Purple Lily, the thief leader, ultimately decided that Lixiang was right. It wasn't that she had developed any particular fondness for him, but rather an instinctual feeling that following Lixiang’s lead was the correct choice.
"Be careful, you two," King's Return offered a well-intentioned blessing.
Once they left the village, the faint, flickering shadows of beasts could be seen in the distance. Since the quest was ranked as "normal," it shouldn't have been excessively difficult; there had to be a way to solve it.
The two moved with extreme caution. Fortunately, Lixiang’s Healing Art, even at level 20, was quite potent, allowing them to reach the territory of the Yellow-Striped Tigers relatively quickly.
"Shall we head up?" Purple Lily hesitated. The Yellow-Striped Tigers looked terrifying enough from afar, let alone fighting them.
"We must. These Yellow-Striped Tigers may look powerful to us, but in the eyes of those bandits, they are merely a nuisance. Now that we’ve successfully tracked down the bandits, we must finish this quest."
On the tiger-inhabited mountain, jagged rocks stood everywhere. Beneath the occasional large tree, clusters of tigers of all sizes gathered, and from time to time, a roar would ring out, echoing through the heavens.
Tigers are the kings of the mountain. Every few tigers formed a family unit, and each family had its own territory. Lixiang and Purple Lily were currently halfway up the mountain. It wasn't very tall, and it wouldn't take long to reach the top, but the higher they climbed, the denser the tiger population became. The two were forced to search for a safe vantage point.
"Sigh!" Lixiang sighed softly. In the party information, I Am Kind was the first to turn black, having failed the quest. Next was Peak Ying Zheng. Ten minutes later, even King's Return’s status turned black as he quit the quest.
At that same moment, many players were shocked to discover that three of the top figures on the leaderboard had suddenly vanished.
"Did they all die together?"
"Didn't King's Return just charge up to level 28? How could he be gone all of a sudden?"
"Look, Peak Ying Zheng is gone too."
Amidst the chatter, Purple Lily nervously watched the dozen or so bandits down the mountain. Following King's Return’s death, the bandits had rapidly followed the pair's trail to their current location.
"What do they look like to you?" Lixiang didn't wait for Purple Lily to answer. "Do they look like soldiers? A group of disciplined, decisive soldiers who fight in perfect synchronization?"
"They do look a bit like that," Purple Lily conceded.
Lixiang smiled faintly and muttered to himself, "If villagers can turn into bandits, why can't bandits turn into soldiers? This quest is getting interesting. Including the ones King's Return and his team killed, we still need to take down twenty-six bandits and two bandit leaders. This means it wasn't Bill killing them, but five lesser bandit lieutenants."
Though Purple Lily knew Lixiang’s analysis was spot on, this was no time for contemplation; the bandits had already begun their ascent. If they provoked the tigers, they would be the first to suffer. Yet, Heartless Parting had still not revealed his plan.
"Shoot that tiger cub on the left, now!" An arrow flew immediately. *So he intends to provoke the tigers,* Purple Lily thought to herself. *But if we provoke the tigers, shouldn't they attack the ones who initiated the fight—us?*
As if reading her mind, Lixiang pointed at the bandits charging up the slope. "It takes three seconds for the Yellow-Striped Tigers to reach us, but five seconds for those bandits. The bandits will likely use their skills in between."
Before he could finish, several powerful blades of light slashed upward. Simultaneously, a tiger roar erupted as a beast lunged toward the pair. The tiger collided with the bandits' blade light, shielding Lixiang and Purple Lily, then whipped its massive head around and pounced down the mountain.
Purple Lily’s large eyes blinked in disbelief. This man’s ability to calculate was terrifying.
"Attack!" Purple Lily released arrow after arrow. Dozens of tigers were wiped out by the bandits without a single blink.
"Go!" Seeing two bandit lieutenants in tight blue uniforms, Lixiang grabbed Purple Lily. There was a large tree where the tigers had been—not tall, but providing enough of a foothold. Most importantly, the terrain there was steep, making it difficult for the bandits to charge up.
*Thank goodness these bandits are all swordsmen and not archers,* Lixiang thought, feeling relieved. It only deepened his conviction that these bandits were more than they appeared.
They had to hold out until Bill arrived.
This meant Purple Lily had to single-handedly fend off two blue-clad lieutenants and the relentless stream of bandits charging up.
"It’s no use. We can't hold out like this!" Purple Lily could manage one bandit alone, but facing two lieutenants was far beyond her.
The two lieutenants had cold, grim expressions, their long sabers held horizontally across their chests. If one looked closely, a faint red light shimmered beneath their feet.
"Holy Light Strike!" Lixiang joined the attack. His efforts barely served to slow the lieutenants' advance.
*It’s enough. Focus everything on the lieutenants.* Lixiang began casting Healing Art on Purple Lily repeatedly.
The cooldown for Healing Art was five seconds, but the bandits had arranged themselves in a line just as Lixiang predicted. Any attempt to flank them would be intercepted by Lixiang’s Holy Light.
As time ticked by, the tension in Purple Lily’s heart began to ease slightly. They held the high ground; it was difficult for the bandit leaders to reach them. As long as their attacks couldn't kill her in one shot, Lixiang would heal her immediately.
"The lieutenants have the same defense as the regular bandits, just double the attack power and movement speed. Five minutes—we only need to hold for five minutes!" Lixiang said calmly, facing the bandits desperately scrambling to climb the slope.
The bandits bunched together, split apart, and bunched again, each wearing a cruel, predatory smile. The surrounding Yellow-Striped Tigers were quickly cleared out, and several bandits had already begun circling toward their rear.
*Clack!* The two lieutenants’ health bars, ground down to a sliver, finally bottomed out. They dropped a pair of boots and a piece of armor.
"Go!" Lixiang roared. The bandits had breached their position. A blade had already sliced into Lixiang, stunning him in place for a second. Purple Lily vaulted over them, snatched the two pieces of equipment, and sprinted down the mountain.
Lixiang’s running speed was like a crawl compared to hers. Even the bandits behind him were faster. If not for Purple Lily periodically turning back to lure a few away, he would have been hacked to pieces. Lixiang didn't regret his lack of agility stats; instead, he felt fortunate that his choice to dump everything into stamina had been the wisest decision.
Purple Lily had gained experience running with Lixiang; she specifically steered them toward areas with level 20 beast packs. Getting bitten by beasts wouldn't kill them, but being caught by the bandits certainly would.
Looking at Purple Lily ahead, wielding her great bow and covered in blood, Lixiang felt a pang of heartache. He couldn't help but blurt out, "How about we give up on this quest?"
Purple Lily paused, and seeing the worry and tenderness in Lixiang’s eyes, she felt a warmth in her heart, as if a string had been gently plucked.
After killing the last bandit, she didn't look at Lixiang and said softly, "Only the bandit leader Bill remains. Isn't this exactly what you predicted? We can finish this quest."
Lixiang said nothing. The two stood there. Against a Bill who could turn invisible, there was no point in hiding.