Chapter 20

Chapter 20: There Is Actually Such a Foolish Man in This World

Sensing that malicious gaze filled with ill intent, Li Yunqing slightly lifted her fingers, and the zither music came to an abrupt halt.

Beside her, Jiang Yu had already stood up. One hand gripped the scabbard of his horizontal blade, the other held the hilt, his expression stern.

“Who are you?”

Jiang Yu’s tone was grave, his gaze fixed firmly on the leader.

Blood qi, muscles, and bones resonated and flowed in unison with the breathing of the internal organs—this was the state of Initial Realm Perfection, where blood qi, muscles, bones, and organs formed a unified whole.

His strength surpassed Jiang Yu’s Upper Tier of the Initial Realm by a level.

With black cloth covering their faces, they had clearly come with ill intent.

“Young Master Jiang, if you leave, we brothers will not make things difficult for you!”

“But if you fail to appreciate this, don’t blame us for being ruthless.”

The masked leader spoke in a cold tone.

They had come for the Supreme Spiritual Prodigy. Jiang Yu was the direct heir of the Jiang Family—if anything happened to him, the entire Jiang Family would likely go mad.

The Jiang Family, which controlled Qingzhou’s stationed army, was not to be trifled with.

Once enraged, even the Qin Family, the city lord’s household, would not be able to stop them.

“They’re here for me!”

Li Yunqing’s heart sank. She suddenly recalled the strange prying gaze from last night and this morning.

But she couldn’t understand—she rarely left home and had almost no interactions with others. Why would someone come after her?

“Could it be Zhou Ru?”

She suddenly remembered Qin Wan’er’s warning to be wary of Zhou Ru.

Jiang Yu proposing marriage to her had stirred Zhou Ru’s jealousy. Unable to act within the Inner City, she seized this opportunity to kill her?

“Wait… could this be his doing?”

“A hero saving the beauty—trying to win my heart?”

Li Yunqing’s peripheral vision shifted toward Jiang Yu.

“Clang!”

Jiang Yu’s horizontal blade suddenly left its sheath. He stepped in front of Li Yunqing, his actions answering everything.

“I’ll hold them off. Go find a horse, return to the temple quickly, and call the guards.”

His low voice reached Li Yunqing’s ears, dispelling her suspicion.

If this had been Jiang Yu’s scheme, he would never have let her leave.

Having known him for several days, she had never seen such a side of him—she had indeed judged a gentleman with a petty mind.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…”

At that moment, several more sounds of air being cut rang out from not far away.

In the next instant, six more figures appeared, joining the previous fourteen, completely sealing off the valley’s entrance and cutting off Li Yunqing’s retreat.

Behind them lay the valley—an unknown path ahead.

“Two at the Upper Tier of the Initial Realm, one at Initial Realm Perfection. The rest are all ranked martial artists.”

Jiang Yu swept his gaze across them, sensing their auras. Without hesitation, he turned. “Go!”

If there had only been one at Initial Realm Perfection, he might have fought for a chance at survival.

But with two Upper Tier fighters and seventeen lower-tier martial artists, escape was the only path to survival.

Li Yunqing did not hesitate. With a light tap of her toes, she dashed rapidly into the valley.

Jiang Yu followed closely behind her with his blade, his heart growing heavier.

In broad daylight, only thirty li from Qingzhou City, someone dared to carry out an assassination.

Even he had not anticipated this.

“Could it be them?” Jiang Yu’s thoughts raced, thinking of Zhou Ru and her group.

This was clearly aimed at Li Yunqing—he could not help but suspect.

After all, she rarely went out. If not for coincidence, he himself wouldn’t even have known such a girl existed in Qingzhou City.

“Chase!”

Seeing this, the masked leader shouted immediately.

Within the Inner City, Li Yunqing either went to the Martial Hall or stayed home—she almost never went out, leaving no opportunity.

Using the Zhou Family’s power would also require time to arrange and avoid suspicion.

But today, Jiang Yu and Li Yunqing leaving the city was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—how could they let it slip?

“Tap tap tap…”

Twenty masked figures charged through the forest.

“Young Master Jiang, she’s just a woman—why go this far?”

“Is it worth risking your life for a woman?”

While chasing, the masked leader spoke again.

Though he knew the Jiang Family’s rules were strict—Jiang Yu’s grandfather had only married one wife in his lifetime, and his father was the same—

they were not yet married. With Jiang Yu’s status, risking his life like this was unnecessary.

“Not good!”

At the end of the valley, both Li Yunqing and Jiang Yu’s hearts skipped a beat.

There was no exit.

Ahead lay a cliff.

Mist swirled thickly, making it impossible to see how deep it was.

“Hahaha… you have nowhere to run!”

Seeing the cliff at the valley’s end, the masked men behind burst into laughter.

It was as if heaven itself was helping them.

“Jump!”

Li Yunqing spoke softly. Her powerful spiritual force had already penetrated the mist, seeing clearly below.

The cliff was not very high—at most three zhang. Below was a pool of water, and the mist was merely vapor rising from it.

Without hesitation, she leapt off the cliff.

Jiang Yu did not hesitate either, following immediately behind—his trust in Li Yunqing absolute.

“You—”

The leader was startled, but upon hearing the sound of water below, he immediately shouted, “After them!”

There was water below, and the sound carried quickly—clearly, the cliff was not high.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…”

The masked figures rushed forward and leapt down as well.

“Splash…”

The sounds of bodies hitting water rang out one after another.

Having just reached the edge of the pool, Li Yunqing and Jiang Yu’s hearts sank.

This place was a dead end.

Cliffs surrounded them on all sides. The only entry point was the one they had just jumped from—and even that was over three zhang high.

With their strength, escape would be extremely difficult.

Moreover, twenty assailants blocked their way—this was a death trap.

“Hahaha…”

The masked men emerged from the water one after another, glanced around, and burst into laughter.

This place was small—only about three hundred zhang across. One could see the end at a glance.

There was nowhere for Li Yunqing and Jiang Yu to escape.

“It seems Young Master Jiang’s luck is not very good.”

The leader spoke again, no longer in a hurry.

There was no escape here.

“Clang!”

Jiang Yu stood before Li Yunqing, gripping his horizontal blade. “God-Worship Sect?”

Though phrased as a question, his tone was certain.

In all of Qingzhou City, aside from those heretical sects that worshiped evil gods, who would dare attack the Jiang Family?

Even the Zhou Family or Qin Family would have to consider whether they could withstand the Jiang Family’s army of one hundred thousand.

“Young Master Jiang is indeed perceptive!”

The leader couldn’t help but praise him. “A wise man should recognize the situation—hand over the woman behind you, and we will leave immediately.”

If the Jiang Family’s young master died, every member of the God-Worship Sect in Qingzhou would likely be purged.

Unless absolutely necessary, they did not wish to make an enemy of the Jiang Family.

Especially since their identities could not withstand scrutiny—if linked to the Zhou Family behind them, that family would likely be wiped out as well.

“The men of my Jiang Family never break their word!”

Jiang Yu gripped his blade and stepped forward, his voice growing stronger with each word.

“My grandfather once said—this world is not only about love, but also responsibility.”

“When someone entrusts their entire life to me, how could I bear to let her lose everything?”

“My father also said—the reason martial arts exist in this world is to protect what one wishes to protect.”

“The moment she accepted that pair of wild geese, she became the one I, Jiang Yu, will protect with my life!”

“If you want to take her—step over my corpse first!”

Hearing Jiang Yu’s words, before the bandits could react, Li Yunqing’s hands within her sleeves clenched tightly, her body trembling slightly.

Within her calm, water-like eyes, a trace of disbelief flashed.

“In this world… there is actually such a foolish man?”