Coming Through the Rain

"Zhou Heng." Chen Yan noticed his hesitation, and his voice suddenly tightened, "No."

"We've been chasing them for so long, and they've only shown their faces once."

"If you rush out now, you'll alert them again, just like last time, and let them escape."

"Let's not even talk about whether we can get revenge; there will only be more people dying at their hands in the future!"

Zhou Heng understood the reasoning.

But then another piercing cry came from the other end of the mountain path, impossible to ignore.

My father died at the hands of mountain bandits.

He wasn't there to see what happened in the end.

But over the years, that scene has played out again and again in my midnight dreams.

Was it like this, being pinned to the ground, beaten and hacked? Was there not even a whole corpse left? Was the head cut off and casually hung on some tree?

Following it, the wounded soldier's tent from three years ago floated to the surface.

People died right before your eyes, and you could only watch helplessly, unable to do anything about it.

I've tasted that helplessness far too often.

This time, we absolutely cannot stand idly by.

"I've avenged myself, but I can't just stand by and watch." Zhou Heng gritted his teeth and squeezed out the two words. Without the slightest hesitation, he drew his sword and leaped out from behind the bushes, rushing towards the scene of the crime.

"... Damn it!"

Chen Yan cursed under his breath, but still gripped his knife tightly and followed.

The enemy's figure receded further and further from view, finally disappearing completely into the rain and mist.

Lost them.

But Zhou Heng no longer had time to go see it.

He crouched low, drew his sword, and darted out from behind the bushes, with Chen Yan close behind.

Two figures suddenly sprang up and pounced on the bandits who had committed the crime.

Chen Yan acted swiftly, slicing the neck of the nearest person with a single stroke. The man groaned and collapsed into a pool of blood.

Zhou Heng, however, was a beat too slow.

When he thrust his sword forward, it was clearly aimed at a vital point, but as it reached the bandit's chest, his wrist involuntarily trembled.

With that slight tremor, the sword tip deviated by an inch.

The bandit screamed and fell to the ground, but he did not die immediately. He clutched his wound and convulsed in the mud.

Zhou Heng stood frozen in place.

He practiced swordsmanship for three years, slaughtering pheasants and rabbits, and chopping down wooden stakes and straw figures.

But when you actually plunge a blade into a living person's body, the gritty feeling of flesh and blood in your palm, the metallic taste in your throat...

It was completely different from what he had imagined.

His stomach churned, and his hand holding the sword was still trembling.

The bandit's wails pierced him like needles.

I don't know how much time passed—it was actually just a moment.

Zhou Heng gritted his teeth, swung his sword backhand, and ended his opponent's life.

The wailing stopped abruptly.

He was panting heavily, his face was pale, and his back was covered in a layer of cold sweat.

So this is what it feels like to kill someone.

The remaining bandits finally came to their senses and, seeing that two of their companions had been killed in the blink of an eye, retreated several steps in shock.

"Where did this little brat come from!"

Zhou Heng did not answer, and he and Chen Yan stood on either side of the people who were slumped on the ground, protecting them behind them.

He hadn't originally intended to kill them all; he assumed the bandits were afraid of death and would scatter and flee when things turned against them.

The person was thus saved.

But he was wrong.

Instead of fleeing, one of the remaining bandits let out a sharp whistle into the depths of the forest.

After the whistle.

Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps echoed from all directions.

In the rain and mist, figures emerged from the woods and quickly surrounded the crowd.

The leader of the bandits grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"Not bad, kid. Trying to be a chivalrous hero?"

"Too bad you've messed with the wrong person today."

"I'll give up my life here!"

Zhou Heng's heart sank little by little.

He finally understood why those people were so confident and unwilling to leave.

When they tracked that group back to the village, the village had already sent people to pick them up.

Just then, the reinforcements arrived, running right into them.

"I told you not to go..." Chen Yan's back was pressed against him, his voice tight, but his grip on the knife didn't loosen. "Now look what's happened, there's no escape."

"Great hero... are we... going to die...?" the peddler behind us asked, his voice trembling.

"Don't be afraid."

Zhou Heng glanced around at the enemies without making a sound, then quietly turned his head and lowered his voice.

"Fellow villagers, if a fight breaks out later, run in the direction where there are fewer people."

"Don't look back, keep running."

"And what about you?"

The woman beside the peddler asked timidly; she seemed to be his wife, and was tightly holding a child.

"We're alright."

These were words of comfort, but Zhou Heng felt completely uncertain.

With so many people surrounding them, he and Chen Yan weren't even sure if they could protect these people and fight their way out.

More likely, no one will be able to leave.

A strange sense of guilt washed over me.

If I really die here... Master will probably be heartbroken.

And behind him, his brother, whom he had dragged into a deadly predicament.

"Chen Yan." Zhou Heng's Adam's apple bobbed, and he spoke in a low voice, "This time... I'm sorry."

"Don't give me that." Chen Yan scoffed, his back still firmly against him. "With your personality, I knew this day would come sooner or later."

"At this point, let's not dwell on those useless things."

He paused, his grip on the knife tightening.

"If a fight breaks out, you take care of the front, and I'll cover the rear."

"Killing one is better than nothing."

"Good."

Zhou Heng nodded emphatically, his eyes sharpening inch by inch.

We'll protect as many as we can.

Kill one, kill one!

Just as he and Chen Yan stood back to back, preparing for a desperate fight—

A sudden change has occurred!

The muddy ground beneath their feet suddenly began to move without warning.

One, two, countless fine tree roots emerged from the soft, damp soil, silently spreading along the ground, around his feet, and extending in all directions.

Looking at those roots, Zhou Heng was stunned, and the scene from three years ago suddenly flashed through his mind.

On that battlefield, towering trees rose from the ground, and Sword Light pierced the sky, slaying all the powerful enemies.

"This is...?"

The thought had barely formed in my mind.

As if sensing something, Zhou Heng suddenly raised his head.

Really.

Above the rain curtain, a figure hovered in mid-air, standing amidst the rain.

A few rays of sunlight slanted through the drizzle, and the person stood backlit, facing away from the light.

Zhou Heng couldn't make out who it was at first glance, only a silhouette looming high above, holding an umbrella and quietly looking down.

An indescribable composure.

Until that golden gaze descended inch by inch and collided head-on with Zhou Heng.

Calm, still, and unfathomably deep.

Zhou Heng's breath hitched.

In this world, there is only one person with such a pair of Golden Eyes.

"Qin... Wangchuan?"

He almost cried out, his face filled with disbelief.

Before the words were finished, the suspended figure fell to the ground.

Holding an umbrella, I stepped through the rain, my toes barely touching the ground without splashing a drop of water.

Qin Wangchuan didn't even glance at the bandits who had surrounded him; he simply turned his head to look at Zhou Heng beside him.

"Found you."

Zhou Heng opened his mouth, but his throat felt blocked, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Before he could recover from the shock, he suddenly came to his senses and reached out to pull Qin Wangchuan away.

"Watch out! There are a lot of people here!"

He hadn't finished speaking.

The bandits who had surrounded them all turned their gazes toward them.

The leader squinted, looking Qin Wangchuan up and down, and slowly stroked his chin.

"Cultivator...?"

"Tsk, such a young Cultivator."

To possess such cultivation at such a young age, and to dare to venture into this territory alone, one must have a powerful background.

Thinking of this, a hint of apprehension flashed across his eyes.

But this apprehension only lasted a moment before it was suppressed.

With our side having the numbers and strength, why would we be afraid of just one person?

Once that initial hesitation dissipated, a fierce glint returned to his eyes.

He grinned, stepped out from the crowd, and looked down at Qin Wangchuan.

"Kid, I advise you to look carefully before you make a move."

"There are three Cultivators on our side, and you're all alone. Three against one, what makes you think you can show off?"

"If you know what's good for you, get out of here now."

"Don't meddle in other people's business, or you'll risk your life here for nothing."

Qin Wangchuan didn't go to see Zhou Heng, nor did he ask what had happened.

The tree roots had spread over the field, and the situation there was already clear to him.

He didn't turn his head, only glanced up briefly, and replied with a single sentence.

What if I insist on interfering?