After Yan Qing saw the direction the man in black had left in, he quickly returned to Qi Guze's side and told him what had happened.
Qi Guze immediately called for his guards to go and rescue the man. They chased after the man in black in the direction he had left, searching for Xu Yuehuai along the way.
Soon after, they arrived at the entrance of a cave. Qi Guze and the others immediately sensed something was wrong, but it was too late.
A group of men in black rushed out of the cave and launched a fierce attack on them. Qi Guze and the others immediately launched a counterattack. They brandished their weapons and fought with the men in black.
However, there were too many men in black, and they gradually found themselves at a disadvantage. Just then, a cloud of smoke drifted out of the cave, obscuring their vision.
Yan Qing was startled; he knew this was a trap set by the men in black.
He immediately shouted, "Retreat!"
But it was too late. In the dark cave, thick smoke obscured the view. The men in black launched a fierce attack; their objective was clear, and they were almost completely wiped out.
Qi Guze, Yan Qing, and the others fought valiantly against the attacks of the men in black, but their strength was severely depleted. Qi Guze's sword was already chipped, and Yan Qing had run out of arrows.
They could only rely on their weapons to continuously fend off the attacks of the men in black. They were already wounded in many places, and their blood stained the ground.
"We have to find a way to get out of here!" Qi Guze shouted.
“But we don’t know where the exit is!” Yan Qing replied.
Just then, a man in black suddenly rushed towards Qi Guze, holding a huge battle axe in his hand.
Qi Guze barely managed to dodge the attack with all his might. But then, more men in black attacked, letting out frenzied roars that sent chills down everyone's spines.
"Don't give up! We still have a chance!" Qi Guze shouted, while swinging his sword at a man in black.
However, the men in black's attacks grew increasingly fierce; they seemed determined not to let anyone escape. Qi Guze, Yan Qing, and the others were in dire straits, unsure how much longer they could hold out.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded in the distance. Qi Guze and the others were overjoyed, thinking that reinforcements had arrived. But when they saw who it was, their faces turned deathly pale.
It turned out that the newcomer was also a man in black, and he was holding a blindfolded person hostage.
"It's no use resisting! Just surrender obediently!" the man in black sneered, then immediately ran off in one direction and quickly disappeared.
Qi Guze, Yan Qing, and the others were anxious. They knew that the men in black were not targeting them, but the person who had been kidnapped.
They wanted to save that person, but the situation was beyond saving. Qi Guze was extremely anxious; he knew time was running out. He had to come up with a plan, or everyone would be in danger.
He looked around and suddenly saw an opportunity. He spotted a crevice in the corner of the cave, which seemed like a good hiding place. Overjoyed, he immediately rushed towards the crevice.
Seeing this, the other men in black also gave chase. Qi Guze and the others squeezed into the crevice in the rock; the space inside was narrow, only able to accommodate two or three people.
They crawled forward with all their might, hoping to find an exit. The men in black followed, but the smoke in the cave grew thicker and thicker, and they could only blindly chase after them.
After wandering through the cracks in the rocks for a while, they finally found an exit.
Qi Guze and the others immediately climbed out of the cave, and their eyes lit up as they discovered that they had arrived at the other side of the cave.
Overjoyed, they rushed towards the exit. However, they didn't notice that the man in black who had kidnapped Xu Yuehuai was already following behind them.
Suddenly, a flash of cold light appeared, and the man in black's sword pierced towards Qi Guze's back. But in this critical moment, Yan Qing shoved Qi Guze aside, and was himself stabbed by the sword.
Yan Qing collapsed to the ground, convulsing in pain. Qi Guze was shocked; he froze, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He never expected that at such a moment, Yan Qing would choose to push him away and take the fatal blow.
The other guards were also stunned. They watched Yan Qing fall to the ground, at a loss for what to do. The man in black sneered and raised his sword again to attack Qi Guze and the others.
His swordsmanship was extremely sharp; he thrust at them one sword after another, as if he wanted to pierce them all through.
Qi Guze snapped out of his daze, knowing he couldn't stand idly by. He charged at the man in black and threw a punch.
This punch, imbued with powerful internal force, sent the man in black staggering back several steps. The other guards reacted quickly, immediately surrounding and attacking the man in black.
Their attack was incredibly fierce, as if they wanted to tear the man in black apart. The man in black was terrified by their attack and began to panic.
However, his swordsmanship remained extremely sharp. He continuously swung his sword to block their attacks while also constantly looking for opportunities to counterattack.
Qi Guze was extremely anxious. He knew they had to subdue the man in black as soon as possible, otherwise Yan Qing's life might be in danger.
He charged forward again, raining punches upon punches at the man in black. The other guards followed closely behind, relentlessly attacking the man in black.
After a fierce battle, they finally subdued the man in black.
His sword was knocked to the ground, and he himself fell to the ground, motionless.
Qi Guze immediately rushed to Yan Qing's side, squatted down, and lifted Yan Qing's head.
A smile appeared on Yan Qing's face. He looked at Qi Guze and asked, "Master, are you alright?"
Qi Guze felt a pang of sadness. He held back his tears and said, "I'm fine. How about you?"
Yan Qing shook his head and said, "I'm fine too."
Qi Guze breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to the man in black and asked, "Who are you? Why are you holding Xu Yuehuai hostage?"
The man in black didn't speak; he just stared coldly at Qi Guze.
Qi Guze was furious. He knew that the man in black would not reveal any valuable information, and he had to find other clues as soon as possible to save Xu Yuehuai.
Immediately afterwards, he ordered his men to deal with the man in black.
He stood up and said to the other guards, "Let's go."
They left the cave and arrived at the foot of the mountain.
Qi Guze looked up at the sky, his heart filled with anxiety. He wondered how Xu Yuehuai was doing. He had to find clues as soon as possible to rescue her.
The group hurried along, traversing a dense forest before finally arriving at a small town. They found an inn to stay at, and Qi Guze immediately sent people out to inquire about Xu Yuehuai's whereabouts.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com