Hearing the woman's voice, Qing Chen froze for a moment, though it was not because of her graceful figure.
After all, in his past life, there were countless beauties wearing all sorts of clothes or wearing none at all, in every conceivable style.
What truly sent a jolt through his heart was the woman's sentence: "The woman of Master Eagle's son from Northern Mang Mountain."
"Northern Mang Mountain!"
These three words, like a key, touched upon the memories deep within Qing Chen's heart.
A blurry image emerged-that was of the original owner rescuing a heavily injured pugilist in a desolate suburban area when he was young.
Before that person drew his last breath, not only did he impart the Jade Forging Art without reservation, but he also revealed a heaven-shaking secret.
This secret was related to the Northern Mang Mountain; it was said that the mountain concealed treasures capable of extending one's years and longevity, and might even be connected to the legendary immortals.
Which person did not want to become an immortal? Which person did not want to be a patriarch?
Although that pugilist did not dare to be certain of its truth or falsehood, he spoke of the matter of extending longevity with absolute certainty, as if he had seen it with his own eyes.
This also became a huge secret that the original owner kept buried deep in his heart, which he had not even revealed to his closest kin.
Now, however, it had become the first ray of transcendence that Qing Chen glimpsed after descending into this world.
As for the current world, bandits were as numerous as hemp, and the Northern Mang Mountain was all the more an extremely rampant bandit gang within the borders of the Jing Kingdom.
Over a thousand fierce bandits entrenched themselves there, every single one of them being a desperate scoundrel who killed without blinking, and the bandit chieftain Master Eagle was all the more a notorious strongman whose fierce reputation could stop small children from crying at night.
Master Eagle's son... His woman... This is truly a heaven-sent opportunity to stir up the situation!
Qing Chen silently marveled in his heart, and in the flash of a spark, a plan had already taken shape.
He snapped back to his senses in an instant.
What hero saves the beauty? That was something fools did!
The woman had sprinted to a position less than three paces in front of him, pear blossoms glistening with rain, a pitiful sight that moved one to compassion, and she reached out her hand in an attempt to grab him as her straw to clutch at for survival.
"Young Master, I beg you..."
Before the words finished falling, Qing Chen moved.
He did not hesitate in the slightest, the inner qi of the Jade Forging Art surging forth with a boom, and the vital energy throughout his body congealed;
with a style of the Iron Mountain Lean, shoulders sinking and elbows dropping, he slammed solidly into the woman!
How could that woman ever have anticipated such a turn of events.
"Bang!"
A muffled sound rang out.
She only felt a giant force assault her, and her whole person crashed heavily onto the ground, her eyes filled with astonishment.
In her cognition, even if no one stood forward to save her, it should not reach the point where someone helped evildoers to harm her.
She, after all, was a supremely charming great beauty capable of stirring up any man's desire for protection!
Yet Qing Chen was precisely this unmitigated exception.
"Hahaha-!"
Right at this moment, a burst of proud laughter rang out.
Young Master Zhao, with his pale complexion, was flushed red with excitement, and while clapping his hands, he trotted over swiftly.
"Little lass, run! Why aren't you running anymore? Here in Ford City, even if you scream until your throat breaks, no one dares to save you! Hahaha!"
Young Master Zhao's gaze was like a wolf or tiger, staring straight at the woman, and the licentiousness within that look was not concealed in the slightest.
Subsequently, he sized Qing Chen up from top to bottom, an expression of extreme satisfaction surfacing on his face as he nodded:
"Good! You brat, sharp enough and still sensible, not daring to court death."
At the doorway just now, he had caught sight of Qing Chen freezing up and had assumed this brat was captivated.
Qing Chen collapsed his waist and instantly switched to a fawning, flattering smile, cupping his fists repeatedly and accompanying it with a laugh of explanation:
"Your Honor sees clearly! Even if this humble one had ten guts, I wouldn't dare to obstruct your elegant mood!"
Upon hearing this, the smile on Young Master Zhao's face grew even thicker.
He had always enjoyed this feeling of being revered and flattered, and he said, "Oh? Is that so? It seems you brat are still quite sensible."
Qing Chen hurriedly nodded and bowed, "Yes, yes, this humble one knows his place in his heart and would never dare harbor improper thoughts."
The corners of Young Master Zhao's mouth hooked up high, the pride on his face practically overflowing, "What is your name? From now on, if you run into trouble, just drop the name of Young Master Zhao from the City Lord's Estate."
Qing Chen's face immediately piled up with an expression of being flattered, his waist bending even lower:
"This humble one is named Qing Chen, and I thank Young Master Zhao for your cultivation. From now on, whenever Young Master Zhao has orders, this humble one will plunge into boiling water and tread on fire without a second word!"
"Mn, not bad, very sensible." Young Master Zhao nodded in satisfaction once more, the smile on his face growing increasingly unbridled.
Right at this moment, the woman who had just fallen to the ground struggled to sit up, glaring fiercely at Young Master Zhao, and said word by word:
"You... you shameless, dissolute thing! You actually drugged me! I'm telling you, I truly am a person from Northern Mang Mountain!
If you don't let me leave, Northern Mang Mountain will definitely make your Ford City pay a heavy price, leaving not even a chicken or a dog!"
Hearing these words, Qing Chen lowered his head swiftly to conceal a trace of excitement in his eyes.
Young Master Zhao, however, acted as though he had heard a joke, tilting his head back and roaring with laughter, full of disdain:
"Yo-ho! Little bride, at this point in time, your tone is still actually this tough? You even dare to threaten me?
Northern Mang Mountain? Truly a grand name! Don't you tell me, this young master just fancies this spicy streak of yours, Big Daddy is already fully pitched!"
He leaned in a few steps, squatted down, pinched her chin with his hand, and his licentious gaze roamed back and forth across her face and chest:
"Scream, scream until your throat breaks, and see if that paramour of yours from Northern Mang Mountain can come save you! Hahaha!"
Listening to Young Master Zhao's arrogant and obscene words, the woman shook all over with anger, her chest heaving violently as she stared fixedly at him.
"Slap!"
Seeing that this woman was actually still struggling, Young Master Zhao raised his hand and dealt her a slap, then stood up and signaled to his subordinates.
The few attendants nearby who had been sniggering along instantly grasped the meaning and strode forward swiftly.
When Young Master Zhao did his work, he loved most of all to call them along to handle matters together, lively and bustling!
The few of them looked at the beauty before their eyes, their mouths also going dry with excitement, and their movements were extremely brisk; with a flurry of quick motions, they tied the woman up securely.
Regardless of how this woman struggled and kicked her feet about in disorder, it was merely futile.
The attendants dragged her fiercely toward the depths of the back door just like dragging a hemp sack.
The woman still refused to give up, kicking her feet randomly as her shoes traced messy marks across the ground.
Young Master Zhao wore a licentious smile, following eagerly behind, and stepped forward from time to time to fondle her, his figure quickly vanishing within the back door.
Inside and outside the alley, at some unknown point, some onlookers who had gathered to watch the commotion clustered together.
An old vendor setting up a stall looked at an embroidered shoe left behind during the struggle on the ground and shook his head, murmuring softly, "Alas! Floods run rampant, and bandit infestations rage. Outside the city they set up porridge sheds to dispense porridge, yet inside the city they commit such sins!"
Hearing this, the crowd did not dare to echo it at all-those were people from the City Lord's Estate, after all.
They looked at the woman who was being dragged away, their eyes filled not only with fear, but also intertwined with some inexplicable desires.
On this night, because of this matter, the alley was abuzz with commotion, and all sorts of grapevine news flew about haphazardly.
Yet by the following morning, the sun rose as usual, leaving only a few more conversational topics behind.
Not a single person dared to meddle.
On the contrary, at a pauper's graveyard outside the city, there was one more fresh female corpse in tattered clothes covered in bruises.
She was discarded casually amidst the weeds.
At this moment, a few hyenas with sensitive noses were cautiously drawing near...