Chapter 72: Go Higher, Just Run (Please Read)

He kicked the door open and sure enough, he saw his younger brother, Li Xiaofan. His mouth was gagged, so he couldn't speak, and there were several red handprints on his face, but his expression was very stubborn as he glared angrily at Li Xian.

"Brother, it's me."

Li Xian said, removing the white cloth that was gagging Li Xiaofan.

"Brother!"

Li Xiaofan's eyes lit up, and he recognized Li Xian. He exclaimed happily, "Brother, you've come to save me!"

His expression immediately tightened. "It's too dangerous here. They won't dare kill me. Brother, you should run away quickly."

"What are you saying?" Li Xian said with a smile. "I'll take you away."

Once the ropes were untied, Li Xiaofan, who was only a little over ten years old and thin, was naturally not fast. But he wasn't heavy either, so carrying him wasn't a burden.

They left the woodshed.

Seeing flames shooting into the sky and billowing black smoke in the southeast corner, Li Xian knew the fire was still spreading and dared not delay, so he immediately fled.

...

On the other side.

"Quick, quick! Put out the fire!"

"If my Xiao Xiang dies, I'll make you pay with your lives!"

Seventh Young Master Zheng Caiqi's face was contorted with rage. Upon learning that his beloved horse might be burned to a crisp, his heart felt like it was bleeding.

He grabbed two servants and threw them into the fire, shouting, "Quickly, get my horse out!"

However, the fire was raging, and the horse was probably already dead.

"Um?"

Yang Cheng, Zheng Caiqi's personal bodyguard, suddenly saw members of the Blackwater Gang rushing towards them from afar, splashing water from wooden buckets with even more vigor than a group of servants.

He couldn't help but furrow his brow slightly.

It was truly strange for a fire to start on such a cold winter day.

"Who sent you?" Yang Cheng asked.

"Huh?" one of the gang members said, "Didn't the young master send us to put out the fire?"

Yang Cheng frowned. He and Zheng Caiqi had rushed over as soon as the fire broke out. Although Zheng Caiqi was the young master, she had never been quick-witted and only knew how to be anxious.

In the heat of the moment, how could they have thought of having their gang members help put out the fire?

It's clear there's something fishy about this.

Could it be...

Yang Cheng's heart skipped a beat. "Could this be a feint attack?"

He found it hard to believe that a fire in winter could be built without human intervention. Yang Cheng shouted, "You, you, bring your men and come with me!"

He took the lead and galloped towards the west courtyard.

Arriving at the woodshed where the "flower-picking boy" was kept, my heart skipped a beat. The door was wide open, ropes were scattered on the ground, and there was still someone there.

"That's really true!"

At this moment, Yang Cheng shouted angrily, "You little thief, where do you think you're going!" He leaped over a courtyard wall and saw a figure running into the woods.

"I'll go ahead and catch that thief! You all hurry and follow!"

Yang Cheng gave the order, then immediately climbed over the courtyard wall and chased after them into the woods.

"Brother, he's here!"

Li Xiaofan turned around and said.

"This person is clever; he saw through it so quickly." Li Xian sensed something was wrong, but remained calm.

"He's so fast." Li Xiaofan exclaimed in surprise as the distance between them closed step by step.

"You little thief, where do you think you're going!"

Before long, Yang Cheng had caught up and reached out to grab Li Xiaofan. His internal energy circulated, locking onto Li Xiaofan, making it extremely difficult to dodge. Li Xian suddenly turned around and used the "Four Directions Fist" to counter him.

With a "bang," Li Xian's hand bone cracked slightly, causing him considerable pain. Fortunately, he had recently benefited from various body-strengthening methods, including Tiger Blood Pills, Bear Bile Pills, and the Hundred Beast Bath. His bones were resilient, and he possessed considerable strength.

Otherwise, his right hand would have been crippled by that move.

Yang Cheng roared, "Was it you who set the horses on fire?!" He was greatly surprised that this young upstart could actually withstand his palm strike. As he spoke, the attack came again.

As Li Xian dodged, he said, "What a pity for that snow-white horse, it's probably nine-tenths ripe now. Hahaha."

"You little rascal, you're about to die and you still dare to talk back," Yang Cheng said. "I'll capture you alive and see how I deal with you!"

He suddenly changed his move, launching a powerful and terrifying kick that caught everyone off guard.

Yang Cheng is a martial arts master who practices "circulating Qi throughout the body".

Li Xianjiang dodged.

Yang Cheng kicked the tree behind him. With a loud thud, a section of the tree trunk caved in.

However, at this moment, a sudden change occurred.

Suddenly, several objects fell from the top of the tree. Before Yang Cheng could see them clearly, Li Xian had already taken the narrow knife and slashed at his right leg!

"not good!"

Yang Cheng immediately withdrew his leg. But then he saw Li Xian smile, and the narrow blade swept across the room in an arc, changing from a vertical slash to a horizontal one!

When one has mastered the Four Directions Fist and achieved complete mastery, even if one is holding a knife, one can still use it as a fist!

Yang Cheng was caught off guard. He was experienced and could see through the usual feints and deceptions.

However, the strength of Sifangquan lies in the fact that it does not use feints or deceptive attacks, but rather every move is a real move. It only changes the force line by making slight changes to the body, so that the magnitude of the killing move is greatly changed in an instant.

He hadn't anticipated this turn of events. Realizing he'd fallen into a trap, and with no other option, he channeled his Qi to withstand the blow.

Torn flesh.

It hurts so much!

But that wasn't all. Yang Cheng lightly touched the ground with his toes, creating some distance. Little did he know, this played right into Li Xian's hands.

Li Xian used his knife as a dart and threw it directly at Yang Cheng. Yang Cheng had no choice but to dodge again.

At the same time, Li Xian caught the "Deer-Shooting Bow," drew the bowstring to its fullest extent, and fired three arrows in succession.

"Oops!"

Yang Cheng felt a chill run down his spine. These three arrows were quite powerful; one was aimed at his throat, two at his knees, and the three arrows were mutually supporting each other.

His intentions were clear and ruthless. This person was not only a master archer, but also very calm and cunning.

The moment he was caught up with her, he had already figured out how to deal with her.

His internal energy cultivation, martial arts skills, and combat experience were clearly far superior to his opponent's.

But they were led by the nose.

"asshole!"

Enraged, Yang Cheng took a risky gamble. To survive, he had to dodge the arrow aimed at his throat. But doing so would result in arrows piercing both knees, rendering him immobile and certain death.

The only solution.

He did not dodge the three arrows, but instead made slight movements so that although the three arrows hit his body, they only grazed him.

Yang Cheng was a quick-witted man. With a slight tremor, he actually did it. A gash appeared in his throat, and blood flowed freely, but his trachea was not cut open.

He was hit by arrows in both knees; the arrows pierced his flesh but did not damage his bones.

"good!"

Li Xian cheered, saying that such a response had truly broadened his horizons. But after saying that, he turned and fled into the depths, carrying Li Xiaofan on his back.

"Instructor Yang!"

Their encounter was, in reality, only a fleeting moment.

At this moment, the Blackwater Gang members arrived late.

"Chase them! Chase them!"

"Cough cough..."

Yang Cheng clutched his throat, still shaken, but then his anger was ignited.

He has achieved "circulating Qi throughout the body" and is halfway to "consolidating blood and closing the orifices," which slows down blood flow, and then he simply bandages the wound.

The injury is neither too serious nor too minor.

Normally, he would need to rest and recuperate for several days. But today, with the young master's beloved horse dead, it would be truly inexcusable for him not to capture that petty thief.

He then personally entered the jungle to capture Li Xian.

"Brother, you're amazing!"

Li Xiaofan's face was full of admiration.

"You're quite something, picking flowers at such a young age," Li Xian said with a smile.

"Hehe." Li Xiaofan scratched his head.

"Xiao Fan, today I'm seeing you off from Huangyu County. From now on, you'll have to walk your own path."

"Even if my brother wanted to help, it would be too late."

Li Xian said solemnly.

"Yes, brother, I won't let you down." Li Xiaofan nodded emphatically, a resolute and determined look, similar to Li Xian's, flashing across his youthful face.

“I’ve been hearing a lot of things lately, like luck and literary talent, it’s all very mysterious.”

“They all say I’m a scoundrel, and my family is a scoundrel too. They don’t deserve to be called scoundrels.”

"I don't care about anything else, all I know is that I never want my brother and I to be bullied again."

“Being the prince’s bodyguard is not an easy job. I know very well that now that I’ve picked the flower, I will go higher and higher.”

"Brother, wait for me."

As he spoke, Li Xiaofan clenched his fist and touched the red mark on his face. It still stung.

Li Xian felt quite gratified.

Suddenly, deep in the forest, a gray horse appeared, with crooked eyes and a distorted mouth, extremely ugly.

When the stables burned down, the least conspicuous horses were the first to run out.

Li Xian's face lit up with joy. He mounted his horse and, despite not having learned horsemanship, managed to subdue it with his martial arts skills.

It was already late at night.

Pursuers were closing in from behind.

But all I could see was darkness.

Snowflakes drifted down from the sky, and Li Xiaofan clutched Li Xian's clothes tightly.

"Never mind all that, let's go!"

It was pitch black before him; he couldn't see the road ahead at all—whether it was a deep pit or a cliff—it was all a matter of luck. But… he just kept riding fast, and if there was no road, he would make one.

Since arriving in this world, Li Xian has experienced many injustices and suppressions. Even though his situation is gradually improving thanks to hard work, he often feels that the gap between people is insurmountable.

It feels oppressive.

But at this moment...

The situation was clearly perilous, yet the ugly horse beneath him was galloping.

The wind and snow tousled my hair, everything was pitch black, and the world seemed to be empty, yet a sense of untimely heroism arose in my heart.

Li Xian patted the horse's back.

In the vastness of the world, in the dead of night, such a scene unfolds:

An ugly horse carried the guards, who in turn carried a child on their backs. Snowstorms mingled with pursuers, and in the distance, flames roared.

The shouts and curses were drowned out by the wind and snow.

(End of this chapter)