Chapter 33: Liu Chuanxiong_1

Ling Chen felt somewhat baffled. How on earth had he offended this young lady again, for her to suddenly fly into such a rage?

A wry smile touched his lips, and Ling Chen quickly followed her out.

"The poison hasn't fully cleared from your body. It's best you don't engage in strenuous exercise," he couldn't help but remind her as they exited the cave.

"What does my life or death have to do with you?" Xu Ruoyan didn't even look back, her tone exceptionally cold.

Hearing this, Ling Chen felt helpless. A woman's heart was like a needle at the bottom of the sea—impossible to fathom.

"What I meant is, this place isn't safe. Our horses rested overnight and should have recovered their strength. We should ride back to the Divine Intent Sect at full speed," Ling Chen said, leading a horse as he followed her, a helpless look on his face.

"I don't want to ride the same horse as you! Don't you know that men and women should maintain a proper distance?" Xu Ruoyan's voice remained cold, evidently still tinged with anger.

"Aren't these exceptional times? Why fuss over such trivialities?" Ling Chen walked up, attempting to take Xu Ruoyan's arm, but she shrugged him off.

"Ling Chen, let me tell you, I have no relationship with you! In three months, we will annul our engagement. I want to sever all ties with you!" Xu Ruoyan gritted her teeth as she spoke.

"Yes, indeed. We never really had any relationship. In three months, I will fulfill our agreement and annul our engagement," Ling Chen nodded, with an air of nonchalance. However, his words only served to further infuriate Xu Ruoyan.

Just as their argument was heating up, leaves rustled nearby, and a black shadow stealthily departed, vanishing into the distance.

At that moment, on a mountaintop not far from the cave, more than ten figures appeared in their line of sight. The leader of this group was none other than the Liu Family Head, Liu Chuanxiong.

WHOOSH!

A burly external martial arts expert emerged from the forest and leaped onto the mountaintop.

"What's the situation? Have you found any trace of Ling Chen and his companion?" Liu Chuanxiong asked the expert.

"Not yet. However, based on our judgment, if the poison truly prevents them from going far, they should still be in this vicinity. If they managed to escape further, it would be beyond our reach," the man reported after stepping forward.

"Search every inch! Don't miss a single corner. You must find them for me!" Liu Chuanxiong's face hardened as he sternly commanded. He refused to believe that with so many people mobilized over such a large area, they couldn't find two individuals.

A quarter of an hour later, another warrior returned to report.

"Family Head, we've found them!" the warrior hurriedly reported.

"Where are they?" Liu Chuanxiong's face tensed as he immediately demanded.

"Just less than ten miles away. I've left markers along the way. They shouldn't have gone far."

"Good! You, lead the way! The rest of you, follow me immediately! Also, notify the others to hurry to the target location!" A look of joy spread across Liu Chuanxiong's face. His efforts throughout the night hadn't been in vain; he'd finally found them! My son, Father will definitely avenge you personally!

Liu Chuanxiong leaped onto a spirited steed and, leading over a dozen warriors, kicked up a cloud of dust as they vanished into the distance.

「...」

Meanwhile, Ling Chen and Xu Ruoyan had still not reconciled. When it came to cultivation talent, Ling Chen was naturally top-tier, but coaxing girls was his weak point. He had talked himself hoarse this time, but still couldn't persuade Xu Ruoyan to leave with him.

Just as Ling Chen was beginning to feel impatient, his ears suddenly twitched. His expression changed abruptly, and disregarding the propriety between men and women, he pulled Xu Ruoyan into his arms.

WHOOSH!

Just as Xu Ruoyan was about to erupt, she suddenly felt a sharp arrow graze past her back, embedding itself deeply into a nearby tree. If she had been a fraction slower, that arrow would have struck her.

"Who's there?" Ling Chen released Xu Ruoyan, then suddenly drew his sword and dashed towards the direction from which the arrow was fired.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

In an instant, the haystack in that direction exploded, and two men in black suddenly emerged, shooting two venomous black arrows at extremely close range.

TING! TING!

Ling Chen leaned back, his long sword danced, deftly deflecting the two poisonous arrows.

SHLK!

With a backhand thrust, his sword light seemed to suddenly extend, piercing the throat of one of the horrified men in black.

The other man in black drew his saber and lunged madly at Ling Chen. However, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, Ling Chen dodged the blow once more. With a turn and a slash of his sword, he lopped off half of the man's head.

The two men in black who attempted a sneak attack were dispatched by Ling Chen in an instant.

However, after killing these two, Ling Chen's expression showed no sign of relief. His gaze abruptly shifted to another direction. There, more than ten figures were slowly approaching them.

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

The sound of clapping approached from the distance. The one clapping was an imposing middle-aged man. His aura was substantial, and his stride was powerful. Being stared at by him, Ling Chen felt an immense pressure.

"Truly deserving of the title of the number-one genius in the Martial World. Mr. Liu has truly learned something today." Stopping his clapping, the middle-aged man revealed a smile, but within that smile lurked a cold, ruthless killing intent.

"You must be the Liu Family Head, Liu Chuanxiong?" Ling Chen's pupils contracted slightly, his heart sinking. He didn't even need to guess to know the newcomer's identity.

"Heh. I thought that after being away from the Jianghu for so long, no one would recognize my name anymore," Liu Chuanxiong sneered coldly.

"How could that be? Your Excellency's Ice Shattering Palm once shook the Martial World of Wind Country. The Liu Family of Yun City is also considered a renowned clan in the Jianghu," Ling Chen said calmly.

"Since you know, why did you dare to commit atrocities in my Liu Mansion?" Liu Chuanxiong's face suddenly turned extremely cold. "The enmity for killing my son is irreconcilable! Even if you are disciples of the Divine Intent Sect and the Sky Void Palace, you will undoubtedly die today!"

"Liu Chuanxiong, don't you know? Your son was that notorious flower-stealing rogue! He brought disaster to countless young women in Yun City, and his death was well-deserved! We were merely acting on behalf of justice!" Xu Ruoyan couldn't help but shout.

"Shut up!" Liu Chuanxiong roared like thunder, his voice deafening. "Every man has desires! So what if it was a few lowly servant girls? It was their fortune that my son took an interest in them!"

"You!" Xu Ruoyan wanted to say more, but Ling Chen shook his head. "This man has lost his mind. He won't listen to a word you say."

"So, what do we do now?" Looking at the figures closing in around them, Xu Ruoyan leaned against Ling Chen's back and asked.

We can no longer escape. Our only chance of survival is to fight to the death!

Ling Chen remained calm in the face of danger, desperately analyzing any possible escape plan. But this time, it seemed truly impossible to escape. Liu Chuanxiong alone, a Seventh Realm Martial Artist, was enough to easily kill both of them.