Chapter 101: Slaughter
On the desolate road, a gallant horse sped forward. On its back were two figures, a man and a woman. The man was young and handsome, while the woman had her face veiled with a light gauze. Yet, her ethereal aura still stirred the heart.
These two were naturally Lin Feng and Meng Qing. Moreover, the two of them were riding together as one.
But Lin Feng couldn't feel smug. The horse's speed was astonishing, and a fierce, biting wind constantly battered Lin Feng's body, causing his long hair to fly wildly and his clothes to rustle loudly.
The most miserable part was Lin Feng's body. It seemed as if he might be blown off the horse at any moment and fall to the ground, because at this very moment, he was actually standing on the horse's back, constantly facing the cold, howling wind. Only his hand, resting on Meng Qing's shoulder, gave Lin Feng a slight sense of comfort in his heart.
"If my strength hadn't reached the Spirit Martial Realm, and my movement technique wasn't weak, allowing me to stabilize my body, I probably would have fallen off by now," Lin Feng thought to himself.
Poor Lin Feng had originally thought that Meng Qing, who had come out of Black Wind Ridge, was ignorant of the world and easy to fool. Hence, this was the result. Although Meng Qing didn't understand the outside world, she was very clever.
At this moment, Meng Qing, who was sitting steadily on the gallant horse, turned her head back and immediately saw Lin Feng's bitter expression. In her eyes, which were not covered by the light gauze, a faint smile actually flickered.
Although the smile was faint, as it emerged from Meng Qing's eyes, it seemed as if heaven and earth lost their color, paling in the radiance of that single glance and smile.
"What a prodigy," Lin Feng muttered in his heart. Before meeting Meng Qing, he had never dared to imagine that such a beautiful woman could exist in the world. Every frown and every smile could topple cities and nations.
"Do you want to sit down?" Meng Qing's eyes returned to that indifferent look, as if nothing could stir her emotions.
"Yes," Lin Feng nodded very simply. The clean look in his eyes made him appear like an honest young man, extremely simple and unadorned. At this moment, Lin Feng was showing his true nature.
Unfortunately, the world was too murky. The path of the strong was filled with schemes and bloody storms. That simple nature could only be buried deep in some corner.
It wasn't just Lin Feng. Who among the people of this world wasn't the same? Driven by cruel reality, they gradually wore away their simple and kind nature.
"Tell me about the outside world. If you can move my heart, I might consider it," Meng Qing's gaze flickered, actually threatening Lin Feng, which made him chuckle involuntarily.
"The outside world?"
Although Lin Feng had experienced a few cruel realities, he had only been in this world for a short time and lacked experience. It was no easy task to move Meng Qing, who seemed to care about nothing.
But just then, an idea struck Lin Feng, and he smiled at Meng Qing, saying, "Let me tell you a story from my hometown."
"Alright," Meng Qing nodded slightly.
"In our hometown, there was once a thousand-year-old demon beast with powerful magic, extremely formidable. Her name was Bai Suzhen..."
Lin Feng's voice drifted, recalling a classic love story from his past life, and adding some elements from the Nine Heavens Continent. He narrated slowly, from Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian, to Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai; from Liang Zhu turning into butterflies, to Meng Jiangnu weeping down the Great Wall. One touching classic love story after another unfolded in his words.
As for Lin Feng's body, without waiting for Meng Qing to speak, he sat down on his own midway.
But Meng Qing, who was listening intently, seemed to have completely forgotten about this matter, allowing Lin Feng to sit behind her, his hands gently resting on her shoulders. Whenever the horse beneath them jolted, their bodies would touch.
"Alright." Lin Feng finally finished another story and stopped.
Meng Qing turned her head back, her head almost bumping into Lin Feng's. They faced each other... two faces, less than half a foot apart.
Looking at the beauty so close, Lin Feng felt an impulse, a desire to kiss Meng Qing. Meng Qing was truly too alluring.
"It seems my heart isn't firm enough yet," Lin Feng sighed inwardly. Facing Meng Qing at such close range, he couldn't keep his heart calm and unruffled, like still water.
But Lin Feng's demands on himself were too high. How many women like Meng Qing existed in the world? Who could maintain a detached heart while being so close to her? That would take a saint, or perhaps a true martial arts fanatic who sought only martial arts. Lin Feng, clearly, had not yet reached that level of obsession.
A strange look also flickered in Meng Qing's eyes. Then she turned her head sideways and said to Lin Feng, "Are you done?"
"En," Lin Feng nodded.
"If you're done, why are you sitting? I didn't say you could sit down." There was a hint of teasing in Meng Qing's indifferent eyes.
"Uh..."
Lin Feng was stunned for a moment, then said, "Then I'll continue."
"Oh," Meng Qing's voice was still indifferent. She turned her head away and said nothing more.
"..."
Lin Feng opened his mouth, momentarily speechless. This monstrous woman... so ruthless. If he didn't tell stories, he couldn't sit. So did he have to keep talking forever?
"Rumble!"
Just then, a slight tremor came from the ground, and the sound of rolling hooves grew loud.
Lin Feng's gaze sharpened, and he looked into the distance. Dust flew into the air, and the rolling sound of horse hooves grew louder and louder.
Before long, a line of iron cavalry appeared in Lin Feng's line of sight, bringing with them a cloud of dust as they approached head-on.
Meng Qing guided the horse to the side of the road to avoid the dust. The iron cavalry had already arrived beside them. The leader merely glanced at Lin Feng and the others, then ignored them and galloped past with a roar.
"Bandits?" Lin Feng frowned, a look of doubt appearing on his face. This line of iron cavalry was well-trained. Even while galloping on the main road, they remained orderly, without the slightest chaos, and even seemed to be in a formation.
Moreover, they carried a fierce aura. Even as they passed by, Lin Feng could feel a strong, murderous intent rushing towards him.
But their clothing was extremely ragged, with tattered clothes and disheveled hair, very much like the group of bandits from before.
"I feel like they look very similar to those people from earlier," Meng Qing also frowned slightly and said indifferently.
Lin Feng's gaze flickered uncertainly, his brows furrowed as if locked together, his mind racing rapidly.
After a moment, a sharp glint flashed in Lin Feng's eyes, as if he had figured something out.
"They are the same kind of people," Lin Feng said with a hint of coldness in his expression. "Meng Qing, let's go back. Fast."
"Alright." Without asking any more questions, Meng Qing directly turned the horse around. Her hands trembled, and the steed neighed, charging back along the path they had come.
...
The Duan Clan's carriage moved forward quickly, its wheels rolling, leaving a long trail on the ground.
The Imperial City was too far from Cloud Sun Town, so the Duan Clan's group was traveling fast, not wanting to waste too much time on the road.
"Stop." Old Man Wang raised his hand, and the convoy came to a halt.
In the Duan Clan, although Old Man Wang's strength was weak, because he had been by Duan Feng's grandfather's side since the old days, everyone respected this old man greatly. Especially after Duan Feng's father died of illness, Old Man Wang managed everything in the Duan Clan. His status in the clan was very high.
Therefore, Old Man Wang dared to insist on expelling Lin Feng despite Duan Feng's objections. Apart from Duan Feng and Jing Yun, no one else had any objections.
Now, Old Man Wang looked into the distance. Dust swirled in the air like a yellow storm, and the earth trembled.
The others also sensed it, their hearts tightening as they stared intently into the distance.
Before long, a group of figures appeared in their sight, causing everyone's pupils to constrict.
Bandits. They had encountered bandits again...
Their luck seemed to be too bad!
"I hope this group of bandits isn't as strong as the last one," the crowd silently prayed in their hearts. The bandits from before were very strong, especially their leader, who was even a Spirit Martial Realm expert. If it hadn't been for Lin Feng, they might have been slaughtered by the bandits.
Thinking of Lin Feng, everyone's hearts trembled. Old Man Wang had said Lin Feng might be a spy, a man of the Celestial Wolf King. But now Lin Feng was gone, and the bandits had appeared again. They couldn't tell who was right and who was wrong.
But one thing was certain: at this moment, they all wished Lin Feng were still here. Even if he were a spy, it would be to gain the young master's trust and protect them. Now, they didn't know the purpose of this group of bandits.
The bandit leader's hand spun slightly, raising his long saber high, its cold light gleaming.
"Kill. Leave no one alive." The cold words came from the bandit leader's mouth. Everyone felt a chill wind rushing towards them, piercing to the bone, icy cold.
"Boom!" The ground began to tremble. The bandits all raised their long sabers and charged at the convoy, a fierce, murderous aura enveloping everyone.
"Protect the young master!" Old Man Wang shouted. Immediately, the young guards formed a line in front of the convoy, releasing their respective martial souls.
"Kill!" A loud shout rang out. Saber light flashed, and blood instantly splattered. Someone's head was sent flying into the air.
By the time this line of bandits had passed, blood spurted like a fountain. The blood of many people sprayed into the air from their severed necks.
The brutal scene instantly silenced the space. The sound of blood dripping from the bandits' sabers onto the ground was clearly audible.
In just one charge, over a dozen of the guards were instantly killed, and it was a very cruel slaughter.
The surviving crowd trembled violently, boundless fear constantly invading their hearts. This group of bandits was much stronger than the last. They were completely powerless to resist, only to be slaughtered.
Were they going to end up like those who had died, with their heads severed?
"Lin Feng!" The surviving crowd thought of that unrestrained figure at the same moment.
Unfortunately, Lin Feng had already been driven away by Old Man Wang. How hateful, that they hadn't tried to stop him!