Chapter 83: A Gift
Chapter 83: Chapter 83: A Gift
The carriage curtain fell back into place, hiding the young woman inside.
The battlefield fell into complete silence.
Even Xie Yuan stared blankly at the carriage, not quite understanding what had just happened.
SWISH, SWISH, SWISH.
The sound of piercing air was followed by several short, swift arrows shooting from the carriage, aimed at the two remaining Third Training men in black.
One of them dodged the first arrow but not the second and was pierced through the throat, dying on the spot. The other reacted faster, continuously dodging as he retreated outside the encirclement, and roared:
"Retreat!"
The men in black receded like a tide, leaving only a few corpses behind. The rest were carried away by their comrades.
Seeing the enemy withdraw, the guards quickly formed a protective circle around Situ Qin’s carriage. Vice Commander Li did a quick headcount and reported a moment later:
"Five dead and nine seriously wounded in the guard unit. A quick inspection of the enemy corpses revealed no clues."
"There won’t be any clues."
A voice came from the carriage:
"Treat the wounded. We’ll rest here. And send a message to Yunzhou."
The guard unit had lost half its members. With such heavy losses, they clearly couldn’t press on.
Commander Hu acknowledged the order and began making arrangements. He walked over to Xie Yuan first and clasped his fist:
"Brother Xie, we owe you for your incredible display of power. I shudder to think how many more we would have lost otherwise!"
The guards who could still move all clasped their fists toward Xie Yuan with looks of admiration. The way they looked at him had subtly changed.
Xie Yuan returned the gesture and said earnestly:
"I was only doing my duty."
Commander Hu looked slightly ashamed and clasped his fist again.
"It was I who failed to recognize a great man in my presence. I thought Brother Xie was just another slick, pretty-faced young master trying to get close to the young miss. I never imagined that despite your handsome and dashing appearance, you’d be so ruthless in action. Your strength was a real eye-opener! The way you charged their formation, you were like an unrivaled general. It was enough to make one’s blood boil with excitement!"
"That’s right! And when Brother Xie broke that black-clad leader’s hand with a single punch, my jaw nearly hit the floor. I thought we were in for a tough fight, but thanks to Brother Xie, I was able to finish off my opponent."
Vice Commander Li added with a laugh.
Xie Yuan demurred repeatedly.
"It was only because Vice Commander Li arrived in time to tie up the opponent that my sneak attack succeeded."
Seeing how humble and unassuming Xie Yuan was, taking no credit for his deeds, and how he was both handsome and possessed a striking air, no one would ever imagine that this was the same ferocious man who had just cleaved through a crowd of assassins with an axe.
"Alright, that’s enough of the mutual flattery. Master Xie, please come here."
A light laugh came from the carriage.
Xie Yuan approached and saw Situ Qin lift the curtain, revealing her stunning face. She looked him up and down with great interest, her eyes sparkling.
"I thought Master Xie was just handsome, but it turns out your skills are even more impressive. Tsk tsk."
"Not at all. I didn’t realize Miss Qin’s cultivation was so profound. There was no need for me to make a fool of myself."
Xie Yuan clasped his hands, but Situ Qin shook her head.
"Nonsense. I knew they had other experts in hiding, so I was holding back. If it weren’t for you, I’m afraid I would have had to act sooner, which would have put me at a disadvantage. Although these opponents weren’t that strong, who could have known that beforehand?
"Hmm, speaking of which, an assassination of this level should never have succeeded. Was it just a probe? I’m already near Yunzhou; who would still want to make a move on me? And what are they trying to find out?"
As Situ Qin spoke, her lovely brows knitted together, and she began analyzing aloud to herself.
Xie Yuan’s brow twitched when he heard her say the opponents weren’t strong.
’That man was clearly a Fourth Training expert, yet Situ Qin killed him with a single swipe of her zither... so I guess she’s not wrong to say that.’
’I can clearly tell her Blood Qi cultivation isn’t high—she doesn’t have that overwhelming pressure of Qi and Blood like Shen Longteng does. She should be around the Fourth Training level.’
’So, is it Inner Power?’
’It would make sense for a disciple from such a great clan to know Inner Power.’
As for the rest of her musings, Xie Yuan adopted a detached expression and let his mind wander.
’I want no part in the struggles of great clans. I don’t even want to hear about it.’
Situ Qin came back to her senses and, seeing Xie Yuan’s expression, her large eyes darted about playfully as she suppressed a smile and said:
"What’s with that look, Master Xie? Never mind. I was going to ask if you had any interest in coming to Yunzhou Prefecture, but judging by your expression, you wouldn’t listen anyway.
"Hmm, you have your own heritage, and you even know Inner Power. It’s normal that you wouldn’t want to come..."
Xie Yuan froze. He saw Situ Qin grinning mischievously.
"Don’t worry, I’ll help you keep your secret. I never thought... I originally took you for just a handsome young man to pass the time with, but you’re full of so many secrets. It just makes me more and more curious.
"Hey, can you tell me how a boy from the wilderness learned such skills? Such mastery of Inner Power is incredibly rare in Yunzhao.
"But if you don’t want to, that’s fine. Perhaps one day, you’ll want to share it with me on your own?"
The young woman’s eyes danced, her lovely face glowing. She stared fixedly at Xie Yuan, who found it a bit much to handle and had to turn his head away.
Seeing this, Situ Qin cupped her face in her hands, her eyes curving into crescents as her smile deepened.
Suddenly, she turned her head to look south. A few beats later, Xie Yuan turned to look in the same direction.
A shockingly fast shadow kicked up a huge cloud of dust on the main road. It had barely entered their line of sight before it was in front of the carriage.
The newcomer glanced at Xie Yuan, then spoke to Situ Qin with concern:
"Young Miss, are you alright? I told you, you should have let me come with..."
"Tai Bo, I’m fine. We’ll talk when we get back."
Situ Qin shook her head, then asked Xie Yuan:
"You’re really not coming with me to Yunzhou Prefecture?"
Xie Yuan was sizing up the middle-aged man, his heart filled with shock and uncertainty.
’Yunzhou Prefecture is still more than a day’s journey from here. How long has it been since the message was sent for this person to arrive?’
’This oppressive aura... it’s far, far stronger than the Agency Head’s. What level of power does this man have?’
The young woman’s question startled Xie Yuan from his thoughts. He shook his head.
"Since Miss Qin now has an expert escorting her, and this job has exceeded my capabilities, I will not impose any further."
Situ Qin nodded.
"If that’s the case, I won’t insist. However, Master Xie’s contribution this time was immense. I will naturally thank the Escort Agency, but I must also thank you separately. Is there anything you need, Master Xie?"
Xie Yuan shook his head.
"The Escort Agency will pay me. According to the rules, I shouldn’t ask for an extra reward from the client."
Situ Qin seemed surprised.
"Oh? Are you sure? What I can give you is much better than what the Longteng Escort Agency can offer."
Although Xie Yuan was a little tempted, he couldn’t bring himself to ask for a handout. Besides, he knew Situ Qin didn’t need his protection. So, he just shook his head and clasped his hands.
"Miss Qin, thank you for your kind offer."
Situ Qin had met too many people with ulterior motives, those who played hard to get or feigned retreat as a way to advance. Because of this, she could tell that Xie Yuan was being completely sincere.
Even Tai Bo was a little surprised. He gave Xie Yuan an appraising look and nodded slightly.
The corner of Situ Qin’s mouth curved up into a brilliant smile.
"In that case, I insist on giving you something!
"If you won’t choose, then I’ll choose for you. Hmm, watching you fight, it seems you prefer axes to long sabers. Tsk, I wonder why such a handsome young man would like such a ferocious and uncommon weapon.
"So, I’ll gift you a great axe, and an axe technique manual that your Escort Agency would consider a foundational treasure. It’s settled! I’ll have it sent to your Escort Agency later."
Huh?
Xie Yuan was momentarily stunned, completely overwhelmed by the rich girl’s domineering way.
Situ Qin waved her hand and blinked her almond-shaped eyes.
"Alright, I should get going. It was nice meeting you. And—
"From now on, whenever you use an axe, you have to remember it was a gift from me."
Seeing the instantly uncomfortable look on Xie Yuan’s face, the young woman departed, her laughter like tinkling bells fading into the distance.