Ambushed

The next morning, Song Qingming packed his belongings early and set off on the road back to Lingyuan Mountain.

Before leaving, Song Qingming had wanted to go say goodbye to Big Brother and Fourth Brother, but the Spirit Rice in the clan had happened to ripen over the past few days. Other than those away from home, everyone of the Qing Generation had been dragged by the Third Elder to the Spirit Fields to harvest Spirit Rice. After finding no one, Song Qingming could only descend Funiu Mountain alone.

He raced along the road, and before long, he was already less than ten li from Lingyuan Mountain. Just then, the sounds of a Magic Tool Fight suddenly came from a patch of woods not far ahead.

Song Qingming's expression changed. He quickly activated the Breath Concealment Spell and hid atop a large tree by the roadside. Listening carefully to the movements ahead, he realized that the sounds of battle seemed to be drawing closer to him, making him stamp his foot lightly.

If it was a conflict between local cultivators, he could still protect himself with the Song Family name. What he feared were those vicious Rogue Cultivator Bandits, who never readily spared anyone who knew too much.

The sounds of battle drew nearer and nearer. Hidden in the tree, Song Qingming found himself caught between a rock and a hard place. If he rashly showed himself now, there was an eighty-to-ninety percent chance those fighting ahead would spot him. He could only remain in the tree and see whether he could muddle through unnoticed.

Before long, hurried footsteps approached from afar. An Old Man in Yellow ran directly beneath the tree where Song Qingming was hiding. Not far behind him, Three Faster Black Figures pursued relentlessly, and within moments, two of them moved ahead to block the old man's path.

Seeing this, Song Qingming could not help feeling speechless. They truly were highway robbers.

My luck today really is rotten.

What made matters worse was that the old man had truly chosen his direction well—he had fled straight toward where Song Qingming was hiding.

The Old Man in Yellow was a cultivator at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining, dressed in the Cheap Dharma Robe commonly seen in the Marketplace. He looked like a Rogue Cultivator. The three cultivators blocking him wore fierce expressions and were clearly bandits who specialized in robbing passing cultivators. All of them possessed Mid Qi Refining Stage cultivation.

"Old Daoist, I advise you not to waste any more time. Hand over your Storage Bag, and us brothers can still grant you a quick death."

The leading black-clad bandit held a Black Dagger about a foot long and slowly closed in from the front. The other two black-clad men swiftly circled in from the other directions, surrounding the Old Man in Yellow.

At that moment, however, the Old Man in Yellow suddenly called out unhurriedly toward the large tree above and to his right, nearly making Song Qingming spit blood on the spot.

"Fellow Daoist in the tree, Chen has unfortunately met with danger today. I ask Fellow Daoist to lend a hand and help me out of this predicament. Chen will certainly repay you generously afterward."

Even the three black-clad cultivators who had just surrounded him and were preparing to attack shuddered at the old man's shout, turning to look up at the tree above him.

Song Qingming, hidden in the tree, nearly cursed the old man's Eight Generations of Ancestors. His face was full of disbelief. He had clearly concealed himself well. Even if this old man's cultivation was somewhat higher than his, he should not have been able to pinpoint his hiding place so easily.

Seeing the black-clad men below approach the tree to search it, Song Qingming sighed. Gritting his teeth, he jumped down.

"Fourth Level of Qi Refining."

The three black-clad men were initially stunned to see someone actually come down, but contempt slowly appeared on their faces.

Seeing Song Qingming descend, the Old Man in Yellow first relaxed somewhat, then grew anxious again. He secretly groaned in misery. He had finally found a helper, only to discover that he was a Greenhorn who had just broken through to the Mid Qi Refining Stage.

"Fellow Daoists, I am a cultivator of the Song Family from nearby Funiu Mountain. Today, I merely accompanied a clan elder on a mission and happened to be waiting here for my clan's elders. I have no intention of involving myself in the grudge between you. I ask that you not misunderstand."

Song Qingming assessed the situation inwardly. Even if he joined forces with the old man, it would be difficult for the two of them to withstand the Three Black-Clad Bandits. He could only try invoking his clan elders to frighten them, hoping to escape safely. As for the Old Man in Yellow who had deliberately dragged him into this muddy water, Song Qingming's cultivation was too low. He truly could do nothing to help.

"Oh, if that is the case, then this has nothing to do with you. We have some personal grudges with this old Daoist. Please leave on your own." After nodding to the other two, the leader among the Three Black-Clad Bandits pointed behind himself, indicating that Song Qingming should leave.

The Old Man in Yellow seemed not to have heard the exchange between the Three Black-Clad Bandits and Song Qingming. He showed no surprise at Song Qingming's unwillingness to help, merely staring intently at the three black-clad bandits surrounding him and searching for an opportunity to break through their encirclement.

Hearing the leading bandit tell him to leave, Song Qingming felt slightly relieved. Yet escaping this Unwarranted Disaster so smoothly still felt difficult to believe. Just as he cautiously walked near the black-clad bandit, another black-clad bandit suddenly sent a strange Black Light shooting from behind his back straight at Song Qingming's chest.

Song Qingming, who had long remained on guard, did not panic. He swiftly rolled backward, barely avoiding the Black Light. Though he was only at the Fourth Level of Qi Refining, he was cautious by nature. Over the past half year at Lingyuan Mountain, Song Changxin had also taught him much about fighting methods. Faced with the sudden sneak attack of the black-clad bandit, he had already been prepared.

After flying several zhang past Song Qingming, the Black Light curved around and swiftly returned to the black-clad bandit's hand, transforming into a Black Short Blade. It appeared to be a Mid-grade Magic Tool well suited for sneak attacks.

The black-clad bandit was also somewhat surprised that Song Qingming had evaded his strike. Since the three brothers had begun their trade of robbery and plunder, there had truly not been many cultivators able to avoid his sneak attack within ten steps. He could not help viewing Song Qingming more highly.

"Fellow Daoist Song, these three are bandits from Eagle Nest Ridge. They specialize in murdering people and seizing their treasures. They are vicious and cruel, and they will not readily leave survivors behind. Young friend, do not be too naive."

The Old Man in Yellow was also quite surprised to see Song Qingming evade the sneak attack. He quickly moved closer to Song Qingming and called out loudly to him.

"Haha, well said. You are meat already at our mouths—how could we possibly let you go? Boy, we had not intended to set our sights on you, but today you saw what you should not have seen. You can only blame your bad luck."

The black-clad bandit who had just ambushed Song Qingming let out a vicious laugh and advanced on the two of them as he spoke.

Having escaped the sneak attack, Song Qingming now felt Cold Sweat on Back. If he had stepped just a little closer earlier, he would likely already be lying on the ground, unable to move. Facing such unscrupulous villains, he had no idea how to get away.

Among the three black-clad bandits before them, the one who had just attacked him had clearly reached the peak of the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining, while the other two were at the Fifth Level of Qi Refining. If Song Qingming and the Old Man in Yellow joined forces, they certainly would not last long in a frontal fight.

As he watched the black-clad bandits slowly draw closer, Song Qingming, at a complete loss, heard the Old Man in Yellow's soft voice transmission again.

"Fellow Daoist Song, I still have a High-grade Spirit Talisman on me. Once they come closer, I will activate it and hold them off for a moment. Watch for an opportunity to break through toward the north. The talisman will not restrain them for long. Whether we live depends on whether we can run fast enough."

Song Qingming was somewhat panicked as well. Hearing that the old man had a High-grade Spirit Talisman that could let him break through, he did not think further and quickly nodded in agreement.

Sure enough, the moment the three moved in to attack, the Old Man in Yellow swiftly threw out several Low-Grade Red Talismans. Several Fireballs shot toward the Three Black-Clad Bandits separately. Yet such low-grade talismans could not cause much harm. The three men calmly brought out Defensive Magic Tools to block before them, and after several explosions, none of them was injured.

Taking advantage of this opening, Old Daoist Chen had already pinched a glittering Golden Talisman between his fingers. He swiftly infused it with Spiritual Energy and activated this trump card that would determine the two men's fate. Seeing the spiritual power fluctuations erupt from the talisman, the Three Black-Clad Bandits were somewhat startled. They had not expected the old man to be concealing a High-grade Spirit Talisman.

Once activated, the Golden Talisman instantly transformed into several Iron Chains that bound the leading bandit. It appeared to be only a defensive talisman. No wonder the old man had not brought it out at the start. If it had been an offensive High-grade Spirit Talisman, it could have severely wounded one opponent in an instant, greatly increasing the two men's chances of escape.

Song Qingming had no time to think further. This talisman certainly could not trap them for long. Old Daoist Chen had already fled south ahead of him. Seeing that their attention was focused on Old Daoist Chen, Song Qingming swiftly cast the Light Body Technique and fled west at top speed.

"Third Brother, go after that boy. He is a cultivator from a nearby family. Do it cleanly and leave no future trouble."

"Don't worry, Big Brother. He is only a Greenhorn at the Fourth Level of Qi Refining. Are you afraid I cannot catch him?"

Watching the two flee, the Bandit Leader did not hesitate for long. He ordered one of the black-clad men to pursue Song Qingming, while he himself, after breaking free, led the other man in pursuit of Old Daoist Chen in the other direction.