Encountering Danger

"I hope you two brothers will go a little easy on him tomorrow. Don't kill him outright. It's best if you cripple him. I want to torture him properly afterward," Li Kui said gloomily.

"No problem, no problem," the two replied with smiles.

"Then..." Liu Xin's eyes flickered, hinting at something.

"Don't worry, brothers. I'll bring the fist manual and the Old Ginseng with me tomorrow. As soon as Yang Heng is dead, I'll hand them over to you," Li Kui promised.

"Good, good, good." Zhang Meng and Liu Xin exchanged a smile, their eyes full of longing.

The night passed without incident.

The next day, Yang Heng went out to deliver medicine as usual, completely unaware that a deadly trap was being set for him.

In the afternoon, Yang Heng delivered the medicine to Xiahe Village, completing his work for the day. He walked leisurely along the path. The surrounding grass and trees were lush, and the scenery was beautiful. The only thing that felt strange to Yang Heng was that usually, when he passed this place, there was constant chirping and birdsong, but today he heard nothing. It was truly odd.

Before he could ponder further, as he reached a small dirt mound, three burly men suddenly emerged from the sides of the mound amidst the overgrown grass and plants. They carried weapons and appeared menacing. One of them was Li Kui. Yang Heng also recognized the other two; they were the ones who had been with Li Kui outside the tavern yesterday. Now, they appeared in this desolate wilderness, their intentions as clear as day: to ambush and kill him. Yang Heng knew this in his heart.

"Li Kui, what... what do you mean by this?" He feigned panic, his face a mask of terror, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Seeing Yang Heng's pathetic state, Li Kui burst into laughter. "Yang Heng, I didn't expect you to be afraid. Weren't you so brave at the pharmacy? You forced me to kneel and beg for mercy, making me lose all face and unable to show my head at the pharmacy. You're quite something!" Li Kui hysterically recounted his grievances, his eyes burning with rage. "Today, I'll make you... die!" He dragged out the word "die," conveying his immense hatred for Yang Heng.

"Die?"

"Heh, with you? Have you forgotten how I beat you down with one hand in the pharmacy? It hasn't been that long, and you've already forgotten?"

"You have a problem with your brain, it needs fixing!" Yang Heng deliberately provoked Li Kui, hoping he would charge forward, making it easier to deal with him and increasing his chances of escape.

Yes, escape. The moment the three of them appeared, Yang Heng felt a sense of threat from the other two, his skin crawling and his body issuing a warning. Although the threat they posed was far from that of Shopkeeper Chen, with Yang Heng's current strength, ordinary people posed no threat to him. However, the moment he saw the two men, he felt a chill, indicating they were no ordinary people – they were martial artists. Moreover, they carried weapons, each wielding a long saber. The blades gleamed coldly, the bodies of the sabers were pitch black, about a foot wide, and the back of the blades were thick. From a distance, they were chilling. With weapons in hand, their strength seemed to increase by several notches. And he was unarmed, how could he possibly contend with two suspected martial artists wielding weapons? Being able to escape with his life would be a stroke of luck. Yang Heng knew he was in danger today.

"Yang Heng, you're facing death, and you still dare to use your sharp tongue? You're asking for it!" With that, Li Kui looked at the two men beside him and nodded, signaling them to make their move.

Seeing that Li Kui hadn't fallen for his provocation, Yang Heng sighed regretfully. As the two men, brandishing their sabers, were about to pounce on Yang Heng, they heard Yang Heng shout, "Wait, I have a martial artist backing me. Aren't you afraid he'll avenge me if you kill me?"

"A martial artist? Heh heh."

"It's a desolate place, and no one will see. Who will know we killed you?"

"Just accept your fate obediently!" Zhang Meng sneered, unconcerned by Yang Heng's words. In the face of Intermediate Martial Arts, let alone a martial artist from far away, they would dare to kill even the sect leader's son if he stood in their way.

Without hesitation, the two men, one on the left and one on the right, advanced steadily towards Yang Heng, giving him no chance. Judging by their movements, it was clear they had cooperated many times before, their coordination was seamless, and they were extremely experienced.

Even a lion hunts a rabbit with all its might.

The two of them understood this principle well.

Seeing their fierce approach, Yang Heng brandished his long saber, which whistled through the air with a sharp wind, sending a chill washing over him.

He knew that facing them head-on would only lead to his death.

He might have a slim chance if they split up.

Before they could reach him, Yang Heng turned and fled.

This was not his first time in this area, and he was familiar with the terrain. He could use the vegetation and the bends in the path to wear them down.

Moreover, he still had jerky on him. With the power of the Marrow Cleansing Pearl, he could quickly replenish his stamina and wait for them to exhaust themselves.

When they were completely spent, he might have a chance to win.

Yang Heng also couldn't understand that even if he escaped today, with a viper like Li Kui lurking in the shadows, he would face this ordeal again sooner or later.

As the ancient saying goes, a thief can steal for a thousand days, but a guard can only guard for a thousand days.

It would be better to seize this opportunity today and eliminate him in one fell swoop.

Of course, this was only if he could guarantee his own safety.

If the situation was unfavorable, he would absolutely not press on.

Seeing Yang Heng turn and run, Zhang Meng and Liu Xin burst into laughter. "Run, do you think you can escape?"

"A mere mortal trying to outrun us martial artists? How laughable!"

With that, using some unknown method, their speed suddenly increased, and they drew closer and closer to Yang Heng.

Yang Heng glimpsed this out of the corner of his eye and also increased his speed, running with all his might.

To him, the trees on either side blurred into streaks as they flew past.

"Huh?"

After chasing for a while, the two of them exclaimed in surprise when they realized they still hadn't caught up to Yang Heng.

Could the long sabers in their hands be affecting their speed?

But even so, how could a mere mortal outrun them?

It was truly bizarre.

A mortal couldn't outrun them, it was true, but Yang Heng, who was tempered daily by the Marrow Cleansing Pearl, was strong and healthy, reaching the pinnacle of what a mortal could achieve in all aspects. His physical condition was no less than that of some martial artists.

Furthermore, he was very familiar with this place, knowing where to avoid loose stones and where to slow down for turns.

Besides, the two of them were not true martial artists. Their bodies had not undergone a qualitative change, so even with greater speed, they wouldn't be able to surpass ordinary people by too much.

And they had not cultivated any movement techniques.

Martial artists were stronger than ordinary people, but only to a limited extent. They would still be in danger facing seven or eight ordinary people armed with weapons, and could even lose their lives if they weren't careful.

Martial artists were different. Their bodies had undergone a qualitative change, allowing them to briefly withstand the chopping of a blade, their skin and flesh tough, their stamina long-lasting, and they were not afraid of being surrounded and attacked by ordinary people with blades.

Unknowingly, half an hour passed.

Seeing Yang Heng's speed undiminished, his face not flushed and his breathing steady as he continued to run, the two began to doubt themselves.

They sighed inwardly, wondering who the martial artists were among them, as they had never seen a mortal who could run so much.

They looked behind them; Li Kui had long since disappeared, falling far behind.

The two did not give up.

Firstly, the Intermediate Martial Art was too tempting for them to abandon. Secondly, they refused to believe that as martial artists, their stamina could be inferior to that of a mortal.

The final victory would surely belong to them.

As long as they caught up to Yang Heng, his life would be in their hands, and the Intermediate Martial Art would be theirs.