Zhu Zhuqing Hijacks Yao Yan?

The next morning, at dawn.

A plain carriage stood outside Jieyou Pharmacy. Driving it was a dark-skinned, burly man—Uncle Wang's son, Wang Xiaobo.

Physician Yao stood beside the carriage as well, waiting quietly.

At this moment, Yao Yan emerged from the pharmacy with a pack on his back and Xiao Ying in tow, then climbed into the carriage.

Before leaving, Physician Yao stepped forward and quietly reminded him, "Young Master, be sure to stay safe on the road."

Yao Yan nodded and winked at him. "Please keep it a secret that I went to Gengxin City alone, Physician Yao."

If Sister Caiyi found out, he would definitely get a scolding when he returned.

"Uh..." Meeting his gaze, Physician Yao could only smile wryly and agree.

Neither of those two was the settling-down type!

Seeing that Physician Yao had agreed, Yao Yan bent over and climbed into the carriage, holding Xiao Ying securely in his arms.

Ever since returning from the Star Dou Great Forest, the Little Fellow had remained asleep until now. The cause was unknown, though it was known that he was otherwise fine.

After Yao Yan entered the carriage, Physician Yao turned to Wang Xiaobo and solemnly instructed, "Xiaobo, take good care of Young Master on the road."

"Physician Yao, rest assured! I travel between the two great empires all year round, so I've got plenty of experience!" Wang Xiaobo promised, patting his chest.

Physician Yao nodded. He still trusted Wang Xiaobo's experience on the road.

"Physician Yao, we'll be off then!" Wang Xiaobo cracked his whip and gave a light shout. The carriage slowly started forward, leaving the quiet Qingshan Town.

There were two possible routes to Gengxin City.

One led directly through the Star Dou Great Forest to Star Luo City, the imperial capital of the Star Luo Empire. Gengxin City bordered it.

However, no warrior in his right mind would choose that route.

The other route was much farther. Starting from Qingshan Town, they had to pass through four cities and cross two mountain ranges, taking more than a month in total.

A month passed in the blink of an eye, and the carriage reached the mountain range near Hadrian City.

Night fell. Just as the carriage climbed to the summit of a stretch of mountain road, thick white mist suddenly spread through the surroundings, reducing visibility to less than five meters.

Yao Yan sat on the other side of the carriage, holding up a searchlight to illuminate the road ahead for Wang Xiaobo—and bolster his courage.

Seeing that they had passed the most dangerous stretch and that the mist was gradually thinning, allowing them to glimpse scattered lights from the town below the mountain, Wang Xiaobo finally breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to Yao Yan and smiled. "Xiao Yan, thank you for taking care of me all the way."

It was rather embarrassing when he thought about it. He was supposed to be the one taking care of Yao Yan. Yet after entering Star Luo territory, days of fierce winds had caused him to catch a cold, and his fever had refused to subside. Instead, this young man had tirelessly cared for him for several days.

What surprised him was that despite the hardships of the journey, he himself could not bear traveling for too long, while Yao Yan remained full of energy every day.

"You're too polite, Brother Wang. Besides, you explained Star Luo's local customs to me along the way, and I learned quite a lot." Yao Yan waved it off.

"Haha, it was nothing!" In high spirits, Wang Xiaobo raised his whip to continue onward.

Just then, an overturned carriage lay squarely in the middle of the road ahead, blocking nearly half the path.

Meanwhile, the faint sounds of battle drifted over from the woods not far away.

Wang Xiaobo's expression hardened as he abruptly pulled on the reins. He swiftly climbed onto the roof of the carriage and lifted the straw mat covering it, revealing two long spears hidden beneath, their tips gleaming coldly.

He handed one to Yao Yan and said gravely, "Xiao Yan, we don't know what's happening ahead. It's best if we stay put for now."

As he spoke, he had already turned the carriage around and hidden it in the shadows of the trees by the roadside.

Faced with such a sudden situation, he remained exceptionally calm. As someone who often traveled between the two great empires, he was long familiar with such incidents. If they ran into ordinary bandits, his powerful build would still allow him to handle them.

As for Yao Yan, there was even less reason to be afraid. Still, he made no move. If there was a Soul King battle ahead, rashly investigating might anger them.

The sounds of fighting in the woods drew nearer and nearer. Soon, three figures burst onto the road in pursuit.

Yao Yan's gaze sharpened. The person being chased wore tight black leather that vividly outlined her voluptuous, proud curves. A pair of black high heels gave her an air that was both sexy and capable.

Her long black hair was styled into buns on either side of her head like cat ears, while a ribbon resembling a cat's tail swayed in the wind behind her.

"Leather outfit, cat ears, tail..." Yao Yan murmured softly, a flash of understanding crossing his eyes. With such distinctive traits, who else could it be but Zhu Zhuqing?

At that moment, Zhu Zhuqing was locked in combat with two masked black-clad men. Her First Soul Ring lit up beneath her feet, and her figure abruptly accelerated as she struck directly at their vital points.

The two black-clad men were clearly no pushovers either. Their Martial Souls were also feline creatures, and three Soul Rings encircled each of them. Both were Soul Elders.

When one of them saw Zhu Zhuqing attacking, his Thousand-Year Soul Ring flashed purple beneath his feet. His body swayed, instantly producing a lifelike afterimage in an attempt to confuse Zhu Zhuqing.

Their figures crossed at high speed. Zhu Zhuqing slashed out with her claws, only to tear through empty air!

She immediately sensed something was wrong and was about to turn when the other black-clad man seized the chance to close in. He grabbed her shoulder and violently flung her away.

Bang! Zhu Zhuqing crashed heavily onto the hard road. A sharp pain shot through her shoulder blade, where she had already been clawed during their exchange. Blood instantly stained her leather outfit red.

Enduring the pain, she tried to rise with one hand braced against the ground. When she looked up, her gaze met Yao Yan's, who was hidden in the shadows of the trees.

The next instant, Zhu Zhuqing flashed to the front of the carriage.

A bag of Gold Soul Coins landed on the carriage board with a slap, and her cold voice rang out. "Fifty Gold Soul Coins. Take me to the next town."

"..." Yao Yan was instantly speechless. This really was trouble out of nowhere.

Wang Xiaobo glanced at the bag of Gold Soul Coins, his eyes blazing with desire. But when he saw the two black-clad men closing in, he hurriedly waved his hands. "Miss, we're heading to Gengxin City. It really isn't on the way..."

Those two black-clad men looked utterly menacing. Was she offering money with no life left to spend it?

"Not enough?!"

Another bag of Gold Soul Coins landed on the carriage.

Wang Xiaobo's heart raced at the sight, and he unconsciously swallowed. "M-Miss, this... this really isn't about the money..."

Zhu Zhuqing swept Wang Xiaobo with an icy gaze. Knowing it would be difficult to make a breakthrough with him, she turned to Yao Yan beside him, mistakenly assuming he was Wang Xiaobo's son.

With a flick of her wrist, a coldly gleaming short blade was already pressed against Yao Yan's neck.

"Can we leave now?" Her cold voice carried an extreme threat.

"Little Yan!!" Wang Xiaobo's face instantly turned pale. If anything happened to this young master, how could he ever show his face in Qingshan Town again?

Feeling the cold touch against his neck, Yao Yan was helpless. That piece of iron isn't even worth a flick of my finger...

Who said Zhu Zhuqing was a gentle little kitten?

"Brother Wang, let's go," Yao Yan said calmly.

"You'd better not hurt him!" Wang Xiaobo's face darkened as he gritted his teeth and cracked the whip. The carriage slowly began to move.

Yao Yan and Zhu Zhuqing retreated into the carriage together. They were extremely close. Although Zhu Zhuqing's short blade had left his skin, her arm still hovered around the side of his neck, clearly ready to attack again at any moment.

Feeling the softness brushing against him inadvertently, Yao Yan said helplessly, "Miss, can you put the knife away now?"

At his words, Zhu Zhuqing flicked her wrist, and the short blade vanished. However, her arm remained in a guarded position.

"Sorry. Desperate times called for desperate measures. I'll compensate you afterward." She glanced at Yao Yan. Her tone remained flat, but it was somewhat less cold than before.

Yao Yan nodded and said nothing more. It seemed that this future God of Speed still possessed a measure of kindness deep down.

If it had been one of those arrogant nobles, they would probably have treated commoners like grass. Saving his life would have been considered a gift.

At most, when they returned, they might reward you by making you a slave.

"Brother Wang, don't turn back. Go straight to the next town!" Yao Yan shouted toward the outside of the carriage.

Wang Xiaobo was greatly startled upon hearing this and was just about to object when Yao Yan's confident voice came from within. "Don't worry, leave everything to me!"

Ahead of the carriage, the two black-clad men saw that it not only failed to turn around, but instead accelerated toward them. Ferocity flashed in their eyes as Soul Power surged through them. They were clearly preparing to stop it by force.

A clash was now inevitable.