Chapter 261
"Old Zheng!"
Seeing the grey-robed man fall to the ground in agony, the young girl was bewildered, and the red-dressed woman and the skinny man were even more shocked.
They never imagined that the grey-robed man, with his perfected Tendons and Bones Realm cultivation, wouldn't be able to handle a mere passerby.
More importantly, they hadn't seen how Lu Qing had made his move.
In the blink of an eye, the grey-robed man was already on the ground, his limbs completely crippled.
The two looked at Lu Qing in fear, realizing they had severely misjudged him.
The seemingly weak boy before them was, in reality, a beast in disguise, far surpassing their expectations.
Lu Qing turned his gaze towards them.
"Young hero..."
The red-dressed woman and the skinny man shuddered, wanting to beg for mercy, but the next moment, the sound of something breaking through the air echoed.Instantly, they felt excruciating pain in their limbs, and their bodies could no longer support them, falling to the ground, writhing in agony.
Unbeknownst to them, Lu Qing had shattered their joints with stones in an instant.
"Quiet."
His indifferent voice caused the three still screaming to shudder, and they dared not make another sound.
Though their limbs still throbbed with pain, they could only grit their teeth and endure, not daring to utter a word.
"Alright, you can continue. Why were they after you?" Lu Qing asked, looking at the stunned young girl.
Feeling the calmness in Lu Qing's eyes, the young girl jolted and regained her senses.
Seeing the previously arrogant trio now lying on the ground like dead dogs, filled with fear, she understood she had truly encountered a savior.
"Young master, they wanted to kill me to steal the Xuanxin Sect token in my possession," the young girl explained.
"What is so special about this Xuanxin Sect token?" Lu Qing asked.
"The Xuanxin Sect token my father bought at a high price allows one to participate in the Xuanxin Sect's triennial disciple recruitment event. These three wanted to steal it to take my place and attend the event," she replied.
"Such an important event for recruiting disciples, doesn't the Xuanxin Sect have any measures to prevent such things? Can anyone just participate?" Lu Qing inquired further.
"Originally, they did, but my father bought a cheaper, unregistered token to save money. As long as you have the token, you can participate in the recruitment event without the sect questioning its origin," she explained helplessly.
Lu Qing felt something strange about the Xuanxin Sect's so-called disciple recruitment. It seemed more like a money-making scheme than a legitimate selection process.
"If this token is so important, why did your father trust you to travel with these three?" Lu Qing asked.
"Who would have thought they were so heartless and treacherous!" the young girl exclaimed, glaring at the trio in anger.
"These three had received my father's kindness before. In the city, they always showed great respect for him, calling him brother. But they had long coveted my token. As soon as we left the valley, they forced me to hand it over and even... even wanted to..." she trailed off, too embarrassed to continue.
But everyone could guess what she meant.
"Do you have any last words?" Lu Qing asked the trio.
Terrified, they began to plead for mercy, "Young hero, we know we were wrong. Please, be merciful and spare us. We will never dare..."
Before they could finish, Lu Qing flicked three stones, and the sound of breaking air was heard. The trio suddenly stiffened, a bloody hole appearing between their brows, their eyes lifeless.
"Who would've thought, just arriving in Zhongzhou, I'd have to kill again," Lu Qing sighed, shaking his head. "Master Ma, throw these corpses off the cliff."
Then he turned to the young girl, "Miss Hu, can you walk by yourself?"
Still shocked by Lu Qing's decisive and ruthless actions, the young girl jolted back to reality.
"My leg was whipped by that wicked woman, and I think the bone is broken," she replied, looking at her leg in distress.
"Let me take a look," Lu Qing said, without hesitation, placing his hand on her leg. "Indeed, your lower leg bone is broken."
Her leg wasn't just broken; it was a bloody mess. It was impressive she hadn't passed out from the pain.
"Miss Hu, we have medicine in our carriage. Let me set your bone and apply the medicine," Lu Qing offered.
"Yes..." The young girl's face flushed with embarrassment as she softly replied, feeling ashamed of her disheveled state.
"Zi'an, bring the medicine box," Lu Qing called out, starting to set her bone.
With Lu Qing's martial prowess and understanding of human anatomy, setting a bone was an easy task. Moreover, her leg bone was only broken into two parts without shattering, making the treatment simpler.
By the time Wei Zi'an brought the medicine box, Lu Qing had already set the bone perfectly.
What amazed the young girl was that Lu Qing's movements were so gentle she barely felt any pain.
Lu Qing then used wooden boards to fix her leg in place and applied golden healing ointment to her bloody wounds.
"Hiss!" She couldn't help but gasp in pain as the ointment touched her wounds.
"Bear with it, the pain will soon subside," Lu Qing reassured her.
"Young master, will there be a big scar on my leg?" she asked, looking at her mangled leg.
"Do you mind the scar?" Lu Qing asked.
"No, I'm already grateful to be alive thanks to you, young master. I wouldn't dare ask for more," she replied, shaking her head, though her eyes couldn't hide her disappointment.
Lu Qing thought for a moment and said, "If you don't want a scar, there is a way, but it's more troublesome."
"You have a way?" she asked, her eyes lighting up with hope.
"Yes, but it requires special medicine, and you'll need to wait a while," Lu Qing explained.
"Thank you, young master!" she exclaimed, deeply grateful. No girl wants scars if they can avoid them.
"All done, young master," Magu said, returning after disposing of the bodies.
"Miss Hu, what are your plans? How about we take you back to Azure Dragon City?" Lu Qing asked.
"I can't go back. The city gate opens only once every seven days unless something major happens. The gate is closed now, and I can't enter the city for seven days," she replied.
Lu Qing recalled the city gate, which required dozens of Tendons and Bones Realm martial artists to open. He knew it was impossible for the young girl to make the city break its rules for her.
But they couldn't stay with her for seven days either.
Perhaps this was fate?
A peculiar look appeared in Lu Qing's eyes, his face showing an interesting expression.
"If you don't mind, Miss Hu, why not travel with us for now? We can look out for each other," Lu Qing suggested.
Worried they might leave her behind, the young girl was overjoyed and quickly nodded, "Thank you, young master!"
"Alright, let's continue our journey. Miss Hu, excuse me," Lu Qing said, gently picking her up and heading towards the carriage.
"Master, this young lady has injured her leg and can't walk. It's desolate here, leaving her alone would be unwise. She'll have to travel with us for now," Lu Qing explained upon reaching the carriage.
"No problem, we can make some room," the old doctor replied, understanding the situation.
The young girl, her face flushed with embarrassment, was gently placed in the carriage by Lu Qing. Wei Zi'an climbed in after them.
Luckily, their carriage was spacious enough to accommodate everyone.
"Master Ma, let's go. Run as fast as you can. We need to find a town to stay before nightfall," Lu Qing instructed.
Run as fast as you can?
Master Ma was puzzled but quickly understood when he sensed a peculiar aura surrounding them. He excitedly cracked the whip.
The two horses pulling the carriage, sensing something too, whinnied and started trotting.
As the carriage moved, a familiar green aura enveloped it, allowing it to travel at high speed.
Master Ma, accustomed to controlling the speed, gradually increased it. Within moments, the carriage was moving swiftly, the green aura protecting it and making the journey smooth and silent.
Inside the carriage, the young girl, unaware of the external changes, only noticed how stable the ride was.
But her thoughts were still on being carried into the carriage by Lu Qing, feeling embarrassed in the quiet carriage.
"Miss Hu, may I know your name?" Lu Qing asked, breaking the silence.
"Didn't you know my father?" she asked, surprised.
"We only met briefly when entering the city, not enough to be familiar," Lu Qing smiled.
"Doctor Lu, this girl is the daughter of the city guard who collected our entrance fee?" Wei Zi'an realized.
"So, you don't know my father well?" the young girl understood.
She had wondered why her father knew such a powerful person like Lu Qing, but now realized it was just a chance encounter.
This made her even more grateful, as Lu Qing had saved her despite being strangers.
"Thank you for saving me, young master. If not for you, I would have..." she began.
"Fate brought us together. There's no need to be overly formal," Lu Qing replied lightly.
"My name is Zezhi," she said softly, her face blushing again at his mention of fate.
"Zezhi?" Lu Qing was puzzled. "But at the gate, your father called you
Xiaolian?"
"You were there?" Zezhi was surprised.
"Oh, I overheard your conversation with your father while passing by. Hope you don't mind," Lu Qing explained.
"Not at all," she shook her head. Without Lu Qing hearing that, she would be dead.
"My father usually calls me Xiaolian. It's a nickname," she explained.
"I see," Lu Qing nodded. "I haven't introduced myself. I'm Lu Qing, this is my master, Doctor Chen, my sister Xiaoyan, and this is Wei Zi'an, a young master from the Wei family."
The girl didn't think much of the introduction, but the old doctor sensed something unusual.
"Nice to meet you all," Zezhi said, her upbringing evident in her polite demeanor, despite her injury.
"No need for formalities," the old doctor smiled, his curiosity growing.
"Hu sister, does your leg still hurt?" Xiaoyan asked, concerned.
"It hurts a bit, but the medicine helps," Zezhi replied, touched by the concern.
"With my brother and Grandpa Chen here, you'll recover soon. They're very skilled doctors," Xiaoyan assured her.
"Thank you," Zezhi smiled, her beauty stunning Xiaoyan.
"Hu sister, you're so pretty!" the little girl exclaimed.
Blushing, Zezhi replied, "You're adorable, much prettier than me."
"Really? Will I be as pretty as you when I grow up?" Xiaoyan asked excitedly.
"Of course!" Zezhi nodded firmly, genuinely believing it.
Watching them compliment each other, Lu Qing couldn't help but smile.
At that moment, a voice echoed in his mind, "Ah Qing, what happened? Why are you so special to this girl?"
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