Chapter 5: Shen

The first to charge forward was a burly man wielding an iron rod. The iron rod smashed down toward Lin Yan's head, howling through the wind. Lin Yan neither dodged nor retreated. Blocked by the Golden Bell Shield, the iron rod let out a muffled THUD. The immense rebounding force shattered the burly man's arms, and he stumbled backward with a shriek.

Lin Yan didn't let this opportunity slip by. He directly closed the distance. The Firewood Knife fell. Blood splattered. The burly man collapsed backward, the blood gushing from his throat appearing black under the firelight. Lin Yan didn't even glance at him, turning to face the next opponent.

He didn't know any Martial Arts techniques, so his movements were extremely simple and direct, making his attack trajectory very easy to read. But seeing them clearly was one thing; dodging them was another. More importantly, Lin Yan didn't bother dodging. Incoming saber slashes and sword thrusts couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes before they were directly shattered by the impact. Meanwhile, every time Lin Yan swung his Firewood Knife, it drew a flash of blood.

In the blink of an eye, seven or eight men were already lying on the ground. The remaining thugs began to retreat, the fierce glints in their eyes slowly turning into terror.

"Protective Gang Qi?" Zhao Tianbiao stared at the barrier of light surrounding Lin Yan, his pupils rapidly shrinking. Then, with a furious roar, he lunged forward like a leopard. His Wide-Blade Saber carved a snow-white arc through the air, slashing straight at Lin Yan's neck. This strike was astonishingly fast and terrifyingly heavy. Before the blade even arrived, the wind it generated sliced through the air with a loud HISS.

Lin Yan didn't act carelessly upon seeing this. He dropped his Firewood Knife and crossed his hands over his chest, channeling his internal energy through all his meridians. A complete Golden Bell Illusion materialized around him, firmly protecting every inch of his body.

The long saber landed.

Following a crisp CLANG, Zhao Tianbiao was sent flying backward. While still in mid-air, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

Right at that moment, a figure bypassed Lin Yan and lunged toward the ox cart. It was a straggler from the Flying Tiger Gang who had somehow sneaked behind the cart. Wearing a sinister grin, he swung his saber down at Madam Liu.

Clutching her swaddled infant, Madam Liu desperately shrank into the corner. The instant the blade fell, her mind went completely blank. She instinctively twisted her body, using her back to shield her son. Then, she felt a hand wrap around her waist. The large hand was immensely strong, effortlessly scooping her entirely out of the cart's canopy.

Madam Liu felt herself fall against a solid chest. Her nose caught a faint scent of blood mixed with a rich, masculine scent, making her a little dizzy.

The sneak attacker's saber struck the Golden Bell. The rebounding force sent him flying, and the shattered blade embedded itself all over his face.

Looking up under the moonlight, Madam Liu saw Lin Yan's face. She suddenly realized that her body was pressed tightly against his chest, her waist locked in his grip. Under the compression, her loose mourning garments could no longer conceal her breathtaking curves.

Her face instantly flushed red. Her heart pounded so hard and fast that she could barely catch her breath. Ever since she got pregnant, she hadn't had any physical intimacy with a man. Those deeply buried feelings now gushed forth like a suddenly opened spring. She didn't dare or want to overthink it, but the physical contact was so real that she curled her toes in sheer embarrassment.

Fortunately, Lin Yan didn't harbor any ulterior motives. He let go of Madam Liu before she could utter a sound, then immediately turned and threw a punch, sending another charging attacker flying. The force of the punch was so heavy that the man flew over ten feet away, crashing into a tree trunk before sliding limply to the ground.

Leaning against the side of the cart, Madam Liu gasped for air. Startled, the child in her arms let out a loud WAAAH and began to cry. She hurriedly patted the swaddle, softly coaxing the baby, but from the corner of her eye, she couldn't stop tracking the figure who had re-entered the fray.

By now, no one dared to initiate an attack. They surrounded Lin Yan, too afraid to fight yet too terrified to flee. Saber light crisscrossed as blood flew through the air. In an instant, a few more men were killed. Zhao Tianbiao hid at the very back, his expression shifting unpredictably.

"Good, very good!" Gritting his teeth, he charged over like a desperate outlaw. "Brothers, follow me! Whoever kills this man, I'll reward him with a hundred pieces of silver!"

Heavy rewards always breed brave men. The remaining thugs, who had been hesitating, suddenly rallied and prepared to attack again.

Lin Yan couldn't move too far from Madam Liu, fearing an unexpected mishap, so he simply stood his ground and waited for them to make their move.

Zhao Tianbiao made the first move. Striding forward, he raised his long saber high before delivering a heavy and forceful Powerful Slash of Hua Mountain. Having already experienced the rebounding force once, it seemed he hadn't learned his lesson at all. Seeing this scene, the rest of the thugs felt their blood boil and charged over, screaming AARGH.

Lin Yan remained unhurried, waiting for these men to approach. With the Golden Bell Shield protecting his body, they didn't have the slightest chance of winning.

And that was indeed the case. Zhao Tianbiao's saber landed and was bounced away once again. Lin Yan frowned, sensing that something was wrong. The force was too light, and he flew far too far backward.

By the time Lin Yan looked up, Zhao Tianbiao had vanished into the depths of the night after just a few leaps.

Looking at the remaining reckless fools, Lin Yan pursed his lips. He wouldn't be able to catch up since he didn't know any Lightweight Skill. He simply put it out of his mind and went on a killing spree.

After several more men dropped dead, someone suddenly shouted, "The gang leader ran away!"

The rest of them woke up as if from a dream. Throwing down their weapons, they scrambled and crawled away into the deep woods.

Lin Yan stood motionless. After his breathing steadied, he turned and walked back to the ox cart. He picked up the money pouch he had dropped earlier and tucked it into his clothes.

When he looked up, he met Madam Liu's gaze. The moment their eyes met, the latter turned her head away like a frightened rabbit.

Lin Yan also shifted his gaze, looking into the cart's canopy. At some point, the maid had fallen out of the cart. She lay motionless in the dust by the side of the road, her fate unknown.

He sat on the cart shaft and grabbed the reins again. "Let's go."

Madam Liu nodded and sat back down on the ox cart, similarly not glancing at the maid.

Old Niu continued moving its hooves, showing no signs of panic in its large eyes. Behind the cart, the torches were still planted in the ground, their flames gradually dimming. A gust of night wind blew past, scattering the scent of blood.

Madam Liu hugged her baby—who had fallen asleep again—tightly against her chest and leaned back against the cart's wall. She carefully watched the straight back of the man at the front of the cart, many thoughts popping into her mind. She wondered why Lin Yan had such incredible skills despite looking so young, and why he could kill so many people without batting an eye. She wondered why...

"Madam Liu," Lin Yan suddenly spoke up right at that moment.

"Ah... yes?"

"Your troubles are too great. I need to be paid extra."

"That's fine!" Hearing the first half of his sentence, Madam Liu's heart sank, but she relaxed upon hearing the rest. This also got her talking. "With your skills, Mr. Lin... why not change your line of work?"

"As far as I'm concerned, having enough to eat and staying warm is enough." Lin Yan was also happy to converse. The night was too long, and having just killed people, he also needed to ease his mind a bit. "Besides, this line of work doesn't pay poorly."

"That's true... Mr. Lin, could you stop calling me Madam Liu?"

"Oh?"

"I'm not that many years older than you, so just call me Shen."