Chapter 162: The Loss of the Bronze Hammers

In the blink of an eye, the injured man had bolted out of the woods, closing the distance between himself, Xu Mo, and Qin Mutou.

"Help! Save me!"

The wounded man shrieked at the top of his lungs, his face and eyes plastered with terror.

Xu Mo immediately grabbed the reins from Qin Mutou's hand and shouted, "Mutou, go save him!"

Qin Mutou nodded instantly, leaped down from the carriage, and sprinted toward the injured man.

Realizing that someone was coming to his rescue, the wounded man's face lit up with a glimmer of hope, and he ran even faster.

Just at that moment, Shang Liuli suddenly reversed her grip on her long sword and hurled it forward with all her might.

The sword instantly transformed into a javelin, piercing accurately and at lightning speed into the wounded man's back, right over his heart.

A muffled groan escaped the wounded man's lips, and his facial features twisted into an expression of excruciating agony.

Immediately afterward, he collapsed face forward onto the ground, just a few paces away from the oncoming Qin Mutou.

Shocked, Qin Mutou accelerated to reach him instantly and checked his condition.

Regrettably, the man had already stopped breathing.

Qin Mutou abruptly looked up at Shang Liuli, demanding angrily, "Why did you kill him?"

With her target dead, Shang Liuli slowed her pace, walking toward Qin Mutou step by step.

"Because he deserved to die," Shang Liuli replied coldly, continuing her advance.

Frowning and clenching his fists, Qin Mutou shouted loudly, "Killing someone in broad daylight—do you have any regard for the law of the land?"

Shang Liuli let out a cold laugh and retorted, "How do you know I have no regard for the law?"

At this point, Xu Mo also descended from the carriage and hurried to Qin Mutou's side.

Xu Mo's first reaction was to squat down and check the man's pulse under his nose, confirming that he was indeed dead.

"Xu Mo, I advise you not to meddle in other people's business. Pretend you saw nothing and leave immediately," Shang Liuli said.

Xu Mo stood up, looked at Shang Liuli, and asked with a puzzled expression, "You're letting us go? Aren't you afraid we'll report you to the authorities?"

"Be my guest," Shang Liuli shrugged. "If you feel like reporting it, go ahead. It makes no difference to me."

Hearing this, Qin Mutou grew furious and yelled, "Boss, we can't let a cold-blooded murderess like her walk free!"

Before his voice had even faded, Qin Mutou drew the copper maces from his waist and charged fiercely at Shang Liuli.

Shang Liuli knitted her brows instantly, halting her advance. She began a tactical retreat while observing and analyzing Qin Mutou's combat style.

As soon as Qin Mutou rushed forward, he swung one of his maces, producing a sharp whistling sound through the air.

Even Xu Mo, standing further back, could hear the sound, a testament to the immense strength and speed behind the strike.

Shang Liuli's footwork, however, was exceptionally swift. The moment Qin Mutou swung his mace, she had already initiated her dodge.

The next second, the head of the mace flashed past just inches from Shang Liuli's chin—by a distance of less than a fist's width.

Had that blow connected with her chin, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

After dodging the strike, Shang Liuli retreated several major steps. Once she stopped, anger was evident on her face. "Kid, you're actually playing for keeps, aren't you?"

Ignoring her entirely, Qin Mutou brandished his copper maces and charged again.

Daring not to underestimate Qin Mutou any further, Shang Liuli mustered all her focus and began circling around him.

Since Shang Liuli was unarmed and the force behind Qin Mutou's copper maces was immense, she dared not meet any of his attacks head-on. She could only rely on agile footwork to constantly evade him while using the surrounding trees for parrying and blocking.

Under Qin Mutou's fierce assault, tree after tree in the woods was chipped or snapped in half.

Yet Shang Liuli remained completely unharmed, nimbly darting and leaping about as if she were merely toying with Qin Mutou.

Failing to land a hit after so long, Qin Mutou gradually grew impatient and flustered—a change even Xu Mo could clearly perceive.

"Mutou, don't rush! Stay calm!"

Sensing that the situation was turning sour, Xu Mo hurriedly shouted a warning.

Although Xu Mo was not versed in traditional martial arts, he had practiced mixed martial arts and understood very well that impatience is fatal in combat; losing one's temper leads directly to defeat.

By this time, however, Qin Mutou had been led around by Shang Liuli until his temper flared to the heavens, looking remarkably like the day Xu Mo had played cat-and-mouse with Zhang Zishen.

Just then, Shang Liuli dodged behind a large tree. Qin Mutou's mace struck the trunk directly, instantly dislodging a cascade of leaves and a heavy spray of rainwater.

The rainwater splashed squarely into Qin Mutou's face, instantly obscuring his vision.

Qin Mutou shook his head hastily to shake off the water—and it was precisely this movement that Shang Liuli seized as an opportunity.

The next instant, Shang Liuli suddenly darted out from the other side of the tree and struck Qin Mutou squarely in the chest with a palm strike.

"Ugh!" Qin Mutou let out a muffled groan of pain.

That wasn't the end of it, however. Taking advantage of the opening, Shang Liuli swiftly snatched one of Qin Mutou's copper maces right out of his hand.

Immediately following, Shang Liuli thrust forward with the stolen mace, landing a direct hit on Qin Mutou's abdomen.

"Ouch!"

Qin Mutou cried out in agony, as the blow from the mace hurt far more than the previous palm strike.

Just as Qin Mutou arched his back, hunched over, and stumbled backward, Shang Liuli struck again.

This time, rather than attacking Qin Mutou further, she snatched the remaining copper mace from his other hand.

With that, both of Qin Mutou's copper maces had been confiscated by Shang Liuli.

Shang Liuli retreated swiftly by a few paces, picked up the maces, and began inspecting them closely.

"Hmm, these maces are quite nice!" Shang Liuli remarked, glancing up at Qin Mutou. "I wouldn't have expected a country bumpkin like you to own such fine weapons."

"Give them back to me!" Qin Mutou clutched his stomach, his face contorted with rage.

Shang Liuli retorted, "Why should I give them back? They are in my hands now, which makes them mine!"

Driven by a mixture of panic and fury, Qin Mutou prepared to charge forward and wrest the maces back.

"Mutou, stop right there!"

Suddenly, Xu Mo's voice rang out from behind. Startled, Qin Mutou froze in his tracks.

Xu Mo said in a deep voice, "Mutou, you are no match for her. Don't humiliate yourself any further!"

Anxious, Qin Mutou argued, "But boss, my maces are still in her hands..."

Without answering, Xu Mo reached out, pulled the long sword from the corpse's back, lifted it up, and said, "Isn't her sword in my hands as well?"

He then turned to Shang Liuli and declared, "Miss Liuli, just as you said a moment ago, since the sword is in my hands now, it is mine!"

Hearing this, Shang Liuli instantly furrowed her brows, her expression turning increasingly grim.

"Mutou, come back!" Xu Mo called out, prompting Qin Mutou to retreat to his side.

At that moment, Xu Mo began admiring the long sword in his hand.

After a few moments, Xu Mo flicked the blade near its tip with his index finger.

Instantly, the long sword emitted a crisp, melodious hum resembling a dragon's roar—truly breathtaking.

"Fine sword!" Xu Mo couldn't help praising aloud.

Panicking now, Shang Liuli raised her voice and said, "Don't touch my sword!"

With that, clutching the copper maces, she strode menacingly toward Xu Mo, her expression suggesting she was ready to bludgeon him to death on the spot.

Xu Mo immediately handed the long sword to Qin Mutou and shouted, "If you take another step closer, I'll snap it in half!"

Quick to react, Qin Mutou raised the sword with both hands, assuming a posture ready to break it at a moment's notice.

Shang Liuli stopped dead in her tracks, her brows tightly knitted as she glared with bitter hatred. "Xu Mo, if you dare to break my sword, I will kill you on the spot!"

Xu Mo knew Shang Liuli wasn't joking, but he was equally certain that he had firmly grasped her weakness.

"Miss Liuli, we only want our maces back. How about we make a trade?" Xu Mo proposed.