Ye Wei'an in Action

After confirming that the information was correct, Ye Wei'an dispelled the spell and then looked at Lina, who was standing guard beside him.

"Lina, come here." Ye Wei'an handed her a sharp dagger. "This prisoner is useless now, it'll be good for you to see some blood."

"Master, this..." Lina took the dagger, her fingertips touching the cold metal, and she trembled involuntarily.

"This is a step you must take as head maid." Ye Wei'an looked directly into her eyes, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "When we expand our territory in the future, we will face far more dangers than this. You need to get used to it in advance."

Lina bit her lip and finally nodded heavily.

She looked down at the prisoner on the ground, his face covered in tears and snot, frantically sobbing and begging for mercy.

That was her kind, a vibrant life twisted by fear. Her feminine nature instinctively instilled in her a fear of taking a life.

She couldn't help but look up at Ye Weian beside her—she could see encouragement in his eyes.

She suddenly remembered that just now, Ye Wei'an's move was smooth and effortless, without the slightest hesitation.

When did he start to become so cold-hearted?

Why was he so decisive in killing people?

Lina's heart skipped a beat; it wasn't fear, but an indescribable heartache.

The silent, kind boy who needed her care four years ago has ultimately been worn down by the world and turned into the heartless person he is today.

At this moment, Leatherman's innate maternal instincts and resilience overcame her resistance to killing.

Since this is what he needs, she will be his weapon.

Lina gripped the dagger tightly in her other hand and plunged it into the prisoner's neck.

puff-

Hot blood spurted out instantly, splashing onto her clean, dark hunting outfit, and a few drops also landed on her cheeks, carrying a nauseatingly sweet and pungent smell.

Lina didn't scream like a typical farm girl. She stared at the gradually unfocused, lifeless pupils until the other person's last struggle completely subsided.

She remained frozen in that position for a few seconds.

Ye Wei'an stepped forward, gently took the hand holding the knife, removed the dagger, and gently wiped the blood from her cheek with his other hand.

"Well done, Lina." Ye Wei patted the girl on the back, comforting her. "I'm sorry to have made you do this, but this is something you have to go through to gain a place in this cruel world."

Lina felt the warmth of Ye Weian's fingertips, and her wildly beating heart gradually calmed down.

She took a deep breath, straightened up, and her eyes were sharper than before.

"I understand, Master."

Lina had no idea that Ye Wei'an's purpose in making her see blood was not just to toughen her up.

At this moment, on the system panel that only Ye Wei'an could see, a new option for selectable professions appeared next to Lina's portrait.

The extraordinary power promised to Lina can be delivered today.

Just as everyone was preparing to continue their journey towards the camp, a red dot suddenly appeared on the minimap and rapidly approached.

"Someone's coming, you all hide!" Ye Wei'an whispered the order.

Although they found no trace of anyone coming, the group obediently followed Ye Weian's orders and quickly dragged the two corpses behind the bushes.

Ye Wei'an then began to cast the spell.

"Zero-ring trick, magical feat"

After being cast several times, the glaring bloodstains and traces of people on the ground were all cleaned up completely.

Then comes "Zero-ring magic trick, Four Symbols Method - Wind".

A gentle breeze blew by, and the heavy smell of blood in the air faded considerably.

Then, he picked up the tattered coat of the dead woodcutter and a thought crossed his mind.

"2nd Ring Spell, Shapeshifter" activated.

Ye Wei'an's body shrank rapidly and became out of shape; his skin became rough and dark, and his face transformed into the appearance of the dead woodcutter.

With the costume-changing function, his exquisite mage robes and longsword were replaced by a coarse cloth tunic covered in oil stains and sawdust, and a logging axe.

This was done so skillfully that Claybe and the others watched in the shadows, dumbfounded.

Both that time and now, their lord has been behaving like a fine wanderer rather than a refined mage.

No—it should be more professional than a legitimate vagrant.

It's important to understand that ordinary vagrants can't easily erase their tracks with magic tricks, nor do they have such professional and quick disguise techniques.

Is the mage class really that versatile?

Before they could even marvel, they saw a Level 2 wanderer with a short sword at his waist emerge from the bushes.

He was the patrol leader of the camp, responsible for checking the outer sentries and the work of the laborers.

"Hey! You, why are you the only one here?" The wanderer cursed and kicked a tree trunk beside him, then suspiciously eyed Ye Weian after his transformation. "Where's the other lazybones?"

"Replying to you, sir," Ye Wei'an said, hunching over and mimicking the woodcutter's rural accent, "he had an upset stomach and went into the bushes over there to pee."

"Damn it, they're all trying to slack off!" The wanderer spat angrily on the ground, not suspecting anything, since he recognized the other person's face.

Who would have thought that a mage would personally use the [Transformation] spell to act as a spy?

The wanderer urged, "Tell him to hurry up! The camp is waiting to start a fire. If you delay our lunch, I'll throw you both into the cellar to feed the rats!"

Having said that, the loafer turned around, cursing, and prepared to leave.

The moment he brushed past the woodcutter, the fear in the woodcutter's eyes vanished instantly, and the rusty woodcutter's axe had transformed into a sharp, finely crafted longsword.

"A zero-ring trick, gaining the upper hand!"

Guided by magic, the longsword pierced the wanderer's unsuspecting back.

puff!

The sword pierced through the lungs and then stabbed into the heart, robbing the wanderer of his ability to resist.

"Ugh..." The wanderer's eyes widened, and a series of gurgling sounds came from his throat.

But Ye Wei'an was still not at ease. Without stopping, he drew the dagger from his waist and stabbed the other man in the throat again.

[Defeat a Lv.2 Wanderer and gain 200 experience points.]

As the corpse slid down, Ye Wei'an canceled the transformation spell, changed his clothes, and reverted to his original appearance.

This series of textbook-perfect clever maneuvers left Lina, who was hiding in the shadows, trembling with fear.

She clicked her tongue, her initial fear of killing replaced by a different kind of intense dissatisfaction—a frustration with her professional pride as the head maid.

How could the owner be allowed to do such dirty and dangerous work himself?

"What are these henchmen doing?"

Lina gritted her teeth, secretly vowing to fight back:

Two more compulsory courses must be added to the future "maid skills course"—"acting" and "combat skills".

If someone is needed to do similar work again, that person should never be her master.

Having resolved the immediate crisis, the group quickly disposed of the bodies and continued their search deeper into the camp.

As the bushes thinned out, the outpost that the prisoners had mentioned, blocking the only way through the road, finally came into view.

It was a simple wooden arrow tower, and several bandits were leaning against the railing, looking idly into the woods, with crossbows in their hands.

"My lord, let us handle these men," Claybe volunteered in a low voice.

The lord himself had done the work that should have been done by the wanderers, which made him feel a burning shame on his face.

He was eager to prove that his scout team wasn't just sitting around doing nothing.

"No, you all stay here and wait." Ye Wei'an raised his hand to refuse. "These people are just lookouts, there to draw attention."

Ye Wei'an pointed to a thicket of bushes behind the arrow tower, "There are hidden sentries there. If we don't take care of them too, killing the visible sentry means our tracks will be exposed."

Clayb looked in the direction indicated and broke out in a cold sweat.

That's when he realized that someone was hiding there!

The cunning wanderer wrapped himself in a dark green cloak and hid in the shadow of the bushes.

From his position, he can not only see the condition of the arrow tower, but also the side path next to it, making it a good observation point.

If Ye Wei'an didn't have a mini-map, even a seasoned scout would easily overlook his presence.

"Damn it, these Zantalin guys are way more professional than ordinary bandits." Claybe felt a pang of embarrassment; he had indeed underestimated his opponents.

The fact that the lord had to tell him this personally only made their scout team seem more incompetent.

"Load the crossbows first, and wait for my signal before you move."

After leaving his mission, Ye Wei'an lowered his body, used the shadows of the trees to his advantage, and circled around to quietly approach the sentry from behind.

The young Lv.1 wanderer was intently focused on the arrow tower ahead, completely unaware that death was approaching.

Ye Wei'an did not step forward directly, but silently prepared his magic.

"0-ring trick, secondary illusion".

"Coo-coo!"

A few crisp cries of forest birds rang out from the branches to the right of the sentry post, as if some small animal had startled the birds.

The wanderer lurking in the bushes fell for it; he instinctively turned his neck and looked in the direction from which the illusory sound came from.

In that instant, Ye Wei'an moved.

It's another "zero-ring trick, striking first to defeat the enemy".

Ye Weian cut in from behind, his left hand clamping down on the vagrant's mouth and nose like an iron clamp, while his right hand slashed the dagger precisely across the man's throat.

"puff--"

The blood hissed faintly the moment the trachea was severed.

Ye Wei'an moved swiftly, catching the other's limp body and gently laying him down on the ground without the armor making a sound upon impact.

This place is too close to the arrow tower; even the slightest noise will raise alarm.

(Let's get started!)

At the same time, Ye Wei'an's voice echoed in Kleib's mind.

"Let's do it!"

Clayb immediately gave the order.

The other wanderers, who had been holding back their energy, simultaneously pulled the triggers of several crossbows.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Before the sentries could even scream, they were riddled with crossbow bolts and fell from the watchtower into the mud.