The bandit leader charged, his massive axe cleaving the air as it descended toward Tianyu. The strike shattered the ground where Tianyu had stood a moment prior, sending shards of rock flying. Tianyu danced back, his movements fluid yet calculated, his crystalline sword flashing as he retaliated with a precise counterstrike aimed at the leader's torso.
But the leader's Qi-enforced armor absorbed the blow, the impact rippling harmlessly across his broad frame. "Is that all you've got?" he snarled, swinging his axe horizontally in a devastating arc that forced Tianyu to vault over the strike, landing lightly on the fractured ground.
Lan Mei watched from the sidelines, her fingers tightening around her twin blades. "This kid… He's outmatched," she muttered through gritted teeth.
"No," Old Bai replied calmly, his eyes narrowed. "Watch closer. He's adapting."
Tianyu knew the truth—the bandit leader's raw power eclipsed his own. Every strike carried the weight of Nascent Soul cultivation, each swing of his axe capable of obliterating defenses. Tianyu's blade skimmed past the leader's guard, slashing at exposed areas, but his efforts seemed fruitless as the man's Qi-enforced durability absorbed nearly every hit.
"Give up!" the leader bellowed, advancing with a relentless fury. He slammed his axe into the ground, unleashing a shockwave of concentrated Qi that rippled outward. The force struck Tianyu squarely, sending him tumbling across the uneven terrain.
Tianyu rolled to his feet, his breaths coming fast and shallow. Blood trickled down his temple, but his resolve only hardened. "Giving up," he muttered to himself, gripping his sword tighter, "was never an option."
Desperation clawed at his mind, but it birthed something new. Fragments of celestial techniques from his past life surfaced, their brilliance tempered by the realities of his mortal body. Tianyu's thoughts aligned as he began to craft a solution—a strike born of necessity, designed to overcome overwhelming strength.
The bandit leader lunged forward, his axe raised high for a killing blow. Tianyu steadied his stance, his Qi surging through his veins, harmonizing with the fiery energy of the **Netherflame Essence Stone**.
As the axe descended, Tianyu moved. His sword twisted through the air in a spiraling motion, amplifying the raw force of his strike with controlled bursts of Qi. The blade became a vortex of light and fire, its spiraling energy compressing with each rotation into a single, devastating point.
"**Dragonfang Spiral!**" Tianyu roared, the culmination of his desperation and ingenuity manifesting in a brilliant attack.
The vortex collided with the bandit leader's axe, the sheer force of the impact shattering the Qi-enforced weapon and breaking through the leader's defenses. The spiraling energy drilled into the man's chest, sending him crashing to the ground, his aura flickering and fading as his body convulsed with pain.
The battle was won, but the cries of the women and children in the bandits' wagons reminded Tianyu that there was more to do. As the remaining bandits fled in panic, Lan Mei and Zhao Chen rallied the caravan's guards to give chase.
Tianyu led the pursuit, his movements swift and relentless. The fleeing bandits darted into the treeline, hoping to escape into the dense foliage, but Tianyu's resolve was unwavering. With each strike, he felled the stragglers, ensuring they would no longer pose a threat to the vulnerable villages along the road.
By the time the last bandit fell, the caravan team had surrounded the wagons, their focus shifting to freeing the captives.
----
The caravan stood in solemn quiet, the aftermath of the battle still settling over them. The broken bodies of bandits lay scattered across the fractured ground, while the muffled cries of women and children being freed from the wagons pierced the silence. Tianyu leaned against his crystalline sword, his breaths steadying as he observed the scene.
Lan Mei and Master Hu approached him cautiously, their faces a mix of gratitude and unease.
"Well," Lan Mei began, cleaning the blood off her twin blades, "I have to give it to you, scholar. You somehow managed to take down a Nascent Soul cultivator." She let out a breathless laugh, but there was something skeptical in her tone.
Master Hu nodded, stepping forward. "It's not that we're not grateful," he added, his voice weighted with a mixture of awe and disbelief. "You saved us, there's no denying that. And those innocent women and children owe their lives to your valor. But…" He hesitated, glancing at Tianyu with a furrowed brow. "How? A Qi Coalescence warrior defeating a low Nascent Soul… It shouldn't be possible."
The murmurs from the guards and merchants confirmed that the doubt was shared among the caravan. Their gazes alternated between admiration and wariness, as if Tianyu were a puzzle they couldn't quite solve.
Tianyu sheathed his sword with a calm precision, his expression unreadable. "You don't need to understand," he said, his tone cool but resolute. "Just know that it had to be done. Strength isn't always about cultivation level—it's about resolve, adaptation, and the will to act when others falter."
Lan Mei tilted her head, her skeptical smirk softening slightly. "You're definitely full of surprises, I'll give you that. But you're not telling us everything, are you?"
Tianyu glanced at her briefly, his gaze sharp but unreadable. "Some things are better left unsaid."
As the caravan worked to free the captives from the wagons, a commotion arose near the center of the blockade. Zhao Chen, his usual brashness replaced by a rare sense of urgency, called out, "Hey! Over here! There's another one!"
Tianyu and Lan Mei exchanged a glance before making their way toward the sound. At the heart of the bandits' blockade stood a makeshift cage, its iron bars rusted but sturdy. Inside, a woman sat huddled, her wrists bound and her form trembling. Her hair, dark and cascading like silk, obscured her face, but even through the grime, it was clear she possessed an otherworldly beauty.
Lan Mei stepped forward cautiously, her blades sheathed, her voice soft. "It's alright. The bandits are gone. You're safe now."
The woman flinched, her body pressing against the back of the cage as she shook her head vigorously. "Stay away!" she cried, her voice laced with terror. "Please… don't… don't hurt me!"
Tianyu stepped forward, his crystalline sword now safely at his side. He crouched slightly to meet her eyes, his tone calm and steady. "We're not here to hurt you. The bandits are defeated. You're safe now."
Her trembling eased slightly, but the fear in her eyes remained. "How do I know you're not lying?"
Tianyu sighed, removing his outer cloak and laying it on the ground as a gesture of peace. "If we meant you harm, you'd already know. Take a breath. Look around. You're free."
Slowly, the woman raised her gaze, her tear-streaked face revealing striking features—delicate yet strong, with eyes that held a depth of pain and defiance. She scanned the scene, noting the bandits' lifeless forms and the caravan guards helping the other captives. Gradually, her breathing steadied.
Lan Mei moved to the cage, her movements careful. "We're opening this, alright? No one's going to hurt you."
Tianyu gestured for one of the guards to bring a set of tools, and within moments, the lock was broken. The cage door creaked open, but the woman hesitated, her mistrust lingering.
Tianyu extended a hand, his tone softer now. "You've been through a lot. But you're not alone anymore. Let us help."
Tentatively, she reached out, her bound wrists brushing against Tianyu's hand. Her fear slowly gave way to relief as she realized the sincerity in his words.
---
Once freed, the woman sat near the campfire, her hands now untied, though she kept the cloak Tianyu had offered wrapped tightly around her. The caravan team gave her space, respecting her need for time to process what had happened.
It was Lan Mei who finally broke the silence. "Do you have a name?" she asked gently.
The woman hesitated, her fingers clutching the cloak. "Yue Feiyan," she said softly, her voice regaining some of its strength. "I… I'm from Silverleaf City."
The name caused a ripple of reaction among the caravan members, their eyes widening. Lan Mei leaned forward slightly, her curiosity evident. " Yue? You're not just a commoner, are you?"
Yue Feiyan shook her head, her gaze steady despite the lingering fear in her expression. "No. I'm… I'm the young master of the Yue Clan. One of the three great families of Silverleaf City."
The revelation hung in the air like a thunderclap, the weight of her words pressing down on the group.
Master Hu, who had been silently observing, stepped closer, his tone respectful but puzzled. "Young Master Feiyan… Forgive me, but how did someone of your status end up here?"
Her expression darkened, and her voice trembled with restrained anger. "I was betrayed. Kidnapped while traveling to meet allies of my family. The bandits… they said someone had paid them handsomely to ensure I never returned to Silverleaf."
Tianyu's gaze sharpened, his mind piecing together the threads of the situation. "A conspiracy," he murmured under his breath.
Lan Mei frowned. "Someone wanted you out of the picture. But why? What's happening in Silverleaf?"
Feiyan's expression remained guarded, but she looked at Tianyu, her eyes flickering with both hope and wariness. "I… I don't know who to trust anymore. But you… you saved me. If you're heading to Silverleaf, perhaps… perhaps you can help guard me, until I reached our Manor in Silverleaf City."
----
As the caravan began to regroup, whispers of the events spread among the guards and merchants. The sight of Tianyu calmly defeating a Nascent Soul warrior, combined with the revelation of Yue Feiyan's identity, left many uneasy.
"Defeating a Nascent Soul cultivator at Qi Coalescence," Zhao Chen muttered to one of the guards. "How is that even possible? He's hiding something, for sure."
Lan Mei overheard and shot Zhao a glare. "Whatever he's hiding, it saved your sorry hide. Maybe focus on that."
Master Hu, ever the pragmatist, approached Tianyu once more. "Whatever doubts people may have, lad, I see what I see. You've earned our thanks—and our respect." He gestured toward Yue Feiyan, who sat quietly by the fire. "But this complicates things. The road to Silverleaf just got a lot more dangerous."
Tianyu nodded, his expression solemn.
As the night deepened, the caravan pressed onward, with Yue Feiyan now at its heart. And though Tianyu's mind was heavy with questions and doubts, his resolve burned brighter than ever.