Decisive

Most of the members in this medicine delivery team were newcomers; they had never experienced a life-or-death struggle, nor had they seen blood.

Now, seeing a living life vanish right before their eyes, many of them turned pale.

Some of the more pessimistic ones whispered, "It's over, it's all over."

Killing one refugee was fine, but how to contain the ones behind them was the real problem!

If they attracted two or three hundred people to gather, could they really kill them all?

The young refugees also suddenly raised their heads, their eyes burning with rage.

One of them scrambled to his feet, pointed at Li Chuan, and shouted angrily:

"My lord, we only came to beg for food, why must you take our lives!"

"We only dared to come because we heard of the benevolence and righteousness of the Luo Family Pharmacy. If you were unwilling to give alms, we would have left!"

"To act like this now, where does it leave the reputation of the Luo family, or the principles of benevolence and righteousness!"

The youth's words were logically sound, and he even used moral high ground to pressure them, making his speech highly inflammatory.

Sure enough, as soon as he spoke, many of the refugees became agitated.

A flicker of imperceptible triumph flashed in the youth's eyes.

He was certain that Li Chuan would pay a much greater price for his previous recklessness!

"Bang!"

Li Chuan flicked a small pebble, striking the youth squarely between the eyebrows.

The power of his Bright Force made the pebble travel at extreme speed with immense force.

It punched a hole directly through the youth's forehead.

With a thud, the youth collapsed to the ground.

He was dead.

"Brother!" Another young refugee behind him shouted as he stood up, hot tears streaming from his eyes.

"Why are you so cruel? What did my brother say wrong!" He gritted his teeth and stepped forward to shove Li Chuan.

But to his surprise, this act of venting, which didn't even use much strength, had an astonishing effect.

Li Chuan let out a loud cry, his entire body appearing as if it had been struck by a massive force.

He flew across the ground for over ten meters, his clothes shredding before he finally came to a stop.

His head lolled to the side, and he closed his eyes!

"This, this, this!" The youth stared blankly at his own hands.

He hadn't used any strength at all!

The development of events exceeded everyone's expectations.

Some of the more experienced refugees had already greased their heels and quietly slipped away from the crowd.

Previously, the refugees held the moral high ground and could pressure others.

But now that they had actually struck a member of the Luo family, what moral high ground was left!

The many young refugees were also plunged into confusion, not knowing what to say now.

The lines they had rehearsed so many times no longer seemed appropriate for this scene!

On the side of the medicine delivery team, everyone's eyes were filled with shock and suspicion.

Among them were several martial artists skilled in Bright Force who noticed something was wrong.

That youth was gaunt and sallow, with no signs of internal energy circulating in his body; how could he possess such immense strength?

Wang Youfang frowned as he looked at Li Chuan, suddenly noticing his fingers twitch.

A flash of inspiration struck Wang Youfang, and in his urgency, he shouted:

"How bold! You failed to beg, so now you resort to violence!"

With that, he launched a fierce attack, sending a refugee flying.

The other martial artists in the medicine delivery team snapped out of their stupor and quickly joined the fray.

In an instant, over a dozen refugees were beaten to the ground.

The refugees behind who had hoped to take advantage of the situation saw this display and dared not make a sound.

They all lowered their heads and hurried away.

After another moment, Li Chuan finally opened his eyes slowly.

He feigned two coughs.

Wang Youwei stepped forward with concern and said:

"Brother Li, are you alright?"

Li Chuan waved his hand.

"It's nothing. Thank you for your help, Brother Wang."

Their eyes met, and both understood what the other meant.

Just then, Luo Houping hurried back.

The robe across his chest was shredded into rags, revealing a claw mark so deep the bone was visible.

It was even still dripping fresh blood.

"Pah!" Luo Houping spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva. "If that beast had been a second slower, I would have ripped its head off!"

Seeing the two corpses lying on the ground and the dozen or so refugees rolling around in agony, Luo Houping frowned, a cold glint appearing in his eyes.

"What happened here?"

As the manager of the Luo Family Pharmacy, he knew very well how much damage such an incident would do to the Luo family's reputation if there wasn't a proper justification.

Wang Youwei stepped forward and whispered:

"This group of refugees came to beg, and when begging didn't work, they tried to use moral pressure against us..."

Before Wang Youwei could finish, Luo Houping interrupted him.

He furrowed his brows even deeper and asked coldly:

"Who killed them?"

Cold sweat beaded on Wang Youwei's forehead as he tried to offer an explanation.

Li Chuan stepped forward and said calmly:

"I did."

Luo Houping raised an eyebrow, surprised that it was Li Chuan.

"Why did you kill them?"

Li Chuan's tone remained steady and unhurried:

"This group of refugees was organized and calculated. If I hadn't seized that split-second opportunity to strike decisively, the situation would likely have spiraled out of control."

"Besides, I've already handled the aftermath. Once word spreads, everyone will know the refugees attacked me first, so we stand on the moral high ground."

Luo Houping said:

"You didn't kill enough. Two isn't enough; you should have killed at least four or five!"

Wang Youwei was stunned.

He had assumed Luo Houping wanted to blame Li Chuan for killing without authorization, but he hadn't expected him to complain that he hadn't killed enough!

Luo Houping explained:

"The Luo family does need to maintain a reputation for 'benevolence and righteousness,' but benevolence is not weakness. If we let people bully us to our faces and still back down, that's just cowardice!"

Luo Houping looked at Li Chuan deeply.

"Well killed, and handled even better. You are a talent worth cultivating. There will be a reward for you when we return."

The others had been waiting to see Li Chuan make a fool of himself.

After all, Li Chuan had done what they wanted to do but didn't dare to.

If Li Chuan was right, wouldn't that imply they were weak?

Yet, they never expected to see such an attitude from Boss Luo.

For a moment, some secretly regretted their hesitation.

Had they known this would be the outcome, they should have acted decisively themselves.

But what they didn't know was that decisiveness itself was a rare ability.

Opportunities often exist only for an instant; if you can't grasp them, they are gone forever.

Without a doubt, Li Chuan had grasped his.

After a brief rest, the group continued on their way.

Wang Youwei said with a hint of envy:

"Brother Li, you've really made a name for yourself this time. Look at the way Boss Luo is looking at you—he's clearly impressed."

"You don't know, Brother Li, Boss Luo has always been known for his cold demeanor. You're the only one he ever smiles at."

"After we get back, I'm afraid we won't have many chances to see each other. Since you performed so well, Boss Luo will surely take you to deliver more precious medicinal herbs next time."

The reward for each escort mission was based on the value of the herbs.

Delivering precious herbs meant receiving a larger reward.

For a martial artist, the ability to earn money also meant a broader path for their martial arts journey.

Li Chuan smiled, his tone pointed:

"Brother Wang, this wasn't entirely my doing; you helped quite a bit as well. I will be sure to mention this to Boss Luo."

A flicker of emotion crossed Wang Youwei's eyes:

"Then many thanks, Brother Li. If only I weren't already married..."

Li Chuan: "...I regret saying that."

Wang Youwei burst into laughter:

"Brother Li, I was only joking."

After this setback, the rest of the journey went smoothly, and the group successfully arrived at Huangshi County before nightfall.