One Fist Saves a Life

Behind the volley of arrows, two black robed figures rushed out of the forest at the same time.

The long swords in their hands flashed, their momentum fierce, both aiming straight at Quan Lam.

The carriage driver reacted extremely quickly. Using his already lowered posture, he rolled hard to one side.

Two arrows missed, while another buried itself deep into the tree trunk behind him.

But the third arrow still struck his thigh.

Blood immediately began to flow.

The middle aged guard roared, but did not retreat.

He grabbed his saber, ignored the wound in his thigh, and charged straight toward the two black robed figures as though he could not feel pain.

Truly a loyal protector.

Quan Lam showed no panic either.

His round body looked heavy, but when he moved, he was remarkably agile. He stepped half a pace back and pulled the woman in red aside with one hand, avoiding the first few arrows.

Immediately afterward, his right hand swept in a circle.

Fast.

And extremely powerful.

His wide sleeve whipped through the air with a sharp fluttering sound.

The incoming arrows seemed to be struck by an invisible force and instantly veered off course before scattering to the ground.

Quan Lam turned.

A horizontal kick shot out, brutal as a heavy log smashing directly into one of the black robed figures rushing toward him.

The figure hurriedly lowered his body and raised his sword with both hands to block.

Boom!

The impact forced him back three steps, both arms trembling.

The two sides temporarily separated.

Each took a defensive stance and watched the other.

Hidden in the forest, Hao Nhien immediately recognized the two black robed figures.

They were the same man and woman he had seen near the staircase on the second floor of Fragrant Medicine Pavilion.

Only now, they had changed into black clothing.

The carriage driver had also moved back beside Quan Lam.

Blood ran down his thigh, soaking the leg of his trousers red, but his eyes remained fixed tightly on the two black robed attackers.

Quan Lam clasped both hands behind his back.

Only now did Hao Nhien clearly see what had been hidden beneath his sleeves.

Both hands were covered by a pair of gleaming gauntlets, thin as a layer of metal fitted tightly from his fingers to his wrists.

Quan Lam lightly clenched his fingers.

Clink.

A faint metallic sound rang out.

Then he sneered.

“You rats from the Yang family really are good at ambushes.”

“And you still have to cover your faces.”

“Afraid someone might recognize you?”

The two black robed figures did not answer.

They merely glanced at each other.

The next moment, both charged forward at the same time.

The black robed man slashed his sword directly at Quan Lam and shouted:

“Die!”

The black robed woman changed direction, sweeping a sharp sword strike toward the middle aged guard.

Quan Lam did not evade.

He jerked both arms sharply.

His sleeves slid backward, fully exposing the silver gleaming gauntlets.

Both arms rose.

Directly meeting the descending sword.

Clang!

Sword and gauntlets collided with a piercing metallic sound.

Quan Lam followed the impact with a kick, forcing the black robed man back another half step.

On the other side, the black robed woman immediately revealed the difference in strength the moment her sword met the carriage driver’s saber.

The middle aged guard knocked her sword aside, twisted his wrist, then chopped directly toward her head.

The black robed woman barely managed to raise her sword to block.

Clang!

Her body staggered, nearly falling.

The carriage driver immediately pressed forward.

But the wound in his thigh made his steps slightly uneven.

His raised saber was half a beat too slow.

At that moment, the falling black robed woman suddenly swung her left hand.

A small crossbow appeared in her grip.

Pfft!

The distance was too close.

Three short bolts shot directly into the middle aged guard’s chest.

He froze.

His eyes widened.

The saber in his hand was still raised in midair, but the strength seemed to leave his entire body.

A few breaths later, he collapsed forward.

This time, he was not as fortunate as when he had avoided the first volley of arrows.

The black robed woman immediately stood.

She did not look at the guard’s corpse.

Nor did she immediately rush toward Quan Lam.

She shouted:

“Hold him back!”

Then she charged straight toward the woman in red.

Her momentum was fierce.

The sword in her hand gleamed coldly.

Hao Nhien watched the situation, his heart sinking.

This was bad.

The woman in red beside Quan Lam was clearly no match for the black robed woman.

Their opponents did not merely want to kill the guard.

They were using the woman in red to force Quan Lam into a passive position.

As long as Quan Lam had to divide his attention to save her, he could not fully deal with the black robed man.

Sure enough, the black robed man immediately coordinated after hearing the shout.

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His sword stabbed straight toward Quan Lam, forcing him to defend.

Meanwhile, the black robed woman had already closed in on the woman in red.

Sword light flashed.

The woman in red hurriedly raised her sword to block.

Clang!

She was forced back half a step.

The opponent’s second strike immediately followed, slicing across her arm and leaving a long wound.

“Ah!”

She cried out in pain.

Blood ran down her arm and dripped onto the ground.

Instinctively, she retreated toward Quan Lam.

The black robed woman did not stop.

“Die!”

Her sword swung again, pursuing the woman in red closely.

This strike was clearly meant to take her life.

Quan Lam had just forced back the black robed man.

Seeing this, he immediately rushed over.

His gauntlet rose.

Clang!

The sword was blocked.

But from that moment onward, Quan Lam was completely dragged into a position where he had to keep moving back and forth.

The black robed man attacked from the front.

The black robed woman repeatedly pressured the woman in red.

Quan Lam had to block the sword before him while constantly turning back to save the person beside him.

His originally continuous fist technique began to break apart.

Within only a few exchanges, two long cuts had appeared across the back of his robe, exposing the inner armor beneath.

Fortunately, the armor was good enough.

Otherwise, those two strikes would already have covered his back in blood.

Hao Nhien remained motionless in the forest.

He did not rush out.

But his gaze had become more serious.

The situation was turning too quickly.

If this continued for only a few more breaths, Quan Lam’s defense would likely collapse completely.

At that moment, the black robed man seemed to seize an opportunity.

He shouted and leaped high into the air.

Both hands tightly gripped the sword hilt.

The long sword, carrying all his strength, chopped directly toward Quan Lam’s head.

Quan Lam had just blocked a strike from the black robed woman.

His footing was still unstable.

His right arm rose half a beat too slowly.

If he took that descending strike head on, even if he did not die, he would likely be severely injured.

Hao Nhien waited no longer.

His foot slammed against the ground.

His body immediately shot out from the forest.

His step was compact.

Extremely fast.

“Let me.”

A full force punch drove directly toward the side of the black robed man descending from the air.

The opponent was still airborne.

All his strength had already been committed to the sword.

He had nowhere to borrow force from.

The pressure of Hao Nhien’s fist closed in.

The black robed man’s sword strike immediately stalled.

If he insisted on continuing the attack, the opening at his side would be completely exposed.

Almost instantly, he withdrew his sword, twisted his body, and raised both arms to block the punch.

Boom!

A deep impact exploded through the forest.

Fist and arms collided violently.

The black robed man was thrown backward several steps.

His feet carved two long trails across the ground.

The arm that had blocked the punch trembled slightly.

A thin line of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Quan Lam escaped danger by the narrowest margin.

He turned to look.

Clear surprise and vigilance appeared in his eyes.

The woman in red also raised her head.

One hand still covered the wound on her arm.

The black robed man steadied himself and slowly stretched the arm that had blocked the punch.

His cold gaze remained fixed on Hao Nhien.

Hao Nhien gave him no more time.

He immediately rushed forward.

Preparing to throw another punch.

But this time, the black robed man did not engage.

He retreated.

His left hand rose.

A small crossbow appeared.

Pfft pfft pfft!

Three bolts shot out as fast as the wind.

But after personally seeing the carriage driver die to this kind of crossbow, Hao Nhien had long since become wary.

The moment the opponent raised his left hand, Hao Nhien changed his movement.

His body shifted sideways.

The three bolts whistled past him and buried themselves in the tree behind.

The atmosphere immediately became tense.

Neither side moved.

Quan Lam stood behind him, breathing heavily.

His gaze never left Hao Nhien.

The black robed woman had also moved beside the black robed man.

Both raised their crossbows toward him.

Hao Nhien stood still.

His right hand hung slightly at his side.

His intent shifted.

The Spirit Sword within his meridians immediately responded.

If the opponents attacked, he would not hesitate either.

But if it was unnecessary, he did not want to risk himself against the Yang family’s methods.

The tense silence lasted several breaths.

Finally, the black robed man took a small step backward.

Seeing this, the black robed woman immediately retreated as well.

The two coordinated extremely well.

One kept the crossbow raised to maintain distance.

The other withdrew.

After only a few movements, they had reached the edge of the forest.

Then both turned at the same time.

They rushed into the woods.

In the blink of an eye, the two figures disappeared behind the foliage.

Quan Lam did not pursue them.

Neither did Hao Nhien.

The woman in red was even less capable of doing so.

Only the smell of blood remained in the forest.

The carriage driver’s corpse.

The massive tree blocking the road.

And black arrows scattered across the ground.

The surroundings remained silent for a while.

Quan Lam’s breathing gradually steadied.

But his gaze remained fixed on Hao Nhien.

He unconsciously stepped half a pace back.

The hand wearing the gauntlet tightened slightly, then relaxed.

“You…”

“Who are you?”

“Why did you help me?”

Hao Nhien looked directly into his eyes.

His expression was cold.

His voice held little emotion.

“I want to meet someone from the Quan family of Dong City.”

Quan Lam frowned slightly.

“The Quan family of Dong City?”

He murmured the words once.

Then looked more carefully at Hao Nhien.

Hao Nhien’s expression did not change.

He was not looking at Quan Lam as though he were a young master of the Quan family.

He was looking at a clue.

After a moment, Quan Lam finally said:

“If you want to meet someone from the Quan family of Dong City, shouldn’t you go to Dong City?”

“This is already the outer region of Thanh Van City.”

“Are you mistaken about something?”

He paused.

“I am from the Quan family, but even I cannot know every branch of such a large clan.”

“I, Quan Lam, will remember today’s favor.”

“If I can help you find the person you’re looking for, I will ask around.”

His words sounded quite sincere.

At least from his expression and manner of speaking, Hao Nhien could not detect any obvious sign of deception.

He continued observing.

The slight frown.

The way Quan Lam unconsciously tightened his gauntlet.

The rhythm of his breathing as it settled.

Then Hao Nhien slowly asked:

“Didn’t people from the Quan family of Dong City come to the Quan family in Thanh Van City?”

Quan Lam shook his head.

His expression became even more surprised.

“I truly don’t know.”

“I’ve been away from the clan for six months.”

“I’m only now on my way back.”

“There are many things in the clan I haven’t had the chance to learn about yet.”

He looked at Hao Nhien again.

“My name is Quan Lam.”

“First, can you tell me a little about your relationship with the Quan family?”

“And why you helped me?”

At this point, Quan Lam cupped his fists very solemnly.

“If you hadn’t appeared today, I truly might not have had the chance to return home.”

After speaking, he turned toward the woman in red who was holding her injured arm.

Quan Lam took a pale red pill from his storage ring and handed it to her.

“Thanh Linh, take this for now to stop the bleeding.”

The woman in red, Thanh Linh, frowned slightly from the pain, but still turned toward Hao Nhien and bowed.

“Thank you, fellow cultivator, for your help.”

After speaking, she accepted the pill and swallowed it, then leaned lightly against Quan Lam’s shoulder.

Her face had already grown pale from blood loss and now looked even weaker.

Hao Nhien glanced at her, then looked away.

Whatever relationship existed between the two of them did not concern him right now.

Quan Lam lightly patted Thanh Linh’s shoulder, then walked over to the carriage driver’s body.

He crouched down and checked it.

After a while, he shook his head.

The face that had seemed so easy to smile before now became completely solemn.

He stood.

Then bowed three times toward the corpse.

“Old Zhang.”

“You remained loyal to me until the very end.”

“I will definitely bring you home.”

Hao Nhien stood nearby and watched.

His gaze softened slightly.

A person who could seriously bow to a guard who had died for him, at the very least, did not seem completely heartless.

When Quan Lam finished, he turned back toward Hao Nhien.

Hao Nhien knew the initial probing had gone far enough.

Quan Lam did not know whether his father had come to Thanh Van City.

But this man held a sufficiently high position within the Quan family.

As long as he was willing to ask around, Hao Nhien at least had a path toward finding information.

There was no need to remain excessively cold.

Hao Nhien withdrew the sharpness from his expression.

His voice softened.

“My name is Quan Hao Nhien.”

“My father belongs to a branch of the Quan family in Dong City. His name is Quan Bach.”

“He was pursued by enemies.”

“I heard that my father may have headed toward Thanh Van City, so I’ve been searching for information.”

He paused, then cupped his hands.

“I was worried, so I was somewhat tense just now.”

“Brother Quan Lam, please don’t take offense.”

Quan Lam’s eyes immediately brightened.

Much of the vigilance on his face faded.

“Oh?”

“You also carry the Quan surname, and you’re from one of the Quan family branches?”

He stepped slightly closer.

He looked Hao Nhien up and down.

“Then this will be much easier.”

“Once we reach Thanh Van City, I can ask people in the clan and look into the Dong City branch for you.”

As though suddenly remembering something, he asked:

“But you already knew I was Quan Lam back at Fragrant Medicine Pavilion, didn’t you?”

“Why didn’t you say anything then?”

Hao Nhien smiled faintly.

“I’ve never met anyone from the Quan family of Thanh Van City before.”

“I didn’t know how I should properly approach you.”

“And Brother Quan was busy with a transaction. If I had walked up and claimed kinship only to be mistaken, that would have been even more embarrassing.”

He looked toward the forest where the two Yang family members had disappeared.

“Afterward, I happened to hear those two mention the Quan family.”

“Their words didn’t sound friendly.”

“I felt something was wrong, so I followed to take a look.”

“I didn’t expect there really would be an ambush.”

Hearing this, Quan Lam scratched his head somewhat awkwardly.

“Brother, don’t laugh at me.”

“In the clan, I mostly borrow a little of my father’s authority to avoid unnecessary trouble.”

“If you’re too gentle, people take advantage of you.”

“You probably understand that if you come from a large clan.”

He paused, then gave a bitter smile.

“But when you meet someone stronger outside, you still need to know when to lower your head.”

“If you don’t, you die.”

Hao Nhien nodded.

This was something he truly understood.

Sometimes he borrowed the Quan family’s name as protection.

Sometimes he pretended to be weak.

Sometimes he pretended to be afraid.

In a dangerous place, if a person did not know how to adapt, sooner or later they would be crushed.

Even so, he did not completely lower his guard.

The cultivation world over the past few months had taught him one thing very clearly.

Not everyone was arrogant enough to be foolish.

Some people appeared gentle on the surface.

Even sincere.

But their thoughts could run so deep that others could never measure them.

Quan Lam might be a good person.

Or he might be a good person only in certain situations.

Those were not the same thing.

Hao Nhien looked at the massive tree blocking the road.

Then he said:

“Brother Quan Lam.”

“We shouldn’t continue forward right now.”

“Those two from the Yang family may still be nearby.”

“They may also have other reinforcements.”

“If we’re not certain, continuing deeper into the forest would be too dangerous.”

Quan Lam nodded.

His voice lowered.

“I was planning to return to town as well.”

“They won’t give up easily.”

“The town isn’t absolutely safe either.”

“But it’s still better than continuing along the forest road.”

He looked at Hao Nhien.

Then smiled faintly.

“Shall we return to town together?”

“I still owe you a few cups to properly thank you.”

Hao Nhien smiled.

“It would be rude to refuse.”