"What! This woman is a Dark Force expert!"
"Quick! Protect Miss!"
The dozen or so guards surrounding the caravan sprang into action, surrounding the old woman as if facing a formidable foe.
The old woman furrowed her brow and gave Shen Qingxue a long look before sneering. "You're merely at Bright Force. You'd be better off accepting your death quietly. Now you've made this old woman work up a sweat..."
"Dark Force!"
Liu Guyuan's face changed drastically. Without the slightest hesitation, he turned and ran.
If she had been an ordinary Bright Force martial artist, he could have relied on the martial arts of the Sky Sea Martial Arts Hall to put up a fight, and even show off in front of Shen Qingxue while he was at it.
Dark Force—those two words didn't just represent a gap in strength. They meant a situation where resistance was utterly futile.
Dark Force was generated from within the body, and its force could take shape and strike directly. The flying needle embedded in the tree nearby was the perfect example of force being driven into an attack.
If Zhou Yun hadn't pulled Shen Qingxue away by the arm just then, the needle wouldn't have embedded itself in the tree. It would have pierced her throat.
"A Dark Force expert..."
Shen Yichen had just been about to draw his sword and charge in, but at those two words, he forced himself to hold back.
Compared with the unique swordsmanship of the Sky Sea Escort Agency, he was confident he could defeat a Bright Force opponent.
But Dark Force... That was an opponent on an entirely different level.
"Trying to run? Did you ask this old woman's permission?"
The old woman drove her force into motion. Several afterimages streaked through the air, and in an instant, she appeared before Liu Guyuan.
A fierce force burst from her withered palm and slammed into Liu Guyuan's chest. He spat out a mouthful of black blood, his vision went dark, and he crumpled to the ground.
Even as he died, the county magistrate's son couldn't understand how he'd lost his life on a routine escort run that should never have failed.
At the sight of this, Zhou Yun's pupils contracted. Dark Force was even more powerful than he'd imagined.
If the force within her body could be generated without limit, he would have no chance against her, even with his Black Ape Fist Technique at Great Completion.
Fortunately, even Dark Force would eventually run out.
The old woman's target didn't seem to be the several carts of goods. She meant to silence everyone present.
More than a dozen martial artists rushed to attack her. They were all top-notch fighters outside, but none lasted even a single exchange against her before a sudden burst of force struck them in the chest.
The old woman killed quickly, but such a pace consumed an enormous amount of force.
Then, during a brief opening, the old woman struck a martial artist in the chest with her palm. This time, no force appeared.
"Now!"
Zhou Yun seized the opportunity. He had been weaving through the crowd and trading blows with the old woman, but now he grabbed Shen Qingxue by the arm and bolted.
"Senior Brother Zhou, wait for me!"
Seeing the two of them flee and the guards around them nearly all dead, Shen Yichen charged into the mountains after them without hesitation.
The old woman's brow creased slightly. She struck down the remaining martial artists and was about to pursue them into the mountains when one of the fighters clung desperately to her leg.
"A mayfly trying to shake a tree."
The old woman brought her palm down hard on the middle-aged martial artist's crown. His head instantly caved in, and at last, he went limp.
"Three of them got away? No, they can't have gone far. At my pace, I'll catch up within an hour."
Killing intent stirred in the old woman's eyes as she swiftly pursued the direction the three had fled.
In the mountain forest.
Zhou Yun dragged Shen Qingxue along at a full sprint, not daring to stop for even a moment. He couldn't be sure whether their pursuer knew any movement techniques.
The terrain around them was complicated. If they could lose themselves in the vast forest for a few hours, they might be able to shake off the Dark Force killer.
It all came down to their luck—and which of them would be the first to give out.
"Junior Brother Zhou, my nephew..."
Shen Qingxue had watched Liu Guyuan die with her own eyes, but she had seen Shen Yichen escape with them.
The three of them had fled together for only a short while before the complicated terrain separated them completely.
It wasn't just the question of how the authorities would regard the Shen Family after the death of a county magistrate's son.
If Shen Yichen, Second Uncle Shen's only son, died on this escort run, Shen Qingxue would face blame from both the Sky Sea Escort Agency and the Sky Sea Martial Arts Hall.
Never mind the position of Chief Escort Leader—even the connections she had painstakingly built over the years would crumble along with it.
Whatever happened, Shen Yichen couldn't die. Otherwise, it would all be over!
"As long as the green hills remain, there'll be no shortage of firewood!"
Zhou Yun urged her sternly.
"No, you don't understand. At a time like this, anyone can die, but my younger brother can't..."
Shen Qingxue stopped. The light in her eyes dimmed, and she started back toward where they had come from to look for Shen Yichen.
Slap!
A slap struck her across the face.
Shen Qingxue stared blankly at Zhou Yun, stunned.
"Senior Sister, do you want to live?"
Zhou Yun said gravely, "Our opponent is a Dark Force expert, and we don't even know if she has a movement technique. Neither of us could withstand one move from her."
At that, Zhou Yun lied. With his Black Ape Fist at Great Completion, he might have been able to hold the old woman off for a while.
But he couldn't risk it.
"Junior Brother Zhou..."
Shen Qingxue's cheeks flushed. She gradually regained her composure.
According to the information her father had provided, the person who had arranged this escort was her uncle at the Sky Sea Martial Arts Hall—in other words, the hall's master.
As for the information leaked beforehand, the Bright Force expert sent to intercept them was supposedly just a member of a local gang in Clear Water County.
Why had a Dark Force expert shown up instead? Someone had clearly set them up.
"Let's go to Clear Water County for protection. The Sky Sea Escort Agency has people there too."
After a brief analysis, Shen Qingxue gritted her teeth and continued deeper into the forest.
"That sounds best. Senior Sister, do you know the way to Clear Water County?"
Seeing that Shen Qingxue had stopped being stubborn, Zhou Yun breathed a sigh of relief. Still, he couldn't help worrying that they might get lost in the forest.
"My family has been escorting goods for generations. Every direct descendant has to memorize the maps of the surrounding area as a child. I happened to memorize the routes through this forest when I was eight."
Shen Qingxue had regained her composure. She took the lead.
Zhou Yun nodded. He hadn't expected his very first escort run to bring such a formidable enemy. Now they had to rely on Senior Sister Shen, their living map, to get out of the mountains and back to the county seat.
They had both learned the Black Ape Movement Technique. With no carts of goods slowing them down, they moved much faster and soon reached the main road.
They encountered no obstacles along the way. They had Shen Qingxue's excellent memory to thank, as well as Zhou Yun, who had stopped holding back and used Black Ape Fist to deal with every beast that blocked their path.
"Has your Black Ape Fist Technique already reached Great Completion?"
Shen Qingxue couldn't help feeling surprised at the sight.
She had joined the martial arts hall half a year before Zhou Yun, yet still hadn't fully mastered Black Ape Fist. And she was already at Minor Completion in Bright Force. How long had Zhou Yun been Gate-Knocking?
If she hadn't known Zhou Yun so well, she would have thought some young master from a major city had come to Black Stone County for fun.
"Just luck."
Zhou Yun offered no further explanation and focused on the road.
In less than an hour, the two of them followed a forest trail around the mountains and reached the main road leading to the county seat.
Just as Shen Qingxue was about to step onto the main road, Zhou Yun grabbed her.
"That old woman is lying in wait on the main road."
Zhou Yun held his breath and pointed ahead. Not far away, an old woman in ragged clothes sat cross-legged on the road.
Before long, something rustled in the roadside grass. Shen Yichen stepped out from it.
"I headed into the mountains, so that old woman must still be wandering around in there. Taking the trails would take at least five or six days to reach Clear Water County. Better to take the main road. A pity about Shen Qingxue and that Zhou Yun, though..."
Shen Yichen wiped the sweat from his forehead, congratulating himself on his cleverness. Then he spotted the familiar figure sitting on the main road.
"Just as I thought. You young ones can't bear hardship."
The old woman gave a vicious smile and drove her force into motion. She sprang up and charged after Shen Yichen.
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