Qi Xuansu had to admit that since he obtained the Xuan Jade and had regenerative abilities, he was no longer as cautious as before. That was why he was ambushed. He had to correct this bad habit because the consequences would be unfathomable.
At the same time, he also realized why Madam Qi told him to be careful of the local people, and that no one who lived here was decent.
Qi Xuansu went over to the body and searched it, but found nothing that could prove this man’s identity. He also did not have cash notes or coins. Apart from the long gun and the pistol, the man only had a bag of projectiles, a knife, a dagger, a water pouch, and a bag of dry food. The man was out to hunt, but his prey were humans.
This explained why the man refused Qi Xuansu’s kindness. It was also partly Qi Xuansu’s fault for accidentally revealing that he had money by offering to pay the man if he led the way. That was why the man thought that it would be a better deal if he could kill Qi Xuansu and take all the money instead of some meager compensation.
After all, wealth came with risks, so the man was willing to go all out. But this was often a recipe for death.
Qi Xuansu continued on his way, searching for locals who could help him. Madam Qi said that there were several small towns scattered in this desert. He would only have a chance to find the White Jade Hall and Mountain Ghost if he inquired about them from the locals.
He went deep into the Gobi Desert for about 20 kilometers before he saw a row of wooden frames about 10 meters tall. Each wooden frame had one person hanging from it with a noose around their neck, black cloth wrapped over their head, their feet off the ground, and their hands bound behind the back. It was obvious that the victims were unable to fight back when they were hanged.
Some of these hanging corpses had turned into withered bones with incomplete skeletons. But some seemed to have died not long ago, as their clothes were still in good condition. Crows landed on the corpses and pecked on them.
These corpses, whether new or old, swayed in the wind, serving as a clear warning sign.
Qi Xuansu stopped for a moment in front of the wooden frames before moving on. These dead people did not scare Qi Xuansu. Instead, they were more like road signs for him. From this, he was sure that the town was most likely not far away. At least he knew he was heading in the right direction.
Sure enough, Qi Xuansu noticed more people in the area. However, most of these people looked hostile and carried weapons. Although they did not take the initiative to provoke Qi Xuansu, they were certainly unapproachable. Qi Xuansu did not know the rules around this area and did not want unnecessary trouble, so he did not ask them for directions.
After more than five kilometers, Qi Xuansu suddenly saw a group of people chasing a man and a woman. The man and woman did not look like a couple. Instead, the man looked like the woman’s bodyguard. The bodyguard fought and retreated, but they were still surrounded. The group beat up the bodyguard before shoving a gun up his mouth and shooting him to death.
The woman was left alone. As soon as those lecherous gazes fell on her, it was clear what her ending would be.
Qi Xuansu restrained his aura and hid not far away, hesitating whether to help this woman. After all, he was no longer a member of the Daoist Order. He was now a solo traveler. Even if he wanted to be heroic, he had to consider the consequences. He could not be as bold as he was before when he was working in Tiangang Hall.
That was when Qi Xuansu thought about his need for a local guide. This woman was the perfect candidate for the job.
At this moment, someone put a noose around the woman’s fair and slender neck. Then they dragged the woman to a poplar tree not far away. They threw the rope over a tall tree branch and tugged on the other end, lifting the woman’s body slightly.
To prevent herself from suffocating, the woman held onto the rope around her neck with both hands and stood on tiptoes. This group of people seemed to be in no hurry to hang the woman. They just kept the rope taut enough so that the woman could barely breathe while standing on her tiptoes. They then approached the woman, breathing heavily.
A thin and dark-skinned man who was blind in one eye smiled lewdly. “Good stuff!”
Another person remarked, “She looks like the daughter of a court official.”
The group burst into laughter. Only one tall man with his arms folded across his chest did not move.
The woman’s face was flushed because she had difficulty breathing, and her eyes were filled with unconcealable fear.
Just when the group was about to strip the woman naked, Qi Xuansu finally appeared. This woman should be grateful to Qi Xuansu and even more grateful to Zhang Yuelu. If it were not for Zhang Yuelu’s influence, Qi Xuansu might not have helped her. Being a heroic solo traveler was a luxury in this dangerous climate.
Qi Xuansu went straight to the point. “Let her go.”
Everyone turned to look at Qi Xuansu. Someone even tried raising his gun. However, before the man could raise his gun into a firing posture, his head exploded.
Qi Xuansu held up his Divine Dragon Pistol, with smoke still visible from the muzzle. The body of the gun, which was shaped like a dragon, glinted under the sunlight. What shocked the group was that the gun did not just pierce a hole in the man’s head. The man’s head exploded to pieces, indicating that it was not an ordinary projectile.
Qi Xuansu reloaded the projectiles slowly as he said, “You can come at me if you want.”
After he spoke, someone attacked him. It was the tall man, who was a Martial Arts Practitioner at the Kunlun stage. He seemed to be the leader of the group. The bodyguard who died earlier was beaten up by this man before getting shot to death.
The tall man lunged at Qi Xuansu with both hands, intending to grab the latter’s arms to prevent him from firing the gun again. Qi Xuansu had already loaded the projectiles, but he threw away the Divine Dragon Pistol and let the tall man grab his arms. He then exerted some force.
For a moment, the tall man thought that he had gone back to the days when he was wrestling a bull. Although he held the two horns tightly with both hands, he could not stop the bull and only got thrown off.
At this time, the tall man felt powerless against Qi Xuansu, even though he had used all his strength. Instead, he felt the inertia. His chest felt tight, and he felt like vomiting blood.
Qi Xuansu held the tall man’s wrists, exerting force in the left and right directions, respectively.
The tall man’s figure suddenly shook as his joints cracked with a series of explosions. Qi Xuansu almost tore the man’s arms off. When Qi Xuansu let go of the man’s arms, they fell limp at his sides, unable to exert any strength.
The intense pain caused large beads of sweat to form on the tall man’s forehead. He could barely stand straight and was powerless.
Qi Xuansu then bent down to pick up his Divine Dragon Pistol, put the muzzle of the gun against the tall man’s forehead, and asked, “Can you let that girl go now?”
The tall man showed fear in his eyes and nodded repeatedly.
In fact, even without the tall man’s orders, the group of people had already left the woman and retreated to two separate sides.
Qi Xuansu aimed his gun to the side and shot the rope that was lifting the woman. In an instant, the woman fell to the ground and started gasping for air.
Although Qi Xuansu’s gun was unloaded, no one dared to take a step forward.
From the beginning, Qi Xuansu was not afraid of this group of people. He was just afraid that this group of people had other forces backing them, which would bring him unnecessary trouble.
Qi Xuansu waved his hand, indicating that the group could leave.
The tall man was a little surprised. He did not expect Qi Xuansu to be so easygoing, but he fled without hesitation. Only two corpses were left. One of them was the woman’s bodyguard, and the other was the unlucky guy whose head was blown up.
Qi Xuansu approached the woman and sized her up. Judging from her clothes, she was not a commoner. She looked like a well-bred lady from a court official’s family. She was also quite pretty, but that was not important. He did not save her just so that she would marry him.
The woman untied the noose around her neck, revealing a bright red mark on her fair neck. She was somewhat calm, and she did not cry like an ordinary woman. Instead, she looked at Qi Xuansu with a bit of surprise. After all, she did not know what Qi Xuansu’s purpose was.
Qi Xuansu looked away, lowered his head to reload his gun, and asked, “Who are you? Who were those people just now?”
The woman hesitated for a moment before she said softly, “Thank you so much for saving me. My name is Qin Xiang. I don’t know who those people are either.”
Qi Xuansu put the reloaded Divine Dragon Pistol back on his waist and pressed on. “Then why do they want to capture you?”
Qin Xiang looked frightened, regretful, and angry as she complained, “I was tricked to come here! I wanted to escape, but they brought me back.”
Qi Xuansu roughly understood what was going on. This woman was probably a noble lady ignorant of the world’s dangers, so she was tricked into coming here and fell into a lion’s den.