Tang Li, sensing the tide was turning, immediately rallied his men. In his mind, he had dozens of men shielded by the dispel weapons talismans, while the opponent capable of breaking them was He Muxian alone. If they took turns, each engaging for a round or two, even she would tire out.

　　With a command, over twenty bandits leaped onto the slope, encircling the three at the front and the caravan.

　　Shen Huan steeled his resolve and ordered, "Reinforcements!"

　　The order was like a mountain—unyielding. Twenty-plus policeman appeared at their side. Observing their leader, clad in a three-starred robe, there was no doubt—this man was Li He, the abandoned disciple of Flying Star Sect.

　　Seeing him, He Muxian's anger boiled over. Her current predicament was directly linked to his interception of her family letter. With a few swift steps, she pointed her sword at him, her throat choked with emotion. Li He knew it was bad and could only prepare to fight.

　　As the team charged in, Ji Yanshi and Huang Qin ceased watching from the sidelines and drew their weapons to join the fray.

　　On the cross slope, both sides erupted into a fierce battle.

　　A strange occurrence—the bandits and martial artists found that many of their dispel weapons talismans had lost their effect. Where the swords struck, there was no longer any wooden form.

　　He Muyu on the side was so delighted she almost jumped for joy.

　　Zhou Ge grabbed her arm and pressed her to the ground. "Save your happiness for when we get back home," he said.

　　"I know, I know, you're so wordy," she retorted.

　　On the north side of the slope, Huang Yan crouched in the grass, bitter laughter escaping his lips. Amidst his amusement, he slowly began to move away.

　　"Huh... what are you up to, Huang?" came a voice.

　　Huang Yan's heart trembled, almost causing him to collapse onto the ground.

　　"Isn't that... isn't that you, Dang Liaoze?"

　　"I've been here the whole time," Dang Liaoze lowered his voice and asked, "Are you trying to escape?"

　　Huang Yan clapped a hand over his mouth. "Dang Liaoze, The dispel weapons talismans was broken, you see my situation—He Muxian is too evil."

　　"I understand, I feel the same way. But the outcome of the battle is still undecided. Let's watch a bit longer."

　　"Watch more? Alright..."

　　Just then, a thick fog descended, limiting visibility to only a few feet. Accompanying the fog were wisps of green smoke.

　　Shen Huan produced a wind-stirring herb and planted it in the ground. Soon, several gusts of wind arose, dispersing some of the smoke, but the green mist hovering above the ground refused to dissipate.

　　"Fall back!"

　　The voice came from beyond the smoke, and a figure with a mottled green head emerged, shaking.

　　"Hehehe... Shen, Sixth Junior Sister, Seventh Junior Brother, how do you like my smoke?"

　　Qing Hu had just finished speaking when a figure dressed in a Feixing robe flew backward, spitting blood.

　　Li He hit the ground hard and struggled to sit up.

　　"Ouch! Why didn't you catch me...?" He coughed out more blood.

　　Qing Hu observed him. He had suffered quite a number of cuts, each emitting an icy chill. There was also a gash on his neck that looked like it had been made by a sword.

　　He was about to ask how Li He could have sustained a fatal wound yet still speak when the man collapsed and died.

　　"That junior sister is ruthless," Qing Hu mused to himself.

　　A voice emerged from the green smoke. "Congratulations to Third Senior Brother on your improved sorcery."

　　"Junior Sister, flattery won't get you anywhere. Have you used up your the wind-stirring herb? Say something nice to me and perhaps I'll spare your life! Otherwise, with one command from me, you'll all be turned into sieves."

　　On the other side, General An could no longer bear to watch and signaled the trees, leading his men around to the enemy's rear.

　　The bandits without the protection of the dispel weapons talismans trembled at the sight of the soldiers, including their leader Tang Li.

　　Down the slope, Huang Yan's tongue felt thick. "Dang Liaoze, I used to be a woodsman, occasionally hunting rabbits. Who would've thought I'd end up in this situation? Dang Liao, I'm going to make a move first..."

　　Dang Liaoze grabbed him. "We have reinforcements. Let's watch a bit longer."

　　"Watch? Are you asking me to risk my life?"

　　Down the slope, Qing Hu remained unimpressed. "Sixth Junior Sister, do you think I'll be intimidated by your numbers? If I order my men to shoot arrows, how many of you will survive? I have a suggestion—let's each take a step back. I'll dispel the smoke, and you withdraw your soldiers."

　　Shen Hui knew Qing Hu well and shouted, "Are you scared?"

　　"Hehehe... scared of you? Fire the arrows!"

　　To be honest, there weren't many arrows on the mountain, or they would have been used earlier. Those equipped with bows and arrows began shooting, while those without faced the onslaught of arrows emerging from the smoky haze.

　　Amidst the clanging of metal and cries of pain, more and more policemen fell to the ground.

　　Skilled martial artists like He Muxian and Ji Yanshi could deflect the arrows with ease, but those with lesser skills found it hard to react in time to the arrows emerging from the smoky haze.

　　A voice emerged from beyond the maze. "Junior Sister, why haven't you surrendered yet?"

　　"Shen, use the Muxian Powder," Ji Yanshi prompted.

　　Shen Huan smacked his forehead. How could he have forgotten about it? Truly, he had made a mistake in the heat of the moment. He immediately opened the paper packet and scattered the Muxian Grass powder around the wind-stirring herb.

　　A gentle breeze arose, carrying the powdered grass and effectively dispersing the smoke. Wherever the powder went, the green hue vanished.

　　Qing Hu cursed inwardly, wondering who had disrupted his smoke maze. Whoever it was, he vowed to make them pay.

　　With the smoke cleared, there was no more need to hide. He Muxian charged forward, sword raised, followed closely by Ji Yanshi. The two of them engaged the leader together.

　　Shen Huan led the others against the remaining bandits, flanking them with General An's soldiers.

　　Down the slope, Dang Liaoze sat disappointedly on the ground. "This is it... why did I have to come down from the mountain? This is asking for trouble. Huang, what do you say... Huang? Where'd he go?" He looked around but couldn't find Huang Yan anywhere.

　　In an instant, he was back on the slope amidst the chaos of battle. The martial artists and soldiers were fighting with increasing fervor, while the bandits were growing more timid and cowardly. The situation was heavily one-sided.

　　Qing Hu found himself in a similar predicament. Facing two swords with only his palms, he was panting heavily from the exertion.

　　After sixty or seventy exchanges, He Muxian stabbed him in the arm, and Ji Yanshi kicked him away by two zhang (approximately six feet).

　　Qing Hu fell backward and sat on the ground. "Two against one, impressive," he said, looking around. He couldn't find Dang Liao or anyone else. Cursing inwardly, he wondered, "Where are my helpers? Where are the men from Shuanghuan Mountain? So unreliable."

　　He Muxian approached, sword pointed at his chest. "Third Senior Brother, surrender."

　　Qing Hu played it off. "I'm not moving. You want to kill me? Go ahead, I dare you!"

　　"How do we settle this?"

　　"Take it up with Senior Master. Sue me if you want!"

　　Seeing his unrepentant attitude, Miss He couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. She really wanted to deal with him on the spot, but she knew it wouldn't end well. Besides, he had already lost today.

　　She raised her sword and advanced step by step.

　　Qing Hu, frightened, backed away. "What are you doing? What are you doing?"

　　"When you have a confrontation, I'm afraid that you won't admit it when you arrive, so leave a mark!" She swung her sword and crossed the left side of his face.

　　Qing Hu covered his face in pain: "Okay, junior sister He, it's ruthless enough, I remember today, I'll give you a few dishes one day, and see how you get married." There's nothing to do, I'm leaving. ”

　　"Slow, there's another question, does the third master know what you did today?"

　　"Do you care?"

　　At this moment, two cross-darts flew in front of him.

　　The two of them hit the dart and took a few steps back. There were two strangers in front of him, both of whom were thirty-five or sixteen years old, one with a five-foot barbed sickle pinned to his waist, and the other with a chain double sickle stuck behind his back.

　　The two came closer: "Third brother, it's too late." ”

　　Qing Hu scolded in his heart, and he couldn't bring it on his lips: "Just remember to come." Junior sister, are you okay? It's okay, the third brother is gone! With that, he turned and walked away.

　　Down the slope, the party chose to come to the front: "Two brothers, what's the matter with you?" ”

　　"Don't mention it, if you're in trouble, let's go back and talk about it." One of them said.

　　On the other side, General An and Shen Huan came over to tell that all the thieves in Fangding Mountain were captured.

　　He Muyu, who had been hiding in the shadows for a long time, ran quickly: "Sister, how is it?" ”

　　"It's okay, who is?" He Muxian looked at Zhou Ge.

　　"Brother Shen's friend."

　　"I'll take care of you, let's go home."

　　She left people to clean up the battlefield and returned to the mansion with the convoy.

　　Shen Huan slowly walked in front of Zhou Ge and gave a shallow salute: "Zhou Ge, thank you." ”

　　Zhou Ge asked: "What does Brother Shen mean?" ”

　　"Nothing to say."