Chapter 950: Chapter 950
No wonder Shen Tianjun didn't mention this matter back at the Shen Family Manor and instead chose to meet Ye Qing alone to discuss it. Honestly speaking, this matter is indeed difficult to talk about openly there.
After all, Huangfu Ziyu is still an untouched and pure maiden, and the physical contact involved might not be minor. This kind of situation compromises a young girl's reputation. If Shen Tianjun had brought it up at the Shen Family Manor, how could Huangfu Ziyu ever face its members in the future? By coming here specifically to speak to Ye Qing privately, he avoided letting the Shen Family know about this matter and also avoided causing further embarrassment.
But Ye Qing was left in a troubling predicament. Taking Huangfu Ziyu to the Miao Borderlands to seek treatment was not particularly challenging. However, having physical contact every twelve hours, and even needing to initiate it himself—wasn't this a bit inappropriate?
"By the way, there's one more thing you must remember!" Shen Tianjun said gravely, "The Twin Life Gu is dormant in Zi Yu's body. Until the Gu is extracted, do not let Zi Yu recklessly use her Inner Strength. Otherwise, if the Twin Life Gu gets activated, it will only attack prematurely, and that would be dangerous!"
Ye Qing glanced at Huangfu Ziyu in the car and said, "Miss Huangfu is unconscious right now, so she shouldn't be able to use her Inner Strength recklessly, right?"
"She's unconscious now because of her stomach perforation, not because of the Twin Life Gu!" Shen Tianjun clarified. "Once she's slept a little more, she'll wake up. The Twin Life Gu is dormant within her and won't have much effect on her as long as it hasn't awakened yet!"
"Huh?" Ye Qing froze. If Shen Tianjun's words were true, then Huangfu Ziyu would wake up in a few hours. At that point, he'd need to make physical contact with her—what was he supposed to do?
She's already making things awkward while unconscious. Once she wakes up, won't the situation become even more awkward?
Shen Tianjun waved his hand dismissively and said, "Stop 'uh-ing' and 'ah-ing.' Remember these two points clearly. Don't forget them; otherwise, you might collapse before even reaching the Miao Borderlands, or she might activate the Twin Life Gu prematurely, and all efforts will be in vain!"
"Got it, I'll keep it in mind!" Ye Qing nodded firmly.
"Good!" Shen Tianjun slowly nodded and said, "In that case, I wish you a smooth journey!"
Ye Qing nodded resolutely, then turned to head back to the car. Without lingering, he started the vehicle and drove off from the vicinity of the Shen Family Manor.
Shen Tianjun watched as Ye Qing's car gradually disappeared into the distance, a rare expression of unease appearing on his face. He had been able to manage everything in the past, but the Twin Life Gu left him completely helpless. As Ye Qing took Huangfu Ziyu to the Miao Borderlands, how many of them would return alive? Even Shen Tianjun himself felt uncertain.
After a long moment of silence, Shen Tianjun slowly looked up at the horizon. In the faraway sky, the Seven Kills, Greedy Wolf, and Defeated Army stars shone brightly—signaling the foretold chaos of the Killer Breaker Wolf constellation. Not far from these three stars, however, there was an unnamed small white star that radiated its own light, seemingly disrupting the chaos of the Killer Breaker Wolf constellation. Although the Three Stars were dazzling, the small white star was equally radiant, shining alongside them.
Gazing at these four stars for a long time, Shen Tianjun sighed and murmured, "Great upheaval is coming—how can the world be saved?"
Ye Qing drove away from the Shen Family Manor without heading toward the city, instead heading straight toward the provincial border. Driving to the Miao Borderlands from here would take over thirty hours at the fastest pace by car—time was tight, and Ye Qing planned to fly there instead. However, Huangfu Ziyu had yet to wake, and Ye Qing had to wait until she regained consciousness before they could board a plane. Moreover, Huangfu Ziyu had many enemies in Xi Hang, so Ye Qing felt it was safer to take her out of Xi Hang as soon as possible.
As he left Xi Hang and drove for about twenty kilometers along the provincial highway, night had fully fallen. The winter night road had few vehicles, and this provincial highway was particularly quiet, with barely any traffic.
As Ye Qing drove forward, planning to enter the neighboring city as quickly as possible, a car suddenly roared from behind, accelerating and pulling directly in front of Ye Qing's vehicle.
Seeing the car, Ye Qing frowned slightly, sensing that something wasn't right.
Before Ye Qing had a chance to overtake, more cars rushed up behind him. Two vehicles overtook him and positioned themselves ahead, while several more closely followed his car, completely boxing him in.
One SUV roared up beside Ye Qing's vehicle, and someone leaned out, pointing at Ye Qing and yelling, "Stop! Stop the car!"
There was no doubt that these people were here to cause trouble. But at this moment, how could Ye Qing possibly stop?
Seeing Ye Qing had no intention of stopping, the person beside him became furious, grabbing an axe and banging on Ye Qing's car while shouting, "Brat, are you stopping or not? If you don't stop, I'll chop you to death!"
Ye Qing glanced at the still-unconscious Huangfu Ziyu in the backseat, worried she might awaken. Thankfully, she was still unconscious due to her earlier stomach perforation and wouldn't awaken so easily—at least she hadn't been startled by these ruffians.
Relieved that Huangfu Ziyu hadn't woken, Ye Qing let out a deep breath but furrowed his brows tightly. Although he didn't yet know the origins of these people, encountering trouble at this critical moment had already enraged him.
Watching as the overly arrogant man continued banging on the car, Ye Qing snapped. Grabbing the Seven-Star Ancient Sword from beside him, he pointed it at the man and said coldly, "Get out of my way, or don't blame me for being ruthless!"
"Ruthless, my ass!" the man cursed and swung the axe at Ye Qing.
Ye Qing didn't dodge. He countered with a swift sword strike. As the Seven-Star Ancient Sword collided with the axe, the weapon cleaved through the axe like tofu, continuing straight into the man's arm, slicing halfway through it.
Stunned by the sword's unexpected sharpness, the man froze, unable to process what had happened. After a long moment, he snapped back to reality and screamed in agony, clutching his severed arm and retreating into the car. Blood spurted, splattering the other occupants in the vehicle.
Ye Qing only heard curses erupt from the car before it quickly slowed and pulled away from his vehicle. However, another car soon sped up behind him, and a man leaned out and shouted, "Kid, we only want Huangfu Ziyu. This has nothing to do with you. Pull over and hand her over, and you can leave safely. Otherwise, once we force you to stop, I'll kill you first!"
It seemed these people were competitors of Huangfu Ziyu in Xi Hang battling over territory. Their audacity astounded Ye Qing—they were bold enough to lie in wait near the Shen Family Manor for her. Clearly, they had been following him since he left, which is how they caught up with him here.
Ye Qing ignored the man entirely, gripping the Seven-Star Ancient Sword tightly and swinging it again.
Having seen the sword's terrifying sharpness firsthand, the man didn't dare face it directly. He quickly ducked back into the car and continued cursing Ye Qing.
Ye Qing's brow furrowed deeply. Under ordinary circumstances, dealing with troublemakers would have been trivial, but encountering them at such a critical juncture had ignited his fury.
Determined not to waste time, Ye Qing refused to stop. But seeing his determination, the other drivers grew angrier. The cars blocking his path began to slow down, clearly intending to force him to stop.
Worried about startling Huangfu Ziyu, Ye Qing wouldn't dare collide directly with them, resorting instead to sharp maneuvering to evade their blockade. Yet, with over ten cars arrayed against him, he couldn't possibly escape on such a narrow road. After a few minutes of desperate maneuvering, Ye Qing's car was finally boxed in by two vehicles and forced to stop on the roadside.
"Damn it, kill this bastard!" one man shouted, leading a group of lackeys in rushing forward. More figures emerged from the surrounding cars, armed and ready, clearly intending to settle things here and now.
Ye Qing wasted no time. Clutching the Seven-Star Ancient Sword, he leaped out of the car, locked the doors securely, and stared down the advancing throng. He said coldly, "I didn't want to fight you. You left me no choice. Here's your last chance—leave now, and you may live. Stay, and you'll die."
"Screw you! Look at the situation—you think you can scare us off?" one man sneered. "We've got fifty people here, and you're just one. You think you're Rambo, fighting an army all by yourself?"
The surrounding crowd erupted in laughter. None of them understood just how terrifying Ye Qing truly was, especially with the Seven-Star Ancient Sword in hand.
Ye Qing's expression darkened as he gripped the Seven-Star Ancient Sword and asked gravely, "Is no one willing to leave?"
"Leave? Screw that!" the man shouted. "Like I said, hand over that bitch Huangfu Ziyu quietly, and I might spare your life. But you didn't listen. Well, don't blame me for being cruel! Guys, get him—kill the bastard first, then grab Huangfu Ziyu! The boss says once we bring her back, we can all have a shot at being her husband. He promises everyone will get a taste of this top-tier beauty!"
His words immediately provoked the crowd. Huangfu Ziyu's beauty was well-known, and who wouldn't want the chance to savor it? This was their big opportunity—these words were far more enticing to them than any financial reward!