The Smiling, Proud Wanderer: From the Moment He Picked Up Qu Feiyan

Who are Qu Yang and Liu Zhengfeng? Almost the instant the voice rang out, their expressions changed simultaneously, and their eyes shot towards the source of the sound like lightning!

Qu Yang's figure flickered, and he floated to the bamboo grove like a ghost, reaching out to grab it!

With a short gasp, a petite figure was pulled out of the bamboo thicket and unceremoniously thrown onto the clearing in the forest.

The girl was dressed in coarse cloth and had her hair in two buns. Who else could she be but Qu Feiyan, who had secretly followed them?

Caught red-handed, she was clearly terrified. Her face turned deathly pale, and she collapsed to the ground, staring in horror at the three men with unfriendly expressions inside the room. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she looked pitiful, on the verge of tears.

Shen An found the scene very strange. What was going on? What were these guys doing?

Don't you think this is weird?

Wait, something's not right!

That's too deliberate!

This girl... did it on purpose!

No, they made her do it on purpose!

Shen An understood instantly.

He knew that Qu Yang and Liu Zhengfeng thought he didn't know Qu Feiyan's true identity and only thought she was a country girl named "Yang Ruoyun" whom he had met by chance.

The scene before them was a carefully designed test for them!

No, you've tested me so many times already, why are you doing this again?

In the blink of an eye, Shen An had made up his mind.

Want to see a show? Well then, I'll put on a good one for you.

"Hmph! How dare you eavesdrop here!" Qu Yang's eyes flashed with murderous intent, his voice as cold as the dead of winter. The ferocious aura of a demonic sect elder was released without reservation, pressing down on Qu Feiyan on the ground. "Little girl, what did you hear?"

"I...I didn't hear anything...I was just curious, so I followed to take a look...I'll leave right away..." Qu Feiyan was so frightened that she trembled all over, her words were incoherent, and tears fell down her face.

"Curious?" Liu Zhengfeng also stood up, the amiable smile on his face slowly fading, replaced by a resolute look as if he were about to abandon something. "Brother Qu, this matter concerns the lives and fortunes of over a hundred people in our two families, and involves countless disciples and followers! There can be absolutely no mistakes! Now that this woman has stumbled upon the truth, she cannot be allowed to live!"

"Brother Liu is right." Qu Yang nodded slowly, his gaze shifting to Shen An, his tone chilling and oppressive, "Shen An, you seem to know this girl? But today, she must die! Otherwise, our previous agreement will be null and void!"

Before he finished speaking, he pointed his fingers like a sword, and with a swift movement, he was about to strike Qu Feiyan on the ground!

"stop!"

A loud shout, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, shook the bamboo leaves, causing them to fall in a rustling sound!

Shen An moved with lightning speed, already standing in front of Qu Feiyan, protecting her petite figure tightly behind him.

With a clang, he drew the newly forged sword from his right hand, its tip pointing diagonally at the ground, the dark blade gleaming coldly in the dappled sunlight.

"Seniors, if you want to harm her, you might as well kill me first."

"Oh? You're going to sacrifice yourself for this little girl? Your vision of restoring peace to the world, your ambition to sweep away all demons, are all going to be buried with her? You're just going to abandon the big picture like this?" Qu Yang stared at him with a forced smile.

Shen An raised his eyes and looked directly at Qu Yang and Liu Zhengfeng.

"If the bigger picture requires innocent people to pay the price, then whose bigger picture is it?"

"All I know is that Ruoyun is here because of me. If I stand by and watch you indiscriminately kill innocent people for a so-called 'secret,' then how am I any different from those hypocrites I despise who spout righteousness and morality while secretly engaging in immoral acts?!"

He took a deep breath, held his sword horizontally to his chest, and assumed a defensive stance reminiscent of the Jade Well Heavenly Pool, firmly rooting himself in front of the girl.

"If you two seniors insist on taking action, then there's nothing more to say. Our cooperation ends here! I will keep your secrets quiet, as if I never heard them. But this girl, I'm taking her away today!"

"If you refuse..." Shen An's eyes sharpened, staring intently at Qu Yang, and he said, enunciating each word clearly, "Then it's a fight to the death! My martial arts are weak, and I'm no match for you two seniors. But if I die, the eyes of Mount Song will be fixed on this place! Fixed on Uncle Liu! Your secrets will likely be exposed!"

Hiding behind him, Qu Feiyan unconsciously tightened her grip on his clothes.

Through his clothes, she could clearly feel the muscles in his back bulging from the effort, and her heart pounding with excitement.

She looked up at the back of the man who had drawn his sword against two martial arts masters far superior to him in order to protect her. His eyes, which always gleamed with cunning, were now completely blurred by a thick layer of tears.

So this is what it feels like to be protected by someone without reservation.

Besides my grandfather, would anyone else treat me like this?

"Young man, don't be so hot-blooded! Wait until I kill this girl, then let's see if you have the courage to die with her."

Qu Yang narrowed his eyes, a murderous intent flashing within him. With a flick of his wrist, he held three needles in his hand, ready to strike at any moment.

"What a desperate situation!" Liu Zhengfeng sighed, his expression complex. "It seems that today's matter cannot be resolved peacefully."

As soon as he finished speaking, he flicked his wrist, and the long sword at his waist shot out with a "whoosh".

The sword tip trembled slightly, drawing a trajectory in the air that was almost imperceptible to the naked eye, silently piercing towards Shen An's right shoulder "Quepen acupoint".

This sword strike is the essence of Hengshan swordsmanship—the starting stance of the "Thirteen Forms of Hengshan Clouds and Mist with a Hundred Transformations and a Thousand Illusions." It appears ordinary, but in reality, it is unpredictable and has endless follow-up moves.

However, Shen An's response to this nimble and elusive sword strike, which concealed a deadly intent, was completely unexpected by Liu Zhengfeng.

He didn't parry, didn't dodge, and didn't even look at the tip of the sword that was thrusting towards him.

The instant Liu Zhengfeng made his move, Shen An's feet slammed into the ground like the roots of an old tree!

Instead of retreating, he advanced, using his waist and abdomen as the axis to drive his entire body. The dark greatsword in his hand seemed to be flung out by the force of his entire body's rotation, rather than being swung by his arm!

Sword techniques? There are no sword techniques!

This sword strike abandons all subtle variations and discards all complex techniques; all that remains is the purest, most primal, and most irrational impact!

The greatsword sliced ​​through the air, but instead of producing a clear, resonant sound, it produced a dull, heavy whistling sound that seemed to crush the air itself!

This is the result of Shen An's hard work over the past few days, making the majestic and fierce Songshan sword technique even more domineering, and even more unstoppable and indomitable!

Liu Zhengfeng's pupils suddenly contracted!

He thought that as long as Shen An dared to draw his sword to block this move, and once he knocked Shen An's sword away, making the young man understand that he still dared to protect Qu Feiyan even when he was completely powerless to fight back, the show could be over.

But to his utter surprise, Shen An was actually able to withstand this move!