Qiangzi swung his copper coin sword, blocking one attacker, while the other three bypassed him and lunged at Su Qing. Yu Daochen tried to disengage and help but was held back by Guo Cunhai’s saber.
Just as one of the attackers was about to touch Su Qing, a figure flashed behind the man, grabbed his shoulder, and threw him aside. Simultaneously, the figure drew a short sword from his waist and slashed horizontally at the other two.
The two men raised their crescent sabers to block the incoming short sword.
The short sword struck the crescent sabers, and both men were sent flying back several meters, their hands still trembling from the impact.
Yu Daochen breathed a sigh of relief, glad the reinforcement had arrived in time.
While on the train, Yu Daochen had taken out his phone and sent a message to Old Man Xu, asking him to come to the train station for help.
Qiangzi looked over and saw a man in his fifties, wearing a gray shirt, with a scruffy beard and a face full of wrinkles.
Guo Cunhai and his men’s expressions changed when they saw Old Man Xu arrive.
Guo Cunhai’s face darkened. "I didn't expect Master Xu, ranked nineteenth on the Heaven list, to show up."
Xu Gensheng shook his head and smiled. "Master Guo, you flatter me. I'm just a disheveled old man these days."
"Does Master Xu leave no room for negotiation?" Guo Cunhai asked, his hand already gripping his crescent saber.
Xu Gensheng shook his head. "No!"
Guo Cunhai exerted slight pressure with his feet, tightened his grip on the crescent saber, and prepared to attack. If Yu Daochen and his group reached Jiangdu, there would be no hope.
"I thought Master Xu had retired from the martial world and no longer involved himself in its affairs," two figures approached, one of them speaking.
Yu Daochen and Qiangzi saw the approaching figures and their faces turned extremely grim. Xu Gensheng frowned deeply. The Zhenbao Sect’s Three Heroes were all here.
Liu Manheng, ranked thirty-seventh on the Heaven list, and Zhao Motian, ranked thirty-eighth, along with Guo Cunhai, ranked thirty-ninth, were collectively known as the Zhenbao Sect’s Three Heroes.
Xu Gensheng looked at Qiangzi and the other two, his voice serious. "I’ve hailed a taxi behind us. Go now!"
Qiangzi didn't hesitate, grabbing Su Qing’s hand and running towards the back. Guo Cunhai tried to pursue but was blocked by Yu Daochen, who swung his Kanglong mace.
Liu Manheng and Zhao Motian attacked simultaneously, drawing the crescent sabers from their waists and slashing at Xu Gensheng.
Xu Gensheng met them without fear, raising his short sword to engage.
Yu Daochen, meanwhile, blocked the pursuit of the four and Guo Cunhai. He formed a seal with one hand, took a deep breath, and spewed flames.
Guo Cunhai moved in front of the four, opening his Exorcism Umbrella to block the spewing flames.
Yu Daochen didn't stop. He formed another seal with one hand, inhaled deeply, and spewed flames again.
As long as Qiangzi got Su Qing into the taxi and away, they would win.
On the other side, Liu Manheng and Zhao Motian’s crescent saber attacks were fierce, but Xu Gensheng blocked them all one by one.
Seizing an opening, Xu Gensheng lunged with his sword at Liu Manheng. Liu Manheng quickly turned to dodge, but it was too late. The short sword directly slashed across Liu Manheng’s cheek.
Zhao Motian, standing nearby, was startled and swung his crescent saber at Xu Gensheng. Xu Gensheng gripped his short sword with his backhand to block, then kicked Zhao Motian.
Before Zhao Motian could react, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, and his entire body was sent flying.
Xu Gensheng thrust his sword at Liu Manheng again. Liu Manheng retreated to dodge, but Xu Gensheng clenched his fist and smashed it towards Liu Manheng.
The moment Liu Manheng crossed his arms to block Xu Gensheng’s punch, his entire body was forced backward.
Zhao Motian got back on his feet, blood trickling from his mouth, his expression grim. "We're both on the Heaven list, but this guy is unbelievably strong."
Liu Manheng wiped the blood from his cheek. "As expected, no one in the top twenty of the Heaven list is easy to deal with."
On Yu Daochen’s side, Qiangzi had already taken Su Qing away. He was facing Guo Cunhai and four experts with Earth list strength, and was indeed struggling to hold them off.
"Do Elder Liu and Elder Zhao still want to fight?" Xu Gensheng asked.
Liu Manheng looked at Zhao Motian beside him, sighed, and shook his head. "Old Guo, let's withdraw."
Guo Cunhai put away his crescent saber. Seeing this, the other four also put away their crescent sabers.
Xu Gensheng walked over to Yu Daochen. "Young Master Yu, are you alright?"
Yu Daochen waved his hand and let out a long sigh. "No major issues."
Guo Cunhai walked to Liu Manheng’s side, his voice lowered. "Old Liu, are we just letting this go?"
Liu Manheng nodded helplessly. "We can't retrieve the Soul Protecting Bronze Ring now. We don't even know if we can survive Jiangdu."
Guo Cunhai remained silent. What Liu Manheng said was true; there was no one in this world who dared to challenge Yu Daochen in Jiangdu.
Liu Manheng cupped his hands. "Today, we Zhenbao Sect admit defeat."
With that, he waited for Zhao Motian and the others to turn and leave.
Yu Daochen breathed a sigh of relief and put away his Kanglong mace. "Old Xu, thank you for saving the day this time."
Xu Gensheng waved his hand. "Master Yu, you're too kind. Let's head back to the shop first."
Yu Daochen nodded, and the two of them took a taxi directly to the shop.
As soon as Yu Daochen got out of the car, he saw Xu Yaya waiting for him at the entrance.
Xu Yaya rushed forward when she saw Yu Daochen get out, her face full of worry. "Brother Yu, are you injured?"
Yu Daochen smiled and nodded. "No, I'm perfectly fine."
Entering the living room, Su Qing sat motionless in a chair, while Qiangzi sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, his brow furrowed, his face frighteningly pale.
Yu Daochen frowned. Seeing Qiangzi’s condition, the poison had flared up again. Thinking of this, Yu Daochen walked directly towards the backyard.
Arriving at the deep well in the backyard, Yu Daochen called out into it, "Give me a drop of your blood."
As long as there was still a breath left, a drop of this guy's blood could sustain him for another ten days to half a month.
"No," a voice came from the bottom of the well.
Yu Daochen was a little anxious. What was going on with this guy? He had never refused to give him a few drops of blood before, so why today?
Acknowledgments: Thanks to [Beiwang Houxuan] [Huang Shangshang] [Fen Yue Ling Zhu] [Liang Keke] [Er Gou Zi] [Cleverest Glorious] [User 80082422] [Wu Hu 23333] [Charlotte the Magical Girl of Yaochi Immortal Court]
--
Author's Note: