On the road

Jean's destination was set for the next city over - White Cliff city. Three days there and back on the main road by horse, assuming nothing bad happened. However, being the main road to the only auction house within several dozens of miles, bandits swarmed the place like bees. They would steal from anyone they could see - poor peasants, rich merchants, other bandits, Etc. Though this was by far the least safest route, it was the fastest; if you made it out, that is.

Jean had set off on the road for his short journey. The uneventful first day passed and the sky darkened rapidly. He set up a fire in a forest clearing, not too far from the main road, and started to practice. Just because he was travelling, doesn't mean he would slack off on training. He had previously picked a few inner martial arts to experiment with, seeing if he could utilise qi with it. He was well-versed in the mesmerising philosophy and theory behind ancient martial arts and qigong. Repeating a set of moves indefinitely, it became smoother each time round. Flowing like water, his moves were graceful and the transitions were impeccable. Each movement was soft, yet could break the rocks and trees. This, alone, was the result of body strengthening through qi and physical exercise. This time, he slowly learnt to exert qi with each fluid step. Sharply inhaling with timing and rhythm, qi seeped into his body and circulated to every muscle. After exhaling in line with the punches and kicks, qi was gathered and released at the tips of his hands and feet. He did this from night, all the way till day.

He had had zero rest and was aching all over. Ignoring the pain, he hopped back on his horse and carried along the road. Clearing his mind, and steadying his breathing, Jean sat in a meditative position, practising the Tai Chi Cultivation technique.

"Help meee! Aaaaargh!"

Suddenly, a high pitched voice screeched out a plead for help. Being the benevolent man he was, he rode to the direction of the noise, ready to help out in any way. Though he can still be considered weak, he had no could probably beat up a fourth stage QC (Qi Condensing) cultivator if he tried.

Meanwhile, a young girl is forced back into a tree by a large, round, bald man with a big machete - this bandit was no doubt the leader.

"He he he! Surrender now, little girl! We'll be very~ gentle! Right, boys?"

An eruption of laughter and cheers exploded from a group of men behind the large man. All of them held various blood-stained weapons high in the air, waving them about. A heavy, rotten stench filled the air, but the bandits failed to notice - they were too used to it, up to the point that it didn't bother them. The young girl was trembling, shaking, shivering. A mortified expression was glued onto her face, and the tears just wouldn't stop rolling down her cheeks.

"Young miss! No! Don't you dare lay a finger on the young miss!"

A tied up women screamed with anger and ferocity. Her clothes were torn, and there were multiple wounds on her body. Despite the pain, she struggled endlessly to try to free herself and save the young girl. Stepping on pools of blood and piles of bodies, the large bandit made his way to the screaming lady and swung his fat hand across her face.

"You b*tch! Shut your mouth!"

"..."

"I'm in a good mood today, I'll let everyone play with you whilst I'm playing with the little missy! It will feel real~ good! Go ahead boys! You earned it!"

Cheering even louder, the gang approached her with disgustingly filthy looks in their eyes. One of them went first and starting taking off his clothes. Both girls were now screaming in horror with their eyes closed, waiting for a miracle.

Crash!

Before the man could finish undressing, he was sent flying into a tree with a single punch. Instantly killed. The large man and the rest of the gang turned their heads to see Jean, who was already in a fighting stance. Furious, the leader shouted.

"Who dares interrupt our fun?!? Hack him to pieces and give him a miserable death!"

"HAHAHAHA!"

Jean had looked as if he heard the funniest joke in the world.

"A fat pig like you thinks he can kill me? ME? Hilarious!"

"You dare look down on us? Courting death!"

Around 30 to 40 armed men pounced on him. Being surrounded, Jean was still calm and moved fluidly, striking them softly but sending them flying. This was the advantage of using qi in martial arts, though they would be useless at higher levels. He struck them one by one, through the many openings, and hit at their most vulnerable areas. This was the huge gap between cultivators and normal people. Feeling arrogant, he put his left hand behind his back and only used his right hand to beat them to a pulp. Feeling smug after defeating the bandits, he began laughing mockingly and arrogantly.

"HA! Is that all you've g-"

Slash!

From behind, the fat leader swung his machete at Jean's back. A large tear in his clothes was made and the blade just barely pierced his skin, causing him to bleed slightly. The fat leader's eyes opened wide in an instant. Jean stood still.

What? How come he is basically unharmed? I used all of my strength in that one slash! Impossible! I need to run away this instant and inform the boss!

Running as fast as his fat body let him, he turned back and saw Jean still not moving.

An opportunity! Quick, while he's still frozen!

Wham!

The fat man flew backwards, tumbling over his own gang members' corpses. Looking in front of him, he saw him. Jean was standing in front of him, smiling with a hint of annoyance.

"I tried to play fair, but you went and did a sneak attack, despicable!"

He punched him in multiple areas with pure physical strength. It was incomparably weaker than using qi, but still stronger than most people. Each hit was like a hammer and left a black bruise.

"W-wait! Little brother, please! Spare me!"

Jean stopped punching and turned around.

Ha! That fool! You think I would beg for my life?

"Die!"

Pulling out a small dagger, he leapt up to strike Jean. Twisting his body for extra force, he punched the man in the face using all his strength and qi. He was flung further than before, and his face was mutilated.

Untying the two girls, he covered their eyes so they wouldn't see the horrific seen in front. Blood and corpses littered thee floor. A putrid smell could be noticed a mile away. And worst of all, a disfigured, fat man lay, with his face utterly destroyed.

He carried the girls to his horse by the main road.

"Stay here"

He dashed back to the battlefield and inspected every corpse. Looking through their pockets and bags, he found a few gold taels. Other than that, the dead bandits had nothing of value.

Going back to the girls, he noticed a fancy carriage, but no horses. Some of the dead bodies on the battlefield weren't the bandits'. Could they be the girls' guards? Carriage drivers? Either way it didn't matter to him who they were.

"Are you two alright?"

He bent down slightly to match the level of the girls on the floor. The older one embraced the young child in her arms, consoling and comforting her. Such a scene would be scarring, traumatic even, for a anyone her age. She looked to be around 11 or 12. Though her clothes were dirty and tattered, it was easy to tell that it was expensive. Only young masters or misses would have such extravagant attire. No wonder they were targeted by the bandits. A defenceless little girl with a fancy carriage and clothing. An easy target.

"Th-thank you, mister"

The older one whispered meekly. All that crying and shouting hurt her throat, and she couldn't speak loudly for now.