"What are you doing? Let go of me!"
The man, suddenly stopped, was naturally displeased. He waved his hand at Bai Ye's arm, trying to break free.
But in the next instant, the man suddenly froze.
Bai Ye's palm was like a vise; he couldn't break free at all. In fact, as Bai Ye tightened his grip, a dull ache began to spread.
Bai Ye spoke again, "Answer my question."
The man swallowed hard. "Don't do anything rash. This is a neutral zone. If you do anything, the Great Wall Guard will hunt you down for sure."
"I know!" Bai Ye leaned in and whispered into the man's ear, "Are you never going to leave the Great Wall for the rest of your life?"
The man's cheek twitched, then he gritted his teeth. "What do you want?"
Bai Ye said, "I've made myself clear. I asked if you've received a mission. Just answer my question."
The man said, "No."
Bai Ye asked, "Then why are you rushing towards the city gate?"
The man said urgently, "Bandits are attacking!"
Bai Ye queried, "Bandits attacking? But there's no mission?"
The man looked at Bai Ye with confusion. "Are you new here?"
Bai Ye nodded. He had only arrived at the Great Wall three or four days ago, and strictly speaking, he was indeed new.
The man explained, "Large-scale attacks are different from the usual hunting missions. For usual hunting missions, you go outside the Great Wall to hunt. There are no restrictions, and you can accept missions anytime. Large-scale attack missions are different; they have time limits, and there are many more war merits awarded upon completion, sometimes with additional rewards. Also, large-scale attack missions have a quota, and if you're late, there'll be none left."
Bai Ye asked, "So, you're rushing to the city gate to get a mission?"
"Yes!" The man nodded. "You can get the mission from the quartermaster at the city gate. Depending on the scale of the attack, the mission quota varies. If the attack isn't too large, and you're a bit late, others will have already taken them."
Bai Ye nodded, then released the man. "Thank you."
The man didn't suspect anything else and turned to run towards the city gate, mistaking Bai Ye for someone new to the situation who was simply asking for information in a peculiar way. However...
The man touched his shoulder, where he had been gripped, and it still ached faintly.
This newcomer is so strong!
Meanwhile, Bai Ye stroked his chin, pondering the situation.
From the information provided by the man, these large-scale attacks seemed to be common occurrences, not hidden missions at all. They were simply a higher-tier version of the hunting missions he could usually accept. Considering that everything outside the Great Wall was a dangerous area, it should just be a normal dangerous area mission.
Then, what about himself?
"So..." Bai Ye scratched his head. "The benefits of being picked up by that woman have finally appeared?"
Bai Ye pondered for a moment, then looked into the distance.
"Teleportation!"
Bai Ye's figure flickered, and he moved rapidly towards the city gate.
In the blink of an eye, Bai Ye arrived near the city gate. He looked around but didn't see Shou Yue's trace. The quartermaster's station near the city gate was already crowded with many chosen ones, all aiming to get a mission.
Bai Ye mused for a moment. He had a hidden mission, and he wasn't sure if ordinary missions could be accepted repeatedly. Moreover, with so many people, it was unlikely he would get one.
"Never mind!" Bai Ye muttered. "Then I won't waste any more time."
Bai Ye ran straight out of the city gate and continued forward.
Outside the Great Wall lay a desolate land. Where should he look for the bandits?
It was simple: follow the ancient road.
The mission was to repel the bandits and retrieve the provisions.
Bandits appear and disappear without a trace, and could be anywhere in the wilderness, making them difficult to find. But the key was retrieving the provisions.
Chang'an regularly transported provisions to the Great Wall, and the transport would certainly follow the ancient road. Therefore, the place where the bandits looted the provisions must be somewhere along the ancient road.
Bai Ye ran quickly, moving forward. After an unknown amount of time, Bai Ye suddenly stopped and listened.
"I hear fighting..." Bai Ye twitched his nose. "And the smell of blood carried by the wind."
Found it!
Bai Ye accelerated again and soon discovered soldiers fighting by the side of the ancient road.
Several provision carts had overturned on the ancient road. The military flag bearing the two characters for "Chang'an" was broken and lay on the ground, covered in footprints.
Further away, soldiers from Chang'an were fighting a large group of bandits, and the situation was not optimistic. The number of bandits was greater than expected, and they were also very strong, with many skilled fighters among them, at least not ordinary soldiers.
As a result, the soldiers were constantly being pushed back. Those who were isolated had already been killed. The remaining ones gathered in small groups, huddled together for survival, putting up a final resistance.
Without hesitation, Bai Ye immediately took out the seven-colored rainbow sword box and threw it forward.
In mid-air, the sword box opened, and seven-colored sword light appeared, striking forward.
*Puff, puff, puff...*
The outermost bandits hadn't even realized what was happening before their bodies were pierced by the sudden sword light. Amidst the scattering blood, they fell from their horses.
"Behind us!" someone shouted loudly. "Enemy attack!"
Many bandits pulled on their reins, turned their horses, and charged towards Bai Ye.
"Sword!"
Bai Ye let out a soft cry. the scarlet sword and the purple sword appeared by his side, and Bai Ye reached out to grip them.
The next instant, two bandits charged at Bai Ye, raising their sabers and hacking down at him.
*Clang, clang!*
A crisp clashing sound echoed.
Bai Ye blocked the sabers with his hands, then skillfully twisted his body, darting through the warhorses. Then...
*Puff!*
The necks of two warhorses spurted crimson blood, and they fell to the ground, flinging their riders off.
Bai Ye turned around, tossed his swords into the air, and quickly formed sword seals!
"Seven-Colored Flowing Light Formation!"
Seven-Colored Flowing Light Formation (Defends the body with seven swords, lasting 90 seconds, with a 120-second cooldown after each use)
In the sky, seven flying swords rotated continuously. Seven-colored flowing light spread across the sky, and then, seven-colored sword light descended.
The next instant, seven-colored sword light fell around Bai Ye, revolving rapidly around his body.
This was considered Bai Ye's only defensive move, but its effect was quite ordinary. It provided no defensive bonus. Flying swords were primarily for offense.
However, for dealing with mere bandits, it was more than enough!
...