Volume One: The Femme Fatale Chapter 5: A Hero Rescues a Beauty

"Uncle Tang! Please, you cannot die!"

"Wake up, I beg you! Caiyun doesn't want you to die..."

In the campsite, a middle-aged man lay silently in a pool of blood, the crimson liquid slowly seeping out. A young girl in a light green gauze dress, her face streaked with tears, threw herself over the man's chest and cried out in agony. Her weeping sounded like the snapping of heartstrings, as if the entire world had frozen at that moment and the passage of time had stretched into an eternity.

"Uncle Tang, don't leave Caiyun..."

The girl’s hands trembled as she gently stroked the man’s face. Her fingertips met cold skin, and a piercing pain surged through her heart, as if she had lost all hope. That face, once so kind and gentle, now looked deathly pale, devoid of the warmth and vitality it had once held. Her tears, like broken strings of pearls, slid down his cheeks as if speaking in a silent language of utter despair and helplessness.

Around the campsite, a dozen blood-drenched corpses lay still, looking desolate in the gloomy night. The flickering firelight cast shadows across the girl’s grief-distorted face, painting a portrait of an unspeakable tragedy.

"Little girl, the dead are gone. Why don't you just come back with me and be my trophy wife?"

A burly man with a scar on his face walked slowly out from the crowd, carrying a large iron hammer, and loomed over her.

"Haha! Our Third Leader is taking another concubine!"

"This one looks like the youngest one yet!"

"You're right! At her age, she’s definitely still a virgin!"

"The Third Leader is truly blessed! His tastes have changed—now he likes child brides!"

"Haha! I envy neither mandarin ducks nor immortals, I only envy our Third Leader’s life!"

Filthy remarks and lewd laughter erupted from the crowd.

"You killed my Uncle Tang! You murderer!"

The girl turned slowly and raised her head, her gaze piercing like a torch as she stared at the scarred man approaching her.

The scarred man looked slightly awkward and offered a dull, leering grin. "Ah, that’s my fault! I didn't hold back my strength earlier. Please, forgive me, little girl."

"I will kill you! I will avenge Uncle Tang!"

Before the words had even faded, the girl, who had been sitting on the ground, snatched up a nearby sword. She stood tall, the blade flashing as she lunged straight at the scarred man.

"Haha! A fiery one, I like that!" The man did not seem alarmed; instead, he burst into laughter.

As the sword tip was about to pierce the man's chest, it stopped abruptly just three inches away, as if blocked by an invisible force, unable to move a fraction further. The air grew heavy with tension; time seemed to solidify. The girl’s heart hammered against her ribs, her rage and despair intertwining, making her hands tremble. Tears welled in her eyes as she was consumed by grief and fury, unable to comprehend how, despite giving her all, she had failed to exact her revenge.

"I love that temper!" The man laughed, then knocked the sword from her hand and seized the opportunity to pull her into his arms. He leaned in close, sniffing her face deeply, and said with a lecherous grin, "As expected of a virgin, this natural scent is truly intoxicating!"

"Let me go! You beast!" The girl shrieked hysterically, but she could not break free from his grip.

"Haha! Brothers, we set up camp here for the night!" With that, the man hoisted the girl onto his shoulder without a backward glance and headed toward a nearby tent.

"Haha! Our Third Leader is certainly impatient!"

"Of course! Look at her, she’s young but looks so delicate! If it were you, you wouldn't be able to wait either!"

"Alright, let's hurry up and count how many animal hides we looted! The Third Leader will definitely ask when he’s finished."

"True! Let's get these hides sorted so we can get our reward and head back to the city for wine and women tomorrow!"

"You know, I really miss those girls at the Zuihua Pavilion! It’s been half a month since we left! I’m tempted to head back to Yongan City tonight!"

"Haha! Look at you!"

The lewd chatter of his subordinates echoed around them.

"Help! Someone, please save me..."

The girl’s voice was low and mournful, her eyes filled with helplessness and despair, as if she were crying out to the darkness of the Mist Forest, desperate for a miracle. Though she was only thirteen, she understood what was about to happen. She only hated that her weak cultivation prevented her from seeking revenge or escaping the humiliation that awaited her.

"Haha! My little lady, you can scream until your throat bleeds, but no one is coming to save you!" The man looked at the pure girl on his shoulder with a lustful glint in his eyes.

Just as he was about to carry her into the tent, a loud shout erupted from behind him!

"Let that girl go!"

A young man of seventeen or eighteen stood in the darkness. In the dim firelight, he looked striking, his eyes burning with anger.

This young man was Jiang Hao, who had followed the cries for help. In truth, he had arrived earlier, but upon seeing the murderous gang, he had hesitated. As the saying goes, two fists are no match for four hands, and Jiang Hao did not want to die here. However, witnessing the man’s beastly conduct finally ignited his sense of chivalry, leading him to act on impulse.

The girl stared at Jiang Hao in the darkness and managed a faint, grateful smile. She knew this young man could not save her, but his actions touched her deeply. At that moment, she steeled herself to choose death over submission.

The scarred man glanced at Jiang Hao with a sneer. He stopped and signaled to his right-hand man, ordering coldly, "Old Wang, take care of him."

"Yes, Boss!" The burly man known as Old Wang nodded, raised his heavy blade, and swung it fiercely at Jiang Hao. "Die, brat!"

"Eighth-level Spirit Realm? Perfect for a warm-up," Jiang Hao thought to himself. He ducked under the man's attack, channeled his spiritual energy, and delivered a powerful punch straight into the man's abdomen.

"Argh!"

To everyone's surprise, in just one strike, the fierce man was knocked to the ground, where he collapsed and fell unconscious after a single pained cry.

The two subordinates nearest to him rushed over to help the fallen Old Wang and quickly retreated from the fray.

"Hmph! These years of studying medical texts haven't gone to waste!" Jiang Hao sneered as he took a defensive stance, ready for the next wave.

Because he lacked a spiritual meridian and could not cultivate, Jiang Hao had spent his youth under the guidance of his father, Emperor Jiang Yuan, obsessively studying medical books and mastering the pressure points of the human body. In his strike just now, he had cleverly exploited his opponent's weakness to deal a devastating blow.

"What the hell! Brother Wang is at the eighth level of the Spirit Realm, and this brat took him down in one move?"

"Does that mean his strength surpasses Brother Wang's?"

"I think Brother Wang was just careless!"

A dozen men surrounded Jiang Hao with their weapons drawn, their gazes intense, yet no one dared to strike first. Among them, only the fallen Old Wang had reached the eighth level; the others were between the fourth and seventh levels.

"I didn't expect someone so young to be at the ninth level of the Spirit Realm. Old Wang was truly careless this time."

The scarred man saw this and handed the girl to a subordinate, then walked toward Jiang Hao with his heavy iron hammer. "Brat, which sect do you belong to?"

Hearing the question, the men looked at each other, secretly relieved they hadn't attacked first, as the youth's strength clearly far exceeded their own.

"I am but a wandering cultivator. If you know what's good for you, let that girl go!" Jiang Hao shouted, hoping to intimidate them.

"Oh? A wandering cultivator?" The scarred man gave a meaningful smile, then said with disdain, "So, you want to play the hero, do you?"

"This guy's strength seems to be no less than mine. How do I handle this? I can't just turn and run now," Jiang Hao thought, his brows knit in frustration. He regretted his impulsive choice, finding himself in a situation he could not easily escape.

As Jiang Hao pondered his next move, the scarred man swung his heavy hammer toward him. "Brat! Eat my hammer!"

"I didn't expect him to be this powerful!" The intense killing intent made Jiang Hao’s hair stand on end.

Feeling the approach of death once more, Jiang Hao’s heart tightened. He instinctively leaped backward, desperately trying to evade the lethal blow...