NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Baibi City
Whoosh!
The figure landed on the ground.
Dressed in green, with hair like a cascading waterfall.
Carrying a sword on his back.
He lightly dusted off his sleeve, then with a move of his body, soared up and landed in front of the wall, looking at Ji Su who was nearly unconscious.
"Ah, I've arrived a bit late."
He looked at Ji Su's pitiful state, sighed, and with a gentle wave, grabbed both Ji Su and another unconscious Inner Sect Disciple and whisked away.
At the same time, he left a message, "You all continue with the mission."
Li Qian and his four companions were utterly bewildered.
What in the world just happened?
"Just now, was that...Elder Qing Shan from Jade Screen Peak?"
"Yes, I've seen him once before..."
"So powerful, he took out everyone with a single move, including one... Ninth Layer of the Acquired level..."
"Is this the strength of someone in the Innate Realm?"
They all sustained injuries, but none were serious.
After all, they all possessed the cultivation of the Fifth or Sixth Layer of the Acquired level, and most of the attackers in black were only at the Third or Fourth Layer.
That's why they managed to hold on for so long under the combined attack and sneak assault.
Only Li Qian was completely unharmed.
Not even a trace of blood was on him.
He was someone who liked to be clean.
He could not stand the stains of blood on his body, so he used Inner Qi to create a protective aura.
"I wonder if I could win against him in a fight?"
Li Qian thought to himself as he looked at the masked man in black lying not far away.
Although during the chaos of the battle, he encountered only ordinary martial artists and hadn't had the chance to use his full strength, facing a master at the Ninth Layer of the Acquired level was still too risky.
"Fighting across levels is not good... I still prefer to win against the weak."
Li Qian mused internally.
He didn't like to show off.
Just now he attracted a bit too much attention and immediately, the man in black with the mask had his eye on him.
Luckily, Elder Qing Shan from Jade Screen Peak arrived in time, or else the consequences would be unpredictable.
Therefore, going forward, he needed to keep an even lower profile.
After his self-reflection, Li Qian appreciated the benefits of venturing out on tasks to gain experience, which helped him grow faster than just staying on the mountain.
People from Yongcheng Trading Company came out of the house.
They began to clean up the corpses in the yard.
Several Inner Sect Disciples entered the house to tend to their wounds.
"Don't you guys find this escort mission a bit strange?"
"Indeed, with so many attackers, including martial artists at the Ninth Layer of the Acquired level... I wonder what kind of goods they were after?"
"What's even more outrageous is... Elder Qing Shan actually showed up, could it be that he received advance notice?"
"There must be something we are not aware of, but anyway... the danger seems to have passed for now, and as long as we escort them to Baibi City tomorrow, this mission will be considered complete."
Discussing amongst themselves, suddenly Inner Sect Disciple Liu Hui turned to look at Li Qian.
"Junior Brother Li, you've got quite the strength, not even injured?"
The situation at the time, amidst enemy ambushes and assaults, it was not possible to sit on the sidelines.
There was only one possibility; that Li Qian was quite capable.
"It was just luck."
Li Qian said.
"In such turmoil, not getting injured isn't as simple as being lucky."
Liu Hui spoke.
Li Qian, who initially didn't seem to have much presence, now seemed a bit more mysterious in their eyes.
Early the next day, the caravan set off once more.
Only Li Qian and his six companions remained as the escort.
Along the way, everyone remained highly vigilant.
All the way until after arriving at Baibi City, nothing untoward happened.
Finally, everyone let out a sigh of relief as the tension subsided.
"Let's go have a few drinks."
Liu Hui said, "The Moonlit Brew at East Chen Restaurant in East of Baibi City is truly exceptional."
"Isn't it bad to drink with injuries?"
"What's there to fear from mere wounds? They won't hold us back."
Liu Hui waved his hand dismissively.
And so, they all agreed.
Li Qian initially planned to return directly to Divine Sword Sect, but it was difficult to decline the offer... and moreover, he couldn't appear too antisocial.
East Chen Restaurant.
As the most famous restaurant in Baibi City, it was bustling with patrons.
The establishment was high-end, and the prices were not cheap.
For inner sect disciples of the Divine Sword Sect, such expenses were nothing.
In Li Qian's memory, his predecessor had been to the East Chen Restaurant a few times.
"Brother Qian?"
Just as Li Qian and his group of six entered the restaurant, a surprised voice called out from nearby.
Li Qian turned towards the sound and saw a girl in a pink dress, about seventeen or eighteen years old, with delicate and pretty features.
He recalled for a moment, then immediately recognized who the girl was.
His younger cousin, Li Xiaoxiao.
The younger daughter of his second uncle.
She was about the same age as him, just a few months younger.
They grew up playing together and had a rather good relationship.
When his predecessor had run away from home, this cousin had already been betrothed.
"Brother Qian, is it really you? Where have you been these past few years?"
Rushed over excitedly, Li Xiaoxiao asked.
Over three years ago, Li Qian had suddenly run away from home and there had been no news of him since.
Li Qian felt somewhat helpless. He didn't expect to encounter someone he knew as soon as he returned to Baibi City.
"Junior Brother Li, this couldn't be your sweetheart, could it?"
Liu Hui teased with a smirk.
"Senior Brother Liu, she's my cousin."
Li Qian said.
"So she's your cousin."
Liu Hui immediately stopped teasing, "Junior Brother Li, we'll head up first, no rush..."
Saying this, Liu Hui and the others entered the restaurant.
"Junior and senior brothers? Brother Qian, which sect have you joined?"
Li Xiaoxiao curiously asked.
"Xiaoxiao, you don't need to worry about that... and, don't tell anyone that I'm back in Baibi City."
Li Qian told her.
He didn't want to have any ties with the Li Family.
"Brother Qian, why is that? Though stepmother was indeed too much... your uncle still cares a lot about you... After you left home, he has been really anxious."
Li Xiaoxiao said.
In fact, she was also aware of her cousin's situation at home... He'd been motherless since a young age, his uncle was easily influenced, and his stepmother was a formidable woman. While she was good at keeping up appearances, she was not kind to her stepson one bit.
"Alright, let's not talk about this, I'm going in."
Li Qian waved his hand and then turned to enter the restaurant.
Li Xiaoxiao looked at her cousin's retreating figure, hesitant.
At that moment, a young man dressed in brocade came out of the restaurant, happily saying, "Xiaoxiao, I thought you weren't coming."
"I have something else to do, I must go now."
Li Xiaoxiao glanced at the young man and then left.
Leaving the confused young man standing there. What happened?
She came all this way, but why did she suddenly leave?
...
Li Residence.
In Baibi City, the Li Family was also quite a well-known large family.
A typical family of scholars, with many family members holding official posts in the state and county governments.
The late Li family patriarch once held the fourth-rank position of Grand Inspector in the state government and was in charge of educational affairs for the entire region.
After the Old Master Li passed away, the family had declined quite a bit, and although there were multiple officials, they were all minor sixth or seventh rank officials.
Moreover, in this world where martial arts were revered, the truly influential powers were undoubtedly the strong martial arts sects.
In the courtyard.
A woman was feeding fish in the pond.
Suddenly, a maid rushed in, "Madam, there is news of young master Qian."
"He's back?"
The woman put down the fish food in her hand, her eyebrows slightly furrowed as she immediately asked.
"It was the younger madam from the third master's family who said so."
The maid said, "And also..."
"And what?"
The woman asked.
"The younger madam said... young master Qian was calling others junior and senior brothers; he might have joined some martial arts sect..."
The maid said.
"He's rather successful then, running away for three years without a word... If it gets out, people will think that I, as his stepmother, have mistreated him..."
The woman snorted coldly, then turned and left the courtyard.
...