Situ Yunqing

"So what if it's the Situ Family's carriage," the leader of the bandits roared with laughter. "Brothers, we'll rob their carriage, find a new place to settle, and fly free as birds. Do you think the Situ Family's influence reaches across the entire Eastern Continent?"

By this time, all the guards of the carriage had been killed, leaving only an elder at the ninth level of the Spirit Vein Realm struggling to hold on.

This group of bandits was mostly in the Spirit Vein Realm, with only their leader seeming to have just advanced to the Condensing Pulse Realm.

He wasn't in a hurry to kill the elder, instead acting like a cat playing with a mouse, he taunted, "Let the person inside the carriage come out. I'd like to see who from the Situ Family it is."

"Boss, someone's coming," a bandit nearby spotted Xu Zimo and his companions and quickly said to the bandit leader.

The bandit leader glanced over, holding a segmented saber, and arrogantly walked forward, saying to Xu Zimo and his group, "You kids over there, since I'm in a good mood today, scram. Take one more step forward and I'll chop off your heads."

"We're not leaving. As bandits, you should at least have some professional ethics," Xu Zimo said indignantly. "Why are you robbing them and not us? Why do you look down on us? Where are we worse than them?"

The bandit leader was dumbfounded. "Is this guy sick? I told him to leave, but he won't, and insists on being robbed."

The bandit leader waved his hand, and a swarm of bandits rushed forward, surrounding Xu Zimo and his group.

"Xiao Guizi, it's up to you," Xu Zimo said with a smile.

"Don't worry," Xiao Guizi pulled out an iron rod from behind him and nodded confidently.

Despite Xiao Guizi's usual fawning and obsequious demeanor, he was a genuine inner disciple of the True Martial Sacred Sect, a martial artist at the fifth level of the Condensing Pulse Realm. Dealing with these bandits was more than enough for him.

Xiao Guizi swung his iron rod, and with one strike, it was like smashing a watermelon, the opponent's head exploding.

"Brothers, we've hit a tough spot, let's go all out!" a bandit nearby shouted.

Xiao Guizi didn't flinch. He leaped off his Flying Desert Horse, his iron rod whistling through the air with astonishing momentum. Each swing seemed to carry immense power, compressing the surrounding air to the point of sonic booms.

Within a few exchanges, all the bandits were on the ground, groaning in pain.

Seeing that the situation was dire, the bandit leader quickly spurred his horse, attempting to flee.

Xiao Guizi's gaze was sharp. He threw the iron rod in his hand.

The iron rod hummed in the air, transforming into a black stream of light that pierced through the bandit leader's back. The rod, its momentum undiminished, went straight through the bandit leader and slammed into a large rock in front of him. The iron rod embedded itself deeply into the rock before slowly coming to a halt.

"You've practiced this Mad Demon Staff Technique quite proficiently," Xu Zimo commented.

"My pulse technique has just reached the Other Shore level; it's still a bit short of Perfection," Xiao Guizi replied.

Minute, Mysterious, Other Shore, Perfection. These were the four levels of pulse techniques.

"Don't pay too much attention to the literal meaning of Mad Demon Staff Technique. The 'mad' here isn't about insanity, and 'demon' isn't about bloodthirsty fiends," Xu Zimo offered a few casual pointers. "Mad Demon Staff Technique emphasizes the momentum of going all out and charging forward without hesitation."

Seeing Xiao Guizi's thoughtful expression, Xu Zimo rode his horse forward.

Beside the carriage, the sole remaining elder quickly thanked Xu Zimo.

"It's not time for you to thank me yet," Xu Zimo said calmly. "Have the person inside the carriage come out."

The elder hesitated. At this moment, a voice like a lark's song came from inside the carriage. "Uncle Fu, it's alright. I should meet our savior too."

The curtain of the carriage was pulled aside, and two women slowly descended. The woman on the left appeared to be a maid, judging by her attire and clothing. The woman on the right wore a light green dress, with lotus flowers embroidered on the cuffs and collar. Her fair and alluring collarbones were visible, and her long, black hair cascaded down her shoulders, tied with a pink ribbon. She looked fresh and elegant, with light makeup, her large, dark eyes lively and intelligent, a delicate nose, and a melon seed-shaped face.

"I am Situ Yunqing. Thank you for saving my life, young master," the woman said softly, bowing slightly.

"Tsk tsk, that's a pretty delicate little face," Xu Zimo said flirtatiously, a blade of grass in his mouth. As he spoke, he reached out his right hand to touch her face, but Situ Yunqing turned her head away. Xu Zimo hooked her chin with his right index finger, looking at her with an appreciative gaze. Situ Yunqing turned pale with fright, but she pursed her lips and met Xu Zimo's gaze.

"Senior Brother Xu, if you want her, I can stand guard for you nearby," Xiao Guizi offered from the side.

"Let go of my young lady!" the maid beside her tried to push Xu Zimo away but was grabbed by the collar and unceremoniously thrown aside by Lin Ruhu.

"I've never liked forcing people," Xu Zimo said with a smile, retracting his right hand. "If you want to thank me, don't just say it with words. At least show some sincerity."

"I don't have anything with me right now. If you don't mind, you can come with me to Zhouque City. Once we reach the Situ Family, I will definitely repay you handsomely," Situ Yunqing said sincerely, looking at Xu Zimo.

"You're the young lady of the Situ Family? Who are you trying to fool?" Xiao Guizi, standing nearby, questioned. "The Situ Family may not be much, but they're still a prominent family in Zhouque City. You don't even have a Condensing Pulse Realm guard with you when you go out. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been robbed by bandits. Do you think we know nothing?"

"My mother was just an ordinary woman from a small town. Her encounter with my father was purely an accident," Situ Yunqing replied slowly after a moment of silence. "My mother was proud and didn't want to live under someone else's roof, enduring their scorn. So, she raised me alone these past few years. I didn't want any further connection with the Situ Family, but my mother fell gravely ill this time. Before she passed, she couldn't rest easy about me, so she sent me to the Situ Family to find my father and seek a place of refuge."

Hearing Situ Yunqing's words, Xu Zimo finally understood. It was likely that Situ Yunqing's mother was just an ordinary woman, while her father was the head of the Situ Family. The difference in their statuses was too great. Situ Yunqing's mother didn't want to live under the Situ Family's roof, so she raised Situ Yunqing alone outside. This meant that many people in the Situ Family probably didn't even know their patriarch had an illegitimate daughter outside.

"The Situ Family..." Speaking of this, Xu Zimo suddenly recalled some things from his past life. The Situ Family was originally just a small family in Zhouque City, their influence and reputation only extending around the city. But later, he heard that a woman appeared in the Situ Family. She established the Situ Chamber of Commerce, spreading its business across the entire Eastern Continent, and led the Situ Family, which could only operate within its small territory in Zhouque City at the time, to a complete rise.