Intervention of the Immortal

“…..”

Still…

They caught up.

What a persistent nuisance.

Jiang Ningwan retrieved a pillow and gently placed the little girl upon it.

After confirming she hadn’t woken the child, she stepped out of the carriage.

“For his personal desires, Young Master Liu spared no expense, even dispatching two immortal cultivators as his retainers. Truly unexpected.”

One of the men, wearing a ghost-faced mask, walked several tens of meters away from her.

With a hint of helplessness, he stated, “There’s no other way. We’ve accepted payment, so we must eliminate the trouble for our employer….”

“Madam Jiang, please don’t make things too difficult for us brothers.

Otherwise, with just you and a few mortals by your side, you won’t be able to protect your Jiang family’s foundation.”

As the man’s fingertips subtly moved, a rope materialized in his hand.

“Therefore, if Madam Jiang willingly accompanies us, you can spare yourself this physical torment….”

“Furthermore, our young master promises that if Madam Jiang agrees, he will take you as his principal wife….”

“From then on, our two families will cooperate and even receive the protection of an immortal cultivation sect. What do you say?”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a vigorous middle-aged man stepped forward from among Jiang Ningwan’s attendants.

He positioned himself in front of everyone, then turned his head slightly and advised, “Young Mistress, if an opportunity arises, seize the chaos and escape with your daughter….”

“Conflict between cultivators is not something mortals can interfere with.”

“Steward Zhang, you can’t possibly believe that with your early Foundation Establishment cultivation, you can stop two of us at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, can you?”

“Old Master Jiang saved my life. Regardless of whether I live or die, today I will ensure the Young Mistress’s safety.”

Steward Zhang’s entire body surged with spiritual energy, and several incredibly sharp gales transformed into blade-like forms, rushing towards the man.

“Why bother? The chasm between cultivation realms is not so easily crossed.”

The man merely channeled spiritual energy to his body.

The blade-like gales merely sparked against him, leaving not even a wrinkle on his robes.

As the man unleashed a palm strike from mid-air, it stirred up dust and stones, tearing at the ground.

Boom!

Steward Zhang attempted to dodge, but with no time to react, he was sent flying several tens of meters away.

“Cough, cough!”

Traces of blood trickled from his mouth, his face pale, clearly indicating internal injuries.

“Ignorance truly breeds fear,” the man calmly stated.

Then, his form vanished, reappearing in the blink of an eye before Steward Zhang.

He gripped the steward’s neck with one hand, slowly lifting him off the ground.

“Wait!” Jiang Ningwan cried out, halting the ghost-faced man.

Her eyelids lowered, and she let out a helpless sigh.

“I agree to your terms. However, you must not harm anyone else from my Jiang family.”

“Wouldn’t it have been simpler to agree earlier? No need to play the hero.”

The man tossed Steward Zhang aside and slowly approached Jiang Ningwan.

At the same time, a hemp rope once again materialized in his hand.

“However, to prevent Madam Jiang from attempting a desperate act, we’ll have to inconvenience you first.”

“……”

‘With the strength of a mere mortal, how can one contend with those who have embarked on the path of cultivation?’

‘Ultimately, I am still too weak….’

Jiang Ningwan closed her eyes, as if resigning herself to fate.

Even if she could flee, how far could she truly go?

An hour of travel by foot was less than a few breaths by a cultivator’s sword.

There was no escape.

‘But… to think that I’ve maintained my purity for so many years… only to be defiled now…’

‘Never mind… As long as my family is safe, that is enough.’

Two clear tears slipped from the beauty mark at the corner of her eye, like peach blossoms falling into water, evoking pity.

Clang!

Suddenly, the sound of a shattering bottle echoed from behind the ghost-faced man, drawing the attention of everyone present.

“Who’s there!”

“Show yourself, coward!”

……

“Fellow Daoist, why are you rushing so fast?”

Shangwen prided himself on his sword-flying speed, covering several li in a single breath.

However, compared to the person ahead, he was utterly outclassed.

The other’s speed was at least ten li per breath.

Seeing Zhuang Xun’s leisurely and elegant back, occasionally even pulling out a scripture to read, it was clear he was holding back.

“This is already my slowest pace. You two should try harder.”

Zhuang Xun made a slight ‘humblebrag,’ then pulled out a small bottle of wine.

Gulp, gulp…

After downing it in one go, he casually tossed the empty bottle away.

Just then, Shangwu’s clear shout suddenly came from behind him: “Fellow Daoist, hold on, stop for a moment!”

“……”

Zhuang Xun paused in mid-air at the sound, asking with a hint of doubt, “What is it?”

Shangwu stopped beside Zhuang Xun, gesturing for him to look at the situation on the ground: “Take a look, Fellow Daoist. Shouldn’t we lend a hand?”

“Meddling, a waste of time….”

“This place is only about a thousand li from Yuelong County….”

“If we speed up, we can still arrive before dawn.”

Boom!

No sooner had Zhuang Xun finished speaking than a white bolt of lightning suddenly descended from the sparsely moonlit night sky right before him.

It struck directly in front of the ghost-faced man, kicking up a shower of sand and stones, and even knocking his mask off.

“……”

Everyone abruptly looked up, their gazes converging on the three figures soaring on their swords in the sky.

“Gulp~”

Zhuang Xun swallowed, slightly raising his eyelids to glance at the cloudless sky.

‘This is just ridiculous… I didn’t even want to get involved.’

“Who are you people!”

Hearing a shout from the ground, Zhuang Xun rubbed his temples.

He let out a helpless sigh: “Ah, this is just going to create more trouble for me…”

Then he leaped down from mid-air, landing lightly on the balls of his feet before Jiang Ningwan.

His arrival halted her forward steps.

“Young lady, have you encountered some trouble? Do you require my assistance?” Zhuang Xun asked indifferently, his back still facing her.

“…..”

“So, the young man wishes to play the hero and save the beauty? You’ll have to prove you have the ability!”

The two brothers exchanged a glance, sensing the newcomer’s hostile intent.

Fearing an unexpected turn of events, they decided to strike first.

Suddenly, two blade-lights, several tens of meters long and condensed from spiritual energy, were about to descend upon Zhuang Xun’s head.

“Noisy.”

With a flick of his mind, Zhuang Xun merely twitched his index finger.

A flash of cold light instantly crushed the blade-lights, sweeping between the two brothers’ calves with the force of thunder.

It severed both their lower legs.

“Ah!”

“Ah!”

Both brothers collapsed to the ground, writhing and wailing.

Zhuang Xun merely turned silently, recalling his unsullied spirit sword to his hand.

He then leisurely asked, “Young lady, do you have any other troubles?”

Jiang Ningwan gazed at the ink-robed youth before her, who seemed like an immortal descended to the mortal realm.

For a moment, she lost herself, unsure how to describe the young man’s exquisite handsomeness.

“Mama~ it’s so noisy outside….”

A silver-haired, twin-tailed little girl pushed aside the carriage curtain and hopped down.

Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she slowly walked to Jiang Ningwan’s side and tugged at her sleeve.

“Who is this big brother…? He’s so handsome….”

Only then did Jiang Ningwan regain her senses.

She stroked the girl’s small head and said, “Lishuang, you mustn’t be rude to our benefactor. You should address him as Immortal Master.”

“It’s fine, children speak innocently.”

Zhuang Xun observed the little girl’s appearance and the name the beautiful woman had just called her.

He immediately linked her to a certain ‘iceberg’ female lead from the mid-story plot: Jiang Lishuang.

However, Zhuang Xun had only briefly mentioned this female lead’s background plot, sketching it in a few words.

There wasn’t much elaboration either.

After all, if he wrote too much in that area, he would always lean towards a more tragic direction.

It felt uncomfortable if it wasn’t tragic enough, so to speak.

At this moment, the two brothers who had been watching from the sky also descended on their swords, arriving beside Zhuang Xun.

Shangwen, in particular, glanced at the beautiful woman, a flicker of admiration in his eyes.

He then winked at Zhuang Xun, asking, “Fellow Daoist, didn’t you say you wouldn’t get involved earlier?”

“What, are you interested in her?”

“Cough, cough, what are you talking about? It was merely a matter of circumstances.”

Zhuang Xun believed that if he hadn’t descended at that moment, the next bolt of lightning would undoubtedly have struck him.

He would have been struck down even if he hadn’t gone down willingly.

‘It truly feels like I’m being forced into this female lead’s plot, doesn’t it?’