Dao Descendant stumbled back, eyes wide with terror.
Dao Descendant:
"Y-You crazy bastard! Stay away from me!!!"
He turned to his trembling bodyguards, shouting in rage.
Dao Descendant:
"Bastards! What are you doing?! Kill him already!!"
But the guards didn't move. Their swords shook in their hands, their legs frozen in place. Fear paralyzed them.
Dao Descendant:
"Y-You worthless dogs! MOVE ALREADY!!"
Qing Yan rolled his eyes, then glanced toward the young woman.
Qing Yan (thinking):
Huuu~ she's looking at me... Should I flex a little?
Smirking slightly, he didn't raise a finger. No stance, no movement. Just pure, invisible Qi.
A second later, all of the guards dropped dead where they stood—slashed through vital points by unseen force. Their bodies collapsed like puppets with their strings cut.
The young lady and the Dao heir froze in disbelief.
Dao Descendant:
"V-V-Void Qi?! B-But… I didn't sense anything from your body! H-How?!"
Young Lady (thinking):
Even he didn't sense it? That means... either he's just a normal man... or someone who's reached a realm so high... his power hides itself…
Just… who is this person?
Qing Yan:
"Tsk. Looks like your brain's too small to understand."
He took a step forward.
Dao Descendant:
"W-W-Wai—"
Before he could finish, a thin Qi slash zipped forward and sent his head flying.
Qing Yan:
"Sigh... My clothes were already worn and torn, and now they're soaked in blood. Disgusting."
The young lady approached slowly, eyes wide with mixed awe and fear. She bowed her head.
Young Lady:
"Th-Thank you..."
Qing Yan:
"I just killed them all. Aren't you afraid I'll silence you too? No witnesses and all that."
Young Lady:
"If you wanted to kill us, you'd have done it a long time ago."
Qing Yan (smirking):
"Tsk. Common sense? That's no fun."
The young lady looked up at him—and blushed.
Qing Yan noticed immediately.
Qing Yan:
"Hey, hey. Don't fall for me. I'm a bad guy."
He grinned with a weird tilt of his head.
Young Lady (flustered):
"L-Like hell I would!"
Qing Yan:
"Yeah, yeah—"
He suddenly stopped, eyes narrowing. He looked toward the horizon.
Qing Yan:
"Hide. I sense movement. Twelve people, approaching fast."
Young Lady:
"Twelve? Wait... those are our allies!"
Twelve men in sword-guard uniforms arrived moments later, rushing through the trees. One of them stepped forward protectively, glaring at Qing Yan.
Guard Captain:
"Who are you?! Step away from the young lady!"
Qing Yan:
"Bastard, wh—"
Young Lady:
"He's the savior. Look around you."
The guards scanned the area, their eyes widening at the corpses surrounding them.
One of the Guards:
"H-He did this? Alone?"
Young Lady:
"Yes."
The captain frowned and activated his Qi sense, scanning Qing Yan.
Guard Captain:
"Are you sure, my lady? He… looks like an ordinary man."
Young Lady:
"No. He's in a high—"
Qing Yan (interrupting):
"Ugh. Screw this. One sec."
He released just a fraction of his Qi.
The forest shook. The trees creaked. The ground trembled.
Everyone fell to their knees under the suffocating pressure. Even the air seemed to freeze.
Young Lady (thinking):
Th-This pressure… it's like standing beneath a collapsing sky!
Qing Yan:
"Try sensing me now."
The guard captain trembled, sweat dripping down his face. His knees hit the dirt.
Guard Captain:
"F-F-Forgive me, great lord! I failed to recognize your true power due to my incompetence!"
Qing Yan pulled back his Qi and sighed.
Qing Yan:
"Phew. Looks like I overdid it a bit."
Guard Captain (thinking):
W-Who is this man? He made the ground tremble like nothing… so effortlessly…
Qing Yan:
"Alright, lady. You owe me one."
Then—he vanished like a shadow fading into smoke.
The young lady reached out in vain.
Young Lady:
"H-Hey, wait! At least… tell me your name…"
But he was already gone.
The guard captain gently touched her shoulder.
Guard Captain:
"Let's return, young lady. Your whole family's been worried."
—
Qing Yan, flying through the sky like a ghost on the wind, stretched and grinned.
Qing Yan:
"Huuu… now that was refreshing."
Then he looked down at his bloody, torn robes.
Qing Yan:
"AAAHHHH, DAMMIT! I SHOULD'VE ASKED FOR SOME MONEY!!"
[TO BE CONTINUED]