Chapter 7111
Lending a Helping Hand
Chapter 7111 Lending a Helping Hand
Beside the mountain path strewn with pebbles, a bamboo tube, its juices spilled out, lay quietly beside a rune-inscribed short stick, the crude and the profound creating a highly ironic contrast.
The guard leader stood frozen in place, his thick arm still in the posture of throwing the magic weapon, his face twitching slightly. He couldn't believe that his all-out attack had been blocked by a bamboo tube that had been casually tossed by hand.
"You..." The guard leader turned his head sharply, his gaze like a knife, piercing the figure in green under the golden sand tree.
Tang Zhen slowly straightened up and casually tossed the empty coaster aside.
He walked with a leisurely pace, each step as light as a feather, yet carrying an invisible pressure that seemed to freeze the surrounding air.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves of the golden sand tree, casting dappled shadows on his shoulders. His face remained calm and expressionless, except for his eyes, which were as deep as an ancient pool, concealing a cold indifference that seemed to see through everything.
"Who are you? How dare you interfere in the private affairs of the Zhao family of Lianzhou!"
The guard leader demanded an explanation, his voice already carrying a hint of fear.
The casual toss just now effortlessly thwarted his magical weapon attack; such cultivation is unfathomable.
Tang Zhen did not answer. His gaze passed over the crowd and landed directly on the gloomy-faced servant at the back of the crowd.
The servant's heart tightened, and the sinister smile that had been on his lips froze. He instinctively tried to shrink into the shadows.
He thought he had hidden himself perfectly, and that every step from poisoning to framing was meticulously planned. However, he never expected that he would be stared at so intently by a man in a blue robe who suddenly appeared.
"Still trying to hide?"
Tang Zhen spoke softly, his voice not loud, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.
Before he finished speaking, he moved suddenly. There was no earth-shattering aura, no dazzling light of his technique, just a simple step, and he had already traversed several meters like a ghost, appearing directly in front of the sinister servant.
The speed was so fast that everyone only saw a blur before the person under the tree disappeared.
The servant was terrified and hurriedly reached out to touch the poisoned needle hidden in his pocket. Before his fingertips even touched the hard object, his wrist was grabbed by a seemingly ordinary but incredibly heavy hand.
"Snap—"
A faint cracking sound was heard.
Before the servant could even scream, his arm instantly lost all strength and fell limply to the ground.
Tang Zhen slightly extended his fingertips, and a gentle yet irresistible force surged into his body, sealing off all the meridians and acupoints.
The traitor who could just secretly manipulate the venomous snakes and frame others is now unable to move a finger and can only be lifted into the air by Tang Zhen like a chick.
This turn of events came too suddenly.
The lined-up guards, the poisoned servants lying on the ground, the trembling girl—everyone was stunned, their eyes all focused on the captured, sinister servant.
"Why...why are you arresting me? I'm a victim too!" The servant roared, trying to appear calm but his voice betrayed his fear. "That vendor poisoned us, killing so many brothers! Why are you arresting me instead of her!"
“Victim?” Tang Zhen chuckled, his tone full of sarcasm. “From your deliberate lag behind the group, your disappearance into the shadows, your taking out the bamboo tube, your releasing the venomous snake, to your feigned panic and shouting that the juice was poisonous, inciting everyone to take their anger out on the innocent vendors, every step of the way has been observed by me.”
His voice was cold and clear, each word like a heavy hammer striking the heart: "You secretly poisoned them, making their limbs weak and their minds blurred. The winged green snake you released was to notify your accomplices. I estimate they will arrive soon."
The crowd was in an uproar.
The guards who remained conscious turned to look at their companions, who were being held in mid-air. Their initial shock gradually turned into anger and coldness.
They then realized that this person's behavior today was indeed strange. He always seemed to be at the back of the group, and when everyone was poisoned, he was the last one to appear and the one who shouted the loudest.
"You're talking nonsense! You're slandering me!" The servant, pale-faced, still stubbornly insisted, "I didn't have any poisonous snakes at all; you're framing me!"
"I won't shed a tear until I see the coffin."
Tang Zhen's wrist trembled slightly, and his fingertip gently touched the servant's brow.
The servant trembled, his eyes instantly lost their luster, and he became dull and lifeless, as if his soul had been ripped out.
The method Tang Zhen used was nothing more than the simplest acupressure and heart-breaking technique, which was more than enough to deal with the mole hidden in the guard team.
The next moment, under everyone's gaze, the servant's lips trembled as he mechanically spoke, his voice dry and hoarse, revealing everything.
"It was...it was me...there was no poison in the juice, I put the poison in...I'm not a real guard of the Zhao family, I was sent by someone else..."
The guard leader's pupils constricted sharply: "Who sent you! What is your purpose?!"
“We…we are from Black Wind Ridge,” the servant said blankly. “Someone offered us a large sum of money to stop Miss Zhao from going to Qingyun Sect to participate in the cultivation trial. We originally planned to ambush her on the road, but the Zhao family’s guards were heavily guarded, so it was difficult to make a move. It just so happened that the group was resting here today, so I took the opportunity to poison most of the guards, then framed the vendors and created chaos.”
"Once the chaos begins, the brothers who have been lying in ambush all around will rush out and take the opportunity to kidnap Miss Zhao. At that time, we will demand a huge ransom from the Zhao family while also completing the task assigned by our employer: to prevent Miss Zhao from entering the sect to cultivate."
The moment those words were spoken, the entire room fell silent.
Moments later, his anger erupted.
"Damn bastard! How dare you scheme against us!"
"Bandits of Black Wind Ridge! I'll kill you!"
Several guards who had not yet completely lost their strength struggled to get up, their eyes filled with boundless hatred.
Only then did they realize that they had been manipulated from beginning to end, almost causing the death of an innocent girl and nearly leading their young mistress into the clutches of a tiger. The juice-selling girl stood there, stunned, tears still wet on her face, her eyes filled with a mixture of bewilderment and relief at surviving such a close call.
If it weren't for this passerby, she would already be dead from the blow.
The guard leader's face turned ashen. He stepped forward and kicked the servant hard in the abdomen.
The servant groaned and spat out blood, but because his acupoints were sealed, he couldn't even cry out in pain.
"Chief, what do we do now?" a guard asked urgently. "Since the bandits of Black Wind Ridge have set up a trap, they must already be lying in ambush nearby!"
Before the words were finished—
"Hahaha, that's right, I'm here!"
Arrogant laughter echoed from all directions.
From the woods on both sides of the mountain road, fierce figures suddenly emerged. They were dressed in coarse cloth outfits, carrying steel knives and shields. Some had scars on their faces, while others wore masks. Each of them had fierce eyes and a wild aura, clearly ruthless bandits who had spent years licking blood from the edge of a knife.
There were hundreds of people!
The leader was a tall man with a hideous scar running from his brow bone to his jaw on his left cheek. He held a broad-backed sword, its blade gleaming coldly. He stood on a huge rock by the roadside, looking down at the scene with a sinister gaze.
"Zhao Kui, you're quite the veteran, but it's a pity you had our people hiding among your men. You were completely fooled from beginning to end."
The scarred man sneered, "Hand over the eldest daughter of the Zhao family obediently, and I might leave you with a whole corpse. Otherwise, everyone here today will die!"
The guard leader, Zhao Kui, looked extremely grim. He quickly turned around and shouted at the few guards behind him who were still conscious, "Protect the young lady! Form a protective formation!"
Several guards immediately formed a circle, tightly protecting the exquisitely decorated carriage in the center of the procession. The carriage curtains were tightly closed, and inside was none other than Miss Zhao, who was on her way to the Qingyun Sect for cultivation.
At this moment, most of the guards had been poisoned and collapsed, leaving very few able to fight. Facing a band of bandits several times their number, it was like throwing an egg against a rock.
Zhao Kui gripped the rune-inscribed short stick he had retrieved, his palms already covered in cold sweat.
He could hold off dozens of men, but he couldn't stop so many bandits swarming him. Today, he's probably really going to be defeated here.
Seeing this, Scarface's eyes burned with even more murderous intent. He waved his hand, about to order a full-scale attack: "Attack! Kill those who resist first, then take the young lady away!"
"Who dares to move?"
The word "cold and aloof" came out of Tang Zhen's mouth unhurriedly.
He still held the traitorous servant in one hand, standing motionless. His blue robe fluttered slightly in the heat, and though he was slender, he seemed like an unshakeable mountain.
All eyes were once again focused on him.
Scarface narrowed his eyes, sizing Tang Zhen up and down: "And who are you, brat, daring to interfere in the affairs of Black Wind Ridge? Are you tired of living?"
Tang Zhen's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable determination: "With me here today, your conspiracy will not succeed."
"How dare you!" Scarface laughed angrily. "You alone? Brothers, let's chop this fool into mincemeat!"
Several ruthless bandits rushed out in response, brandishing steel knives and lunging at Tang Zhen like ferocious demons.
The wind howled, and the killing intent was palpable. In their eyes, the man in the blue robe was merely putting on an act; one strike and he would be decapitated.
Zhao Kui and the others felt a pang of anxiety and wanted to rush forward to help, but they were held back by the other bandits and could not get close at all.
However, considering Tang Zhen's methods, he felt that Tang Zhen could easily handle the situation, so he forced himself to remain calm and observe.
The girl covered her mouth, her heart leaping into her throat once more. Having just escaped death, she didn't want to see her savior suffer such a terrible fate again.
Just as the steel blade was about to strike Tang Zhen—
Tang Zhen finally made a move.
With a casual step, his figure moved like a leaf in the wind, nimbly dodging the blade. At the same time, his free left hand struck out casually, seemingly weak and powerless, yet each strike landed precisely on the bandit's wrist joint.
"Crack!"
"what--!"
The sounds of bones cracking and screams of agony rang out one after another.
In the blink of an eye, the several ruthless bandits who rushed up were all sent flying backward with screams. Their steel knives were knocked out of their hands, their wrists were broken, and they lay on the ground writhing in pain, unable to stand up again.
With a few casual words, he defeated several ruthless bandits.
The smile on Scarface's face froze instantly, and a hint of fear flashed in his eyes.
He then realized that the passerby in front of him was very likely a master.
Tang Zhen raised his eyes and looked calmly at the scarred man.
"Now, do you still think you can take them away?"
The sunlight grew increasingly intense, and the leaves of the Jinsha tree rustled softly.