jaime, the Queen's twin brother, who was following behind the King. He had the same golden hair as Queen Cersei...

It seemed Robert's hair shouldn't be dark brown, but rather green, a lustrous green—but it didn't matter, since the king had heard he had many illegitimate children. Robert noticed Cheng Yijiu still wearing the mask and dressed like this, and curiously touched it, perhaps because he thought it looked handsome. "Will you be my knight?" Robert asked again.

Cheng Yijiu declined again, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I don't want to be bound to any place in Westeros." His words earned the king another laugh. He even saw a look of approval on Robert's face. The king nodded, "The right choice."

The queen didn't care, but the prince once again showed a twisted expression. It seemed that this kid simply couldn't accept that someone dared to refuse the king's request. If he were the king, he would probably have been split in two by Cheng Yijiu at this moment... The food provided at the banquet was just so-so in Cheng Yijiu's opinion, but it was better than what was served in the average tavern.

After eating and drinking, the game of bare-handed wrestling began. Compared to formal knightly jousting, this kind of bare-handed wrestling could certainly be considered a game. It was also useful on the battlefield. Tripping the opponent and then stabbing the seam of the helmet was a way to deal with heavily armored knights.

Cheng Yijiu also participated in such a competition. He took off his shirt to reveal his strong upper body. For a moment, all the maids present stared at Cheng Yijiu's body, and even the queen was no exception - because that was a body that looked like a marble statue. It did not look thin but had muscles wrapped in a round layer of fat.

Especially compared to the average person in this world, Cheng Yijiu's skin was incredibly delicate and almost hairless, like ivory. His fighting skills, displayed in wrestling, were also impressive—techniques honed through countless hours of practice. Even though Cheng Yijiu wasn't familiar with bare-handed combat, the techniques he could display were far more refined than those of the guys here.

This kind of thing is inherently about mastering one skill and mastering all. If a swordsman is skilled, then at least his footwork and sense of distance are not weak in ordinary hand-to-hand combat. Cheng Yijiu easily defeated ten knights in this regard. He had a comprehensive advantage in strength, speed, and skill, so no one could defeat him.

This guy could strangle a lion with his bare hands. To him, this kind of fight was like a game. He probably needed the Mountain to come and fight. For a moment, no one came up to challenge Cheng Yijiu. He proudly walked around the arena with his hands raised high - this was the honor of a champion knight.

Wearing a lion skin would have been even more glorious, but Cheng Yijiu wasn't that showy—if he revealed himself to be the Lion Knight, he'd be in trouble. The entire crowd cheered, applauding the powerful warrior. The king again proposed that Cheng Yijiu become a trainer, but Cheng Yijiu declined for the third time.

Robert was not angry. Instead, he was quite envious of Cheng Yijiu. He took out a bag of money and gave it to Cheng Yijiu as a reward. Now, Cheng Yijiu could even buy a boat to the other side, not to mention the travel expenses.

Chapter 11 Plunder

The banquet was over and everyone went back very happily. Cheng Yijiu's keen eyesight noticed that some knights had slipped away with the maids who served at the banquet, and some noble ladies knew something was wrong at a glance - because the people who left one after another were definitely not their husbands... Even Cheng Yijiu himself was teased by several noble ladies. If he wanted, he could experience the pleasure of being caught in adultery by the husbands of court nobles tonight.

However, Cheng Yijiu had no interest in the so-called noble ladies of Junlin, at least not in this stinking city. He just wanted to return to the suburbs, pack up his things, and leave quickly. The carriage took him back to the inn, but just as Cheng Yijiu was about to rest, several masked men in armor arrived, brandishing swords and ready to kill him. Cheng Yijiu was not wearing any armor except for the sword in his hand.

Cheng Yijiu drew his sword and flung the scabbard at the men, forcing them to block. He certainly couldn't escape now—no way. After all, Cheng Yijiu dealt more with wild animals than with humans, and he was fundamentally a hunter, not a warrior. Taking advantage of their pause, Cheng Yijiu draped the lion skin from the box over himself. The sight of the golden lion skin made the men hesitate again.

The next moment, a flash of lightning flashed as Cheng Yijiu's sword slashed. Against his extraordinary speed and strength, the human body was no different from clay. Even those wearing chain mail were easily cut in half. One man slid straight down the chest, split in two, his arms still clutching the sword as they clanked to the ground. Blood gushed out, the other three men frozen in fear. Cheng Yijiu stabbed another one with a single thrust, the Soul-Breaking Sword piercing through the man's throat, the blade nearly severing his neck completely.

The man's head had fallen back, only two pieces of flesh hanging on. The remaining two men wielded their swords recklessly. Their earlier slashes and thrusts had missed their target, instead being met by the target's simultaneous strikes, deflecting their blows and striking the first one down. The second was stabbed in the panic. Now, though they remained unharmed, they faced the warrior draped in the lion's skin. The words of the "Lion Knight" were on their lips, but they could not utter them.

The last man had already dropped his sword and fled, while the third, already closed in by Cheng Yijiu, desperately swung his sword diagonally, his power and speed incomparable to his usual form, appearing slow and shaky. Cheng Yijiu stepped forward, half-turning his sword to deflect the opponent's longsword, and with a single blow of his own greatsword, he severed half of the last man's skull. It was indeed the unique skills of a European swordsman, and the moment he struck, he was extremely dangerous.

Three people fell in the lobby and corridor of the inn. The innkeeper had already hidden himself, and Cheng Yijiu was too lazy to put on his armor. He threw his luggage onto the mule cart parked outside, got on the cart with the lion skin on, and drove the mule away.

He was already outside King's Landing, and there wouldn't be any fools from King's Landing like the gold cloaks harassing him anytime soon, so his journey out was smooth. "Who sent these people to try to assassinate me?" Cheng Yijiu pondered this question as he drove. There was only one answer—the prince. No one else should want to kill him. Cheng Yijiu, wearing a lion's skin, didn't care about the stares he received on the road.

Later that day, King Robert and the people of King's Landing learned that the Lion Knight had been there, had participated in the tournament, and had won the grand prize—a tip-off from the prince, who had been beaten by his father for attempting to murder a powerful knight. Cheng Yijiu moved quickly, purchasing a sturdy horse and carriage not far from King's Landing, replacing the original mule carriage. This way, it would be difficult for the king to find him.

Old Port was much cleaner than King's Landing, and Cheng Yijiu had also bought a boat—a small sloop that only needed a few crew members to operate. Their route was simple: sail along the southern coastline and finally cross the strait to the other side. They could also bring in some local specialties to sell—Cheng Yijiu himself didn't care, but he didn't mind the crew selling goods.

He just needed enough supplies to get him to his destination; whether he wanted the ship after that was another matter. As for the prince? He'd kill him later when he had the chance. Cheng Yijiu vaguely remembered who had killed him. "I've forgotten who, but with his personality, I'm afraid everyone in Junlin, except his parents, would want him dead." Cheng Yijiu felt that there was probably no need for him to do anything.

The ship put out to sea, heading south along the coastline. The crew Cheng Yijiu had found seemed relatively reliable; at least they didn't look like pirates. And with his broadsword and short spear in hand, Cheng Yijiu wasn't particularly afraid of pirates—he didn't get seasick, and his excellent balance kept him steady on the swaying deck. Were there pirates in the Middle Ages? The crew said yes, but they wouldn't necessarily rob their small sailboat—it was only thirty meters long, with a single mast. It wasn't fast, but it was quite seaworthy, with a wide hull, typical of a merchant ship.

Westerosi shipbuilding was based on Western technology. The cabins had no compartments, let alone watertight compartments. If a plank broke and water entered, it would be a disaster. The cabins were simply divided into sleeping quarters and cargo holds, where cargo, supplies, and water barrels were mixed in. As for Cheng Yijiu, he had his own place to live. As the ship's owner, he lived in a house on deck.

Living on deck was much more comfortable than sleeping in the cabin, but like the cabin, it was quite damp. Cheng Yijiu simply wore a linen short-sleeved shirt and shorts, along with leather-soled sandals purchased in Old Harbor. He also smeared himself with sunscreen, also purchased in Old Harbor—and to mask the unpleasant smell, he had to constantly use perfume. The lion skin was so well hidden that the crew had no idea he was the Lion Knight—a rising star in Westeros, legendary for defeating the Mountain and arguably one of Westeros's most powerful knights.

Cheng Yijiu spent his days on deck practicing swordsmanship and doing calisthenics. The journey had been peaceful, at least until the sailors spotted the black-sailed ship. Terrified, they pointed at it and told Cheng Yijiu, "Those are the Iron Men! Sea raiders!" Cheng Yijiu had already heard about the Iron Men in Old Harbor, a race of pirates. "How could they sail their ships to the southern seas? Aren't they supposed to be operating in the northwest?"

It is normal to come to the south to plunder, but it is rare to go beyond the Old Port and go further south.

Chapter 12 Boarding

The black sailboat was also a single-masted sailboat, but it was much narrower and longer than Cheng Yijiu's ship, and the height of the ship's side was also higher than Cheng Yijiu's merchant ship. The most important thing was that the people who appeared on the deck were not good people at first glance. These guys were dressed like Mediterranean Ottoman Turkish pirates and were wielding scimitars and daggers in their hands, and some were using axes.

Cheng Yijiu's crew were already crying. If they were robbed by the Iron Men, even if they didn't resist, they would surely lose all their possessions. If they were unlucky, they might even be sold into slavery. And if they resisted, they were so few in number that they would likely be killed. But the captain didn't seem resigned to his fate. Originally, they might have been given a small sampan by the Iron Men and allowed to row to shore on their own, but now it looked like they were in trouble.

Want to persuade the captain not to resist? But the captain also looks like a formidable warrior. "Can we pull the ship closer to the shore? Will our ship be damaged if it washes up on the beach? Can we get back to the sea?" Cheng Yijiu was not an experienced sailor. He asked the sailors before the black sail pirate ship caught up. "Of course we can, but there is no guarantee that we can tow it back to the sea. It depends on the height of the tide."

But either way, it wasn't the right choice right now—this stretch of coastline was all rocky, and getting close would likely result in a collision with a reef. The pirate ship was much faster than the merchant ship, even though their tonnage was comparable. The pirate ship's cargo capacity was certainly less than Cheng Yijiu's, as they had devoted a significant portion of their displacement to the weapons on the sides and deck—small catapults, more for intimidation than for practical use.

The pirate ship also had crow hooks on both sides of the ship. They were currently pulled up, but once they got close, they could simply be lowered to hook their target, creating a tunnel. The pirates could then step on the planks and rush to their prey's ship to engage. "What a mistake! We really should have installed a crossbow at the bow and stern." As a hunter himself, Cheng Yijiu had also studied a number of ancient projectile weapons, particularly crossbows and miniaturized crossbows.

A crossbow that uses a torsion spring to fire is indeed a very good long-range weapon if installed on a ship. If he had it now, he could directly launch a fire bomb to burn the enemy's sails. Now Cheng Yijiu could only ask the sailors to try to get close to the shore and use the shallow water and reefs on the shore to cover their side. "Let them chase, this chase will take at least dozens of minutes." The wind was not strong at the moment, and no one was walking fast.

The pirate ship was a galley, and if they really started paddling, Cheng Yijiu didn't think he could escape for ten minutes. The sailors seemed to be panicking, so he ordered them to lower the sails—with no one at the helm, the fate of not lowering the sails would be hitting the rocks. "Hide inside the cabin," Cheng Yijiu ordered, and he began to stretch his hands and feet, taking out his greatsword—his short spear was also taken out and stuck aside.

He didn't wear armor, as it wouldn't be wise to do so at sea if he fell in the water. He'd be heartbroken if he lost it—it was armor blessed by Apollo. So he wore a lion skin instead... The warriors, clad in lion skins, stood on the deck, awaiting the bloody battle. "What a disgusting mission! It's supposed to be hunting a dragon, but now we're fighting humans. What kind of hunting is this? It's not even the most dangerous prey..." Cheng Yijiu muttered.

With his outfit, a wooden stick would be more suitable.

A merchant ship with its sails lowered looked like surrendering prey to the Ironborn on the pirate ship. They gleefully approached, lowering their crowbars. As for the men on deck, even armed, they allowed the captain to die. Besides, wasn't that a bit of fun? But the captain's fur looked a little strange from the front. It looked like the Lannister crest. Who fights in a lion skin?

The first pirate to reach the ship didn't need to worry about this, as Cheng Yijiu, who had stepped forward to block the crow, immediately beheaded him. The original cold iron material used in the greatsword "Soulbreaker" was a very fine blade steel. Combined with the sharp blade honed through folding forging and heat treatment, and the enchanted incantations attached to it, this weapon was truly worthy of being called a "weapon that cuts through iron."

Therefore, with Cheng Yijiu's powerful strength and outstanding skills, it was a piece of cake to easily cut off a pirate's head. Because the pirate ship only had a crow bridge on one side, the other pirates swung over with ropes, while Cheng Yijiu ran across the deck of this small ship like the wind, using his greatsword to kill one Ironborn after another - these guys were without armor, so Cheng Yijiu's fighting skills could play a maximum killing effect.

These men were armed with sailor scimitars or daggers, which inherently put them at a disadvantage against his greatsword. A simple clash of Cheng Yijiu's double-edged sword could inflict fatal wounds on unarmored enemies, and blood quickly pooled ankle-deep on the deck. Before they could react, all the Ironborn's vanguard warriors had been slain by Cheng Yijiu—whether they attacked alone, in pairs, or in threes, they were all killed in a remarkably short time.

One sword, one man—such was the might of a European swordsman. Only then did the Ironborn, belatedly realizing the identity of the warrior draped in the lion's skin, remember the legend of the Lion Knight, who had vanquished the meat grinder that was the Mountain. While no one knew his true identity, who else could possess such a powerful sword while wearing a lion's skin? The Ironborn realized that more than a dozen of their own men had already perished. It was as if none of the warriors who had rushed forward had survived, having been slain by the Lion Knight.

There were less than forty Ironmen on board. After all, it was a small sloop. Any more would have been suicidal. Cheng Yijiu had killed a third of them in just a few minutes. Some of the remaining Ironmen were maddened, while others were terrified. Cheng Yijiu didn't give them a chance to react. He took the initiative and rushed onto the Crow Bridge. In two steps, he crossed the bridge and rushed into the pirate ship, slaughtering them.

His reflexes, speed, and strength were all top-notch, even surpassing those of ordinary humans. So, as soon as he landed, facing his hesitant opponents, he immediately cut down two of them... And what could he do next? Of course, he faced an attack—the Nemean lion's fur was indestructible, even a scimitar wouldn't break it, and a dagger would be like stabbing steel.

To knock Cheng Yijiu down, one would have to try to hit the parts of him that were not covered by the lion skin—but these parts were all in front of him, or one would have to lie on the ground and try to chop his ankles...

Chapter 13 Crossing the Sea

It was impossible to stealthily chop Cheng Yijiu's ankles. The lion-skinned warriors moved very quickly, with superb reflexes and strength. Furthermore, the battle was chaotic, so where would there be a gap to chop someone's feet while they rolled on the ground? Those lying on the ground were all felled by Cheng Yijiu, and they were the type that would soon expire.

The deck was slippery with blood, even up to the ankles. Cheng Yijiu knocked down the surrounding Iron Men like felling logs, until the Iron Men captain rushed up with a roar and a battle axe in his hand. This guy was wearing heavy armor and was not afraid of falling into the water and drowning - Cheng Yijiu didn't know that these guys actually couldn't drown.

So what if it was a battle axe? So what if he was the leader of the Ironborn? Cheng Yijiu dealt with him with a simple sword exchange—a twist of his wrist to deflect the blow, and then slashed the Soul-Breaking Sword across his throat. The sharp blade sliced ​​through the armor protecting his throat, slicing through most of his neck, sending blood gushing out...

Cheng Yijiu then drew his sword, turned around, and split the head of the charging Iron Man with one blow, killing another. The Iron Man stopped resisting, because if they continued, it would only mean a massacre by one man. They had no chance at all. Cheng Yijiu had killed more than 25 people, and there were less than 10 people left on the pirate ship.

Since the enemy had stopped resisting, Cheng Yijiu would not kill them all—he simply swung his sword four or five times and severed the copper-clad mast. The tall mast fell, smashing the side of the ship and landing heavily on the sea. Cheng Yijiu returned to his own ship and, with three or five strokes of his sword, shattered the crow bridge hooked to the side of his ship. "Come out, set sail, we're leaving."

He ordered his crew to wash the decks and dump the bodies directly into the sea, and the crew now worshipped him as a god—the Lion Knight, the most powerful warrior in Westeros, and his performance was practically godlike. How else to explain his invulnerable lion hide, how to explain his single-handed slaughter of more than twenty Ironborn?

Only the legendary demigod heroes can do all this.

The crew used seawater to wash the deck. Red water flowed into the sea from the side of the ship, attracting several sharks. However, sharks would not eat the carcasses thrown into the sea. After several washes with seawater, a little red still remained on the deck, and the smell of blood was still there. So the crew took out the Bible Stone and the accumulated rainwater, and used the Bible Stone to wash the deck and polish it.

Cheng Yijiu also washed himself. The lion skin was also stained with blood. He washed it with rainwater and took out the oil to maintain it. However, it seemed that this lion skin actually needed no maintenance, because it was probably a sacred object. The merchant ship continued to sail and did not encounter any pirates.

After a month, the ship finally arrived in Braavos. Cheng Yijiu had heard that the remnants of the Targaryen family were active there, and perhaps there would be news of dragons there as well. This ship was completely unremarkable in Braavos, the City of Sails, a city-state with multiple islands and a huge navy.

Cheng Yijiu allowed the merchant ship to dock at the port, then he took his money and left - he didn't care about the ship, so he just gave it to the sailors - he might not return to Westeros, so what was the point of having the ship?

Braavos was much cleaner than King's Landing. They were both port cities, but Braavos wasn't as smelly. He wanted to get information, but the tavern wasn't the place to go—this information was from the upper echelons, and it was impossible to get it in a regular tavern. Cheng Yijiu didn't know who to ask. He finally remembered that the dragons seemed to have been hatched there by the Dothraki.

"So we're going to the nomads?" Cheng Yijiu decided he should hurry and travel overland, so all he needed to do was buy horses. The next day, he bought three horses and headed towards the Dothraki Sea. This time, Cheng Yijiu also bought a bow and a quiver of arrows—the Dothraki, as the locals called them, were simply bandits on horseback, the author's version of a nomadic people from the Central Asian steppes.

Cheng Yijiu was not afraid of them at all. The alien-time isotopes of these people were beaten up by his ancestors in the past so badly that they became good at singing and dancing. So he was not afraid of these guys at all now. If they wanted to rob him, he would let them see what it meant to be skilled in archery and horsemanship.

Unfortunately, most of the people who are skilled in archery and horse riding are the opponents. Cheng Yijiu is really not good at riding a horse. He can ride a horse, but if he is asked to shoot an arrow on a galloping horse, he will definitely miss the target. When it comes to wielding weapons to kill people, he can rely on his extraordinary coordination, but it still comes down to this sentence - he lacks experience, so he can just kill a few more people.

Cheng Yijiu recalled his past experience shooting a spear from a horse; it was much simpler than drawing an arrow with a bow. Even using a crossbow was easier than using a bow. He followed the trade route all the way to the prairie, asking around for information about the remnants of the Dragon Clan in vain. Finally, he was lucky enough to hear a piece of old news—that the Dragon Clan seemed interested in bringing in Dothraki as reinforcements.

For this reason, it seems that the princess has to be married to the so-called Horse King of the Dothraki - "The Wolf Lord is the Wolf Lord, the Khan is the Khan, and what the hell is a Horse King? Dothraki trash." Cheng Yijiu heard that the Dothraki people actually all had light armor or no armor, and immediately realized that they were actually a bunch of useless nomads.

And what about the trading city-states that were being beaten into submission by useless nomads? It was obvious. The powerful nomadic peoples Cheng Yijiu remembered were primarily heavily armored cavalry. Those who practiced mounted archery were practically rubbish; heavy assault cavalry was the way to go. Mounted archery was essentially a harassing attack, disrupting the enemy's formation and causing them to become distracted, creating opportunities for the real heavy assault cavalry.

Cheng Yijiu's horse was pretty average, but much better than the ones he'd seen at tourist attractions. It was similar to the one he'd ridden on his last hunt, a typical European medium-sized horse. He could rotate the three horses: one carried the feed, one the luggage, and one for Cheng Yijiu to ride, rotating them regularly.

Moreover, Cheng Yijiu did not ask for speed, he just let the horse walk. It was not far from the trading city-state to the place where the Dothraki were active. The Dothraki tribes "Khalasar" would frequently appear here and plunder those poor people who were farming and grazing.

Of course, they would also rob anyone they met on the road. Only some caravans recognized by the Dothraki would enter the Dothraki Sea safely. Almost all the handicrafts needed by the Dothraki were brought by these caravans, so not robbing these caravans was an iron rule.

After passing the deserted farmer's village, the area where the Dothraki appeared was right in front of them. Cheng Yijiu got off his horse and walked, leading the horse - the bow in his hand was a combat bow. If a battle broke out, he felt it would be better for him to fight on foot against the cavalry.

Chapter 14: In-depth

Cheng Yijiu heard the sound of horse hooves in the distance and untied the bundle from his horse—he was already wearing chain mail, he just didn't cover himself with the lion skin. "There's no place to tie the horse here. If the horse gets spooked and takes my gear with it, I'll be in big trouble." He flexed the muscles in his arms and back—he'd need these muscles to draw the bow if there was a fight later.

After a few rounds of alternating between movement and relaxation, Cheng Yijiu knew he had fully stretched the muscles he needed. He picked up his combat bow—even if he had money, the compound bows he could buy were still limited to a certain level, certainly no match for modern compound bows. This combat bow had a draw weight of about 100 pounds, but Cheng Yijiu had tested it and found it was no match for the 60-pound draw weight of a modern recurve bow.

This was already the strongest bow Cheng Yijiu could buy. Bows stronger than this were usually custom-made or private collections. Cheng Yijiu held the bow in his left hand and adjusted the quiver to a more comfortable position with his right hand, waiting for the other party to appear.

As expected, they were Dothraki. Over a dozen riders, bare-chested fools wearing nothing but painted leather vests, came charging at us on their warhorses. Even the Mongols, at their worst, would wear full-body fur robes while foraging, yet these guys charged right in with their chests bare. "Maybe they didn't all die because they can reproduce like animals?" Cheng Yijiu couldn't think of a reason why a fully armored army could lose to these Dothraki. Any forced explanation would be the author's malice.

Their weapons were bows and arrows, and scimitars. As they drew closer, Cheng Yijiu could hear the sound of bells—yes, these guys wore pigtails with bells tied to them. Cheng Yijiu had no interest in negotiating with them. The only thing these barbarians knew how to do was plunder, and they only dressed like civilized people when entering a city-state to trade. Cheng Yijiu pulled out an arrow. There were twenty arrows in his quiver, carefully selected at his expense.

These arrows were long and heavy. Given the Dothraki's lack of armor, Cheng Yijiu chose a strategy with a mix of spade-shaped and triangular arrowheads. He currently had the triangular arrowhead on board. With a burst of force from his arms and back muscles, Cheng Yijiu drew his bow like a full moon, aiming his arrow at a Dothraki charging forward—they also tried to draw their bows, but were still too far away. Cheng Yijiu released his grip, and the arrow, like a meteor, pierced the distant horse's head, passing through and piercing the Dothraki knight on his horse.

The vanguard knight fell to the ground, both horse and rider. Cheng Yijiu sighed, "This arrow will be useless if I don't re-feather it. If I had known this would happen, I should have brought a modern bow." He sighed as he drew out his second arrow and quickly fired again—Apollo's blessing had made him an exceptional archer. The second arrow killed another man, but he could only fire one more, so Cheng Yijiu quickly drew out his spade-shaped arrow.

At this moment, the Dothraki also released the first round of arrows. Cheng Yijiu casually deflected them—using the back of his bow, since he didn't expect the bow to last much longer. The next moment, a third Dothraki fell to the ground and was dragged away by the horse. He was also killed by an arrow. Cheng Yijiu casually tossed the bow aside and drew a short spear. The fourth Dothraki was also dead, pierced through the chest by the short spear.

At this point, some Dothraki drew their bows again, while those charging ahead drew their scimitars. Cheng Yijiu also drew his greatsword, Soulbreaker, and prepared to meet the cavalry's charge—unarmored cavalry could only rely on impact, and it would likely result in both sides suffering losses. To Cheng Yijiu, the enemy's arrows seemed slow and soft, so he could simply deflect them with his greatsword. If that didn't work, he could brace his flesh and use his mail armor to block them—his mail armor was divinely gifted, offering exceptionally strong defense.

Besides, he'd already donned the lion skin, so even without a helmet, he wasn't afraid of being shot in the head. Indeed, Cheng Yijiu felt a helmet might obstruct his vision this time, so he didn't wear one. The Dothraki, commanding his position, exploited his horse's speed to deliver a powerful blow, but Cheng Yijiu dodged it effortlessly, holding his sword horizontally with both hands and letting the horse unhinge its legs.

The warhorse fell to the ground with a wail, and the cavalryman on it was thrown far away, and it was unknown whether he was killed or not.

By then, Cheng Yijiu had dodged the second scimitar, slicing through the horse's flank and severing the rider's leg. The sharpness of the Soulbreaker Sword and Cheng Yijiu's power had sobered the Dothraki behind him. The battle, from the first arrow to this moment, had lasted only a minute. In that minute, six of them had been killed, while the enemy remained unscathed and looked like they could kill six more until they were all gone.

The warriors, draped in the magnificent hides of wild beasts, were so formidable that even the Dothraki refused to surrender. They emitted eerie whistles, reined in their horses, and quickly retreated—one of them even being shot in the process. Only after the Dothraki had vanished from sight did Cheng Yijiu survey the battlefield. "Everyone struck by arrows is dead." He pulled the arrows from the dead, wiped the blood, and carefully examined them to see if they were still usable. Luckily, only one arrow was unusable.

We could make up for it with the arrows the Dothraki were carrying—hopefully they had arrows of sufficient length and at best of acceptable quality.

Of the two men he'd struck with his greatsword, the one with a broken thigh also died, having bled to death. Cheng Yijiu, who had been thrown out, was still alive when he found him. He had a few broken bones, but he wasn't dead. "Lucky, I didn't even break my neck." The Dothraki couldn't understand Cheng Yijiu's language at all. He just stared at him with a twisted grin. "You're a Dothraki warrior who despises life... whether it's someone else's or your own." Cheng Yijiu casually chopped off the man's head with his sword, giving him a hearty blow.

These people had no money, but they had weapons, but Cheng Yijiu looked down upon them. He couldn't even find a single arrow that could be considered qualified from them - who made him so demanding? The only thing Cheng Yijiu gained was two horses, which he got without running away. Together with his own horses, he had a total of five horses - but it was obvious that the Dothraki horses were better than the three horses he bought.

However, to travel with these horses, Cheng Yijiu felt that it would be better to find a carriage - preferably one with shock absorbers, even though the Dothraki Sea is a prairie, the terrain is also undulating. Fortunately, there should be a town nearby, and he might be able to buy one.

Chapter 15

Unfortunately, there were no carriages for sale in this town, and there were even few people there—the Dothraki had raided once, and many people had fled elsewhere. This made Cheng Yijiu very unhappy, and his already low opinion of the Dothraki plummeted even further. He would not let these horse thieves go easily in the future. The only good thing was that Cheng Yijiu sold his horse. The horse he had originally ridden was bought by a local, which was a small relief.

He was currently riding a captured Dothraki horse. These people must have had some interest in breeding horses, and the horses Cheng Yijiu had were all quite good. "The horses were quite evenly matched. It seems the Dothraki have indeed bred some very good horses." Cheng Yijiu rode deeper into the prairie—because he had heard that the most powerful Dothraki khal might marry a princess from the Dragon family.

Cheng Yijiu really didn't know that it was still quite some time before the dragon appeared. He just kept running towards where the Dothraki were gathered. This was a very dangerous move. Cheng Yijiu was a very strong warrior, but if he was really besieged by the Dothraki, he would definitely die. He was not a real bandit, so it was impossible for him to kill every Dothraki he met.