Just a day's journey from Liuxi Village, the mountain path became rugged. The forests on both sides grew denser, blocking out the sun, with only sparse patches of light filtering through the leaves, creating a somewhat gloomy atmosphere.
Xiao Chengkang walked ahead, his steps steady. A-Yuan followed beside him, seemingly casual, but in reality, all her senses were in a subtle state of alert. The forest was too quiet; even the birdsong had disappeared.
Suddenly, several swift, ghostly black figures shot out from the dense forest on both sides without warning! The chilling glint of blades tore through the darkness of the forest, carrying a bone-chilling killing intent, aiming straight for A Yuan's vital points! Their movements were ruthless and their teamwork impeccable; they were clearly well-trained assassins!
"Watch out!" Xiao Chengkang shouted sharply, reacting with lightning speed. He shoved A Yuan aside and ducked to avoid a blade that grazed his scalp. At the same time, he flicked his wide sleeve, and a small packet of pale yellow powder silently sprinkled onto the faces of the two men in black charging at the front—a simple sleeping potion he had casually concocted using several herbs with strong paralyzing effects while gathering herbs in the mountains behind Liuxi Village these past few days!
"Hold your breath!" he whispered, reminding A-Yuan.
The powder, as fine as dust, scattered in the wind. The two men in black at the forefront were caught off guard and inhaled a small amount. Their movements froze instantly, their eyes became unfocused, and the knives in their hands slowed down.
In that split second, a cold glint flashed in A Yuan's eyes as Xiao Chengkang pushed her away! Her previous gentleness and meekness vanished instantly, replaced by the sharpness of a martial artist. She twisted her waist, her body bending backward as if boneless, narrowly avoiding a blade sweeping across her abdomen. With a light touch of her toes, she sprang up like an arrow, a short dagger seemingly hidden in her sleeve appearing in her hand! Though short, the dagger moved with incredible agility in her hands, whistling through the air as it precisely parried another long blade aimed at Xiao Chengkang's back!
"Clang!" The sound of metal clashing was deafening.
"Brother Kang Kang, step back!" A Yuanqing shouted, her figure flitting like a butterfly among flowers, narrowly escaping amidst several flashes of sword light. Her martial arts style was not characterized by grand, sweeping movements, but rather by agility and unpredictability, focusing on dodging and parrying, bearing some traces of unorthodox martial arts. Although not exquisitely refined, her strength lay in her extremely fast reactions and ruthless, cunning attacks, which for a time managed to entangle the three assassins.
Xiao Chengkang's eyes remained calm and composed, showing no surprise at A Yuan's skill. He quickly retreated to a slightly safer spot, his sharp gaze sweeping over the battle. He did not use any more sleeping potions—the wind had shifted, and his opponent was on guard. With a slight movement of his fingers, several fine silver needles, shimmering with a faint blue light, were already held between his fingers.
An assassin, eager to finish off A-Yuan, used his old moves, exposing an opening under his ribs. Xiao Chengkang flicked his wrist, and a silver needle shot out silently, accurately piercing the assassin's acupoint! The assassin groaned, half of his body instantly paralyzed, his movements stiff.
Seizing this fleeting opportunity, A Yuan's dagger flashed like a viper's tongue, slicing across her opponent's throat with lightning speed! Blood splattered!
Seeing their comrade fall and wary of Xiao Chengkang's elusive methods and A Yuan's tenacious fighting, the remaining assassins slowed their attacks. Xiao Chengkang seized the opportunity and suddenly hurled two wax-sealed pills he carried with him. The pills hit the ground and exploded with two loud "poof" sounds, sending up two plumes of thick, pungent smoke!
"Go!" Xiao Chengkang grabbed A Yuan's wrist, turned around without hesitation, and plunged into the denser jungle in the opposite direction of the smoke. The two figures moved swiftly through the forest, using the complex terrain to quickly shake off their pursuers.
Only after confirming that there were no more pursuers behind them did the two stop beside a secluded mountain stream, panting heavily. A-Yuan had a shallow cut on her arm from the wind of the blade, and blood was seeping out. Xiao Chengkang immediately took out some wound medicine to treat it.
"Is it aimed at you again?" Xiao Chengkang asked in a low voice while deftly applying medicine and bandaging the wound. His tone was calm, without any questioning, only stating the facts.
A-Yuan looked at his profile as he focused on bandaging, pursed her lips, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes, and finally softly hummed in agreement: "I'm sorry to have troubled Brother Kang Kang."
"It's alright." Xiao Chengkang finished tying the knot, looked up at her, his gaze clear and frank. "The world is a long road, and everyone has their own past. I know you know martial arts. But you must be careful not to get hurt." It was as if this was just an ordinary thing, and as if he was saying that everything was alright with him.
"We cannot stay here any longer. We need to change our appearance and head south by water as soon as possible."
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