“Boss, it seems one of our brothers just spotted a fish slipping away from the back.”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
The horse bandit leader glared at his masked subordinate. Such an important matter, and he was only reporting it now.
If they let her escape, then after taking such a huge risk this time, they would end up with nothing.
“She ran in that direction. Hurry and chase her down. She probably didn’t have a horse, so we can catch up.”
“Yes!”
This band of horse bandits abandoned the caravan’s goods and began searching for the two girls who had just fled.
After all, the value of those two girls was worth countless times more than these goods.
“Miss, those horse bandits seem to be catching up.”
As a first-rate martial artist, even though the horse bandits were still some distance away, Shen Ling had already detected the disorderly sound of hooves.
“These horse bandits are so well-equipped and fast-moving; they’re definitely not ordinary bandits.”
Thinking of the recent turmoil in the merchant association, Mu Qiuzi knew it must have been orchestrated by her rivals.
But even knowing now that they were acting under someone’s orders, she had no way to deal with it.
After all, if she died here, the parasites in the association would simply insist she had been killed by horse bandits, leaving her supporters in the association powerless to fight back.
So she absolutely could not die here. She had to find a way to shake off those horse bandits.
“Miss, there’s a river ahead. If we cross it, the bandits’ horses probably won’t be able to follow.”
Heaven truly did not abandon them. While Mu Qiuzi was still pondering escape plans, Shen Ling, as a first-rate martial artist, had already heard the sound of flowing water ahead.
They hurriedly dragged their fatigued bodies forward, paying no mind to the thorns on the bushes. They burst out of the woods, ready to cross the river, only to discover two people on the riverbank.
Su Mu was just about to eat her last roasted fish when she saw two rather disheveled-looking people suddenly run out from the woods.
Su Mu and Mu Qiuzi stared at each other with wide eyes, an awkward and bizarre atmosphere spreading through the air.
Looking at the two before her, Mu Qiuzi hesitated.
If these two stayed here, they would surely be killed by the ruthless horse bandits.
But right now, she wasn’t even sure if she could escape successfully herself. Bringing along these two burdens would only make their chances even slimmer.
She was still hesitating when Chen Qing spoke first from across the way.
“I never expected someone from the esteemed Departing Cloud Merchant Association to be chased by horse bandits.”
Chen Qing’s words made Mu Qiuzi and Shen Ling’s expressions change slightly.
It wasn’t just because she had recognized them as people from the Departing Cloud Merchant Association. The fact that Chen Qing had noticed the horse bandits pursuing them from behind meant she was at least a martial artist whose strength was no less than Shen Ling’s.
If Chen Qing decided to block them, their hopes of escape would be completely dashed.
“I’ll help you deal with the horse bandits behind you. In return, you owe me a favor.”
Chen Qing looked at the Double Cloud Rings on Mu Qiuzi’s wrist, pondering in her heart.
No matter how strong a martial artist was, they couldn’t stand against a well-trained army.
After all, blades dulled, people grew fatigued, and wounds accumulated over time. That was the difference between the jianghu and the machinery of the state.
The Departing Cloud Merchant Association was half-official in nature. Building a good relationship with it would undoubtedly be a huge boost to her revenge plans.
After all, anyone who could wear the Double Cloud Rings held a high status in the Departing Cloud Merchant Association.
“Please, Senior, save us!”
Though she knew a favor like this would be hard to repay, with her life hanging by a thread, she couldn’t worry about that now.
With the promise secured, Chen Qing drew the Silver Sword from her hand.
The terrifying aura made Shen Ling, who was standing beside Mu Qiuzi, instinctively grip her spear tightly, her expression grave as she watched her.
Such a powerful aura was absolutely not something a first-rate martial artist should possess.
Even her master, known as the Northern Border Spear King, seemed inadequate before this terrifying senior.
Seeing Shen Ling’s grave expression, Mu Qiuzi’s heart grew tense as well.
For Xiao Ling to be this nervous, it seemed this senior before them was even more terrifying than she had imagined.
Among the four, only Su Mu heartlessly continued munching on her roasted fish.
After all, she didn’t know what the Departing Cloud Merchant Association was, nor did she understand what Chen Qing’s terrifying presence signified.
Worst case, if the sky fell, she could still run away.
They had distracted Chen Qing’s attention, letting her focus on eating her fish. Perfect.
Chen Qing kicked off with her foot, gripping her three-foot-long sword as she swiftly darted into the woods.
What exquisite lightness skill. Seeing how quickly Chen Qing vanished, Shen Ling’s evaluation of her rose another level.
While Shen Ling was still marveling at Chen Qing’s martial prowess, Mu Qiuzi had already turned her gaze to Su Mu, who was focused on her fish.
This senior looked about the same age as her, yet possessed such formidable strength.
If she wasn’t some rejuvenated old monster, then her talent couldn’t even be described merely as demonic.
For such a nameless expert to appear out of nowhere, she had to figure out her background.
But asking Chen Qing directly would be too rude. Su Mu, who had appeared alongside Chen Qing, became a perfect opening.
“Hello, I’m Mu Qiuzi.”
Mu Qiuzi straightened her clothes, which had been tangled by the bushes, and extended her goodwill toward Su Mu.
“Shen Ling.”
Shen Ling was also quite curious about Su Mu. Anyone who could stay by such an expert’s side must have some special abilities.
“Su Mu. I’m Su Mu.”
Su Mu swallowed the last bite of fish in her mouth and responded somewhat nervously.
The sudden arrival of these two made the socially anxious Su Mu feel uneasy, giving her an urge to run away.
Fortunately, Mu Qiuzi was great at chatting and warming up the atmosphere, gradually easing Su Mu’s discomfort.
But before the two could chat for long, Chen Qing, who had gone out earlier, returned.
She was dragging the headless corpse of the horse bandit leader in her hand and tossed it onto the ground.
“It’s been handled.”
Looking at the bowl-sized, mangled wound, Su Mu’s legs went weak.
The impact was far stronger than when Chen Qing had one-shot that unlucky disciple yesterday.
After seeing this, she would have nightmares tonight.
Glancing at Chen Qing’s sword, still stained with blood, she felt her future looked utterly bleak.
Having a grudge against someone this ruthless, the fact that she had survived this long was truly a miracle.
“Senior, your martial arts are extraordinary. I, Mu Qiuzi, will never forget this favor today. But I have one more request for your assistance.”
Hearing Mu Qiuzi’s name, a flicker of surprise passed through Chen Qing’s indifferent eyes.
Though Mu Qiuzi’s name was only just emerging in the jianghu right now,
in the future, she would be the renowned president of the Departing Cloud Merchant Association, swallowing up other associations and elevating it to unprecedented heights.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that in the future, she would be a force rich enough to rival a nation.
Seeing that Chen Qing didn’t speak, Mu Qiuzi knew this was tacit permission to continue.
“This wave of horse bandits is just the first. There are surely more thieves lying in ambush ahead. I hope, Senior, you can escort me safely to Cloud City. There will be generous rewards afterward.”
Mu Qiuzi invited Chen Qing not only for safety but also with the intent to recruit her.
After all, if such a powerful expert could be won over to her side, it would give her another strong backing.
