"Just lending a hand to someone in trouble," Liu Weian said with a cheerful smile.
"Do you even know who I am?" the leader, Zou Mei, asked coldly, a glint of menace in his eyes.
"A bad guy," Liu Weian replied with certainty, prompting a few stifled chuckles from the onlookers.
"I'm with the Flying Horse Caravan," the leader growled, seemingly unbothered by the laughter around him. His eyes locked onto Liu Weian, radiating killing intent.
"I don't care if you ride a flying horse or a drunken donkey. If you try to hurt this girl, it's not happening," Liu Weian said without a trace of fear.
"Trying to play the hero? Let's see if your arrows are quicker than my blade," the leader said in a menacing tone.
"You're welcome to try. Let's see if your hand moves faster than my arrow." With a flick of his fingers, Liu Weian drew his Tuomu bow to full draw, aiming squarely at the leader. A wave of killing intent surged forth. Even at thirty meters, the leader felt like he had plunged into an icy abyss. His raised hand froze mid-air, unable to move. His gaze darkened with a ruthless gleam as he shouted, "I'd like to make a bet. After I take your arrow—will I die instantly, or will I still have time to take the girl with me?"
People nearby couldn't help but curse silently. Madman!
Liu Weian's face hardened, his eyes flashing with lethal resolve. The Tuomu bow shifted like lightning, and his fingers released. The triangular arrow cut through the air like a bolt of lightning tearing through the clouds. Gasps rippled through the onlookers—the leader's face changed dramatically as he lunged toward the young nobleman, shouting, "I'll kill your whole family—!"
But he was far too late.
A slender, pale hand reached out from behind the richly dressed youth and caught the arrow just one centimeter from the youth's face. A collision of two forces caused the arrow to shatter into dust. With strength to spare, the hand's owner shoved the terrified nobleman back into the carriage.
Whoosh—
Suddenly, a second arrow split from the first—a chained shot!
Like a silver flash, it pierced the throat of the one who had caught the first arrow: a scholarly-looking man in his thirties, with an elegant yet icy demeanor. His face contorted in agony and disbelief as he fell, his eyes locked on Liu Weian in defiant regret. His lips moved, mouthing something Liu Weian couldn't hear—but somehow, in that moment, he understood:
"Chained Arrow."
As the man clutched his bleeding throat and collapsed, Liu Weian exhaled in relief. That was way too close. When passing the carriage earlier, he had sensed two distinct auras—one from a regular person (clearly the young master of the Flying Horse Caravan), and another, barely perceptible yet profoundly dangerous. A bodyguard, perhaps. Liu Weian had guessed he might be strong—but not this strong.
The man had caught the arrow without even flinching. The caravan leader had also caught an arrow, but had been pushed back two steps. This man was clearly on another level. If he hadn't pushed the young master back at that critical moment, the chained arrow wouldn't have worked. That distraction had made all the difference—and the regret in the dying man's eyes made that abundantly clear.
"Ah—!"
The noble youth's scream was cut off halfway, as he saw Liu Weian aiming at him again. A suffocating aura of death enveloped him.
The caravan leader had barely made it three meters from the youth when he froze in place, terrified. He growled at Liu Weian, "If anything happens to the young master, we'll hunt you to the ends of the earth and tear you to pieces."
"You think threats scare me?" Liu Weian smirked.
"What do you want?" the leader demanded.
"Give me one of your carts. Move the boar carcass onto it," Liu Weian ordered coldly.
All eyes turned to the leader. His expression shifted, but he looked at the young master, waiting for his signal. Unfortunately, the youth was too shell-shocked to respond.
"Don't try anything clever," Liu Weian warned. "My arm might get tired, and who knows what might happen then."
"Do it!" the leader barked, forced to comply under Liu Weian's deadly gaze.
"You—stay out of the carriage," Liu Weian added, addressing the young master. "It's dark in there, and my arrows don't have eyes. Got it?"
The body of the dead bodyguard still lay on the cart, his lifeless eyes staring. The young master, never having faced anything like this, nodded frantically.
"And you—" Liu Weian turned to the leader again, "go back to your place. I'm not looking for bloodshed, but don't push your luck. Once we reach Stone City, you'll be safe."
The Flying Horse Caravan moved fast, and within minutes, they'd transferred the wild boar to another cart. The girl said nothing and drove the cart away. Compared to oxen, horses were much quicker.
"Well? What are you waiting for? There's no dinner being served here." Liu Weian chuckled at the fuming leader.
"Move out!" the leader snapped. He didn't dare act without permission.
Liu Weian climbed onto the roof of the cart ahead of the young master's, keeping watch from above. Though he'd lowered his bow, any movement from the young master would mean instant death.
The leader had wanted to rescue the young master when Liu Weian climbed up—but the risk was too great. If he failed, it would cost him his life.
The journey was eerily silent. Dozens of carts rolled along, accompanied only by the sounds of wheels and hooves.
At Stone City's gates, the girl didn't even glance back, driving straight toward the Plum Blossom Trading House. She wasn't stupid—she knew the Flying Horse Caravan wouldn't dare provoke that group.
"We've reached Stone—" the leader began, but stopped mid-sentence. His face darkened. When he approached the young master's cart, Liu Weian was already gone—vanished without a trace.
Amidst the chaos, Liu Weian, Black Ox, and the others quietly brought their ox cart to the back of the "Never Dies" Pharmacy. It was already past 3 p.m.—they'd been delayed on the road.
Sun Lingzhi was clearly growing impatient. She'd already used up all the zombie corpses and was waiting for new ones.
"Your efficiency needs work."
"I'll do better next time," Liu Weian replied sheepishly. It was hard to say whether a girl with such enthusiasm for corpses was a blessing or a curse.
Zombies sold for 10 silver each—more than the walking corpses or rotting ones—but they were rare.
Liu Weian had slipped out of the city in secret. He wanted to draw some talismans at the inn before leaving again, but this was the perfect chance—while the Flying Horse Caravan was still unloading. He and the others made a hasty exit. They didn't even bring the cart, since their backup was already at the graveyard—courtesy of Old Li's generous donation.
They'd gone about five kilometers when a figure suddenly stepped out from behind a tree, startling them. To their surprise, it was the girl from before—the one who'd helped kill the boar.
She said nothing, staring at Liu Weian with a cold, expressionless face. Though she wasn't holding her curved blade, a killing aura radiated from her.
Feeling uneasy under her gaze, Liu Weian broke the silence after seven or eight seconds.
"What do you want?"
The girl kept staring. Just as Liu Weian began to wonder if she'd lost her voice, she finally spoke.
"I don't know why you saved me—but I won't thank you for it."
"Noted," Liu Weian said, nonchalant. He knew that if the one being threatened had been a man—or an ugly woman—he wouldn't have intervened. He'd fantasized about a romantic "repay your hero with your body" moment, but he kept that to himself.
"Take this. We're even." She tossed something his way.
"Didn't you say you weren't grateful?" Liu Weian caught it out of reflex. It was a ring. A ring.
Not just any ring—a spatial ring. Liu Weian instinctively probed it with his mind. Inside was a three-cubic-meter space—three times larger than the one he already had. A treasure, and exactly what he needed.
Since learning the Chained Arrow technique, he burned through arrows—close to a thousand a day. He was constantly running out. But space rings were rare beyond belief. He'd never dared to even wish for another.
Now, out of nowhere, someone just gave him one—for saving her by chance. Was this what people meant by "good deeds bring rewards"?
The girl turned without a word and started walking away.
"Wait!" Liu Weian called out, recovering from his shock. She'd already walked nearly ten meters.
She stopped, frowning as she turned back.
"I can't accept this. It's too valuable," Liu Weian said firmly.
"Then throw it away," she replied coldly, turning away again.
Liu Weian couldn't let her go like that. He caught up.
Hearing footsteps behind her, she spun around, her eyes flashing with killing intent. "Follow me again and I'll kill you."
"You don't even have your blade," Liu Weian said, undeterred.
"From twenty meters out, I'm not your match. But within ten, I can kill you barehanded." Her voice brimmed with confidence.
Liu Weian wasn't offended—instead, he lit up with excitement. He'd just remembered something: the bronze short sword, the black iron wristguards, and the Trap Technique. These three items together were roughly equal in value to the ring.
If not for his rush to leave before the Flying Horse Caravan came after him, he'd have already sold them. Without another word, he shoved the three items into her hands.
"You don't like owing people. I don't either. Now we're even. Farewell."
Without waiting for a response, he waved to Black Ox and the others and hurried off, leaving the girl standing there, staring blankly at the things in her hands.