Mister Zhong rolled to the side, evading the strike of the bandit's blade. He himself couldn't believe to have such luck. But his luck was about to end. He tried getting up, but the bandit was already right beside him. He lifted the blade and struck again. Mister Zhong closed his eyes and waited for his end.
The wind grazed his face, as the blade approached. Clothes flapped with the movement. Mister Zhong squinted his eyes even harder, waiting for the pain.
It never came.
Mister Zhong slowly lifted one eyelid, unable to believe, that he was still alive. The sight of a black robe with silver embroidered hems greeted him. He blinked, opened both his eyes and lifted his head. A man stood before him. He was tall, with broad shoulders and inky black hair, that fell down to his waist. He currently faced the bandit, so Mister Zhong couldn't see his face, but even just seeing how straight he carried himself, he gave the impression of being an important man.
Mister Zhong's heart leapt. Could it be … Somewhere in the Long mountain range resided the Yun Zou sect. Could one of their disciples … no, one of their masters have saved him? That man must have somehow deflected the deadly strike. And with his noble bearing, he couldn't be just anyone.
It must be a cultivator, who has cultivated to immortality! What luck our family has! Back then, a daoist immortal saved my wife and child, and now even I am saved by one! Ah, I must have done many good deeds in my last life.
That man, Mister Zhong was praising incessantly in his head, was, of course, Qiu Ling. He looked at the bandit, feeling irritated. I did want to save my beloved, but didn't I just decide, that it was still not time? And now, he's even gone! He won't even see my heroic act of saving his father!
"You!" The bandit, likewise, fumed with anger. He had thought, it would be plain sailing, robbing some poor people like the Zhongs of their belongings and selling the woman and the child into slavery. They didn't have weapons, they didn't know how to fight and with a wife and child, the man surely wouldn't dare try anything. It would be profitable for him.
But not only had the man indeed tried to hinder him, when he wanted to kill him and follow the woman and child, some other bastard just appeared and helped these people!
The bandit looked Qiu Ling up and down, taking note of the exquisite cloth his robes were made of, the silver embroidery at the hems and the equally silver rings he was wearing. His face lit up.
Just those two rings should be worth a fortune! And it doesn't seem like that guy has any weapon with him. It was probably just luck, how he deflected that blow just now. He's surely just some bored noble on his way back to the capital, who wanted to play the hero. Well, not on my watch! You're gonna regret getting in my way!
"Stay back or you'll regret it!", he roared at Qiu Ling, lifting his sword up again to intimidate him.
Qiu Ling smiled and lifted a brow, clearly not taking the man seriously. Oh, he'd love to see, how an ordinary human took down a dragon. The king of the dragons no less.
His attitude enraged the bandit even more and he brandished his sword again. Qiu Ling lifted his hand, his fingers getting hold of the blade, snapping it in two. The upper half fell to the ground with a clang, glinting as if to mock the bandit. He stared at the blade incredulously, then looked up at Qiu Ling.
His face paled and his hands shivered. That's not normal! That might not have been a great weapon, but it's still made of metal! That guy clearly isn't human! How did he even do that?
Qiu Ling smiled even wider, lifted his foot and gifted the bandit a kick to the chest. The man was thrown back and stumbled down the path on the other side. There was a thud, then nothing could be heard anymore. Most probably, he had broken his neck, when he fell down.
Qiu Ling didn't care. He turned around and observed Mister Zhong, who still squatted behind him on the ground. Mister Zhong's eyes went wide. He looks so … young. He really must be an immortal.
I should thank my savior, no? He tried opening his mouth and saying something, but nothing could be heard. Where to begin? How to address him? Mister Zhong didn't know what to say.
Qiu Ling lifted his brows. "Still not going to follow them?"
"Wh — Who?"
"Your wife. Your child." Qiu Ling motioned down the path. Just hurry up!, he thought. Jing Yi would be scared after what happened. He'd better get to see his father soon. And of course, Qiu Ling also didn't want him to run around the forest with only his mother. What if something happened, while he wasted time with Mister Zhong? That bandit had certainly not been the only one in this forest and even though Jing Yi was too sensitive regarding animals, there might very well be some wild animals, that were indeed dangerous. If he happened to encounter one of them, he might lose his life!
"Uh … Yes. You're right." Mister Zhong stood up slowly, still not that sure, of what just happened and what he was to do now. "Uh … Thank you, hero. I … without your help …"
Qiu Ling interrupted him impatiently. "Just go. No need to thank me …" He motioned to the path again and this time Mister Zhong turned around and hurried along. Qiu Ling smiled and finished in a low voice: "Father-in-law."