Clippity-clop!
The black horse galloped joyfully across the wheat fields, past windmills and mills, its hooves pounding the ground.
The wind whistled past his ears, carrying the fragrance of grass and trees.
“The taste of freedom…”
Wu Ming looked somewhat dazed: “No matter which world you’re in, true transcendence doesn’t exist. From aging and death to calamities of an era, even the collapse of the universe—without eternal transcendence, which powerful being dares claim absolute freedom? Even ordinary people in this world must pay dearly for just a little relative freedom…”
Leaving Niya Town behind and heading north would lead one into the wilderness, where terrifying beasts and cannibals frequently appeared. Merchant caravans without the protection of over a hundred guards could only rely on fate.
Wu Ming chose instead to head south, entering the heart of the Windfly Plains.
“Castle Howling… that’s the ruling center of Earl Lanshan, and also the largest city on the Windfly Plains…”
He wanted to go there and try his luck—at the very least, to gather more information.
Whether it was obtaining holy oil or the path to becoming a knight, he needed both.
“Especially the holy oil…”
Wu Ming rubbed his nose.
During this time, he had already studied all the common plants in this world, identifying their shared patterns, and had gained considerable confidence in herbal medicine.
Although he knew that holy oil must contain secrets—otherwise it would have already been deciphered by other minor nobles—he still believed he had a chance to crack it due to his superior insight and extensive knowledge.
“It’s just that I’m worried it might involve oaths, deities, or other forms of mystical power…”
Any involvement with such forces inevitably led to great complications. Although Wu Ming desired transcendence, he disliked being bound or restricted.
After riding for half a day, he had already left the baron’s domain.
Wu Ming glanced at the sky, stopped his horse beneath the shade of some trees, opened his pack, and took out a white loaf of bread and a waterskin to prepare for lunch.
He never neglected his own comfort, whether in his main body or in his astral projection.
However, when Wu Ming took his second bite of bread, a cold smile immediately appeared on his face: “So they’ve come?”
Even seasoned soldiers could hear the vibrations in the ground through the weapons they rested their heads on while sleeping, instantly waking up at the sound of a cavalry charge!
Now, his physical abilities had reached the peak of human potential, with powerful perception—surpassing even that!
“Judging from the hoofbeats, there should be five horses! The hooves are heavy but not heavy enough for armor. They’re five light cavalrymen!”
Wu Ming estimated their aggressive approach, especially their determination to charge straight at him, and his lips curled into a cold smile: “Not a waste of my waiting—just in time to eliminate them all!”
Moments later, a cloud of dust appeared from the northern road.
Five dark horse silhouettes charged out, each ridden by fully armed soldiers.
“Kill William!”
Arthur gritted his teeth: “Pretending to be ordinary bandits, no one will find out. Even if someone suspects, no one will truly investigate!”
“No problem, but don’t forget the promises you made afterward!”
A nearby cavalryman coldly laughed.
In this era, soldiers often doubled as robbers and bandits, so killing one or two people didn’t weigh heavily on their consciences.
Even if the victim was a freeman, he wasn’t a noble!
“Of course!”
Arthur agreed, secretly resentful. He was the squad leader of the town guard, originally having ten subordinates—enough for secret operations and relatively loyal.
Unfortunately, almost all his guards had died during the mission, forcing him to rely on help from other soldiers.
At this point, the price he had to pay, as well as the effort required to maintain secrecy, became much greater.
One could say this was his greatest misfortune!
Because none of his trusted men survived, he couldn’t accurately determine Wu Ming’s true strength.
“But… even if you are an elite warrior, what of it?”
Arthur touched the weapon on his back, a mocking smile appearing on his face.
“There he is!”
A sharp-eyed scout pointed at the woods and shouted, urging his horse forward.
“Kill him!”
Arthur roared excitedly.
He had already forgotten how everything had begun with a little jealousy, then being incited to plot against William’s life, and the fear he felt returning to Niya Town.
Right now, he only knew one thing—if he didn’t see William’s head, he would never know peace again!
“Even if this was a mistake from the beginning, I can only let it continue down this path! I will end this once and for all!”
Arthur gritted his teeth and suddenly pulled the weapon from his back.
It was three feet long, with arms spread wide like a horizontally placed longbow, and in the middle was a wooden handle and arrow groove. A steel-tipped arrow gleamed coldly in the sunlight.
“That’s…”
Wu Ming’s incredible eyesight instantly identified the weapon in Arthur’s hand: “A crossbow?!”
Without hesitation, he abandoned the black horse and his pack, grabbed his steel longsword, and disappeared into the jungle.
Five cavalrymen! Wearing leather armor! And bows!
He could still fight them head-on, but with crossbows involved, the situation was different!
“Crossbows are deadly weapons feared even by true knights! How could Arthur have one?”
Wu Ming’s face darkened as he swiftly darted through the jungle: “It must have been stolen from the baron’s armory… He doesn’t even fear severe punishment if discovered. Clearly, his intent to kill me is extremely strong!”
“He’s running fast!”
In an instant, the five cavalrymen reached Wu Ming’s campsite.
Arthur dismounted, seeing the scattered pack, the black horse tied nearby, and the dense jungle ahead. He gritted his teeth: “Dismount and chase him!”
“Wait a moment!”
One of the knights beside him spoke up: “The battlefield of cavalry is on the plains. We shouldn’t enter the forest—it’s dangerous, possibly with traps!”
For all soldiers, the saying “never enter the woods” was a fundamental truth.
“Traps?”
Arthur laughed mockingly: “Look at him—he fled like a bird escaping a cage, obviously without time to set any traps!”
“And besides, there are five of us! We have leather armor and bows!”
He shook the crossbow in his hand: “Why should we fear him?”
This convinced the knight. After a moment’s hesitation, seeing that Wu Ming’s figure was about to disappear, he gritted his teeth and followed the other cavalrymen into the forest.
“William, die!”
Arthur ran quickly toward the figure ahead and suddenly pulled the crossbow trigger.
Whoosh!
A bolt flew at an incredible speed, instantly burying itself into the figure.
“Wrong!”
Another cavalryman approached and lifted a coat with his sword: “A trap!”
Puh!
In the next moment, a sword tip suddenly protruded from his neck. He rolled his eyes and collapsed lifelessly.
“Fools! Didn’t expect you’d really dare to chase me in!”
If this were on the plains, dealing with these five fully armed cavalrymen would have been a very difficult challenge for Wu Ming.
But now that they had delivered themselves into his hands, it would be a shame not to reap the rewards.
“William! You dare kill the baron’s guards!”
Arthur was stunned.
He hadn’t expected William to act so decisively.
But Wu Ming didn’t bother to answer him. Instead, he fiercely charged into the group, spinning around with his steel longsword, drawing a graceful silver arc.
Arthur only heard two screams, then felt a powerful force surge through his hand, causing him to lose his grip on the crossbow, which fell to the ground.
Puh! Puh!
Two bursts of blood bloomed, and two more cavalrymen fell simultaneously.
“A knight!”
The last remaining cavalryman’s face turned extremely grim: “You have the strength of a knight?”
Besides a knight, he couldn’t think of any other possibility for someone capable of defeating so many opponents one-on-one.
But this poor soldier didn’t know that Wu Ming’s physical abilities had already reached the peak of human potential. Although knights had received supernatural seeds, their enhancements were limited to certain aspects. In terms of actual combat power, even wearing armor, Wu Ming wouldn’t be inferior to any of them.
“You can’t kill me!”
Seeing the coldness in Wu Ming’s eyes, the soldier completely broke down: “I’m the deputy captain of Niya Town’s guards. I still have…”
Puh!
In the next instant, Wu Ming elegantly stepped forward, like a gentleman inviting a lady to dance, extending his right hand respectfully, yet playing a symphony of death.
“Too many words!”
After this man also fell, Wu Ming turned around and looked at Arthur: “Any last words?”
“No! You can’t kill me! The town will know! The sheriff is my uncle…”
Arthur blurted out incoherently.
“Hehe… You came out to assassinate a freeman—do you really think everyone will know about it? You must have sneaked out secretly, right?”
Wu Ming mockingly looked at Arthur, instantly exposing his lie: “Since that’s the case, if I kill you all and destroy the evidence, how many people will even know what happened?”
“Mercy! Please have mercy on me! I’ll apologize to you, ten gold Delongs! No! Fifty! Even become your servant, your slave!”
Seeing Wu Ming approach with his blood-dripping sword, Arthur wept and begged on his knees, his dignity completely gone.
“All of this was already decided the moment you incited Gail and Heim!”
Wu Ming gave Arthur no chance, directly shattering his final resistance with one strike, beheading him with a single sword blow.
Half a day later, back at the same place, Wu Ming looked at the five military horses before him and sighed: “A pity…”
Undoubtedly, these warhorses were worth much more than his black horse. However, each had the brand mark of Baron Terry on their rumps—selling them directly would be tantamount to suicide!
Of course, in this world, there were plenty of desperate men for whom the right price could buy anything. By simply cutting away the skin bearing the mark, Wu Ming was confident he could sell them in the black market.
“Just… too much trouble!”
Wu Ming didn’t care much for these mounts or equipment, but he was somewhat reluctant to leave behind the crossbow. After removing its markings, he slung it onto his back.
Then, he swiftly killed each of the five horses with a single stab.
The stench of blood soon spread, and before long, large packs of wild beasts would be drawn by the scent, devouring the horses and their riders completely, leaving behind only piles of bones.
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