Chapter 14
However, this brief tranquility was shattered in an instant!
Xiao Qiyun's body, which was leaning against the wall, suddenly straightened like a bowstring, and his sharp gaze, like a solid icicle, was fixed on the back of a pile of junk shrouded in a huge shadow across the alley.
There, several figures dressed in dark short-sleeved shirts, almost blending into the night, lurked like venomous snakes. Their cold gazes pierced the darkness, clinging greedily and fanatically to Su Zhelan—or more precisely, the undisguised malice and nauseating covetousness in their eyes made Xiao Qiyun feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave!
"Ze Lan, hold on tight!" Xiao Qiyun's voice was extremely low, carrying a chilling intent and an undeniable warning. At the same time, his right hand had already swiftly pressed onto the hilt of the short blade at his waist.
With his body slightly turned to the side, like the strongest shield, he completely protected Su Zhelan in the wheelchair between himself and the cold, high wall. No matter who these people were, their intentions were definitely not good!
Su Zhelan instantly sensed the chilling killing intent emanating from Xiao Qiyun. He subconsciously hugged the poetry collection and paperweight in his arms, his body slightly tense.
The shadowy figures clearly realized they had been exposed. A ruthless glint flashed in the leader's eyes, and he gestured to his companions. They ceased concealing themselves, emerging from the shadows like ghosts. Using the dim light at the alley entrance and the cover of debris, they split into three groups, like venomous snakes baring their fangs, swiftly and silently flanking the corner. Their objective was clear—eliminate the guards and kidnap the target!
When they were less than five steps away, two of them suddenly flung out poisoned sleeve darts from their sleeves, which, with a slight whooshing sound, shot straight at Xiao Qiyun's throat and heart! The angle was tricky and the ruthlessness was extraordinary! At the same time, the other three pounced on Su Zhelan in the wheelchair like arrows released from a bow. One of them flashed a cold light in his hand, revealing a short dagger coated with anesthetic, obviously intending to subdue Su Zhelan quickly.
Xiao Qiyun's pupils contracted sharply! His reaction was lightning fast; his short blade flashed out instantly, dancing in front of him with a cold light! "Clang! Clang!" Two crisp sounds rang out as he precisely deflected the deadly hidden arrows! But with this obstruction, the three people rushing towards Su Zhelan were already within arm's reach!
"You're asking for death!" Xiao Qiyun roared, twisting his body and lunging back without regard for anything else. His short blade, accompanied by a shrill whistling sound as it tore through the air, pierced straight into the back of the person closest to Su Zhelan!
The dagger-wielder seemed to have anticipated this, twisting his body unpredictably to avoid a fatal blow. He then slashed the dagger at Xiao Qiyun's outstretched arm! Despite Xiao Qiyun's desperate attempt to dodge, a gash appeared on his left sleeve, blood instantly seeping out, followed by a faint numbing sensation! It was an anesthetic!
In that split second, another calloused hand silently grabbed Su Zhelan's shoulder! The movement was fast, accurate, and ruthless, clearly a well-trained grappling technique!
Su Zhelan suddenly raised his hand and ripped off the light veil covering his eyes. One hand flashed into his sleeve, revealing several fine, gleaming silver needles between his fingers! These were the needles he carried with him when practicing medicine! Relying on his perception of airflow and sound, he flicked his wrist!
"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!" Several faint whooshing sounds rang out! The silver needles shot precisely towards the wrists and elbows of the person who had grabbed them! The movements were incredibly fast!
"Ugh!" The man groaned, his arm instantly going numb and powerless, and his grip on the opponent vanished! He looked at Su Zhelan in shock, clearly not expecting this seemingly frail young man to possess such skills!
Upon seeing this, the leader's eyes flashed with murderous intent! Without further hesitation, he suddenly pulled out a small, black ceramic bottle from his pocket, uncorked it, and with a flick of his wrist, a highly pungent powdery drug, carrying the stench of blood and decay, was precisely thrown towards Su Zhelan's face like a gray wisp of smoke! The action was stealthy and swift!
"Ugh—!" Su Zhelan's body stiffened abruptly, as if struck by an invisible hammer! The poetry collection and paperweight in his arms fell to the ground with a clatter. An indescribable, bone-deep pain and chill instantly swept through his body! It felt as if countless venomous insects were gnawing at his blood vessels and writhing in his internal organs! He curled up in agony, his face turning deathly pale, cold sweat pouring down his back. The strength he had just mustered instantly dissipated, and he could no longer even hold onto the silver needles. This pungent medicinal ingredient, like a key, had instantly opened a terrifying gate within his body!
"It's done! Quickly take the Holy Son away!" The leader roared, his eyes flashing with wild joy and greed. He pounced again, this time directly grabbing Su Zhelan's limp body!
Xiao Qiyun's eyes were bloodshot. Ignoring the wound on his left arm and the sluggish feeling from the anesthesia, he forcefully shook off his combatants and slashed at the enemy rushing towards Su Zhelan with a resolute determination to take them both down! The blade brought with it a sharp whistling sound!
At this critical moment!
"You bastard!?!" A furious shout exploded like thunder! Sheng Xuan's figure rushed down the mountain like a tiger, speeding from the alley entrance! He used the few water bags he had just bought as hidden weapons, smashing them with tremendous force towards the back of the heads of the two enemies closest to Su Zhelan!
"Bang! Bang!" Two muffled thuds! Caught off guard, the two men staggered, feeling dizzy and disoriented!
With bloodshot eyes, Sheng Xuan rushed forward before the other party could react! He had no weapon in his hand, but his iron fists, filled with boundless rage, slammed down on the leader who was reaching for Su Zhelan with a whooshing sound!
"Crack!" A sickening sound of bone breaking rang out! The leader's outstretched arm bent at an eerie angle! He let out a piercing scream!
Sheng Xuan's arrival instantly turned the tide of the battle! Like a mad tiger, he unleashed powerful, sweeping punches and kicks, each strike imbued with ferocious force, forcing the two attackers surrounding Xiao Qiyun to retreat repeatedly. With the pressure on Xiao Qiyun greatly reduced, he immediately formed a seamless teamwork with Sheng Xuan.
Xiao Qiyun's short blade was cunning and ruthless, targeting vital points; Sheng Xuan's fists and feet were fierce and powerful. The two, one forceful and the other gentle, one at a distance and the other close, managed to force five or six enemies into a state of chaos and peril in a narrow corner!
Clutching his severed arm, the excruciating pain and fear instantly brought him to his senses. He glared venomously at the furious Sheng Xuan and the cold, murderous Xiao Qiyun, then glanced at Su Zhelan, who was curled up in her wheelchair in agony. He knew that their preparations were insufficient and their success was impossible. He forced a short, sharp whistle through the throbbing pain!
The enemies, as if granted a pardon, immediately abandoned their fight, helped up their leader with the severed arm, and like frightened mice, took advantage of the crowd's exclamations and chaos to scurry into a narrower side alley and disappear without a trace in an instant!
The battle came quickly and ended quickly, leaving only heavy breathing in the corner.
Sheng Xuan's chest heaved violently, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the alley where the enemies had disappeared, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, as if he wanted to devour them alive. Xiao Qiyun clutched the wound on his left arm, blood staining half of his sleeve. The numbing effect made his movements somewhat stiff, but he quickly tore off a corner of his shirt and deftly bandaged it, his gaze immediately fixed on Su Zhelan in the wheelchair.
Su Zhelan was curled up in his wheelchair, his body still trembling uncontrollably, his face deathly pale, and cold sweat soaking his temples. The sudden, excruciating pain surged through him like a tidal wave, and he bit his lower lip hard to keep from crying out, his knuckles turning white from the force. The trinkets he had bought at the temple fair and the jade pendant given to him by Xiao Qiyun lay scattered at his feet.
"Ze Lan!" Sheng Xuan snapped back to reality and rushed to the wheelchair, his voice trembling with lingering fear. "How are you? Are you hurt? Those damned..." He crouched down, wanting to touch Su Ze Lan but afraid of hurting him, at a loss for what to do.
Xiao Qiyun also stepped forward quickly, squatted down on the other side of Su Zhelan, and said in a deep voice, "What's going on? That powder..." He reached out to check Su Zhelan's wrist pulse, his brows furrowed. The chaotic pulse and the lingering pungent smell filled him with doubt, while the numbing effect in his left arm also made him feel a little uncomfortable.
Su Zhelan gasped for breath, barely managing to shake his head, his voice barely a whisper: "No...no injury...it's...it's that smell..." He tried to straighten up, but the churning pain within him caused him to collapse again. The low growl of "It's done" and "Take him away" slithered into his ears like a cold, venomous snake, stirring up deep-seated fears he didn't want to recall.
Seeing Su Zhelan's pained expression and the glaring bloodstains on Xiao Qiyun's arm, Sheng Xuan felt a surge of violent rage almost burst from his chest. He abruptly stood up, his eyes fiercely sweeping over the terrified crowd watching from afar, as if he wanted to drag out the attackers' accomplices and tear them to pieces.
But at this moment, Su Zhelan only wanted to escape immediately! To get away from the crowd of onlookers, and from the eyes that might still be lurking in the shadows! Both she and Xiao Qiyun were injured; staying any longer would be too dangerous!
Seeing Su Zhelan's pained expression and the glaring bloodstains on Xiao Qiyun's arm, Sheng Xuan felt a surge of violent rage almost bursting from his chest. He abruptly stood up, his eyes fiercely sweeping over the terrified crowd watching from a distance, as if he wanted to drag out the attackers' accomplices and tear them to pieces. "Go! We need to go back immediately! Find a doctor! This must be reported to Mr. Su Yan right away!" Sheng Xuan's voice was resolute, carrying an unquestionable determination. He turned to push the wheelchair.
"No!!" Su Zhelan jerked his head up, his voice sharp and strained with urgency and weakness. He reached out his cold, trembling hand and gripped Sheng Xuan's wrist, which was pushing the wheelchair, with astonishing force. "Sheng Xuan...please...don't...don't go back now!" He looked up at his pale face, his eyes seemingly brimming with tears, his voice filled with unprecedented fear and pleading, "Don't...don't tell anyone about what happened today...please!"
Sheng Xuan was stunned by Su Zhelan's sudden and intense reaction and the force in her hand, freezing in place: "Zhelan? You..."
Su Zhelan's fingers turned even paler from the force of his grip. He breathed heavily, as if using all his strength to squeeze out broken words: "We can't... we can't let Master know... he... he'll be furious if he finds out... we... we'll all suffer..."
The unspeakable fear clung to his heart like cold vines—if his master and the others knew what had happened today, knew that those people called him "Holy Son," knew that the strange powder could activate something within him… if this reached Sheng Chi's ears… he dared not imagine what he would face! Would the little peace he had finally gained vanish into thin air? Or even… implicate Sheng Xuan and Xiao Qiyun? This thought sent chills down his spine, and the fingers gripping Sheng Xuan's wrist tightened even more, as if it were his only lifeline.
"Please... Shengxuan... don't go back... find a place... to hide for a while..."
Looking at the fear and despair almost overflowing in Su Zhelan's eyes, and listening to his incoherent pleas, Sheng Xuan felt his anger instantly cooled down as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over it, leaving only a heavy heartache and deeper confusion. He had never seen Su Zhelan so distraught, so terrified.
Xiao Qiyun also heard Su Zhelan's pleas. He clutched his injured arm, his brows furrowing even more deeply.
Su Zhelan's reaction and words confirmed his previous suspicions—the powder and Su Zhelan's pain were no coincidence, but rather concealed a huge secret.
He spoke in a deep voice, slightly hoarse from the anesthesia, yet unusually calm: "Shengxuan, listen to him. We can't stay here any longer; let's find a safe place first." His gaze swept over the growing crowd pointing and whispering, as well as the temple fair guards who might arrive in the distance, adding, "We all need our injuries treated."
Sheng Xuan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the myriad questions and lingering anger in his heart. Su Zhelan's pale face and the glaring bloodstains on Xiao Qiyun's arm reminded him that the most urgent thing was to leave this place and find a place to settle down and treat his injuries. Without further hesitation, he said in a deep voice, "Alright, let's leave here first." He carefully pried open Su Zhelan's cold fingers that were tightly gripping his wrist, his movements unusually gentle, then quickly pushed the wheelchair up and gave Xiao Qiyun a wink: "Let's go!"
Xiao Qiyun immediately understood. Enduring the sluggish feeling brought on by the anesthesia in his left arm, he followed closely beside Sheng Xuan, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings warily, guarding against possible tracking or another attack.
The three quickly left the messy corner and merged into the still noisy crowd at the temple fair, but the noise only made them feel more uneasy.
Sheng Xuan pushed the wheelchair, trying to avoid the main roads with heavy traffic and choosing to travel through quiet alleys.
Su Zhelan was curled up in the wheelchair, his body still trembling slightly. Every bump seemed to intensify the pain in his body, but he bit his lip tightly to prevent himself from groaning.
Xiao Qiyun's face was also somewhat pale, and the effects of the anesthetic seemed to be spreading, making his steps slightly unsteady.
They walked towards the outskirts of the city, away from the bustling center of the temple fair. The surrounding houses gradually thinned out, and the streets became quiet.
Finally, at the end of an inconspicuous alley, they saw a slightly worn lantern swaying in the wind, with the word "rest" faintly written on it. It was a small hotel that looked extremely deserted.
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