Qian Chen clutched his sword, unmoved, only silently watching below.
Suddenly, Guo Neng seemed to have thought of something, as if he had discovered a glimmer of hope.
He shouted into the night, "Save me, if you save me, I will definitely release that old thief, and reward you ten thousand taels of gold. I, Guo Neng, here make an oath to heaven, my word is my bond, should I go back on it, may thunder strike me down."
To save his life, he was willing to make a poisonous oath on the spot.
With his eyesight, he could not see where Qian Chen was, but from a single sentence from Hu Miaomiao, he guessed that it was the group of bandits who had been tracking him all along, and since they had gone undetected for so long, there must be a highly skilled person amongst them.
He seemed to see hope.
Even if he was foolish, he knew that these bandits were different from the morbidly obese man; following the morbidly obese man would lead to no return, but these bandits were after wealth, not out to take lives, and with that old thief in their hands, they would certainly show some restraint.
Hu Miaomiao clicked his tongue in admiration, the young master of the Guo family was indeed the Master of the Guo Family in life-and-death situations, his mind was still so agile, his plans clicking along smoothly, just too early to be pleased.
His face wore a smile, his whole person seeming relaxed and comfortable, no different from before, but only he knew that he was now on edge, his fists began to exert force, and his gaze locked tightly on the swordsman atop the roof, always prepared for the swordsman to make his move.
Qian Chen, holding his sword, felt a stir in his heart.
As a martial artist aspiring to achievement, one must focus without distraction, set their sights on a target, and bravely move forward.
As a swordsman, Qian Chen had always done so, with a firmly set goal in mind.
He was the descendant of the Shu Region Qianshan swordsman, existing to guard the Lih Sect of Bashu generation after generation.
In his generation, he was chosen as the protector of Lih Qingshu, and in this life, only two things were most important: practicing his sword and protecting the Young Master.
Before he met Lian Wanzhen, he didn’t even have friends, nor did he understand what friends were.
Hearing Guo Neng’s words, Qian Chen pondered for a moment and then understood.
Rescuing Uncle Ma was the goal, how to deal with Guo Neng was not important.
He lightly touched down with the tip of his foot, drifting to a nearby rooftop, holding his sword, he asked, "How do I get to the Guo residence?"
Guo Neng finally saw someone, his ferocious face showed wild joy, thinking he was saved, he said eagerly, "I am the eldest young master of the Guo family, one of the Family Managers. Young hero, if you save me today, I assure you a life of glory, wealth, and endless enjoyment."
Qian Chen did not respond, not giving Guo Neng as much as a glance, his gaze steady as he looked only at Hu Miaomiao, as if waiting for an answer.
Hu Miaomiao, who was about to engage in combat, was stunned, uncertain what was happening, hesitantly extending a half-powered fat hand, pointing in a direction.
Qian Chen saw the direction clearly, and floated away, leaving behind, "Thank you."
Hu Miaomiao laughed, "Hey, this swordsman, quite polite," he liked that.
Before he could take his eyes back, a loud explosion came from behind, a blast wave shot towards all directions, followed immediately by the horses’ neighing.
Both horses were spooked at the same time, dragging the carriage as they charged wildly forward, running like they were mad. Guo Neng was jolted into the carriage.
From the explosion to the horses being frightened, it all happened in the blink of an eye.
In the flash of lightning, Hu Miaomiao turned his head abruptly, shouting to the Shadow Guard blocking the way towards the direction the carriage was heading, "Get out of the way!"
The horses were crazed, the Shadow Guard could not hold!
He did not stop his movements, stamping his foot and propelling himself forward, using his body as a cushion to catch the Shadow Guard who was flung by the blast near the edge of the explosion, retreating several steps to buffer the force.
Not far away, as obstacles beside the Shadow Guard were sent flying, a dark figure split open a gap in the obstacle. The frenzied horse just reached the obstacle and passed through the gap, sprinting into the distance, while the dark figure also threw a hook, catching the top of the carriage and following the speedy departure of the horse.
Hu Miaomiao steadied himself and supported the Shadow Guard he had caught, asking, "How are you?"
The Shadow Guard spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, feeling dizzy and disoriented.
His face pale, he shook his head, still seeing double, and upon hearing the question, he uttered two words: "Too hard."
A hint of embarrassed awkwardness crossed Hu Miaomiao’s face, as in the urgency, he had forgotten that his fatty body could become as hard as iron when he exerted his strength.
The Shadow Guard’s collision with him was without consequence for Hu Miaomiao, but the Shadow Guard was in a sorry state, having been struck until he vomited blood. Had it not been for the explosive blast, with the Shadow Guard’s martial arts skills, perhaps he might not have been hurt as badly.
Hu Miaomiao only felt embarrassed for a moment before immediately regaining his composure, his expression darkening as he scanned the carriage that had vanished into the darkness.
That dark figure was the same person who had set off the chain of poisonous schemes at Ma Xiapo’s relay station.
Everything had been meticulously calculated, the timing seized perfectly. While he was distracted, they had thrown the oil barrel to initiate the explosion, spooking the horse, and in the moment the Shadow Guard stepped away, they cleaved through the obstacle, allowing the carriage to pass at just the right moment.
Fortunately, the Shadow Guard had reacted quickly. Fearing the oil barrel explosion would harm the carriage, they had thrown it on the edge, not toward the center.
The two Dead Soldiers were in dire straits, forced back step by step by the Shadow Guard. One who had already been gravely wounded was not expected to live, the other, exhausted and a step too slow to dodge, was now missing limbs in the blast and clearly wouldn’t survive.
Although the assailant’s martial arts were not remarkable, his nature was cruel and malicious, killing even his own colleagues, and extremely tenacious with cunning schemes. Such a man, if not eliminated, would certainly become a menace.
After confirming that the Shadow Guards were largely unharmed, Hu Miaomiao waved his hand: "Pursue."
The noise from the explosion was tremendous, like thunderclaps, awakening many residents in the vicinity.
In the night, households near the street, one after another, took ladders to climb their walls and stealthily observe the situation on the streets.
Beneath the Imperial City, regardless of whether they were common folk or nobility, everyone was extremely sensitive to unrest. Unless there was a fire, if an incident occurred, they would not boldly open their doors to check but would instead lock up their homes and have their family guards watch in secret.
Setting aside Hu Miaomiao’s pursuit of Guo Neng’s carriage for the moment, let’s turn to Lian Bao at the Southwest of the City, who was still standing by with his men, waiting for news of the exchange for Uncle Ma, as well as Qian Chen’s return.
He was feeling an uneasy premonition, but with Qian Chen around, even if Guo Neng tried any tricks, Qian Chen would come back with a warning.
With that thought, he was somewhat reassured.
Finally, when the wait was becoming unbearable, Lian Wanzhen, who had been squatting at the gate until his legs were numb, suddenly stood up and looked toward the roof.
Everyone followed his gaze, and saw Qian Chen holding a sword and slowly descending into the courtyard.
Lian Wanzhen, leaning on his iron staff to support his numb legs, quickly hobbled over to ask on behalf of the anxious group: "What happened?"
Lian Bao was particularly nervous; he felt the most guilt over Uncle Ma’s capture, thinking that if he had gone along, perhaps Uncle Ma would not have been taken.
Qian Chen shook his head, his expression upon closer inspection somewhat complicated.
Lian Wanzhen, impatient, directly grabbed Qian Chen and asked: "What does that mean? That scoundrel doesn’t want to release him?"
Skinny Monkey, Rash Ge, and the others, upon hearing this, grew anxious, beginning to curse and showing anxiety on their faces.