Blocking the Road (Bonus Chapter! Please Keep Reading!)

The farther they traveled from the city, the scarcer the people became, and the rougher the road grew.

The dirt road was pitted and uneven. The wheels crunched over gravel with incessant creaks, and Old Huang, the driver, would occasionally call out, "Hup," tugging the reins to steer around the potholes.

Sun Ping leaned against the carriage wall, closed his eyes, and gradually settled into even breathing.

Xu Qing lifted the carriage curtain and glanced outside. The grass along the field ridges had long since withered yellow. In the distance, a few scattered farmhouses could be seen, wisps of cooking smoke rising from their chimneys. Once they passed this stretch of road, the fork leading back to Blackwater Bay would be ahead.

Old Huang had driven carriages for over a decade. He knew the roads like the back of his hand; Xu Qing did not need to tell him where to go.

But before they reached the fork, he suddenly pulled hard on the reins.

"Hup—"

The carriage jolted to an abrupt stop. Xu Qing pitched forward slightly and frowned. Just as he was about to ask what was wrong, he suddenly heard the rapid pounding of hooves and wheels crushing gravel from the road to their right.

He turned to look. A carriage draped in blue-green curtains was racing toward them from that road, moving at tremendous speed.

When that carriage reached the fork, its front wheel rolled over a large stone. The carriage lurched violently and overturned by the roadside. Its curtain flew open, revealing a startled cry from within, followed immediately by the scream of the old driver.

At the same time, three men came panting after it, close on its heels.

The leader was a burly man with a vicious face, dressed in a filthy short jacket and carrying a short blade. Behind him were a bearded man and a man with triangular eyes, both armed as well.

Seeing the overturned carriage, the burly man froze for a moment before grinning, exposing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Run, then! Why aren't you running now?"

After taking several ragged breaths, he turned and spotted Xu Qing's carriage. His gaze hardened as he strode over with his blade, waving it fiercely. "What are you looking at? Get lost!"

The bearded man followed behind him, but leaned close and whispered, "Big Brother, since we're already here, why not rob them too? Look at that old driver—he reeks of poverty. The people inside don't look like high officials or nobles either. Meat that's at our mouths is meat whether there's one piece or two."

The burly man narrowed his eyes at Xu Qing's carriage. The curtain was faded blue-green cloth, washed nearly white. The driver was an old man in patched clothing, hunched with his neck drawn in, trembling in fright. It truly did not look like the carriage of wealthy city folk.

He nodded and lifted his chin. "Second, Third, go stop that carriage too. Remember, take their silver first, then stab them. Be quick about it."

The bearded man and the triangular-eyed man answered and strode toward Xu Qing's carriage with their blades in hand.

Old Huang went white with fright. The whip slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. His lips trembled too badly for him to speak, and he curled himself into a ball, as though he wished he could burrow beneath the carriage floor.

Sun Ping was startled awake. He opened his eyes groggily, and once he saw what was happening, his whole body tensed. Instinctively, he shrank closer to Xu Qing, his voice shaking. "Xu... Senior Brother Xu..."

Sitting in the carriage, Xu Qing watched the two men draw nearer and sighed inwardly.

He did not want trouble. He had wanted to return to Blackwater Bay for a proper rest day, to see his Second Uncle, Second Aunt, and Xiuer; to hear Xiuer call him "Brother"; to eat a bowl of Second Aunt's cooking. How wonderful that would have been. But trouble had come knocking on its own, and he had no choice but to act.

The bearded man reached the carriage and stretched out a hand to yank aside the curtain. Five filthy fingers hooked into the blue-green cloth, and he gave it a savage tug. "Damn it, get the hell out here! Hand over everything valuable! If I'm in a good mood, I might even spare your lives—"

He did not get to finish.

A fist extended from behind the curtain and landed, neither heavy nor light, on his wrist.

The force was not great, but it carried a deft, clever strength. The bearded man only felt his arm go numb, and his entire limb lost all strength. The blade in his hand clattered to the ground.

He froze. Before he could react, Xu Qing threw another punch, lightly landing it against his chest. It was not heavy, more like a simple shove. Yet the bearded man's face instantly turned deathly pale. A muffled groan escaped his throat, and all strength seemed to drain from his body as he collapsed limply.

Seeing that things had gone wrong, the triangular-eyed man raised his blade and stabbed. The tip of the dagger flashed with cold light as it shot straight for Xu Qing's ribs, swift and vicious.

Xu Qing twisted aside and chopped his palm into the man's elbow. With a crack, the triangular-eyed man's arm broke, and his knife flew away. Xu Qing followed with another punch to his ribs. The triangular-eyed man did not even manage a grunt before he toppled sideways onto the ground, convulsed twice, and lay still.

From beginning to end, Xu Qing had not even risen from his seat.

The burly man was crouched beside the overturned carriage, reaching to lift its curtain. Hearing the commotion, he looked back—and saw his two companions already lying on the ground. One leaned against a wheel with his eyes rolled back, while the other lay face-down and motionless.

His expression changed drastically. He shot to his feet, and the hand clutching his blade began to shake.

He saw Xu Qing jump down from the carriage. A young man dressed in a blue-gray robe of fine cloth, with nothing hanging from his waist, clean from head to toe. Yet those eyes were colder than ice.

The burly man swallowed. There was only one thought in his mind: run.

But his legs suddenly went weak. He could not run.

He could not sit still and wait for death. Almost crawling and rolling, he lunged toward the overturned carriage, grabbed the person inside, and dragged her out through the curtain, pressing his blade against her throat.

A girl of sixteen or seventeen.

She had an oval face and pretty features. Her jet-black hair hung in disarray over her shoulders, and the silver hairpin by her temple sat crookedly. Her clothes were wrinkled and stained with mud, while a tear had split her skirt open, exposing the white underskirt beneath.

One of her shoes had disappeared somewhere. One bare foot stood in the mud, leaving her in a state of utter disarray.

The burly man pressed his blade to her neck, its tip leaving a faint white mark against her skin. Her face was pale with terror. Her lips trembled, her lashes trembled, her entire body trembled, yet she bit her lip hard and did not make a sound.

"Don't come any closer! Come closer and I'll kill her!" the burly man roared, his voice cracking.

Xu Qing stopped.

"Let her go, and I'll let you leave," Xu Qing said calmly. His tone was casual, but the killing intent in his eyes did not lessen in the slightest.

The burly man did not believe him in the least. He kicked the old driver lying nearby and cursed, "Damn it! Go unhitch the horse from the carriage! Hurry up! Otherwise, I'll slaughter her right now!"

The old man's forehead had been scraped open, blood streaming down his cheek into his eyebrows and the corners of his eyes. He wiped at it haphazardly with his sleeve, ignoring the pain as he struggled to his feet. His hands clung to the carriage shaft, his arms shaking like dead branches in the wind as he cried, "Don't hurt my young lady... I beg you..."

"Damn it! Another word, and I'll slaughter her right now!" the burly man cursed again, pressing the blade closer to the young lady's throat. The old man dared not delay any longer and, trembling, unfastened the horse from the harness.

The reins were freed, and the horse was led to the burly man's side.

With one hand gripping the reins and the other holding the blade to the young lady's neck, the burly man finally felt a little steadier. He took several ragged breaths, glaring viciously at Xu Qing. "You, give me your name! Where do you live? Tell me, and I'll spare her life!"

Xu Qing ignored him.

The burly man panicked and pressed the blade even harder against the young lady's throat. "Are you going to tell me or not? If you don't, I'll kill her right now!"

The young lady finally could not hold back a faint, muffled groan. Tears silently rolled down her cheeks.

Xu Qing looked into her eyes. There was terror, despair, and a faint glimmer of the will to live.

He could not watch this girl die before his eyes.

But he could not go looking for trouble either. His residence was easy enough—the Zhao Family Martial Hall. Even if the bandit had ten times the courage, he would not dare come there seeking revenge. As for his name...

Xu Qing's eyes shifted, and the corner of his mouth curved almost imperceptibly.

"Zhao Family Martial Hall," he said slowly. "Xu Qing."

The burly man repeated it twice in quick succession. "Xu Qing? Zhao Family Martial Hall? I'll remember you!" He yanked the young lady onto the horse's back, then swung himself up behind her, his blade still held at her throat.

Xu Qing knew what awaited the girl if this man truly took her away.

He was no great saint, but he could not bear to see a girl of sixteen or seventeen dragged into the mountains and tortured beyond measure.

In the brief moment when the burly man tightened his legs around the horse's belly and prepared to spur it into flight, the blade left the young lady's throat.

The moment was short. But it was enough.

Xu Qing picked up a pebble from the ground, hooked it with his thumb, and flicked his wrist. The pebble tore through the air with a sharp whistle and struck the side of the burly man's neck dead on.

The burly man gave a muffled groan, clutched his neck, and fell from the horse. His blade flew far away and sank into the mud.

Xu Qing walked over.

He crouched and struck the burly man's back with his palm. The force was not heavy, like a familiar acquaintance giving someone's shoulder a greeting pat. Yet the burly man felt his chest tighten, unable to draw breath. Darkness filled his vision, and he sprawled on the ground without moving.

Xu Qing had never been soft-hearted. From the moment the three men had attacked him, their endings had already been decided.

Before acting, he had also thought up a perfectly legitimate reason. He was now half an official. A gang of armed criminals had blocked the road and attempted to kill a constable—nothing less than courting death. Everyone at the scene was a witness.

He dusted off his hands and turned around.

The young lady was still sprawled over the horse's back, trembling all over, tears smeared across her face.

Xu Qing walked over and helped her down from the horse. Her legs were too weak to stand, so he had her sit against a tree before turning to help the old man right the overturned carriage.

The old man was so grateful that he could not speak. His knees bent as he tried to kneel, but Xu Qing caught him. "Elder, don't do this. Fix the carriage first. You need to leave quickly."

One axle had broken, but the wheels could still turn. It could barely travel.

The old man harnessed the horse again. Sun Ping also ran over to help, picking up the scattered bundles and stuffing them back into the carriage.

The young lady had recovered somewhat. She put on her lost shoe, straightened her clothes, tucked her disordered hair behind her ears, and walked up to Xu Qing. She bowed deeply. Her voice still trembled, but it carried a touch of scholarly refinement. "Thank you, young master, for saving my life."

Xu Qing waved casually. "It was nothing. No need for courtesy. The carriage can still move, so get on your way. You can reach the county town before lunch." With that, he turned and headed back toward his own carriage.

Sun Ping followed behind. He secretly glanced back at the young lady, then quickly turned forward again and whispered, "Senior Brother Xu, that girl is still looking at you."

Xu Qing did not turn around. He only called Sun Ping over to lend a hand, and together they carried the two corpses into the ditch. Then they went back and dragged the burly man's corpse over as well. Once that was done, Xu Qing climbed into the carriage and lowered the curtain.

Old Huang picked up his whip and snapped its tip. The carriage rumbled down the road to the left, its wheels crushing the dirt road and raising a trail of dust.

Sun Ping lay against the carriage window, gripping the edge as he poked half his head outside.

He saw the old man still standing at the fork, bent at the waist as he bowed in their direction—once, then again.

He saw the pretty young lady standing beside the carriage, one hand holding the curtain and the other gathering her windblown hair. She was still watching them. The wind lifted the hem of her skirt, then let it fall; lifted it again, then let it fall.

Sun Ping turned back and looked at Xu Qing. Xu Qing leaned against the carriage wall with his eyes closed, no expression on his face, as though nothing had happened.

Sun Ping's gaze grew complicated, an indescribable feeling rising in his heart. He opened his mouth, wanting to ask something—to ask why Xu Qing had given the name "Xu Qing," to ask how Xu Qing could act so cleanly and decisively—but the words reached his lips and were swallowed back down.

The carriage fell quiet, leaving only the rumble of wheels rolling over the dirt road and the rustle of wind sweeping through the distant dead grass.