Chapter 30: Playing the Hero

The entire Yue Village was surrounded by Zheng Peng’s men, numbering at least fifty.

Yue Wumiao was panic-stricken and at a loss. Recalling how Chen Tiansheng had leaped such a great distance earlier with such impressive stamina, she urged, "There are only a few people at the entrance of the village. If we go that way, you might be able to make it!"

Chen Tiansheng shook his head. Instead of picking her up, he glanced sharply at the bows and arrows carried by the men on horseback. "As long as we attempt to run, they will surely use their bows. Running would only make us living targets. While they may not want to harm you right now, they won't hesitate to do so if it prevents your escape."

Yue Wumiao calmed herself, hesitated for a moment, and said with firm resolve, "You go. They came for me." She stepped forward, removed the black veil from her face, and addressed Zheng Peng: "Zheng Peng, if you want to capture someone, take me. This has nothing to do with him. Let him go."

Zheng Peng raised a hand to signal his men to hold back. Sitting atop his horse, he wore a playful expression as he said, "Let him go? Let him go so he can tell the people at Sixiang Pavilion that I’ve captured you?" His expression grew increasingly lecherous as he looked at their attire. "You two must have snuck out of the pavilion. If I take you both, they won’t even know you were captured by us, which saves me from a dispute with them. Besides, I don't intend to play with you for just a few days—I want to play until I grow tired of you!"

The more Zheng Peng spoke, the more frantic he became. He burst into wild laughter, and his men followed suit.

"You are shameless!" Yue Wumiao shouted, trembling with fury and hatred.

Zheng Peng was not angered; instead, he seemed even more delighted. He sneered, "Shameless? You don't even know the extent of my shamelessness. You’ll grow to like it soon enough, and you’ll even beg me for it."

Yue Wumiao was rendered speechless by her rage. Fearing she would implicate Chen Tiansheng, she said earnestly, "Run, please! You can escape on your own!"

Though she hadn't known Chen Tiansheng long, she felt he was not a bad person—unlike those who coveted her body. Leaving the pavilion had been her mistake, and she refused to let an innocent man pay for it.

Chen Tiansheng narrowed his eyes and asked, "And what about you?"

Yue Wumiao pulled out a silver hairpin from her hair and said with resignation, "I will end my own life. If you manage to survive, can I ask you one favor?"

"What is it?" Chen Tiansheng asked.

"Find evidence that the Zheng family murdered my family and bring them to justice!" she replied. The Zheng family had long sought to annex Yue Village, frequently sending men disguised as bandits to harass them. Although she hadn't witnessed the massacre of her family, all signs pointed to the Zheng family. With proof, they could be dismantled.

Alas, she would never live to see it. Her heart sinking, she gripped the silver hairpin and lunged toward her own chest, choosing death over becoming Zheng Peng’s toy.

Just as she struck, a hand firmly caught her wrist. It was Chen Tiansheng.

Yue Wumiao stared at the man before her. "Do you want me to live and be humiliated?" she demanded in a low, tense voice.

Chen Tiansheng took a deep breath. "Find a place to hide and let me handle them. If I die, it won't be too late to kill yourself then."

Yue Wumiao was stunned. She had known many men, but none had ever spoken with such sincerity; most were merely sycophants. Yet this man, whom she had known for less than a day, was willing to die for her.

Could it be fake? How could such a situation be anything but real?

Yue Wumiao bit her crimson lip, tears welling in her eyes. "I am not worth this! Don't try to be a hero—go!"

Chen Tiansheng shrugged and smiled. "As a man, it would weigh heavily on my conscience to leave a weak woman behind. Besides, I might not be able to escape anyway. I might as well play the hero before I die. If I fail, at least you can accompany me to the underworld; it won't be lonely."

Yue Wumiao opened her mouth but could not utter a word.

On the other side, Zheng Peng frowned in annoyance at their conversation. "Lovebirds, are you? Kill that man! Don't hurt the girl, but don't give her a chance to kill herself. Attack!"

Three men on horseback charged forward, blades drawn. Chen Tiansheng glanced at Yue Wumiao. Though she could not bear the thought, she knew she could not change his mind, so she retreated behind a nearby wall to avoid being a burden.

"Old Five, Old Six, grab the girl! I’ll take care of this brat!" the leader shouted, charging directly at Chen Tiansheng. The other two acknowledged the order and headed toward Yue Wumiao.

Yue Wumiao clutched the hairpin tightly, determined to end it before they could reach her. She looked at Chen Tiansheng in the middle of the road and sighed inwardly. She knew he possessed extraordinary strength, but he was only one man—how could he possibly handle so many of Zheng Peng’s men? Even a master-level fighter might not stand a chance.

Today, they would surely die here. But perhaps that was not so bad; at least they would have each other. As a courtesan—one who sold her art, not her body—her reputation was already tarnished, yet Chen Tiansheng had not looked down on her. If there were a next life, she would repay him.

As she mused, the two riders neared Chen Tiansheng. Suddenly, he reached out, and a massive, broken blade appeared in his hand.

*Conjuring items out of thin air?!* The crowd gasped in shock. Only those from the Immortal Sect possessed the means to store objects in spatial artifacts. This man in black was an Immortal cultivator!

The three riders panicked and pulled their reins simultaneously. They were mere low-level practitioners; how could they possibly face someone from the Immortal Sect? The others were equally terrified.

Zheng Peng was stunned, unable to believe Yue Wumiao had brought an Immortal cultivator, but he quickly realized something. "Don't be afraid!" he roared. "Even if he is from the Immortal Sect, his strength is weak, otherwise he wouldn't be in this desperate situation! If we let him escape and he brings help from his sect, we are all dead! If you don't fight, I will kill you myself!"

His words steadied their resolve. The three riders, knowing there was no retreat, charged at Chen Tiansheng together.

Chen Tiansheng’s expression hardened. Before they could reach him, he lunged forward. Since his body tempering, the Dragon-Phoenix Blade felt much lighter in his hands. It was still heavy, but manageable. It was his only weapon, and now that the enemy was upon him, he had to use it.

"Old Five, Old Six, attack together! No matter how strong he is, he can't beat the three of us!" The leader shouted to bolster his courage. The others nodded and roared as they swung their blades.

Just as they closed in, the three riders slashed down from above. Chen Tiansheng did not meet them head-on; instead, he dropped his stance and swung his blade in a powerful horizontal sweep. The Dragon-Phoenix Blade sliced through the horses' forelegs like a hot knife through butter. All six legs were severed; the horses tipped over, and the riders were thrown to the ground.

*Sshhh—*

Before the three men could rise, Chen Tiansheng arrived. With a single strike, he cleaved one man in two. Blood sprayed, and the man died instantly. The other two were so terrified they scrambled to crawl away, but they were no match for Chen Tiansheng’s speed. He cut them down in short order.

As the three died, Chen Tiansheng felt the Dragon-Phoenix Blade absorb something; he felt a strange sense of the blade strengthening, though he could not pinpoint how.

"Watch out!" Yue Wumiao screamed.

*Whoosh—*

*Clang!*

As Chen Tiansheng recovered, an arrow whistled through the air and struck his chest. Across the way, Zheng Peng stood with his bow raised, a triumphant smirk on his face.

Just as Yue Wumiao and the others expected Chen Tiansheng to fall, something bizarre happened. The arrow struck him as if it had hit a solid wall, and it simply bounced off.