Starting as The Young Master of A Pharmacy, He Trained Swordsmanship in Seclusion For Twenty Years - Chapter 21

The group of men ran like madmen, desperately charging forward as if they wished they had more legs.

They didn’t stop until they reached a quiet, dense forest. The leader, Brother Hu, finally halted and collapsed to the ground like a dead dog, lying motionless. The others behind him, having caught up, also dropped to the ground, completely drained of energy.

After about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, Brother Hu finally caught his breath, his face still pale. He cursed inwardly:

Damn it all!

Never did he expect to be so unlucky—running into a group of ruthless killers. Luckily, he had fled fast enough. Otherwise, today would’ve been his death anniversary!

“Brother Hu, what do we do now? It’s just us left. How are we going to explain this to the bosses?”

One of the men spoke in a fearful, worried tone.

Even though they had escaped those murderous devils, what awaited them next were the bosses—men even more terrifying than those killers.

“Yeah, Brother Hu, should we still go back to the stronghold and report to them?”

“Brother Hu, maybe we should—”

Another man chimed in, his face anxious as he looked at Brother Hu ahead of him.

Not only had they failed to seize any food or silver, but they had also lost nearly all their men. Only a handful of them remained. If they returned to the stronghold now, who knew what kind of horrific punishment awaited them?

Brother Hu shot a cold glare at the men who had spoken and said sharply:

“Hmph! Going back to the stronghold is out of the question. You all know full well what the bosses are capable of—do I even need to spell it out for you?”

“I’m not going back. This world is vast—I refuse to believe the bosses can find me!”

He could easily see what the others were thinking. They were trying to remind him that returning meant facing the bosses’ wrath.

“Brother Hu is right! We’re willing to follow you and escape this place!”

As soon as Brother Hu finished speaking, the bandits eagerly agreed.

The reason they had clung so tightly to Brother Hu was precisely for this. If they failed the bosses’ mission, death was the only outcome. It was better to desert—at least then, they’d have a sliver of hope for survival.

However, this region was a treacherous expanse of rolling mountains and steep ridges, teeming with deadly beasts and venomous snakes.

With only their rudimentary martial skills, surviving here was nearly impossible. They’d likely be reduced to bones before even making it out of the mountains.

But with Brother Hu—whose martial prowess was far greater—their chances of survival were much higher.

“Good. You’re all smart men. Follow me—I know a hidden mountain path that can take us through this range quickly.”

Brother Hu was pleased with their attitude and didn’t refuse their loyalty.

After all, more men meant greater strength—and a better chance of making it out alive.

Rustle… rustle… rustle…

Just then, the sound of dry branches and leaves crunching underfoot echoed from not far away in the woods. Something—or someone—was approaching.

“Who’s there?!”

Brother Hu immediately tensed, snatching up the broadsword he had planted in the ground and glaring warily into the forest.

The others, startled by his sudden alertness, also grabbed their weapons, their faces filled with panic as they stared outward.

Then, three figures slowly emerged from the trees, stepping into the clearing before them.

One of them was a slender man dressed in a crisp white robe, casually twirling a sharp dagger in his hand.

With a mocking smile, he looked at the panicked Brother Hu and his men, then said in a chilling voice:

“Where are you all off to? How about I send you on your way?”

“Second Boss!”

“Third Boss!”

“You… you… you—!”

“Impossible! This can’t be!”

“How did you find us?!”

The moment Brother Hu recognized the three newcomers, his mind went blank.

Two of them were none other than the very men they had been dreading—the Second and Third Bosses.

He couldn’t understand how they had tracked him down.

This path was supposed to be his secret escape route—a hidden trail he had discovered long ago and kept to himself for emergencies.

“You! You damn traitor!”

Then, his eyes landed on the man standing behind the two bosses, and everything clicked.

The smug look on that man’s face said it all—he was here to gloat.

It was the same man Brother Hu had beaten and sent back to deliver the message earlier.

The man merely smirked in response, offering no explanation.

“Second Boss! Third Boss! Spare us!”

Before Brother Hu could react, the men who had just pledged to follow him in fleeing immediately dropped their weapons and fell to their knees, begging for mercy.

Hmph! Idiots.

Brother Hu cursed inwardly as he watched them grovel.

Did they really think the bosses would let them live after this?

Crack!

Before he could dwell on it further—

The Second Boss moved.

His body shot forward like a cannonball, the dagger in his hand humming with lethal intent.

Brother Hu’s face paled. He gripped his broadsword with both hands and raised it high, trying to block the attack.

Clang!

A sharp metallic screech rang out as the blade shattered.

A flash of cold steel—

The Second Boss twisted his wrist, and the dagger arced upward.

Drip… drip…

The soft sound of liquid hitting dry leaves.

When the dagger reappeared, a few drops of crimson blood slid down its edge.

With a flick of the blade, the droplets scattered onto the ground.

The world spun.

For a brief moment, Brother Hu saw a headless body standing before him.

Then—nothing.

His consciousness plunged into eternal darkness.

“Hmph! Overestimating yourself. A mere Muscle-Tempering ant dares to resist?”

“Ahhh—!”

“Spare us!”

“Second Boss, have mercy!”

A few more agonized screams followed—but they lasted only seconds before silence reclaimed the forest.

Several heavy thuds sounded as objects hit the leaf-covered ground.

Once again, the woods fell into dead stillness.

Only the strong stench of blood from the corpses proved that anything had happened at all.

“Speak. Where did those people run off to? Can we still catch them?”

A deep, rough voice broke the silence.

It was the towering man who had remained still this whole time—the Third Boss.

He was addressing the scrawny traitor who had led them here.

“Huh?”

“Third Boss, I—I don’t know! Those people ran off a long time ago!”

“Probably…”

“Maybe…”

The man stammered, too afraid to give a clear answer.

“Hm?”

“Worthless!”

Crunch!

A sickening crack echoed as the Third Boss’s massive hand clamped down on the man’s skull.