Second offense

After Ji Wang finished doing all this, he looked towards where everyone was.

He saw the scratch on his junior sister's face, from which bright red blood oozed, and he saw the various wounds and tattered, blood-stained clothes on his other fellow disciples...

If he hadn't arrived in time...

The thought flashed through my mind for only a moment before being completely overwhelmed by an even stronger sense of lingering fear.

He dared not think about it, nor could he think about it.

Ji Wang composed himself, slowly exhaled, raised his sword, and stood it upright in front of him.

The sword's hilt was level with his brow, and a stream of light spread upwards from the hilt with his breath.

In the next instant, with his toes as the center, the array patterns spread out like a tide. The patterns were not carved on the ground, but directly imprinted into the air and light, instantly forming a hemispherical barrier that completely enveloped him and all the men in black.

This is a forbidden zone. It isolates both the inside and outside, and cuts off all escape routes.

"Alright." He slightly turned his wrist, raising the tip of his sword and pointing it at the black-clad leader who had just regained his footing. "We can settle the score now."

He simply took a step forward, his longsword thrusting out. Before the blade even reached the target, the sword energy tore through the air, aiming straight for the black-clad leader's face.

The leader, being a veteran of countless battles, instinctively jerked his body backward in the face of death.

"laugh--!"

The first sword energy almost grazed his nose; he barely dodged it, and only when he caught sight of Ji Wang out of the corner of his eye did he realize that something terrible was about to happen.

Ji Wang did not retract his sword at all.

The leader attempted to defend, but immediately a second sword aura burst forth from the tip of the sword, following closely behind and already upon him.

"Crack!" The mask on his face was shattered by the sword energy and scattered in all directions.

The shards tore through his skin, and the third sword strike that followed left a deep, gruesome wound on his face that exposed bone.

His skin and flesh rolled back, and blood gushed out instantly, covering one of his eyes.

The intense pain caused him to groan, stagger backward again, and slam his back against the wall, causing the spiritual light of the barrier to ripple.

Ji Wang did not immediately give chase. He stood still, his longsword still pointing diagonally, his gaze fixed on the other man's distorted face.

It wasn't a completely unfamiliar face. Despite being marred by blood and wounds, the contours of its eyebrows and eyes...

“Oh…” Ji Wang uttered a single syllable, “It’s you. We met at the alley entrance before…”

He remembered. It was the scarred man he had met in a secluded alley at the foot of the mountain, before he and Bu Jiu had encountered Ling Gu.

“It seems your lord desires more than just me.” Ji Wang stepped forward, his steps steady, toward the scarred man. “Very well, let’s settle all our old and new scores today.”

He slightly shifted to the side, dodging an attack from a man in black. At the same time, with his left hand forming a sword shape, he pointed to the side without even looking. A burst of blood erupted from the wrist of the black-clad attacker, whose wrist bone shattered, and the short sword clattered to the ground. The attacker screamed, clutching his wrist, and staggered backward.

Ji Wang frowned as he looked at the blood-splattered clothes, thinking that he would be told he was dirty again if he went back like this. He then swept his longsword horizontally, the sword light spreading out in a fan shape.

The men in black directly in front of them tried to defend themselves by attacking, but before their blades could fall, they felt their hands become lighter.

The three broken blades fell to the ground almost simultaneously. Ji Wang's sword edge grazed their hands holding the knives, slicing through their wrist guards and cutting through their flesh, but it didn't completely sever them.

Ji Wang's pace seemed slow, yet he always managed to strike at the enemy's weakest point. The space within the formation became his unique domain; every attack and sneak attack by the men in black seemed to be anticipated by him, and then crushed by an even more ruthless counterattack.

The remaining men in black were clearly well-trained; after the initial panic, they quickly changed their tactics.

Instead of attacking blindly, they formed a formation. Two of them made a feint attack in front to distract the enemy, while the other three silently spread out, holding poisoned hidden weapons and talismans in their hands, searching for any possible weaknesses in Ji Wang's defenses.

When Bu Jiu arrived, the last bit of spiritual light from the barrier that Ji Wang had set up had just dissipated.

The air was thick with the smell of dust left after the lightning strike. Ji Wang had clearly used some more efficient methods; although his spiritual power was not fully restored, it was enough to deal with these enemies.

All the men in black who were part of the barrier had fallen to the ground. Only the scarred man was firmly bound, and his wounds had been roughly stopped from bleeding. He could no longer speak, only let out suppressed groans of pain.

Ji Wang, with his back to the direction Bu Jiu came from, was kneeling on one knee, quickly checking the injuries of an injured fellow disciple and skillfully performing initial bandaging.

His back was straight, but the dust and bloodstains on his robes, as well as the tear in his sleeve from a sharp blade, revealed that the battle just now was not entirely easy.

Bu Jiu's gaze lingered briefly on Ji Wang, and only after confirming that he had no new injuries did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Ji Wang seemed to sense Bu Jiu's arrival. He continued bandaging without stopping or turning his head, but his voice sounded slightly tired and carried a hint of complaint: "Why did you come... I specifically told you I'd be right back."

“I’m worried about you.” Bu Jiu walked to his side and said these four simple words as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

His gaze swept over Ji Wang's sleeve stained with dark red blood, then over the mottled stains on his hem, and he frowned slightly. But he didn't say anything to reprimand him; he simply reached out his hand naturally, palm up, and offered it to Ji Wang.

Just as Ji Wang finished tying the last knot, seeing this, he didn't think twice and gently placed the empty medicine bottle and the remaining clean strips of cloth in Bu Jiu's palm. Only then, supporting his slightly sore knees, he slowly stood up and looked at the person beside him.

The tension in his nerves eased considerably the moment he saw Bu Jiu, and an urge to be praised immediately welled up inside him.

Ji Wang almost wanted to immediately ask: Was I amazing just now? Did I use those sword moves you taught me particularly well? Was that sideways counter-point just right?

But when he caught a glimpse of the curious glances from his injured fellow disciples, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue. Now was not the time to whine and beg for rewards; the sect leader had to maintain the composure expected of a sect leader.

Ji Wang suppressed his thoughts and, by turning around and standing up straight, quickly hooked his finger with Bu Jiu's and whispered, "Praise me when we get back."

Having received a response from Bu Jiu, Ji Wang took a few steps to the side, bent down, grabbed the scarred man's blood-stained collar, and effortlessly half-lifted and half-dragged him to Bu Jiu's side.

He frowned, carefully examining the other person's face, which was contorted with pain.

“Wait a minute…” Ji Wang narrowed his eyes, “I remember now, isn’t he that… uh, what’s his name again? Song He, one of Ling Gu’s men?”

His tone was somewhat uncertain, after all, there were too many people involved in that great battle, and more than a hundred years had passed, so he couldn't remember the faces of all the other side.

Bu Jiu confirmed, "Yes."

"Still haunting us." Ji Wang curled his lip, casually tossing Song He to the ground like a sack of potatoes, dusted off his hands, and looked at his fellow disciples who were helping each other to their feet. His tone softened a bit: "Can you still walk? I'll carry the seriously injured ones back. The rest of you, look after each other, and let's leave here as soon as possible and go back to the valley to heal and settle down."

At the entrance to the valley, Huaiqing, who had already received a message from Shi Jian, was waiting there with several people.

Upon seeing them appear, Huaiqing immediately came forward: "Shijian, help to get the seriously injured ones onto stretchers... the rest into the hall, let's check for any internal injuries first."

His arrangements were methodical and reassuring, quickly calming the shaken team down.

Just as Ji Wang turned to leave to interrogate Song He, a timid figure squeezed out from among his injured fellow disciples: "Senior Brother...please don't leave! That was so scary..."

The bloodstain on the junior sister's face had been simply treated by Ji Wang and covered with a clean strip of cloth, but there was still a glimmer of tears in her eyes from the shock.

She reached out her slightly trembling little hand and gently took Ji Wang's fingers, which were hanging by his side and still covered with a little dust.

Ji Wang immediately knelt down, bringing his gaze level with hers, and gently touched his junior sister's uninjured cheek with his other hand: "Don't be afraid, it's safe here."

He turned slightly to the side, drawing her gaze to Huai Qing, who was giving orderly instructions, then to Shi Jian and the others who were helping to move the wounded, and finally, his gaze fell on Bu Jiu, who was standing silently a few steps away.

Bu Jiu noticed the gaze directed at them, glancing over indifferently, his expression remaining unchanged.

But perhaps it was because his junior sister's lingering fear was too pitiful, or perhaps it was because Ji Wang's gentle comforting manner while squatting there was too natural, he curled the corners of his lips and nodded slightly in the direction of his junior sister.

It was just a small gesture, but it felt like a guarantee.

Ji Wang felt his junior sister's grip loosen a little, so he quickly seized the opportunity and used the back of his finger to wipe away a little moisture from the corner of her eye: "I promise you, Senior Huaiqing will apply the medicine and it won't hurt anymore, okay?"

The senior brother who was the most seriously injured and was being helped onto a stretcher saw this and forced a smile as he turned his head to the side: "Sui'an... come here, senior brother. Ji Wang still has important things to do—Junior brother Ji Wang, I really have to thank you this time."

Another senior sister, whose arm was injured, also endured the pain and bowed solemnly to Ji Wang: "Junior Brother Ji Wang, thank you for your help."

Ji Wang felt her ears burning from their stares and quickly waved her hands. She wanted to help her senior sister up, but was afraid of touching her wounds. She was flustered and said, "No, no, no, we're all family. Why are you saying these things? Quickly, listen to Huaiqing's arrangements. Treating your wounds is the most important thing!"

Seeing this, Sui An slid her hand off Ji Wang's body, only to have it grasped by Huai Qing who had come over: "Let's go."

Sui An looked at Ji Wang nodding in assurance and finally nodded, then was led by Huai Qing into the hall.

After watching the wounded being properly cared for, Ji Wangchang breathed a long sigh of relief: "Leave this to Huaiqing. We should go and ask that guest."

Bu Jiu's gaze fell on Song He, who was covered in mud and filth. A hint of undisguised disgust flashed in his eyes, as if he were not seeing a person, but a lump of filth in dire need of cleaning.

He looked away: "It's so dirty...you carry it."

Ji Wang was flexing his slightly sore wrists when he heard this, and nodded readily: "How could I let you do it?"

As he spoke, he stepped forward without hesitation, bent down, and once again gripped Song He's sticky collar tightly.

The two said no more. Ji Wang dragged Song He, who was like a dead dog, ahead of them, stepping over weeds and pebbles, and headed towards the more desolate ruins deep in the valley.

There, the wind howled and the light was dim, making it a perfect place to talk about things that shouldn't be discussed in the shadows.