Oh, we're just simple folks, you see?~So happy I could be!~Got to leech off the Chosen One~ for free!~
Lin Yun hummed a little tune as he sprinted along.
Suddenly!
A harsh voice echoed from the green bamboo forest ahead!
"Heh heh, I finally caught you today."
Hm?
Lin Yun's footsteps faltered.
That voice sounded familiar!
It was Zhao Yuhu!
He was also a handyman disciple. The difference was, his older brother, Zhao Yulong, was exceptionally talented and had already entered the inner sect. Relying on this connection, Zhao Yuhu was nothing but a bully. He was probably picking on another handyman disciple again!
"I'm a Nascent Yuan Realm cultivator now. Dealing with Zhao Yuhu should be no problem!"
Lin Yun was about to step in and help.
Just then, another wave of laughter came from the bamboo forest.
Judging by the sound, there was more than one person!
Lin Yun's raised foot froze in mid-air.
They have numbers. Getting involved will definitely be a hassle.
Zhao Yuhu is just a bully; he wouldn't actually kill anyone.
Compared to that, leeching off the Chosen One is far more important!
This is a matter of my own survival!
I can always teach Zhao Yuhu a lesson later!
After some thought, he decided to pretend he hadn't heard a thing.
But at that exact moment!
A helpless female voice cut through Lin Yun's thoughts!
"Get away! Don't come any closer!"
"Is there anyone who can help me?"
Her voice was so desolate it tugged at the heartstrings.
"Scream, go on and scream."
"Even if you scream your throat raw, no one will come to save you today!"
"Haha, little beauty… just be a good girl and come to us."
Hearing the jeers of a group of men, Lin Yun's expression became conflicted again.
Those beasts, Zhao Yuhu and his gang, truly deserved to be punished by all!
His gaze shifted toward the Cloudsoar Pavilion as he clenched his fists.
If it were just Zhao Yuhu alone, Lin Yun wouldn't have much to worry about. But he was on his own, outnumbered and outmatched. He had no idea how many people he was up against. If he acted rashly, he might not only fail to save the woman but also get himself killed. Even if he managed a lucky rescue, it would surely cost him a lot of time.
Finding Xiao Pingtian afterward would become incredibly difficult.
With the life-or-death calamity looming just one month away, Lin Yun couldn't afford to be careless!
"Miss, it's not that I don't want to save you, but… but I'm in over my head as it is."
He muttered to himself and slowly turned to leave.
"This is the Flowing Cloud Sect! How dare you do this?"
"Help! Can anyone hear me… sob…"
The woman's voice grew more desperate.
Lin Yun could feel her helplessness and terror.
He clenched his fists tighter, a voice screaming in his mind.
Don't be a busybody!
Just turn a blind eye!
What does someone else's virtue have to do with you!
"Sigh!"
In the end, Lin Yun let out a long sigh, but his eyes gradually hardened with resolve. "Sometimes, I really can't stand my own conscience!"
With that, he hesitated no longer and charged toward the woods.
Inside the green bamboo forest.
Zhao Yuhu was flanked by five lackeys in green robes, all with shifty, weaselly eyes. The group had surrounded a young woman, laughing lewdly.
The woman had a cascade of raven-black hair, a small, almond-shaped face, phoenix eyes, and a perfectly sculpted nose. She was a true beauty. But now, trapped by several large men, her face was a mask of despair.
This bamboo forest was extremely remote; one could go half a month without seeing a soul.
Today, it seemed her doom was inescapable!
"Don't come any closer…"
"If you take one more step, I'll end my own life!"
She suddenly brandished a hairpin, pressing it against her throat. Her beautiful eyes were filled with unyielding integrity.
Zhao Yuhu frowned. If someone died in the Flowing Cloud Sect, it would be a huge problem.
"Wait, miss."
Fearing she might slip, Zhao Yuhu quickly tried to dissuade her. "This was all a misunderstanding. We don't mean any harm."
The woman said in a low voice, "Fine. Then you'll let me go."
"Hurry up and make way!"
Zhao Yuhu shot a look at the others. The men understood immediately.
Seeing them part to form a path, the woman carefully rose from the ground. Just as she was about to leave, she felt a burst of spiritual energy strike her right hand.
"Ah!"
She cried out in pain, and the hairpin clattered to the ground.
In the next instant, two of the lackeys seized her wrists, holding her fast!
"Hold her tight! Don't let the cooked duck fly away!"
Zhao Yuhu turned back to the woman, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "Trying to leave? Not a single woman I've set my sights on has ever slipped through my fingers!"
"Today, whether you're willing or not!"
"My brothers and I are going to have some fun with you!"
As he spoke, the other men began to laugh with malicious intent.
The despair on the woman's face deepened. She struggled with all her might, but her captors were both outer-sect disciples. She had no way of breaking free.
Now, her calls to heaven and earth went unanswered. She couldn't even take her own life!
It was over!
Zhao Yuhu rubbed his hands together with a lecherous expression. "Of course, if you're obedient, Brother Hu here will make sure you have a very, very good time!"
With that, he stepped in front of the woman and grabbed her light purple dress.
Riiip!
The dress tore into a thousand pieces, fluttering to the ground. A large expanse of fair skin was exposed to the air, momentarily dazzling Zhao Yuhu and his men.
Seeing that resistance was futile, the woman closed her eyes in despair.
Only four words remained in her mind: Death before dishonor!
She would rather die than live in shame!
"Brothers, I'll test the waters for you first."
Zhao Yuhu was completely lost to his lust, his mind filled with nothing but the woman before him.
Suddenly, his vision blurred!
A figure shot out, slamming a vicious kick into Zhao Yuhu's kidney.
BAM!
Zhao Yuhu flew like a rubber ball, snapping more than a dozen bamboo stalks before he finally crashed to a stop, his face contorted in pain.
It happened so fast that the lackeys had no time to react. They instinctively turned their heads, only to see a slender man now shielding the purple-clad woman.
"In broad daylight, under the clear sky."
"A group of grown men ganging up on a single woman. Are you even men?"
"You have no shame!" Lin Yun spat.
He then untied his own outer robe and, closing his eyes, gently draped it over the woman.
Hearing Lin Yun's voice, the woman opened her eyes.
What a handsome man! she thought to herself.
Seeing him close his eyes as he covered her only increased her favorable impression.
"Miss, are you alright?"
After covering her, Lin Yun wanted to check if she was injured.
The moment he opened his eyes, he froze completely!
What… What is this?!
[Name]: Qin Xiyan [Realm]: Third Level of Body Tempering [Destiny]: Reincarnated Empress (Gold) [Fate]: ??? [Outcome]: After nine reincarnations, she finally breaks through the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, only to perish under the Nine Heavens' Lightning Tribulation during her ascension! [Recent Turning Point]: In three months, she will awaken the Imperial Veins of Reincarnation, her Imperial Physique will be reforged, her fortune will return, and she will be accepted by the Flowing Cloud Ancestor as his personal disciple!