Seeing the worry and shock on the faces of the Gongyi Clan children, Gongyi Tianheng smiled and placatingly said: “Don’t be worried. If it was ordered for me, a single person, to go up and kill them, that would naturally be extremely difficult to do. But if it’s merely eliminating them, then it’s not necessarily that troublesome. I only need to take out those bandit leaders one by one. Those remaining bandits can certainly be exterminated completely with the trick pills Ah Zuo gave me.”
Tianyang’s brows furrowed: “Brother Ah Zuo’s medicinal pills are certainly the best, but big brother, the strength of those bandit leaders…”
Tianheng looked at him, and his expression was composed: “At that time, I’ll have a plan.”
Seeing how confident Tianheng was, everyone no longer spoke any demoralizing words. They believed that their clan’s eldest brother really wouldn’t do anything that was uncertain. Their minds also became smooth and steady.
And off to the side, several attending Tianlong Guards exchanged glances.
Only those who safeguarded the young master growing up knew why the young master would always win and never lose — It wasn’t because he had an absolute certainty every time. Rather, it was because, even if there was only a thirty percent probability, the young master would gamble on it and would win every time… Dancing on the knife’s edge and making the impossible possible was their young master’s most favorite pastime.
Dragon One had already departed with Gu Zuo. The one who remained here and temporarily assumed the role of commander was Dragon Two. He advanced a step and asked in a respectful voice: “Young master, do you need the Tianlong Guards to accompany you?”
Tianheng slightly muttered to himself, and said: “The business developing here still needs someone to look after it. Dragon Two, you all will stay here to act as suppression. There’s no need to go with me.”
Dragon Two and the other Tianlong Guards naturally paid their respects: “The Tianlong Guards accept your orders!”
On the side, Gongyi Tianyang and the others saw this, and their hearts were all somewhat envious.
In the Gongyi Clan, all remarkable children with a direct lineage would have personal guards like the Tianlong Guards. The guards were about ten years older than their charges, and would’ve already been selected when their charge was born. They’d follow their young charges, and grow up together with them. A personal guard’s loyalty was unmatched. But afterwards, whether they could maintain this loyalty and to what degree they strengthened, it all depended on the methods of each young master.
Gongyi Tianheng’s intelligence was terrifying from birth, and high hopes were placed upon him. He was the Clan Head’s eldest son and his identity was especially distinct. Thus, he had two hundred personal guards in the beginning, which he named the Tianlong Guards. Later on, when it was discovered that Tianheng’s meridians were blocked up and he wouldn’t live past twenty, these personal guards should’ve originally been abandoned. Although they wouldn’t be revoked, it was impossible to deploy any resources. Yet, aside from his awful martial strength, Tianheng had other aspects which were equally astonishing. As a result, these two hundred Tianlong Guards were instead trained by him into a top-notch and loyal barrier. They became his followers who were loyal unto death.
Gongyi Tianyang was the second son, and his displayed aptitudes weren’t that extraordinary. Thus, his personal guards only numbered one hundred. Tianhe and Tianyin’s aptitudes were somewhat inferior to Tianyang, and they weren’t part of the Clan Head’s bloodline. However, because they were considered remarkable talents, each of them could have as many as fifty personal guards.
Merely, whether if it was Tianyang, Tianhe, or Tianyin, even though their personal guards were loyal, the guards didn’t perform with such willing acceptance as the Tianlong Guards. Although these personal guards were rather powerful, the disparity wasn’t small compared to the Tianlong Guards, who were strong in all aspects.
— How couldn’t they be envious?
But they also knew that this was due to their insufficient experience and that their capabilities couldn’t compare to the eldest brother. If they wanted to make their own guards strong enough, they needed to constantly draw experience from the eldest brother’s actions in re-educating his Tianlong Guards. When they officially became members of Qingyun Sect, they would also transfer their guards here to provide assistance.
Tianheng’s expression swept over these few Gongyi Clan children and surmised their way of thinking. Hence, he smiled and said: “The current Gongyi Clan already isn’t the same as it was in the past. You all have followed me to Qingyun Sect, so your guards will have certainly been nurtured with great care in the clan.”
Tianyang and the others were made aware of this matter. Having heard what was said, they all nodded one after another: “Yes, we understand.”
Yes. After they came to Qingyun Sect, it already set them on a completely different track than the other children. The resources that the clan reserved for them had also risen by a wide margin.
As the clan improved, so too did their abilities in all aspects. A rising tide lifted all boats.
After instructing these children, Gongyi Tianheng didn’t take anyone else along. Rather, he led Tianyang and rode a flying wild beast to leave Qingyun Sect.
Right now, the destination they were headed towards was Deep River County. The region where the Mount An Bandit Gang wreaked havoc was within that county.
Deep River County, on a mountain path just beyond the county borders.
A youth with a gallant appearance was in the middle of leading a flying wild beast with its wings folded away down the mountain path. Accompanying him was a young man wearing a brocade robe. His complexion was so handsome that it could almost compete with the splendor of the sun and moon.
The appearances of the two were somewhat similar, and it could be seen that this was a pair of brothers.
— There was no doubt that they were Gongyi Tianyang and Gongyi Tianheng, who were on their way to eliminate the bandits.
Ahead was the great Deep River County. Before entering any cities, all flying wild beasts needed to land and they couldn’t cross over high altitudes. Thus, they landed ahead of time. This was also their intention of staying as low-profile as possible to avoid drawing people’s attention.
After walking for some time, they would soon reach the main road below.
Suddenly, a burst of rustling noises could be heard. Following that, there were the sounds of urgent gasps and hurried footsteps. At the rear, there were even sounds of some qi energy and qi bursts being constantly used.
Tianyang looked behind and his footsteps paused: “Big brother, someone is being hunted down! Are we going to find cover?”
Tianheng said: “Don’t go out first. Take a look at the situation before anything else.”
Tianyang made an affirmative sound, and pulled the wild beast several steps back to hide behind a boulder. This wasn’t a very good hiding spot, but so long as they didn’t make any noise, they wouldn’t be too noticeable.
Sure enough, those two parties in pursuit soon appeared before their eyes.
The ones in front were two people: A man and a woman. They seemed like a brother and sister pair, who were blindly rushing down the path. Their strengths were only at the Meridian Condensing Realm. If it wasn’t for their footwork being a little wondrous, they likely wouldn’t have been able to outrun the people in the back — Then, the pursuers appeared. They were all Xiantian stage one martial artists, and there were as many as three people.
Tianyang looked at the strengths of both sides, and his strained heartstrings loosened.
No matter how one looked at it, it was impossible for this group of people to threaten them. Since it was like this, there wasn’t any urgency. However, when Tianyang heard a string of words coming from the pursuers in the back, his brows furrowed.
“The little lady still dares to run?”
“Your whole family died because of you. Wouldn’t it be better to just obediently offer yourself up? As we’re in charge, you’re lucky that we’ve taken a fancy to you. Your constant running has done nothing but hurt others, and it’s all your fault!”
“If you don’t submit, even your brother will be slaughtered!”
At this time, Tianyang clearly saw that those Xiantian martial artists were simply playing with the bother and sister like a cat toying with a mouse. What was this about not being able to chase them? This was basically a deliberate ploy to drive them out! If they were on the mountain path, it was still possible to hide. Once they reached the main road, the two would be captured. It really couldn’t have been more simple.
Moreover, as he listened to the obscenities that filled those people’s mouths, he also guessed about those guys’ wicked intentions. For a moment, a surge of anger rose up from the bottom of his heart.
However, Tianyang didn’t act rashly. Instead, he cast his gaze to Tianheng.
Tianheng faintly smiled at him: “Perhaps we can obtain some clues.”
Tianyang relaxed his expression.
Then, Tianheng said: “Tianyang, I’ll go capture those evildoers. You keep watch.”
Tianyang understood, and nodded resolutely: “I’ll do my best!”
Following which, Tianheng leaped out and his figure flickered. He’d already appeared beside the brother and sister pair. Yet, he smiled at those three Xiantians in pursuit: “Good sirs, it would be better to give this one some face. How about giving up?”
Those three Xiantians saw Tianheng’s sudden appearance, and they were slightly afraid. But after they found that Tianheng wasn’t so imposing, the evil thoughts in their hearts emerged and they furiously shouted: “We, the Mount An Bandit Gang, have work to do. Who do we need to give face to? Little boy, catch a hint and get lost! You’re one person and we’re three! Be careful where you stick your nose into, or else you’ll lose your life! At that time, it’ll be too late to regret!”
That brother and sister pair saw this person who came to help, but the vigilance in their eyes didn’t lessen. They only withdrew backwards and didn’t make any sounds.
After hearing the words of the three Xiantians, the hope in the two’s eyes dimmed. However, they still remained silent and only looked in all directions, trying to find an escape route.
After Tianheng heard the words of those three Xiantians, his eyebrows moved: “Oh? You guys are members of the Mount An Bandit Gang?”
One Xiantian smiled malevolently: “What’s wrong? Scared?!”
Tianheng’s lips faintly curved. After that, his figure flashed again and disappeared from his original location.
The pupils of the three Xiantians suddenly constricted!
So fast! To their surprise, they didn’t discover how the other side had moved!
Immediately following this, the three Xiantians almost simultaneously felt a rumbling buzz in their heads. After that, their bodies jolted, and they knew no more. The last sounds that reached their ears was the muffled impact of their bodies falling to the ground…
In just a split second, qi energy had shattered their heads and the three had died.
That brother and sister pair originally wanted to run off. But then they discovered that the three evildoers who were doggedly pursuing them for so long had unexpectedly died so easily in the hands of that seemingly-youthful young man. Their heartbeats skyrocketed. For a moment, they didn’t know if they should be happy, or concerned about the following matters.
The brother and sister pair hesitated for a while. Nevertheless, they walked over and paid their respects to their benefactor: “Many thanks for the rescue, senior…”
Tianheng smiled: “Please stand, you two.”
At this point, Tianyang pulled the mount and walked out to stand beside Tianheng.
After the brother and sister stood up, their appearances were revealed.
They indeed should’ve been a biological brother and sister pair, and their facial features were quite similar. But for some reason, the elder brother could only be said to be very gallant. And when mentioning the word gallant, he was still somewhat inferior to Gongyi Tianyang. And the younger sister’s looks were astonishing; it could practically be said to be heaven-defying. Her tenderness and beauty had no equal… She could even compete with some of the outstanding “fairies” of Qingyun Sect.
Lacking in strength and growing up with this kind of appearance, it was truly considered a disaster in this world.
Yet, these two were being hunted down. Was it really only due to that younger sister’s good looks?
T/N: Thanks for the corrections, Charysa.
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