Bushi

Shen Xiuhan cast aside the corpse and suddenly spun around.

Around the carriage, the sound of battle already shook the heavens.

Geng Weizhi brandished his long saber, locked in fierce combat with Zhu Yong.

Relying on his Blood Tempering Rank cultivation, Zhu Yong's moves were wide and sweeping. After a few exchanges, Geng Weizhi's right arm hung limply by his side, and a fresh slash marred his chest. He was clearly on the verge of collapse!

Seven or eight ordinary bandits slipped past the duo, lunging toward the carriage like hungry wolves.

The two maidservants shrieked, spreading their arms to block the way.

Ji Xue held her younger sister, Ji Yao, tightly. Though the sisters had practiced martial arts at the Wuji Academy for years, they could not recall a single move in this moment of crisis. Pale with fright, they could only shriek in terror.

Young Masters Ma and Wen forced themselves to stand their ground against the seven or eight bandits.

“Get lost!”

Within a few moves, the bandits left several bloody gashes on the two young masters, who were clearly on the brink of defeat.

Shen Xiuhan was utterly speechless.

With a flash of his body, he glided behind Zhu Yong like a phantom, his five fingers hooking onto the back of the man's neck like claws.

Zhu Yong's entire body went rigid. Turning his head and seeing who it was, he was both shocked and enraged. He roared furiously:

“Motherfucker! Where are Erniang and my Third Brother!?”

“They're waiting for you at home.”

Shen Xiuhan's left hand remained perfectly still, while the sinewy muscles on his right arm bulged like coiling dragons.

His blood qi surged into his right fist like a tidal wave. Carrying a devastating force that could crush dry weeds, it smashed down toward Zhu Yong's face like a siege hammer!

“Bang!”

“Bang!”

“Bang!”

One punch, two punches, three punches...

In less than five punches, Zhu Yong's curses were beaten right back into his throat.

Shen Xiuhan slightly loosened his grip, and the corpse fell into the mud with a dull thud, collapsing stiffly.

His savage face was caved in and shattered, his features unrecognizable, leaving only a bloody mess.

The remaining bandits finally noticed the change.

Once they saw that all three of their leaders had fallen, they were scared out of their wits. Leaving behind the two blood-drenched young masters, they scrambled to flee in all directions.

With a flick of his toe, a steel saber leaped into Shen Xiuhan's hand.

Like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, he boldly charged into their midst.

Wherever his blade passed, lines of blood sprayed;

wherever his kicks swept, bones snapped and tendons tore.

In an instant, accompanied by several brief shrieks, eight more corpses lay on the ground.

Around the carriage, a dead silence fell.

Only the howling cold wind and the heavy, terrified breathing of the survivors could be heard.

Shen Xiuhan quickly looted the bodies, then glanced at the trembling crowd.

“Get in the carriage!”

...

On the carriage shaft.

Shen Xiuhan pressed his fingers together and probed upward along Geng Weizhi's left arm.

Cold sweat poured down Geng Weizhi's face wherever those fingertips pressed, but he grit his teeth and did not make a sound.

After a moment, Shen Xiuhan withdrew his hand, sighed softly, and consoled him:

“Don't worry. Though your bones and tendons are broken, if you supplement your recovery with decoctions to relax the muscles and stimulate blood circulation, you might still recover after half a year to a year. It is just that you will likely be left with some minor, lingering ailments in the future...”

“Thank you, Patrol Envoy...”

Geng Weizhi's face was as pale as golden paper, yet his tone was filled with relief.

“If not for the Patrol Envoy's intervention, this subordinate would have long since become a ghost under Zhu Yong's blade. To keep my life is already a heavenly blessing; I dare not ask for more.”

“Please put your mind at ease, Guard Geng.”

Ji Xue's voice drifted out from inside the carriage.

Though she was still somewhat shaken, she did her best to maintain the poise of the host family:

“Since you suffered such a severe injury due to our family's matters, the Ji family will not sit idly by. Once we return to the manor, I will personally report this to the Family Head and ensure you receive the best medical treatment.”

Geng Weizhi's eyes reddened slightly, his voice choking up:

“Thank you for your grace, Second Young Lady!”

With elderly parents and young children waiting to be fed at home, the Ji family's promise was undoubtedly a timely saving grace, securing his entire family's livelihood. His gratitude was truly heartfelt.

As they spoke, a slender, fair hand quietly parted half of the brocade curtain.

Ji Yao poked half of her head out, her pretty face having regained some of its color. Her bright, almond eyes were filled with curiosity as she sized up Shen Xiuhan.

“This... Senior Brother, how should I address you? Why haven't I seen you around the manor before?”

Before Shen Xiuhan could respond, Geng Weizhi quickly chimed in to explain:

“Third Young Lady, you may not know this, but Brother Shen is an outstanding disciple of the inner city's Mei Courtyard, and also the newly appointed Patrol Envoy of Yunyi Island. He is here under the personal order of the Garrison Master to escort the two young ladies back home upon your graduation.”

“Mei Courtyard?”

Ji Yao was slightly startled at first, but then she came to a sudden realization, her beautiful eyes lighting up with admiration.

“Could it be the martial arts hall of Heroine Jiang Qinghong, one of the Four Martial Dao Geniuses of Changyun County?”

Shen Xiuhan nodded slightly, keeping his words brief:

“She is indeed my Senior Sister.”

“Wow! No wonder Senior Brother Shen could wipe out the fierce bandits of Chenjian Dock all by himself!”

Ji Yao was so excited that her face flushed red, and she bounced with joy. “Once we get home, I will definitely tell Mother to credit Senior Brother Shen with the top contribution!”

In the corner of the carriage.

Seeing Ji Yao's eyes shine with admiration as she questioned Shen Xiuhan endlessly, Ma Jingxing felt as if a jar of vinegar had overturned in his heart, his face turning livid with jealousy.

But when he heard that this fellow surnamed Shen was merely from a martial arts hall and was just working as a "Patrol Envoy" under the Ji family, his mind immediately began to buzz.

He spat inwardly:

At this thought.

Ma Jingxing felt as though the face he had completely lost earlier had been restored. His posture straightened slightly, and he cleared his throat pretentiously, preparing to show off a bit...

“Quiet!”

Shen Xiuhan barked in a low voice, cutting off Ma Jingxing's words before they could leave his mouth.

His cold gaze swept toward the lake by the pier.

Beneath the water, pale golden points of light flickered like breathing, dimming and brightening unpredictably.

A strange look flashed in the depths of Shen Xiuhan's eyes.

Tapping his toes lightly, he floated down onto the bluestone pavement, his robes fluttering loudly in the river wind.

“You've been holding your breath underwater for so long, don't you find it stifling?” Standing with his hands behind his back, Shen Xiuhan's voice echoed across the lake. “There's no need to hide. Show yourself!”

The water remained dead silent.

Only the rustling of the river wind and the gentle lapping of waves against the shore stones could be heard.

Beside the carriage.

Geng Weizhi now had absolute faith in Shen Xiuhan. Alarm bells rang in his mind, and he endured the excruciating pain to grip his saber hilt with his left hand, on high alert.

Inside the carriage.

The sisters Ji Xue and Ji Yao looked at each other, their pretty faces filled with apprehension and doubt.

Having lost face again, Ma Jingxing grumbled quietly in dissatisfaction:

“Always making a fuss over nothing, playing tricks...”

On the other side, Young Master Wen cast a contemptuous glance at him, cursing inwardly:

Just as everyone was lost in their own thoughts.

The calm lake surface suddenly exploded!

A column of water shot into the sky, and a torrent of spray poured down, pattering loudly against the ground.

A robust figure burst forth, landing steadily on another bluestone platform, facing Shen Xiuhan from afar.

The newcomer was shirtless, his bulging muscles covered in a crisscross of hideous scars. His pitch-black hair, soaked with lake water, draped over his back like black snakes.

His fierce, predatory eyes gleamed with cruelty and violence. When his gaze swept over the crowd, it felt like a blade scraping against their bones.

Upon seeing this man, Geng Weizhi's pupils instantly shrank to the size of needlepoints, and he cried out in terror:

“It's Qu... Qu Bushi!”