The Cheng Family convoy was in complete disarray, with guards continually collapsing in pools of blood.
If Qiu Yun had not been lured away, the battle would have been even more disastrous.
There were still twenty or thirty capable fighters from the Jinsha Gang on the field. Their greatest losses had come earlier, when they died at Zhou Qiming's hands. The Cheng Family, by contrast, had only a few elite direct descendants left; the miscellaneous laborers who gathered medicinal herbs had suffered almost total casualties.
"I hope Zhou Qiming escaped those demonic clutches." Cheng Yan's strength gradually gave out. She closed her eyes in utter despair, yet her heart was still filled with worry and prayer.
However, she knew the hope was slim. After encountering an old powerhouse like Qiu Yun, who had forged both legs through Bone Forging, there was simply no chance of escaping him in terms of speed.
"Want to die? It won't be that easy."
"You've wounded so many of our brothers. We'll have to torture you to vent our hatred!"
"That pretty boy was your lover, right? Heh heh, I'm afraid he already died beneath Hall Master Qiu's palm. He won't be coming back."
Seven or eight Muscle Cultivation grandmasters surrounded Cheng Yan before a massive rock like a pack of jackals. All of them stared with ferocious eyes, eager to take their share.
Suddenly, a rider came galloping swiftly from afar. The fine horse let out a long neigh, its spirit soaring.
The entire battlefield fell silent for a moment, and both sides stopped fighting.
"It's the Hall Master! The Hall Master has finally returned. That brat really could run." A man from the Jinsha Gang bared his teeth and laughed loudly.
"Damn it, Zhou Qiming..." The few members of the Cheng Family all turned pale, despair filling their hearts. Since Qiu Yun had returned so quickly, Captain Zhou was surely in grave danger.
Yet after merely one breath, Cheng Yan instantly rallied from despair. Her eyes glittered with light, and she exclaimed in disbelief:
"It's Zhou Qiming!"
In an instant, everyone erupted, their shock and terror reaching an indescribable extreme.
Qiu Yun was an old Bone Forging powerhouse, yet he had actually failed to kill a youth at the peak of Skin Grinding.
An extremely terrifying conjecture even surfaced in the hearts of everyone from the Cheng Family.
"Could it be that Qiu Yun is dead? Otherwise, there's no way to explain this!"
"We're saved! It must be Captain Zhou's doing."
"The fact that he escaped alive from a Bone Forging powerhouse already proves his strength."
For a time, everyone from the Cheng Family let out a long sigh of relief. However, trapped in a perilous situation, they still did not dare lower their guard.
Cheng Yan saw Zhou Qiming flash forward and sweep a member who had reached Muscle Cultivation mastery off his feet with a saber. She could no longer hold on, and her delicate body collapsed into his arms.
"As long as you're all right." A smile touched the corners of Cheng Yan's lips.
"This girl... She really pushed herself too hard." Zhou Qiming shook his head and settled her in the carriage.
Then he swept his gaze across the battlefield and said to the remaining members of the Cheng Family, "Sorry for arriving late."
"Without you, we would have died at Qiu Yun's hands long ago. Captain Zhou, what are you saying?" Several Cheng Family disciples clasped their fists and bowed, their faces full of reverence and worship.
At first, they had been extremely disdainful of Cheng Yu's arrangement. Why should the Cheng Family's caravan follow the orders of an outsider like Zhou Qiming? But after experiencing this incident, they were thoroughly convinced, their eyes holding nothing but fervent worship for the strong.
"Now it's your turn." Zhou Qiming swept the Jinsha Gang members with a frigid gaze.
"Run! Could something have happened to the Hall Master?"
"Hurry back and report this! Something major is about to happen!"
"That brat must have used some kind of trick or ambush. How could he have returned before Hall Master Qiu?"
The Jinsha Gang members scattered like birds and beasts, wishing they could find a burrow to crawl into. They did not dare face Zhou Qiming's might at all.
With Copper Skin Blood Sacrifice, his strength had reached a thousand jin. Slaughtering Muscle Cultivation elites was as easy as butchering chickens and dogs. Without Qiu Yun holding down the battlefield, who could withstand this god of slaughter? The Jinsha Gang members were terrified out of their wits.
"Attack. Don't let a single one escape!"
Zhou Qiming waved his hand and led everyone in pursuit. He could not let these people return to report anything; his secrets and identity could not yet be exposed.
In the blink of an eye, the tide turned. The Jinsha Gang's rabble experienced the agony of being hunted down and ravaged.
Wherever the Mountain-Weight Saber passed, it was like autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves. Anyone it touched was wounded, and from horseback, Zhou Qiming wielded it like a scythe cutting grass.
"So... so strong..." Cheng Yan and the others swallowed, trembling with dread for the Jinsha Gang. Fortunately, Zhou Qiming was not their enemy. He was terrifying.
"Damn it, Gang Leader Sha won't let the Cheng Family off!"
The last remaining gang member let out a curse and wail like a Resentful Soul, then collapsed into a pool of blood.
"Take inventory of the goods. Dispose of these bandits' corpses here and make sure not a single survivor gets away!"
Zhou Qiming issued the order in a low voice, completely taking control of the situation. Then he added, "Those who survived this trip will be heavily rewarded when we return. The dead laborers will also receive compensation and relief payments."
Since the money was not coming out of his own pocket anyway, Zhou Qiming soothed everyone's hearts, and the people below worked with even greater vigor.
"This guy..." Cheng Yan's lips twitched, leaving her somewhat speechless.
The setting sun hung over the distant mountains, and the people of the Cheng Family finally returned to Jinshui Town.
Having survived the calamity, they were all deeply moved when they saw the familiar scenery outside the town.
Along the way, Cheng Yan had not asked Zhou Qiming about Qiu Yun's whereabouts. Everyone had their own secrets.
At that moment, in the Cheng Family's meeting hall, Cheng Changkong and several family elders paced back and forth, restless and uneasy.
"I wonder whether gathering the medicinal herbs went smoothly. Our Medicine Shop won't be able to hold on for more than a few days." Cheng Changkong frowned. His hair had turned noticeably whiter over the past few days.
One of the elders said angrily, "I don't know who wants to target our Cheng Family. I hope they didn't encounter any danger. We can't afford to lose anyone else."
Cheng Yu had just returned from practicing his punches at the martial arts school. He comforted everyone, "No matter what, Yuan Tieyi is my master. Those thieves wouldn't dare make too much trouble. They're merely playing some tricks in secret."
At that moment, he could only place his hopes in Zhou Qiming as well. Worry flickered in his eyes, but he could not reveal it before the family elders. The Cheng Family had to steady everyone's hearts.
Cheng Yu was still extremely astonished by Zhou Qiming's growth and talent. Relying on nothing more than a manual for Iron Cloth Skill and the meager resources of a chef's apprentice, Zhou Qiming had forcibly broken through the Skin Grinding stage. On top of that, he had been born with immense strength and could match a Martial Artist at Muscle Cultivation mastery.
Over the past few days, Cheng Yu had often exchanged blows with him as a training partner. At first, he had still been able to guide Zhou Qiming in Iron Cloth Skill, but by the end, they could already exchange moves for dozens of rounds. Zhou Qiming's rate of growth was simply terrifying, absolutely beyond what an inferior Root Bone could produce. It seemed Yuan Tieyi had truly misjudged him.
Suddenly, a young servant who had been receiving guests stumbled through the courtyard gate and shouted, "Family Head, Young Master, something terrible has happened..."
Cheng Yu sprang up from his chair and asked excitedly, "Has the herb-gathering party returned?"
By rights, they should not have been back so quickly. Even before the caravan was attacked, they had needed to spend a day or two in the mountains each time, let alone now, with thieves still prowling nearby.
With a slap, an arm dripping with blood fell from the servant's arms, frightening everyone into turning pale with shock.
"What happened? Whose arm is that?" Cheng Changkong demanded.
"It's the Jinsha Gang!"
The servant gasped for breath and pulled out a bloodstained letter. "Vice Gang Leader Jin Buhuan just sent someone to deliver a message. If the Cheng Family doesn't submit within half a month, there will be a dead end."
After opening the threatening letter and glancing at it, everyone turned deathly pale.
"This... this is Mother Wu's hand. Didn't she go out to buy vegetables this morning? Why hasn't she returned yet? Go find her!" One of the elders recognized it and cried out in alarm.
Mother Wu had served their family for decades. She bought vegetables and cooked their meals with great propriety, and when they were young, she had even held Cheng Yu, Cheng Yan, and the others and nursed them.
"This is bad... Yan'er and the others..." Cheng Changkong put down the letter and collapsed into the Grand Tutor chair.
Right now, they had no mind to worry about Mother Wu. They only felt that a great disaster was about to fall upon them.
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