Volume 1, Chapter 54: You're Actually Going?

Mount Taichang.

This mountain featured treacherous terrain, yet it was also the mandatory passage leading to Lingyan City.

Situated at the border of the Divine Que Kingdom, Lingyan City required travelers to exit its boundaries and follow the Hengshui River in order to reach the territory of the Great Zhou Kingdom.

As this was Li Hanzhou's first time traveling far from home, he had spent several days meticulously preparing, ensuring every single necessary item was packed down to the finest detail. Finally, accompanied by Shiming, he boarded a carriage and set off in the direction of Lingyan City.

At this moment, rain was falling over Mount Taichang, and the sky was pitch black.

The carriage moved slowly along the mountain road, marking the fourth day since their departure.

Inside the carriage, Li Hanzhou was sipping tea while reading a book, while Shiming sat at the front, driving.

According to Li Hanzhou, a boy of Shiming's tender age needed to experience more, listen more, and endure hardships so that he could amount to something in the future.

Ever since Li Hanzhou brought about the growing prosperity of the Longevity Taoist Temple, Shiming had placed absolute, unquestioning faith in his words.

Therefore, he focused intently on driving the carriage.

Meanwhile, Li Hanzhou either read books or practiced cultivation within the carriage.

"Uncle Master, the rain seems to be letting up a bit. Should we find a cave ahead to rest and get some food?" Shiming asked from outside.

"Very well."

Li Hanzhou was also feeling somewhat hungry.

Fortunately, when Li Hanzhou left home this time, he had packed plenty of provisions inside his storage pouch, sparing them from having to sleep in the open and eat wind-bitten meals along the way.

Given the choice to travel comfortably, who would willingly gnaw on dry, tasteless rations on the road?

However, right at that moment, two figures suddenly darted out from the woods ahead.

The newcomers were a man and a woman.

The man bore injuries on his body, and the woman was heavily pregnant.

They looked thoroughly disheveled, as if they were running for their lives.

At that exact moment, a blade of light slashed out from not far away, cleaving through the rain as it hurtled straight toward the man!

The man dodged hastily, letting the blade light flash past him, but it shattered a distant boulder into dust.

Yet the woman accidentally lost her footing and fell to the ground.

"Xiaoyun!" The man cried out in alarm.

A look of pain crossed the woman's face, but she urged, "Brother Shu, leave me be! I will hold them off here. You must run quickly—one of us at least must survive."

"No!" The man gritted his teeth fiercely and forced himself to stand up. "If I were to abandon you and our child, would I not be lower than a beast?"

"But this concerns our nation's destiny!"

The woman called Xiaoyun let out a sharp cry. "Brother Shu, do not hesitate any longer. Go!"

Hearing this, hesitation flickered across the man's expression.

The woman also struggled to her feet, her gaze now fixed with unwavering determination on the two figures pursuing them.

The pursuers consisted of one man wielding a long saber and another holding a heavy chain. Judging by the murderous intent emanating from them, they were determined to kill these two.

The woman drew a deep breath, circulating the true qi within her body. Her starting stance resembled that of a graceful crane, faintly suffused with an aura of nature itself.

The woman possessed considerable strength, having already reached the Profound Passage Realm, and every gesture carried a profound intent.

It was only because of her pregnancy that her aura remained extremely unstable.

"Xiaoyun..." The man's eyes were bloodshot, and his expression twisted into a frantic look as if he had made a certain decision.

"Disciples of the Crane Immortal Sect?"

Inside the carriage, Li Hanzhou was not looking outside, but his spiritual sense had already perceived the events unfolding. Having read numerous books recently, he had acquired a vast understanding of affairs in the Heavenly Profound Realm, so the moment he saw the woman's cultivation technique, he recognized her lineage.

Yet, what on earth was the situation with these two, being hunted down while heavily pregnant?

"Uncle Master, those two people carry such heavy killing intent," Shiming remarked, sensing the hostility radiating from the assassins, which felt oppressive even from a great distance.

"Indeed. If I guessed correctly, they must be assassins from the Blood Sacrifice Pavilion," Li Hanzhou said helplessly. "It seems we always manage to run into people from the Blood Sacrifice Pavilion."

"Uncle Master, should we save them? That woman is still pregnant," Shiming said, growing anxious.

"Very well. It is a good thing for a youth to possess a chivalrous heart. Go and save them then," Li Hanzhou smiled.

"Understood." Hearing Li Hanzhou's words, Shiming did not argue. With a single bound, he left the carriage, employed his lightness skill, and arrived before the woman.

"Halt!"

Shiming shouted in a deep voice, "Two men bullying a pregnant woman—have you no shame at all?"

Shiming's sudden appearance left everyone present dumbfounded.

They were not stunned because they had failed to notice him; given their cultivation levels, they had already spotted the carriage nearby upon arrival. However, the driver was merely a martial artist of the Third Grade, while the person inside the carriage was not even at the First Grade, so they had simply paid them no heed.

They were stunned because Shiming, with his meager Third Grade cultivation, actually dared to meddle in their affairs.

"Good grief, he actually went?" Li Hanzhou had merely been joking. Both assassins were in the Profound Passage Realm! For a mere Third Grade rookie to insert himself into this was like a dung beetle trying to skin a swallow—purely courting death.

"A mere Third Grade dares to step out and court death," sneered the assassin wielding the long saber. In his eyes, Shiming was no different from an ant; wasting even a glance on him was a waste of time.

"Kill him!"

The other assassin holding the chain gave a cold grunt.

"Wait!"

The woman frowned and said, "What skill is there in killing a child? He has nothing to do with this matter. If you want to fight, I will fight you!"

She stepped directly in front of Shiming.

While she was grateful that Shiming had stepped up to help her at such a moment, she knew that with only Third Grade cultivation, he would undoubtedly die.

"Neither of you will escape," the chain-wielding man said indifferently. "Ordinarily, our Blood Sacrifice Pavilion does not kill targets who haven't paid, but since someone is blocking our path, slaughtering them along the way is no trouble!"

"Go and die together."

The assassin with the long saber raised his hand and struck out with his blade!

The blade light rippled, faintly carrying water waves as if containing layer upon layer of surging tides.

The woman circulated her true qi to its absolute limit, preparing to risk her life to block this strike.

"Brother Shu, run!" she shouted, glancing back at the man.

However, at that very instant, a calm voice rang through the entire valley like a peal of thunder.

"To resort to murder at the drop of a hat—how very imposing."

The moment the words fell, the raindrops suspended in the midair froze completely.

Immediately afterward, countless raindrops converged together, forming the shape of a sword. The sword condensed from rainwater hurtled forth with a piercing whistle, colliding directly with the blade radiance!

Bang!

With a muffled crash, the blade light shattered into pieces!

The sword Qi condensed from the water droplets pierced straight through the chest of the saber-wielding assassin!

Puff!

The sword formed by the gathered raindrops completely pulverized his sternum.