Stronger Now

"Shen Jingchuan."

He gave his name offhandedly and was just about to ask what this world was like when shouting came from beyond the woods in the distance.

From the sound of it, there were more than one or two people.

Lin Qingyao's face instantly paled. Gritting her teeth, she braced herself on her arms and tried to sit up, but the movement pulled at the wound on her back, and she sucked in a sharp breath.

"They're their men... The ones ahead must not have gone back, so the others came looking."

Her voice was strained, and there was guilt in her eyes as she looked at Shen Jingchuan. "Young Master Shen, hurry and leave. You were only passing by. There's no reason for you to wade into these muddy waters for me."

Shen Jingchuan didn't answer. He raised a hand to signal for silence, then carefully parted the thick branches and leaves in front of him and looked out.

Soon, four men in short tunics, steel sabers at their waists, came rushing out. Their leader had a scar across his face and a sinister look in his eyes. The moment he spotted the three corpses on the slope, he stopped short. All four men drew their sabers at once and assumed a defensive stance.

Scarface crouched down and carefully examined each body to determine how they had died. The first had been stabbed through the throat with a short sword, the strike clean and efficient.

Of the other two, one had a crossbow bolt through the heart. The other had a clean saber wound over the heart, definitely not a sword wound.

His heart gave a sudden jolt.

The woman had used a short sword throughout her escape. He hadn't seen her carrying a crossbow, had he? Nor had he seen her with a saber.

Plainly, someone else was hiding nearby, helping her in secret.

Realizing this, Scarface stood and swept his gaze over the surrounding woods and undergrowth. Had their opponent not gone far? He shouted in a deep voice:

"Friend in the woods, what skill is there in hiding? This is a private grudge. You stuck your nose in and even killed our brothers. You're treating us like we don't matter! Give us your name!"

Behind the bushes, Shen Jingchuan's mouth twitched. He had no intention of showing himself.

In these lawless, desolate mountains, a hard fist was reason enough.

Since he had already killed two of them, he had no intention of holding back. Unfortunately, their opponents were spread out and had the numbers, so it wouldn't be easy to keep them all here.

He silently raised the crossbow and settled the scope on a man standing at the outer edge of the group, craning his head toward the bushes.

The man was completely unprepared, stretching his neck to look around. Shen Jingchuan squeezed the trigger, and the bolt whistled through the air.

With a muffled thud, the bolt struck the man square in the chest. He fell stiffly to the ground without so much as a grunt.

The remaining three erupted into panic. They scrambled behind trees, cursing, but none dared show his head again.

Shen Jingchuan quickly cocked the crossbow and waited patiently for a few seconds. When another man turned sideways to him and poked his head out to see where the bolt had come from, Shen Jingchuan seized the moment and fired again, sending a bolt straight through his neck.

Two men had fallen in the blink of an eye, and Scarface finally lost his composure.

He hadn't even caught a glimpse of their opponent, yet he had lost two brothers, though he had already figured out roughly where the attacker was.

But the crossbow was far too accurate, and its bolts carried too much force. If they kept this up, they would all be wiped out.

He gritted his teeth and flung a parting threat toward the woods: "This isn't over!"

Crouching low, he fled toward the edge of the woods with his sole remaining subordinate, never looking back or even stopping to collect the bodies.

Only when the sound of their footsteps had faded completely did Shen Jingchuan lower the crossbow and slowly let out a breath.

Two had escaped. It was too late to silence them, so he could only leave this place as quickly as possible.

He turned, pushed through the bushes and went back. Lin Qingyao was bracing herself against the ground, struggling to lift her head and look outside, her face still full of lingering shock.

"Are they... gone?"

"Two got away."

Shen Jingchuan crouched down and pretended to reach into his backpack, but actually took a bottle of mineral water from the space. He unscrewed the cap and handed it to her. "Have some water first. We can't stay here. They'll definitely bring people back with them, so we have to leave now."

Lin Qingyao stared in astonishment at the clear, glossy plastic bottle in his hand. She didn't know what it was made of. It was as transparent as ice, yet very light, and sealed so tightly that not a drop of water could spill out. In all her eighteen years, she had never seen such a curious object.

She thanked him, took the bottle and drank two small sips. The cool, sweet water slid down her parched, hoarse throat, easing even the pain in her body a little.

"Shall I help you up?"

Shen Jingchuan reached out to help her, but saw Lin Qingyao grit her teeth and try to stand on her own. The moment she put strength into her legs, they buckled. She had clearly lost too much blood and had no strength left.

"Don't push yourself."

Shen Jingchuan turned around and half crouched.

"I'll carry you. Your wound's on your back, so it'll be fine if you lie against me."

Despite having lost so much blood, Lin Qingyao's cheeks flushed faintly.

Though she had practiced martial arts since childhood, she had been raised strictly and had never been this close to a strange man in all her life.

But the situation was urgent, and she couldn't afford to be coy. Besides, this man had already treated the wound on her back.

Ah! He must have seen my body. At the thought, she averted her gaze from Shen Jingchuan, her eyelashes trembling as her fingers rubbed back and forth over the hem of her clothes. After a long while, she gave a quiet reply.

"All right."

After hesitating for a few seconds, she gently leaned onto his back. Things had already come to this, anyway. She carefully rested her arms over Shen Jingchuan's shoulders.

The moment the young woman's warm body pressed against him, Shen Jingchuan slipped his hands under her knees.

She didn't feel soft and yielding like a sheltered young lady. Her muscles were firm, with the resilience of someone who had practiced martial arts for years. She was quite heavy, probably around 130 or 140 jin, and she looked tall and slender, perhaps a little over 1.7 meters.

As he stood, he could clearly feel the softness of her chest pressing against his back, very springy. Even through two layers of cloth, the warmth was especially distinct.

Shen Jingchuan's heart skipped half a beat, but his footing grew steadier instead. He bent into a half crouch and reached behind him to touch the mattress and pillow. With a slight thought, he silently stored them in the space.

Lying on his back, Lin Qingyao paid no attention to what Shen Jingchuan was doing. Her face was buried against his shoulder and neck, and even her breathing was very light. The tips of her ears burned fiercely.

They were pressed too close together. Every jolt as he walked left her flustered, and she didn't dare move.

After only a little over ten minutes, the rugged mountain path and the substantial weight on his back had brought beads of sweat to Shen Jingchuan's temples, even though he exercised regularly. His breathing gradually grew heavier.

He didn't know whether it was his imagination, but he felt stronger than before, and his stamina seemed much better too. Was it because he was carrying a great beauty on his back?

He slowed his pace and looked over the woods ahead, thinking they needed to find a more secluded place to rest first. It would be safer to travel again after dark.