Rendezvous

"Have they stopped chasing us?"

Qin Jianghe lay sprawled across Shen Yi's back, his voice weak. In less than three days, he had already brushed past death several times.

Now, he was barely clinging to life again.

Yet Shen Yi did not stop to treat his injuries.

All around them stretched a flat, boundless plain.

If he stopped to treat Qin Jianghe, the pursuers would catch up in the blink of an eye.

"Not yet."

Shen Yi's inner breath surged down to the soles of his feet.

He pushed Grass Treading Flight to its utmost limit.

Though carrying Qin Jianghe kept him from flying over grass like the wind,

he still ran with astonishing speed.

Each leap carried him several zhang.

Suddenly.

Shen Yi halted sharply, landing steadily upon the mountain path.

"Someone is blocking the road ahead."

"I'm starting to feel this deal wasn't worth it."

Qin Jianghe laboriously lifted his heavy eyelids.

At the end of the mountain road, a group dressed in sea-blue robes hurried toward them.

Qin Jianghe smiled.

"No."

"Little brother, you still came out ahead."

As soon as he spoke.

The figures ahead abruptly stopped ten paces before Shen Yi, then split into two orderly lines.

Two tall, powerfully built figures rushed out from between the parted ranks.

"Big Brother!"

"We finally found you!"

Shen Yi raised a brow, understanding dawning in his heart.

So they were men from the Raging Tide Gang and Broken Blade Hall.

He quietly complained to Qin Jianghe.

"Tsk, they really came at the perfect time."

But Qin Jianghe could no longer hear him.

He had forced himself to hold on until Broken Blade Hall's reinforcements arrived. Now utterly drained, he finally sank into a deep sleep on Shen Yi's shoulder.

The two men from Broken Blade Hall rushed up to Shen Yi.

One of them impatiently reached for Qin Jianghe on his back, only for Shen Yi to raise his short blade and stop him with its edge.

The bearded brute glared furiously.

"What are you doing, kid?"

"That's my big brother!"

Shen Yi smiled faintly and shook his head.

"Whether he's your big brother isn't for you to decide, and it isn't for me to decide either. He has to decide it himself."

Shen Yi tilted his chin toward Qin Jianghe behind him.

Unfortunately, Qin Jianghe was unconscious.

He could not speak at all.

The other man, dressed in Confucian robes and wearing a scholar's long beard, raised a hand to stop the bearded lout.

"Qiushan, this young hero must be the benefactor who saved our Hall Master's life. How can you be so rude? Apologize at once!"

Then the man cupped his hands toward Shen Yi.

Performing a Confucian salute, he said,

"This brother, I am Ji Chengkong, the unworthy Deputy Hall Master of Broken Blade Hall. This is Zhao Qiushan, Broken Blade Hall's Enforcement Elder."

"Those behind us are all disciples of Broken Blade Hall."

"We heard that the Hall Master was ambushed in Clear River two days ago and immediately sent men to search in all directions, but unfortunately found no trace of him for two straight days."

"Not long ago, we received intelligence that the Source River was disturbed. Only then did we mobilize our men and rush here at full speed. We never expected it truly to be the Hall Master."

"Little brother, our Hall Master appears seriously injured. Could you entrust him to me so that we may treat him at once?"

Ji Chengkong's words were logical and well-founded.

They instantly became several degrees more credible.

Prompted by him, Zhao Qiushan also realized that his earlier behavior had been improper.

He immediately bowed deeply to Shen Yi and said in a rumbling voice, "I offended you earlier, young hero. I was in the wrong."

"Please let me see how Big Brother is doing!"

Shen Yi glanced at the two men.

Ji Chengkong was polished in every direction, smooth and tactful in handling matters.

Zhao Qiushan was straightforward and reckless, but judging by the man's knotted muscles, his combat strength appeared far from weak.

"Find me somewhere safe."

"Prepare your best medicine for internal and external injuries."

"I'll treat Qin Jianghe."

Zhao Qiushan was startled and blurted out,

"How can that work?"

Ji Chengkong hesitated as well. From their perspective, Shen Yi was an unknown stranger of dubious origins.

How could they dare entrust Qin Jianghe's life to him?

Shen Yi gave a mocking laugh.

"Relax."

"If I harbored ill intent, he would have died long ago."

"Why would I escort him all the way through the Whale Gang's encirclement just to bring him before you?"

After hearing Shen Yi's words,

Ji Chengkong felt that they were indeed reasonable.

He reached out to restrain the restless Zhao Qiushan, then immediately gestured ahead.

"Little brother, please follow me quickly."

Shen Yi gripped his short blade tightly in one hand.

Carrying Qin Jianghe, he did not move.

Zhao Qiushan's eyes widened.

He had no idea what Shen Yi was playing at.

Ji Chengkong pressed his lips together, revealing a hearty smile.

"Little brother is cautious and prudent."

"As he should be."

He dragged away the dissatisfied Zhao Qiushan and took the lead in turning back. Shen Yi narrowed his eyes slightly.

This Ji Chengkong was sharp-minded.

He could not be underestimated.

Still, Shen Yi did not entertain any other thoughts. These people had been confirmed as members of Broken Blade Hall, and following them was naturally safer for now.

At least he would not have to worry about the Whale Gang's Yaksha Faction coming to kill them again, unless they truly possessed strength enough to crush Broken Blade Hall.

But if they were really that strong,

why would they need to scheme so carefully against Qin Jianghe?

The Broken Blade Hall group escorted Shen Yi and Qin Jianghe onward at speed. They did not return directly to Broken Blade Hall.

Instead, they first headed to the nearer Clear River Town.

Clear River Town was not an officially established town of the Great Xia court. Rather, it was a trading settlement formed by fishermen and common folk of the Clear River basin under the Raging Tide Gang's organization.

There was neither a government office nor a Pacification Office here.

Order was maintained by Broken Blade Hall and the local gangs under its command, so they could enter the town without concern.

In truth, settlements like Clear River Town,

built voluntarily by martial world folk into towns and even cities, had become increasingly common in recent years.

At first, the imperial court regarded such acts as forbidden.

It had once dispatched the Pacification Office and the Eastern Depot to suppress them jointly.

Unfortunately, they could not be stamped out.

And as the court had grown muddleheaded in recent years, like the sun sinking beyond the western hills, more and more martial world forces challenged its bottom line and openly built cities.

Among them were White Emperor City of the Long River, Martial Emperor City of the Eastern Sea, North-Repelling City of the Northern Border, West Mausoleum Market of the Northwest, and Villains' Valley of Lingnan.

The names of these five places resounded throughout the Nine Provinces, becoming holy lands that martial wanderers across the realm longed to worship at.

Back to Clear River Town.

The town was not particularly large.

But it saw a great many people coming and going.

Food, clothing, lodging, and transport were all fully supplied.

It was, through and through, Broken Blade Hall's own little patch of land.

Under Ji Chengkong's arrangements, Shen Yi and Qin Jianghe moved into an independent courtyard as soon as they entered town.

Then he had the finest injury medicine brought in from the town's pharmacies, even summoning no fewer than three physicians specializing in internal and external wounds.

Shen Yi first used his internal force to stabilize Qin Jianghe's injuries.

Then he supervised the three physicians as they took turns.

Taking Qin Jianghe's pulse and prescribing medicine.

Shen Yi took each prescription written by the three physicians and had the other two examine it independently.

Only after confirming that the prescriptions were nonpoisonous and effective did he dare arrange for Qin Jianghe to take them internally and apply them externally.

It was no wonder Shen Yi was so cautious.

After all, he still had no idea who the traitor inside Broken Blade Hall was. If someone wished to harm the unconscious Qin Jianghe, it would be easier than turning over a hand.

Of course, it was not because Shen Yi had developed any profound feelings for Qin Jianghe.

It was because Qin Jianghe's promise to teach him a blade technique had yet to be fulfilled. A journey of a thousand miles had come down to its final step before success.

If anything happened to Qin Jianghe now,

Shen Yi would truly be left wanting to cry without tears.

Toward evening.

Qin Jianghe, who had been unconscious for nearly a full day, finally slowly awoke on the bed.

"Brother Chen Yu."

Qin Jianghe's first words were to call out Shen Yi's assumed name.

Shen Yi, dozing beside the bed, immediately opened his eyes and answered.

"Mm."