Chapter Forty-Nine: Still Joking at the Brink of Life and Death

The leader of the men in black didn't give Qin Youming much time to think. Seeing that Qin Zhining was unarmed and unable to stand up after being knocked down, he raised his knife and slashed at her neck.

Just as the blade was half a foot away from Qin Zhining's throat, the back window of the dilapidated temple was suddenly smashed to pieces with a loud crash.

Amidst the flying sawdust, a figure in blue leaped in like an arrow released from a bow, his longbow drawn taut, an arrow aimed straight at the black-clad man's back!

"stop!"

A clear, youthful voice boomed through the dilapidated temple, carrying an undeniable sharpness.

The leader of the men in black froze, instinctively dodging to the side. The arrow grazed his shoulder and embedded itself in the wall behind him, its fletching still buzzing.

Qin Zhining looked up and her pupils contracted slightly when she saw who it was.

The boy was wearing a faded blue cloth long gown, with mud stains on the cuffs and trouser legs, clearly indicating that he had been traveling.

He was taller and more upright than when we last met, his face had lost some of its childishness, and his brows and eyes had become more composed. But his eyes were still as deep as before, and he was staring intently at the leader of the men in black, full of vigilance.

It was him—the boy Qin Zhining had rescued a month ago when she passed through a mountain valley on her way back to Lincheng County.

At that time, the boy was covered in wounds and lay in the snow, barely breathing. If she and Qin Xiaoxiao hadn't happened to pass by and given him medicine and dry food, he probably would have died in that heavy snow.

The medicine Qin Zhining gave her naturally contained spiritual spring water that promotes rapid wound healing and prevents suppuration.

The boy had only said that he was a scholar on his way and had been robbed, so she didn't ask any further questions. She never expected to see him again here, especially when she was at her most vulnerable.

"Who are you?"

The leader of the men in black steadied himself, gripped his long knife tightly, and eyed the boy warily.

He could sense that although the boy looked young, the bow and arrow in his hand were extremely penetrating.

The accuracy and power of that arrow were far beyond the capabilities of an ordinary scholar.

The young man ignored him and quickly walked to Qin Zhining's side, his voice filled with urgency, "Miss Qin, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Qin Zhining shook her head, twirling the short blade in her hand, and asked with great confusion, "How did you end up here?"

Just as the boy was about to speak, the tall, thin man in black shouted impatiently, "Stop wasting your breath on them. A little brat like you dares to meddle in other people's business. Kill them all."

As he spoke, he raised his knife and slashed at the boy.

The boy reacted quickly, drawing his bow and nocking an arrow in one fluid motion, the arrow shooting straight at the tall, thin man's wrist.

The tall, thin man was so frightened that he quickly withdrew his hand. The arrow grazed the back of his hand and embedded itself in the door frame.

"You dare hurt my brother?" The leader of the men in black was furious. He winked at the other two men in black, and the three of them surrounded the boy and Qin Zhining.

Seeing this, Li Mo, despite the excruciating pain in his arm, rushed forward and stood in front of the two, saying, "Miss, please hide for a moment, leave this to us."

The young man gently pushed Li Mo away, and drew his longbow again, this time aiming it at the leader of the men in black. "If you want to kill Miss Qin, you'll have to get past me first."

"You think you can take me on?" The leader of the men in black sneered, and just as he was about to rush forward, he heard a commotion at the entrance of the dilapidated temple. The He family's servants had already rushed in.

The leader was the He family's butler, who immediately spotted the third young master of the He family clutching his broken wrist and rushed over: "Young master, are you alright?"

When Young Master He saw his steward, he looked at him as if he had seen a savior. He pointed at Qin Zhining and the boy, wincing in pain.

"Quickly, arrest them! Qin Zhining broke my hand, and this little bitch is helping her. Cripple them all!"

The He family steward looked in the direction he pointed and his expression changed slightly when he saw the bow and arrow in the boy's hand.

Having lived in the He family for many years, he had seen many weapons and could recognize that the longbow in the boy's hand was made of iron birch wood, a special material from Lingnan. This kind of bow was tough, durable, and expensive, and ordinary families simply could not afford it.

But then he thought again that even if this young man had some background, he couldn't compare to the He family's influence in Lincheng County.

So he gritted his teeth and shouted at the servants, "What are you all standing there for? Surround them! Anyone who dares to resist, beat them to death!"

The servants immediately surrounded the temple, blocking the exit completely with sticks and knives in their hands.

Looking at the situation before her, Qin Zhining's anger began to surge.

On one side were the men in black who wanted to kill her, on the other side were the He family servants who wanted to settle scores with her, and on the other side was Qin Youming, who hid to the side and refused to make a sound.

To the average person, even if she, Qin Xiaoxiao, the boy, and Li Mo were all skilled fighters, they couldn't withstand the sheer number of opponents.

But so what? Although she hasn't fully recovered from her transmigration ability, as long as she doesn't get impatient and slowly wears them down, she'll have more than enough.

The young man, unaware of her background, quietly leaned close to her ear and comforted her, "Miss Qin, don't worry, I've brought men with me. They're outside the temple. As soon as I give the signal, they'll come in immediately."

Qin Zhining was stunned for a moment, and was about to speak when the leader of the men in black suddenly pounced on her, shouting, "Kill Qin Zhining first!"

The boy reacted quickly, drawing his bow and shooting an arrow straight at the man in black's chest.

The man in black hadn't expected the boy to be so fast. It was too late to dodge, so he could only forcefully block with his knife.

With a clang, the arrow was deflected by the knife, but the force of the arrow also forced the man in black to take a few steps back.

"You're asking for it!"

The leader of the men in black was furious. He pulled out a signal flare from his pocket, lit it, and threw it into the air.

The signal flare exploded in the air, emitting a red flash that stood out conspicuously in the dim, dilapidated temple.

Upon seeing this, Qin Zhining's heart sank. She realized that the man in black had not only prepared a backup plan, but was also determined to kill her in this dilapidated temple.

Sure enough, not long after, more footsteps and the sound of clashing weapons came from outside the dilapidated temple.

The boy's expression changed slightly. "Oh dear—I didn't expect their people to come too, haha—this time there's going to be a good show."

"But Miss Qin, how did you offend these desperados? Hmm? Why are they all so determined to get rid of you? Did you shortchange them on wages, or did you put sand in their food?"

"Pfft—" Qin Zhining was amused by the boy's teasing, "We're at a life-or-death situation, and you're still being sarcastic?"

"Hey kid, who are you? I still don't even know your name, but you're acting all familiar."

The boy chuckled, clearly not wanting to reveal his true identity at this moment.

Over there, the He family steward saw that the man in black had summoned a group of helpers and the situation was completely out of control, beyond the control of his third young master. He didn't know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, and he panicked.

Forcing himself to remain calm, he quickly shouted to the servants, "Everyone, stay alert! Don't let Qin Zhining and the others get away!"