Forged in Blood and Shadow

"He thought, No fool would refuse 100 gold coins unless that was his intention all along. I really don't want to interfere, but since I was hired, I guess I will have to do my job," John muttered to himself. He slowly moved towards the bandits, ignoring the bodyguard's shocked exclamation, "Where the fuck are you going? Protect the young lady!"

John continued walking, passing the bodyguard. He released his Qi, a low hum emanating from his body. "How much did you get paid?" he asked the bandit leader.

The bandit leader scoffed, "Hey, brat, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Rejecting 100 gold coins because you heard the voice of a lady?" John questioned. "Doesn't that seem suspicious to you?"

The bandit leader sneered. "Hey boy, if you want to die so badly, so be it!" He signaled to his men. "Kill him!"

John thought, How many are they? About 50? He smiled and disappeared. He quickly moved through the group of bandits, his Qi-woven threads binding them in an instant. He stopped behind them and pulled the threads, tearing them apart. Blood splattered everywhere.

The bandit leader turned around, shocked. The bodyguards and the people in the cart were equally stunned. John started walking towards the bandit leader. "Who sent you?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

The bandit leader was terrified, unable to stand. He stammered, "I… I don't know him. He was wearing black. Paid me 1,000 gold coins to… to kill the young lady."

John asked, "How did you know she was in the cart?"

The bandit leader looked at the three men who had been hired alongside John. He brought out a jade talisman. "They informed me about it using this talisman."

John tied his Qi thread around the bandit leader's neck, cutting off his head. The three men who had been hired were shocked and started running. John moved quickly, killing two of them. He chased after the remaining one, caught him, and delivered a swift, bone-crushing blow, sending him crashing down, the man bit down on the poison hidden in his teeth killing him instantly. He looked at the dead man. He poisoned himself, John realized. He picked up the man's corpse.

A while later, John returned to the cart. "He killed himself using poison," he told the bodyguards. "So I couldn't find any information from him."

The two bodyguards bowed their heads. "Thank you for protecting the young lady," one of them said gratefully.