Volume Two, Travels Through Qi Chapter 101: A Hero Rescues the Maiden?

“Good, lad. I’ll take you to the imperial capital, but you must not act rashly. The capital is a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, with experts beyond counting. If you stir up trouble there, even I may not be able to keep you safe.”

“Rest assured, senior. I never do anything unless I am certain of it.”

“Very well, then we shall—”

Ling Tian had barely finished speaking when there was a knock at the door from outside.

“Come in,” Ling Tian said in a deep voice.

The visitor was Han Xuan, the head of the Han family.

He bowed deeply in the direction of Zhang Heng and Ling Tian, then asked respectfully, “Are the two seniors preparing to leave?”

“Patriarch Han, the matter here has been resolved, and I have things of my own that I must do. So let us part here,” Zhang Heng said with a polite incline of his body.

Han Xuan nodded and said nothing. A small city like Revelry City could never contain two true dragons like Zhang Heng and Ling Tian.

After a brief pause, Zhang Heng took a storage ring from within his own and tossed it over to Han Xuan, saying calmly, “There are some resources and cultivation methods inside. Take them and study them well.”

“This...” Han Xuan looked down at the ring in his hand, somewhat hesitant.

“This is not for you alone. It is a gift from me to all the people of Revelry City. Only when your strength improves will you be able to better protect this small city. Do you understand?”

Zhang Heng was ultimately only a passerby. The one who could truly guard Revelry City for the long term was Han Xuan.

“Yes. Thank you, senior.” At that, Han Xuan respectfully accepted the storage ring.

“Senior Ling Tian, let us go.”

Ling Tian said nothing. Instead, he extended a finger and lightly tapped Zhang Heng.

Zhang Heng never understood why these powerhouses all liked to show off. But there was nothing he could do about it; after all, strength was strength.

Zhang Heng and Ling Tian departed. Han Xuan watched the direction they had gone and bowed once more.

They had clearly saved the lives of tens of thousands, yet asked for no reward and quietly withdrew. Men like that were truly worthy of admiration.

A moment later, Zhang Heng and Ling Tian appeared within a mountain forest.

“Lad, the imperial capital of the Kingdom of Qi is just ahead. I’ll send you only this far,” Ling Tian said as he stepped out of the void.

“Thank you, senior.” Zhang Heng gave a light salute.

Void traversal really was amazing. A journey that would take ordinary people ten days or even a month could be completed by a Heaven-Origin expert in mere seconds. Too damn convenient.

Zhang Heng thought to himself. Someday, he would learn this technique as well.

“Zhang Heng, lad.”

Ling Tian called out. He did not leave, but looked at Zhang Heng with a thoughtful expression.

“Does senior have something else?”

“Lad! We’ve only known each other for three days. True, you did give me a bottle of spirit liquid, but using void traversal is very draining. You have to compensate me with another bottle. Otherwise, this old man will cling to you and never let go.”

Ling Tian had returned to his shameless old self.

“Old geezer, we agreed on one bottle of spirit liquid every three days. Now you want to raise the price on the spot? That doesn’t sound very proper,” Zhang Heng said coolly.

“Kid! Let’s be reasonable, shall we? These past few days I helped you fight, and I ran errands for you too. I’ve earned both merit and hardship. Is one more bottle really too much to ask?”

Ling Tian was still trying his best to secure his share of benefits.

“No.”

Zhang Heng tilted his head and said flatly, “Anyway, I’ve already reached the imperial capital of the Kingdom of Qi. I don’t need you anymore.”

“Lad, don’t be so stingy, all right? You have plenty of spirit liquid on you. One or two bottles won’t make a difference.”

Ling Tian moved in front of Zhang Heng with a fawning smile.

Zhang Heng ignored him.

“Lad, will you give it or not? If you won’t, then this old man will send you back again,” Ling Tian said angrily, openly threatening him.

With his strength, if he really wanted to send Zhang Heng back, Zhang Heng truly would be powerless to resist.

At that, Zhang Heng panicked and immediately put on a different smile. “Senior, don’t! I was only joking.”

As he spoke, Zhang Heng took a large wine jug from his storage ring and handed it to Ling Tian. “Senior, how could I possibly forget you? Look, I prepared this for you long ago.”

When they had been in Revelry City, Ling Tian had indeed helped quite a lot. Zhang Heng was not a miser, so he had specifically found this jug, filled it with spirit liquid, and intended it as a gift for Ling Tian.

Besides, the old man was a mighty Heaven-Origin Sixth Layer expert. Zhang Heng was not short on spirit liquid, so using a jug of it to befriend a powerful ally was a very worthwhile bargain.

At last, Ling Tian laughed. “Heh, good lad. So you do have a little conscience after all.”

Carefully, he took the wine jug from Zhang Heng’s hand and opened it to take a sip.

Only after confirming it was real did he wave at Zhang Heng with satisfaction. “Lad, farewell.”

With that, Ling Tian vanished into the void.

This place was a mountain range outside the imperial capital of the Kingdom of Qi, only a few kilometers from the city. At full speed, Zhang Heng could reach it in a quarter of an hour. But he was in no hurry. The past period had been far too oppressive, and he wanted to relax while he still could.

So Zhang Heng strolled lazily through the forest.

Suddenly, a young girl’s anxious cry for help rang out from ahead.

“Help!”

Zhang Heng froze. This was right beneath the feet of the Son of Heaven. Someone actually had the guts to cause trouble here?

Looking forward, he saw a girl running desperately toward him.

She wore a long dress, held a sword in her hand, and had a bundle strapped to her back. She looked every inch the wandering heroine.

However, at this moment, the heroine was in a frantic escape for her life.

Behind her was a group of ferocious Sea of Qi cultivators, all hot on her heels.

She ran past Zhang Heng and clearly did not intend to pay him any mind. But when she saw him standing there in a dazed, foolish sort of way, she still called out a warning.

“Hey, the fool over there, run! If those people catch you, you’re finished.”

A hero saving a beauty? That kind of clichéd, melodramatic scene, seen only in novels and television dramas, had actually happened to him.

Zhang Heng smiled.

When the pursuers saw someone standing in their way, they also stopped in their tracks.

“Kid, if you know what’s good for you, get lost right now. Otherwise, we’ll kill you too.”

“Big brothers, how did that young lady offend you? Why are you chasing her so hard?”

The leader, however, said fiercely, “Boy, if you don’t have the strength, then mind your own business. Scram as far as you can.”

They had assumed he might be some hidden expert, but after a closer look they discovered there was not the slightest fluctuation of spiritual energy on him. He was clearly a trash who could not cultivate.

The girl, still fleeing in panic, had also stopped when she saw the young man block the pursuers for her, and now she studied Zhang Heng with curiosity.

Taking the opportunity, the pursuers quickly fanned out and, in an instant, surrounded Zhang Heng and the girl in the center.

“Little minx, run again if you can!” the leader laughed smugly.

Seeing herself encircled, the girl stamped her foot in anxiety and said in a dissatisfied voice, “Stupid boy, you’ve really dragged me into a miserable mess this time.”

She had thought this sudden intruder would be some young genius, come to save her. She never expected him to be merely an ordinary man with no cultivation at all.

At once, despair colored her eyes.

“Little minx, weren’t you very good at running? Let’s see where you can run now,” the burly man said angrily.

Then the group closed in, the ring shrinking tighter and tighter.