He screamed aloud, and almost simultaneously, the Whip Lock hissed like an infuriated python, swiftly reversing direction to entangle and trap the man. From within the inn, people rushed out to see their companion bound by the long whip, suspended in the air, their expressions drastically changing.
"Who dares to be so reckless? You even dare to rob the goods of our Dashibang?"
Inside the door, there was an angry shout, and a burly man holding a thick iron rod directly smashed open the wooden door and charged out. As he laid eyes on Wang Anfeng and was about to make a move, Wang Anfeng's expression remained unchanged. Cradling the child with his left hand and flicking his right, the Whip Lock, like a hissing python, wrapped around the drunken man in the way.
The young man's face was ice-cold as he swiftly assessed the situation, judging that rescuing people was the priority over fighting.
A trace of Thunder Vigor intertwined with the Whip Lock. The drunken man let out a painful groan. The man holding the rod sobered up considerably, clenched his steel teeth, and unwillingly stepped back. With the stars and moon in the sky, a group of sword-wielding men hesitated, not daring to advance.
The youth in blue clothes, carrying a sword and holding a child, stepped slowly forward, his eyes full of coldness, continually glancing upstairs.
Earlier, senior Gong Yu said he was going back to his room for meditation, but why then had even the always-excitable Baili Feng not come to watch?
In that moment of distraction, the burly man's pupils brightened, and with a flip of his hand, a small arrow surprisingly shot out from a Wrist Guard on his sleeve, targeting Wang Anfeng's left hand with a sharp whistling sound as the malicious wind struck. The young man nearly instinctively dodged, and the man roared as he smashed his iron rod down on the whip, then wound and yanked it.
In the roar, a vigorous force rivaling Wang Anfeng's surged, nearly pulling the whip out of his grip. Meanwhile, the surrounding men fiercely charged forward with their swords, slashing towards Wang Anfeng, who, in response, threw the whip aside, stepping back, cradling the child with his left hand and reaching for the sword handle behind him with his right.
Amidst the ringing sound of the sword, the Eight-Sided Sword flew out of its sheath. At this moment, eager to return to treat the child's injuries and filled with hatred for these damnable traffickers, he struck without holding back.
In the silent night, the sound of thunder suddenly boomed.
Because he was close to Wang Anfeng, the Sleeping Drug on the child began to be devoured and neutralized by the Mixed Yuan Body. With a strong will, the child suddenly opened his eyes, his body trembling. The first thing he saw was a man in black, with a fierce face, slashing down with his sword, fear and terror appearing on his face.
But the next moment, he saw a blue thunderbolt sword shadow slicing through the air, sending those fierce men flying like rag dolls. It was then he realized he was being held, hearing a gentle voice in his ear that seemed to be suppressing something:
"It's all right now."
Just then, the man with the rod suddenly appeared beside Wang Anfeng, ruthlessly smashing his heavy iron rod toward Wang Anfeng's chest and abdomen. Although reckless, his Qinggong movement technique was not weak. The rod's Vigorous Qi entwined as it whistled through the air. Wang Anfeng stepped down, shielding the child with his body, taking the hit with his back.
The man felt a brief joy, which quickly turned to horror; the strength on the rod seemed to vanish into thin air without any response. Suddenly, there was a crisp snap, the bluestone under the young man's feet shattered, and the air blast shook as if struck by a wild ox. Only then did he realize the young man had actually absorbed his entire hit without any apparent injury.
Stepping back, he split the long rod into two Short Spears, crossed defensively before him, and exclaimed:
"Young hero, what skill!"
"May I know your name, and why you conflict with our Dashibang?"
Wang Anfeng held his Longsword at an angle, glancing briefly to either side. The engagement had been momentary; he had only knocked down four or five men, with about ten more capable men still facing him. Having only thought of escaping to treat the child just now, he felt relieved as the latter had awakened. Now, he planned to capture all these unforgivable traffickers.
Although the clash was brief, it had caused quite a commotion, likely alerting Baili Feng and others. He figured that if he could hold on a little longer, help would arrive.
At this thought, Wang Anfeng slightly turned the Wooden Sword in his hand, Thunder Vigor swirling and vibrating along the Sword Edge. Seeing this, the man realized that this would not end well; his face twisted into a fierce expression, his Inner Strength roiling within him.
The sound of a raging bull rose as his blood surged within, proceeding towards a sensation of warmth, yet inexplicably, he felt an uncontrollable chill instead.
Eventually, he couldn't help but shudder, his rising Inner Strength suddenly dispersed, his step faltering. Only then did he notice that somehow, the Heaven and Earth had been blanketed by falling, rustling Bai Xue, already covering the ground.
Immensely beautiful, yet intensely cold.
Confusion clouded his face, his gaze fell on Wang Anfeng, and he was about to muster his martial power again, but only then did he realize that he could no longer mobilize his inner strength at all—as if it had been frozen solid. His expression abruptly changed, and he dared not move rashly anymore.
The temperature grew even colder, as if a biting wind, sharp as a sword, was slicing through the air, cutting into everyone's faces, except where Wang Anfeng stood, which remained warm. The young man understood and let out a sigh of relief. He flicked his wrist, sheathed his sword, and said loudly:
"Junior thanks Senior Gong Yu for his assistance."
A cold voice hummed softly, the courtyard's snow turned to ice, and then shattered inch by inch. At that instant, a dozen skilled fighters lost all their strength and collapsed to the ground, unable to move.
From the upstairs balcony, Baili Feng and two others used their Qinggong to leap out, followed by a girl in white, carrying a longsword, floating down like a celestial being and standing to one side, she said:
"Your uncle awaits you upstairs."
Xue Qinshuang noticed the child in Wang Anfeng's arms, her expression slightly changed. They had been meditating just now when they heard noises outside and discovered it was Wang Anfeng, but were stopped by Gong Yu before they could aid him. Now, knowing nothing of the situation and seeing the child's horrifying face, she said, somewhat shocked:
"Brother Wang, this is..."
"We'll talk later. This place is up to you now."
Wang Anfeng hastened his words and then rushed into the inn. The man with the stick had lost the ability to move, yet he still managed to speak with difficulty:
"I don't know which senior has made a move..."
"Cough, cough, cough, why, why help that little thief?!"
Before he could finish, a chill ran up his neck, and a longsword was already placed there, its sharpness causing him to goosebumps, framing the fierce Qingfeng Edge girl in white behind him who coldly opened her mouth and said:
The sword edge pressed against his neck, creating a shallow bloody mark, and a chill spread from the blade throughout his body. The burly man felt an extreme sense of injustice; he had only completed a task for the gang, sharing a meal with his brothers without visiting the brothel, yet he encountered an undeserved disaster.
Now, under someone else's roof, reluctantly, he had no choice but to bow his head, as his fellow brothers had all been captured.
Seeing how formidable that young man was, these people likely were not far behind.
With that thought, he could only suppress his grievances and obediently entered the inn, heading upstairs only to see a child lying on the bed. The blue-shirted young man who had the wooden sword was taking his pulse beside him. Although the boy looked only fourteen or fifteen, he already possessed considerable martial arts skills.
Looking back at the child, he was still intoxicated downstairs, and the lighting was dim. Now that he could see clearly, the child's pallid face bore numerous deep cuts, with skin and flesh peeled back, almost inhuman, which sobered him up completely in terror, stabilizing his mind to realize this was no evil spirit, he could only lament internally what a misfortunate child this was.
What kind of parents would allow such a cursed act to happen to their child?
As he was lost in thought, he saw the blue-shirted youth raise his eyes and look straight at him, his tone cold:
"This child was harmed by those passing travelers!"
At those words, the strong man's heart sank as if plummeting into an abyss. The gaze of the girl in white then fell upon him, causing him to shiver involuntarily with the urge to urinate, nearly dropping to his knees. Regardless of his subordinates around, he raised his voice and cried loudly:
"Senior, it's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!"
"Junior would never commit such an act, I beg you, madam, to see the truth, see the truth!"