Upon learning that the Jinsha Gang was behind this attack, everyone panicked. The team that had gone out to gather herbs was probably in serious trouble.
Jin Buhuan's Life-Chasing Poison Needles had reached the pinnacle of mastery, and he himself was a veteran Bone Forging expert. Just the few hall masters under his command could have wiped out the Cheng Family countless times.
No matter what they did, they could not stand against the colossal Jinsha Gang.
"It was me who got Zhou Qiming into this mess!" Cheng Yu was filled with regret. He had thought highly of Zhou Qiming's potential, but he had never imagined that gathering herbs outside would be so dangerous. He had gotten the boy into this.
The Jinsha Gang had actually dispatched a Bone Forging Martial Artist to deal with their tiny Cheng Family. They had been utterly ruthless, leaving no room for mercy.
No matter how much strength Zhou Qiming had kept hidden, it was impossible for him to escape alive from Qiu Yun, a Bone Forging Martial Artist.
"I'll go ask Master Yuan for help. I'll take people out to rescue them now. There may still be hope."
Cheng Yu swept away his weakness and immediately prepared to act. If Yuan Tieyi came forward to mediate, perhaps the Jinsha Gang would spare Cheng Yan and the others.
No matter how one looked at it, Zhou Qiming was an outsider, yet he had been dragged into this dangerous storm because of their affairs. Cheng Yu could not get past his own conscience. He had to do something to save them.
Yuan Tieyi had become the lifeline in his heart. He could only hope that everything was still in time.
"Foolish! Even the Iron Clothes Martial Arts School would never risk making an enemy of the Jinsha Gang. They're finished, and so is the Cheng Family. Pack your valuables immediately. Escort the young master to the County Town tonight."
Cheng Changkong laid bare the cold reality, making everyone's hearts sink even further. If they fled now, where could they go? The roads and villages nearby all had Jinsha Gang outposts. How could the gang possibly let the Cheng Family escape?
"It was me who got them killed. If I had stopped Cheng Yan's idea from the beginning, perhaps they wouldn't have died."
Cheng Yu regretted not insisting on stopping the medicine business. He stepped outside and said, "Since we can't rely on Master Yuan, I'm not someone who clings to life and fears death. I can't stand by and watch them die."
He intended to seek out Zhou Qiming and the others alone.
All the family elders shook their heads, as if they had already seen the end of the world.
"Brother, what are you all doing?"
Suddenly, Cheng Yan's voice came from the courtyard, filling everyone with both surprise and delight. They could hardly believe their ears.
Behind Cheng Yan were several carts piled high with goods, far more abundant than anything they had brought back from previous herb-gathering trips.
But Cheng Yu and the others paid no attention to the harvest. They were simply overjoyed.
"You're all safe? That's wonderful." Cheng Yu stepped forward and grabbed her shoulder, hurriedly wanting to ask what had happened.
"Brother, you're hurting me." Cheng Yan retreated several steps, and the injuries on her body flared up as well.
"It's my fault. Take your time and tell me." Cheng Yu's face was filled with joy. He had emerged from his guilt and self-reproach. At a glance, he could see that although the Cheng Family's team had suffered heavy casualties, Zhou Qiming and his sister were unharmed. Being alive mattered more than anything.
"Reporting to you, Young Master, we owe this all to Captain Zhou. Your arrangements were truly wise!" A guard stepped forward to report.
If Zhou Qiming had not lured Qiu Yun away this time, they would all have died. In the end, Zhou Qiming had even returned in time to sweep the battlefield, which was why the guard had survived despite possessing only Skin Refining Realm strength. He was filled with gratitude toward him.
Soon, everyone talked over one another as they explained the entire course of events in perfect detail. As for how Zhou Qiming had escaped from the Earth Fiend Hall Master and returned, that remained a mystery.
"What? The one who ambushed you was Earth Fiend Legs Qiu Yun? How did you—how did you make it back alive?"
Cheng Changkong drew in a sharp breath. Only old men like them knew the reputation of the Earth Fiend Hall Master. If it had been any other expert from the Jinsha Gang, there might still have been hope. But against Earth Fiend Legs, who had tempered his leg bones and possessed terrifying speed and footwork, there could be no fluke at all!
"Brother Zhou, I never expected you to..." Cheng Yu hesitated.
Everyone had their own trump cards and secrets. Cheng Yu was torn over whether he should ask for the truth. If he offended Zhou Qiming, this great benefactor, it would cause no end of trouble.
Could Zhou Qiming actually be a son of some ancient Noble Family from the provincial commandery, sent out to gain experience and left to roam on his own, with an extraordinarily terrifying Guardian standing behind him?
Perhaps Qiu Yun had actually died at Zhou Qiming's hands.
Yet no matter how much Cheng Yu and Cheng Changkong thought about it, they did not dare guess the most terrifying possibility. Zhou Qiming had only been practicing the Iron Cloth Skill for how long? Eight or nine days, and he could already deal with a Bone Forging expert like Qiu Yun? Just imagining it made their scalps prickle!
It had to be that a powerful figure behind Zhou Qiming had intervened. A veteran Bone Forging expert was clearly beyond his abilities. His Guardian would never stand by and watch the Jinsha Gang bully the weak with superior numbers.
Everyone understood the most important point: the Cheng Family's certain-death situation had found a turning point. The herb-gathering team's survival was entirely thanks to Zhou Qiming!
Watching everyone's expectant, curious gazes, Zhou Qiming had already thought up a countermeasure on the way back.
He had to provide a reasonable explanation to shake off the trouble clinging to him.
Of course, Zhou Qiming had no idea that the Cheng Family had already imagined so much. They had even managed to think up a Noble Family's Guardian. With an imagination like that, it was a pity they weren't storytellers.
"I risked my life to lure Qiu Yun away because I wanted to give everyone a chance to survive. That thief pursued me relentlessly, and I thought I was done for. Who could have expected two Tiger-headed Ghouls to appear halfway there? They entangled Qiu Yun, and I don't know what happened afterward."
Zhou Qiming put on an expression of fear and relief after surviving a disaster, speaking as though he had personally experienced every detail.
Only then did everyone understand. Yet the awe in their eyes when they looked at Zhou Qiming grew even stronger.
Even Qiu Yun, a Bone Forging Martial Artist, was now dead or missing, while a tiny Skin Refining Realm Martial Artist like Zhou Qiming had escaped alive. This only made it clearer that Zhou Qiming was unfathomably deep, with extraordinary talent and temperament.
Moreover, luck itself was a form of strength. A martial arts genius like Zhou Qiming, favored by Auspicious Qi and surviving a great calamity, was destined to achieve great things.
Cheng Changkong withdrew his gaze and nodded deeply. "That explains it. Demons and evil spirits love the hearts of Martial Artists with vigorous Blood Qi. It makes sense that they would target the stronger Qiu Yun first. That old bastard got what he deserved."
With Cheng Changkong's experience, he naturally knew that the Earth Fiend Hall Master would never return alive. Although Chang Ghosts were merely the lowest-grade demons and evil spirits, driven by a Tiger Demon, even a mere Third Stage of Body Tempering Qiu Yun could not withstand them, let alone contend with them.
For a moment, everyone looked at Zhou Qiming with gratitude and awe, without a trace of their former disdain. Escaping from the hands of demons and evil spirits only made his strength seem even more astonishing!
What was more, after escaping danger, Zhou Qiming had still turned back to save Cheng Yan and killed a Muscle Cultivation Martial Artist in one stroke. His strength and courage had undoubtedly won everyone's recognition.
"Captain Zhou is blessed with heaven-defying fortune. Qiu Yun picked the wrong person to provoke!" The Cheng Family members praised and thanked him, all believing that Qiu Yun had been so unlucky as to be doomed by Zhou Qiming.
After painstakingly cultivating to the Bone Forging Realm, Qiu Yun had ended up dying inexplicably at the hands of demons and evil spirits. He truly had terrible luck.
"Since the mission is complete, I'll be taking my leave."
Zhou Qiming cupped his hands and prepared to depart. At present, he only wanted to collect his reward and rapidly convert the resources he had accumulated into strength. Only then would he be able to handle the crises ahead.
In troubled times, the only thing one could rely on was one's own fists. He would place no expectations on anyone else!
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