11: Chapter 11 Encountering Robbers on the Road, the Jianghu Classes

Two days later, Meng Li set off on the road back to Meng Family Village with his attendants and Jiang Yuyan's mother and daughter.

Zhang Shan and Li Shi continued to ride horses, while Jiang Yuyan, her mother, and Meng Li sat together in the carriage.

Bored on the journey, the three of them took out the full set of Legend of Sword and Fairy storybooks they had packed from the bookstore to pass the time.

Jiang Yuyan and Xiao Baiyan had never encountered Xianxia stories before, so they found them novel. Coupled with the fact that the stories themselves were captivating, they were soon deeply immersed.

Meng Li also read with great interest.

Although these stories originated from him in this world, they were not written by his own hand.

What he provided was merely the general outline of the stories—the backbone—organized from his memories of his previous life.

As for the flesh and blood, such as specific details, he left that to his subordinates to fill in.

He did this for several reasons: first, his memory wasn't powerful enough to recall every single word and sentence of the original works.

Second, he usually had affairs to handle and Martial Arts to practice, so he didn't have that much time to write storybooks.

Third, he had people under him, so there was no need to do everything personally.

However, after his subordinates finished writing, he would go over it once and adjust parts that felt inconsistent to ensure the stories retained the flavor from his memory.

Aside from increasing his income, Meng Li's primary purpose for creating these storybooks was to leave behind some traces of his previous life in this world as a way of remembering it.

The carriage traveled for half a day before reaching a mountain pass.

Suddenly, a group of masked men wielding sabers and swords lunged out from the woods on both sides, blocking the carriage.

Wang Wu and the other two immediately went on high alert.

In the next second, a masked man with a saber resting on his shoulder stepped forward and shouted arrogantly, "Listen up, you travelers! This road was opened by me, and these trees were planted by me. If you want to pass through here, leave your toll money behind. If you utter so much as half a 'no,' I'll kill you and leave you unburied!"

Hearing this jingle-like speech, Meng Li was stunned for a moment, finding it somewhat comical, but he soon grew suspicious.

This was because he had traveled this road several times before and had never encountered mountain bandits.

What was the deal with this group?

Were they newcomers from the last couple of days, or had he been targeted because he showed off his wealth when buying Jiang Yuyan?

Meng Li speculated privately but reached no conclusion. He signaled to Jiang Yuyan and her mother not to be nervous, then put down his storybook and stepped outside the carriage.

He sized them up briefly, cupped his fists toward the group of masked men, and said, "I am Meng Li. I wonder how much toll money you brave fellows require to let us pass."

“Heh, so it's just a half-grown kid.” The masked man who had spoken was slightly surprised after seeing Meng Li's appearance, then laughed. “You've got some guts to travel far from home with only three people at your age. Considering your courage, we won't make things difficult for you.”

“Leave all your money and the women in the carriage, then get lost with these three men!”

Meng Li frowned. “This request is too unreasonable. Could we change it?”

The man sneered. “Change it? Do you think this is a game of house? Say one more word, and my blade won't show any mercy!”

Clang, clang!

Zhang Shan and Li Shi immediately drew their swords, their expressions grim.

Wang Wu also pulled out a long saber from beneath the seat, his gaze cold and sharp.

Seeing this, the group of masked men showed no fear and instead began to laugh.

“Yo, choosing the hard way over the easy way, are we!”

“Then don't blame us for being impolite!”

“Why all the talk? Just hack them down!”

As they spoke, several men brandishing cleavers rushed rapidly toward the carriage.

Seeing this, Wang Wu and the other two immediately leaped to the ground and met them head-on with their weapons.

As soon as the two sides closed in, several masked men swung their sabers. Their momentum was fierce, but they lacked any technique; it was clear they only had brute strength and no Martial Arts training.

Wang Wu and the others dodged with a single flash, then found openings to counterattack.

Just as the saber and two swords were about to land, a Towering man suddenly lunged out from behind. He swung a large saber, arriving first despite starting later, and timely knocked their weapons aside.

Only then did the masked men avoid being injured on the spot or becoming dead souls.

Once they realized what happened, they felt a wave of lingering fear and immediately looked at the Towering man with gratitude and admiration.

“Thank you, Chief!”

“Chief's Martial Arts are unparalleled!”

“Chief is invincible!”

On the other side, the faces of Wang Wu and the others turned somewhat unsightly.

Not only because their weapons had been knocked aside, but also because they could tell from the brief exchange that the Towering man was not simple.

The opponent had struck second but landed first, and he swung his large saber as if it were light as a feather.

Whether it was reaction time, speed, or power, he exceeded the limits of a normal person.

This indicated that the Towering man had achieved success in his training and possessed Internal Energy.

Meng Li narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling a bit surprised.

Internal Energy was something almost every character with a name in the original story had, and some people's performance was underwhelming, so it didn't seem particularly rare.

Meng Li had initially thought the same.

But after Transmigration into this world and learning more, he realized that Internal Energy was indeed a rarity for many people.

According to what he knew, if the entire Jianghu were compared to a pyramid layered by martial power, it could be roughly divided into lower, middle, and upper tiers.

Lower-tier Jianghu people had no Martial Arts, only brute strength or a few minor skills, like the masked men who had just rushed forward first.

Most of these people were called "Common Outlaws," and in the Jianghu, they accounted for at least fifty percent of the total population.

Middle-tier people had certain Martial Arts or special skills but had not cultivated Internal Energy, such as Zhang Shan, Li Shi, and Wang Wu.

They were stronger than the lower-tier people but only to a limited extent, making up about thirty to forty percent.

The remaining ten to twenty percent were those who had succeeded in their training and possessed Internal Energy. With the boost of Internal Energy, their reaction, speed, and power generally exceeded the range of ordinary people. Under normal circumstances, they could easily suppress those in the middle and lower tiers, thus occupying the upper tier.

Among them, those with transcendent power, such as Yan Nantian, Yao Yue, and Lian Xing, stood at the very peak of the entire Jianghu.

And this three-tier division represented social circles as much as martial power.

While not entirely distinct, it was rare for someone to break out of their tier.

Using the current situation as an example, blocking roads and robbing was high-risk with unstable rewards. Except for special circumstances, it was basically only something lower-tier outlaws would do.

This was also why some so-called Righteous Path figures often used mountain bandits to farm reputation.

Mountain bandits mostly committed evil deeds and weren't very strong, making them effective and easy targets for building a reputation.

If they fell into a trap, were poisoned, or encountered a special situation where they kicked a steel plate, that was another story.

As for middle-tier Jianghu people, most could and would find stable, relatively safe jobs to make a living.

Like Wang Wu, Zhang Shan, and Li Shi.

They worked as Meng Li's carriage drivers and attendants, receiving a stable salary, room and board, and extra benefits like cloth and wine during festivals. Regarding work, they just had to follow Meng Li, protect his safety, and occasionally carry out orders. Although this also carried risks, it was much better than being a bandit robbing people.

Upper-tier Jianghu people went without saying; they basically didn't have to worry about their livelihood and very rarely became bandits.

That was why Meng Li was surprised. But in an instant, that surprise turned into delight.

He had already mastered the Wedding Dress Divine Skill but hadn't found anyone to test his moves on yet.

First, the time had been too short.

Second, people with Internal Energy weren't easy to find.

Unless one went to specific places, the Jianghu was vast and the world was large; it was somewhat difficult to just randomly bump into someone with Internal Energy.

Even if he did, without cause or reason, it wouldn't be right for Meng Li to absorb the other person's Martial Arts.

His given name was Li, which signified "being polite as a person and being reasonable in one's actions."

He had already fulfilled the former just now by politely asking these people how much money they wanted and if they could negotiate.

The result was that these people clearly intended to rob him and put him to death, leaving no room for negotiation.

And this Towering man was the Chief culprit.

In such a situation, if he robbed the other party in return and then sent them to report to the Underworld, even King Yama wouldn't be able to say he was being unreasonable.

Just as Meng Li made up his mind, the Towering man also moved...