Chapter 953: Chapter 953

Ye Qing relocated his dislocated arm and immediately swung the Seven-Star Ancient Sword at the person next to him.

In truth, his earlier display of helplessness was entirely an act, a ploy to deceive these people into lowering their guard. Chen Yongchang, ordinarily cautious by nature, still didn't fully trust Ye Qing's feigned weakness. To ensure Ye Qing couldn't retaliate, he had deliberately stomped on Ye Qing's arm to dislocate it. However, what he hadn't expected was that Ye Qing would manage to reset his dislocated arm in such a short span of time.

The Seven-Star Ancient Sword's power was astonishing. The three men stood right beside Ye Qing, and with Ye Qing launching such a sudden attack, they had no time to dodge. The two men who had bent down to lift Ye Qing bore the brunt of the assault, being sliced into four pieces and collapsing to the ground. Chen Yongchang, who stood a bit farther away, managed to retreat just in time to evade somewhat. However, Ye Qing's attack was so swift that even though Chen Yongchang dodged, he couldn't escape unscathed and lost an arm to Ye Qing's sword.

Chen Yongchang cried out in pain, clutching his severed wrist as he frantically retreated, not daring to come another inch closer to Ye Qing. Blood gushed from his wrist in torrents, but he couldn't afford to care—preserving his life was all that mattered now. If he dared to approach again, he feared he'd end up like the other two, hacked to pieces and strewn across the ground.

At that moment, the two others who had driven to the scene saw what was happening and froze in shock. However, being of ruthless character, they didn't get out of the car to assist Chen Yongchang. Instead, they revved up the vehicle and charged directly at Ye Qing, intending to run him down.

Seeing the vehicle barreling toward him at breakneck speed, Ye Qing didn't hesitate in the slightest. He gripped the Seven-Star Ancient Sword with both hands and delivered a forceful slash.

Just like before, Ye Qing felt the seven stars on the sword's hilt rapidly draining away his inner strength, leaving him entirely depleted in moments. Yet, the sword itself struck just in time, an overwhelming, domineering slash cleaving the vehicle cleanly in two. The two occupants were killed instantly, without any suspense, and the blade even left a deep gash in the ground beneath the car.

The scene was utterly terrifying. Chen Yongchang's face turned ashen. Staring at the bisected car and the gaping sword mark on the ground, he turned and fled without a moment's hesitation, not daring to linger even for a second. He had suddenly realized that Ye Qing's power far exceeded what Wang Tian'an had described—it was utterly beyond what he could handle!

In fact, after delivering that slash, Ye Qing's inner strength had been entirely drained by the Seven-Star Ancient Sword, leaving him physically spent. If Chen Yongchang had attacked just then, Ye Qing would have had no strength to resist. However, the sheer force of that strike had frightened Chen Yongchang so thoroughly that he fled instead of checking if Ye Qing still had strength to fight back.

Watching Chen Yongchang disappear, Ye Qing let out a long sigh of relief. Even he was struggling to stay upright by this point. In order to deceive these people, he had deliberately endured multiple hits earlier, and while the injuries weren't too severe, he had still taken damage. On top of that, going all out in his attacks had left him barely able to stand.

Once Chen Yongchang was out of sight, Ye Qing immediately leaned against a nearby car and sat down. He pulled out a Ziyu Chenxiang Pill that Shen Tianjun had given him and swallowed it. The pill was extremely practical, capable of quickly healing injuries and restoring strength in a short amount of time.

Less than five minutes after taking the pill, Ye Qing began to feel strength returning to his body. He walked over to his car, only to find that the tires had been slashed by Chen Yongchang's dagger. The vehicle was no longer drivable. Fortunately, several other cars were still parked around, left behind by the gang members who hadn't had the chance to take them. Ye Qing could make use of one of these.

Ye Qing selected one of the cars and placed Huangfu Ziyu inside it. Without delay, he drove away from the scene. As he sped down the road, he called Liu Mubai and informed him of his whereabouts, urging Liu Mubai to come quickly to assist him.

In Ye Qing's current situation, he had no capable experts on his side. Liu Mubai was by far the strongest individual in this region. In truth, Liu Mubai's strength surpassed Ye Qing's by a considerable margin. With Liu Mubai's help, at least Ye Qing could barely ensure his safety.

Arriving in the neighboring Xilin City, Ye Qing headed straight to the airport. He booked a flight to the Capital for the next day, as only from the Capital could he catch a direct flight to the Miao Borderlands. A stopover in the Capital was unavoidable.

Even with the layover, it was faster than driving all the way there himself. The flight from here to the Capital only took an hour, and after a one-hour wait in the Capital, he could board the plane to the Miao Borderlands. The most time-consuming aspect now was the wait for the flight here in Xilin Temple, which would take about five hours.

During those five hours, Ye Qing didn't dare wander off rashly. Instead, he booked a room in a hotel across from the city's police station and placed Huangfu Ziyu there. The choice of location was deliberate—to preempt any trouble. He wasn't concerned about the gang members who had already fled; they likely wouldn't dare to come after him again. His main worry was that Wang Tian'an might send more people after him. Staying in a hotel directly across from the police station made it unlikely that Wang Tian'an would cause trouble so openly right under the authorities' noses.

Entering the room, Ye Qing gently placed Huangfu Ziyu on the bed and covered her with a blanket. She was still unconscious and had yet to wake up.

Ye Qing, covered in blood from head to toe, had thrown on an overcoat before entering the hotel to conceal his blood-soaked clothing, so the receptionist hadn't noticed his condition. However, the sticky blood on his skin was deeply uncomfortable. After ensuring Huangfu Ziyu was settled, he went straight to the bathroom to clean himself up.

In the bathroom, Ye Qing instinctively closed the door behind him. Yet, as soon as he did, he felt something was off and quickly opened it again.

Chen Yongchang might still be hiding somewhere, waiting for an opportunity to ambush him. Ye Qing couldn't afford to take any chances. If he closed the bathroom door, he wouldn't be able to hear anything happening outside. By keeping the door open, he would be able to detect any disturbances right away. Moreover, there was a large mirror positioned at the bathroom door that reflected the room outside. From inside the bathroom, Ye Qing could clearly see what was happening in the room, even the bed where Huangfu Ziyu lay. This setup ensured Huangfu Ziyu's safety completely.

After positioning the bathroom door, Ye Qing undressed and turned on the faucet to begin washing up. Although he had several wounds on his body, the Ziyu Chenxiang Pill had already stimulated their gradual recovery. Most of the blood on him belonged to others; his own injuries were relatively minor. With the pill restoring his inner strength, which had previously been drained by the Seven-Star Ancient Sword, Ye Qing now felt quite reinvigorated. The warm shower was a welcome relief, leaving him refreshed and content.

As Ye Qing washed in the bathroom, he didn't notice any disturbances outside and let his guard lower slightly. Meanwhile, on the bed, Huangfu Ziyu's closed eyes fluttered open, seemingly roused by the sound of running water.

As she scanned her unfamiliar surroundings, her expression abruptly shifted. Almost instinctively, she tried to sit up. However, having been unconscious for so long, her body felt weak, incapable of even small movements.

At that moment, the sound from the bathroom caught her attention, making her expression shift once again. Years of life-and-death experiences had sharpened her sensitivity to danger. The noise made it clear that she wasn't alone in the room—there was someone else in the bathroom. To Huangfu Ziyu, the unknown was synonymous with threat.

She lay motionless, waiting for her strength to return, while fixing her gaze on the bathroom's entrance, particularly the large mirror that provided a view inside.

Through the reflection, Huangfu Ziyu could see into the bathroom just as Ye Qing could see out from within. The door was wide open, and Ye Qing's unclothed figure was plainly visible in the mirror's crystal-clear reflection. What she saw left her utterly stunned.

Initially shocked by the sight of a naked man, Huangfu Ziyu froze. But as her vision cleared and she recognized the man as Ye Qing, she blinked in confusion. Her first thought was: What is going on?

Upon recognizing Ye Qing, her initial reaction wasn't to avert her gaze; instead, she began piecing together what might have happened. In her mind, Ye Qing wasn't someone she detested, and his presence in the bathroom didn't seem particularly outrageous.

Ye Qing, oblivious to the situation outside, continued washing up. He had left the door open only to ensure Huangfu Ziyu's safety, unaware that by doing so, everything was visible to her through the mirror. If he had known, he wouldn't have left the door open, no matter the reason.

With no awareness of what was unfolding, Ye Qing felt quite at ease. Meanwhile, outside, the scene was proving overwhelming for Huangfu Ziyu. The visual shock of the moment was enormous. Never would she have imagined that upon waking, the first thing she would see was a naked Ye Qing.

Huangfu Ziyu stared blankly at the mirror's reflection, utterly at a loss. She had been so taken aback that she forgot to look away. It wasn't until Ye Qing finished bathing and the sound of running water stopped that she snapped out of her daze. Realizing she'd been staring at Ye Qing's reflection for an extended period, her cheeks flushed bright red. She was suddenly aware of how long she had been watching.

Even someone as bold as Huangfu Ziyu found herself blushing furiously at the thought. Seeing that Ye Qing was about to step out, she hastily shut her eyes, feigning sleep in an attempt to preserve her dignity.