"Whaddya lookin' at, huh?!"
Leng Junfeng quickly averted his eyes as his heart pounded against his chest. He couldn't help but touch his face, confirming that it didn't look like his original face.
Wang Meilin looked suspiciously at Leng Junfeng before averting her eyes. She couldn't help but feel that the plain-faced man felt familiar to her.
Why is Meilin here? Uncle Wang would have never let Meilin out on her alone, especially since they don't live in Luoyang. Leng Junfeng was filled with some worry for his childhood friend but decided against talking to her. It was better not to get close to Meilin or her father unless he wanted to drag them down with his problems.
The time it took from Luoyang to Chang'an was two weeks, including all the stops midway. Although the carriage's destination was Luoyang, Leng Junfeng stopped at the first city and took another carriage in order to hide his traces. To his surprise, the fourth carriage he got on, he saw Meilin again.
Did she sneak out? Leng Junfeng wandered. He felt that Meilin's actions were like his, hiding their traces from someone. Are the Leng Clan's enemies chasing after Uncle Wang and Meilin, too, now?
Should I investigate? Leng Junfeng was caught in a dilemma. The easiest solution would be to ask Wang Meilin directly, but that would necessitate him revealing his identity since only an idiot would reveal personal information to strangers. The downside would be that if Wang Meilin wasn't being chased by his enemies and left for other reasons.
Not even considering Leng Junfeng's dilemma, the carriage continued to leisurely travel on one of the country's main roads. Generally, the main roads were safe and had little to no dangers thanks to the country's soldiers patrolling them, but it seemed that Leng Junfeng's luck wasn't that good as a group of bandits surrounded the carriage.
"Take out all the goodies if ya know what's good for ya!"
Leng Junfeng gazed out the carriage windows and saw a group of twenty bandits. Although he could not differentiate a martial master from a warrior, he wasn't afraid. With his Swift Falcon Steps, he could escape if he wanted to. Plus, martial masters were weeds that popped up everywhere, although...
He glanced at Wang Meilin before turning towards the other three occupants. Although Leng Junfeng couldn't tell what stage they were at, they were martial cultivators at the very least and appeared to have a lot of experience. Especially the gray-haired man.
The five occupants shuffled out of the carriage and faced the twenty or so bandits.
"Or else what?" The gray-haired man asked as he crossed his arms, his voice gruff. He ignored the frightened coachmen.
"Oh, we have a toughy here." The leader of the bandits said as he stepped forward. He was a head taller than the other ruffians and wore a sleeveless top that exposed his bulging muscles.
"Or else this!" The bandit leader flexed, and a dim glow could be seen surrounding him.
Although it can't compare to the qualitative change when a qi gathering pupil became a foundation establishment disciple, there would also be a qualitative change when a martial cultivator entered the Bone Refinement Stage. The most glaring sign would be able to form a thin film of qi around their body. In other words, the bandit leader was a martial master!
Leng Junfeng felt his body tense. Although Fenghua said that he was equal in strength to a high-rank warrior of the Allfist Realm, that didn't mean he was equal in all aspects. Not to mention he would be facing a martial master.
"Hmpf, don't get full of yourself." The gray-haired man said as he uncrossed his arms. Soon, his body was covered in a thin film of qi as well.
Upon seeing this, the bandit leader lost the conceited smile on his face. "So it seems that you do have the strength to back up your words. However, unlike ya, I live on the edge of life and death every day. Don't think that just because we are both masters that we are equals."
Without warning, the bandit leader and gray-haired man began to clash. Each time their fist clash resulted in a miniature air explosion to sound. The two continued to fight, their movements so fast that Leng Junfeng could barely keep up, further reminding him of his own weakness.
"You're not bad." The bandit leader grunted as he took a step back after the gray-haired man landed a decisive punch against him.
"What are ya watching for, attack all at once!"/"Protect and fend off the bandits while I deal with the leader!" The bandit leader and gray-haired man practically shouted at the same time.
Leng Junfeng was dazed for a moment at the sudden change, but he quickly reoriented himself. Just as he was about to strike, someone had already struck. It was Wang Meilin.
Her giant hammer smashed into one of the bandits into the ground and crushed his torso into a pulpy mess with blood and viscera leaking out.
Leng Junfeng stood there, stunned by the gruesome sight. He wasn't the only one as the other carriage passengers and bandits all froze and looked at Wang Meilin with obvious fear.
"What's wrong? Where's your bravado from earlier? Don't tell me that a weak little girl like me is making your knees quake? Tch, spineless." Wang Meilin ridiculed the bandits.
Who's a weak little girl? Not even a martial master would dare take such a strike head-on! Leng Junfeng internally snarked.
Taking this chance, Leng Junfeng's figure blurred as he executed the Swift Falcon Step. One of the bandits only felt a faint breeze before his pupils rolled into his head, leaving only his whites as he collapsed onto the floor with his neck bent at an unnatural angle. Leng Junfeng had unleashed the Divine Wind Fist at his neck, killing him instantly.
"What are ya standing around like dumbasses for? Attack at the same time, use the advantage of our numbers!" The bandit leader shouted out, furious at losing two of his people in succession.
"Got it, boss!"
"Hrahh!"
"You'll pay for this!"
The bandits all rushed forward, some with a saber, knives, or just bare fists, intent on getting revenge for their fallen comrades. Five of them joined their leader in attacking the gray-haired man, but the other fifteen bandits rushed toward Leng Junfeng, Wang Meilin, and two others.
Leng Junfeng executed another falcon step and appeared behind two bandits, and unleashed two punches. As the bandits were prepared this time, he couldn't bring out the full power and strike their weak points, but he still dealt considerable damage to them before blurring away.
"Argh, grab that bugger! Break his leg!"
As the four of them were only traveling companions who hardly spoke to one another, all four split up to fight alone. Otherwise, they might interfere with one another on account of their nonexistent teamwork.
Among the four, Leng Junfeng and Wang Meilin stood out. The remaining two were high-rank warriors but utterly average in cultivation and techniques. In contrast, Wang Meilin stood out as the most dangerous of the four.
Her weapon was a giant hammer. Rather than a hammer, it would be more correct to call it a block of metal on a spear shaft, a hammer spear if that even existed.
Wang Meilin swung her abnormal hammer like a master spearman—err spearwoman. Her long reach prevented the bandits from nearing her easily, and all she needed to do was take a few steps for the bandits to enter her hammer's range.
Leng Junfeng and Wang Meilin finished their opponents within five minutes. They aided their other two companions and defeated the remaining ten of the twenty bandits before coming to the gray-haired man's side.
The bandit leader seeing that the situation wasn't good, ordered a retreat. Although he had the gray-haired man on the ropes, that could easily change with the addition of Leng Junfeng, Wang Meilin, and the other two.
When the bandit leader and the remaining five bandits fled, no one gave chase. Leng Junfeng could probably chase them with his movement technique, but the others can't. Plus, he did not have the power to defeat a martial master at his current level.
I should have requested a long-range technique from the Shanxi House. Leng Junfeng thought. Shaking his head, he returned to the carriage while the coachman thanked them profusely.
Although he was running a transportation service—no, because he was running a transportation service, that meant he was ferrying both people and goods. So the five passengers fighting off the bandits really helped the coachman.
"I thought you were a weirdo, but it turns out you were a strong weirdo."
Leng Junfeng looked at Wang Meilin in surprise. After the fight, all five of them had sat in silence within the carriage, although the weaker two had given him, Wang Meilin, and the gray-haired master looks of respect.
"What aren't you talking about? Are you daft or mute?" Wang Meilin said, becoming irritated by Leng Junfeng's silence.
"Ah, sorry, I was just surprised." Leng Junfeng said before freezing. Teacher's technique only changes physical features and not my voice. She won't be able to figure out it's me from my voice alone, right? I mean, we haven't seen each other for at least two years, so it shouldn't be a possibility.
Leng Junfeng's heart rate spiked as Wang Meilin just stared suspiciously at him.
"Meilin."
"Yes?" Leng Junfeng said with confusion at Wang Meilin's words.
"That's my name. What's yours?" Wang Meilin sighed in exasperation.
"Oh! It's Jun—Fengjun! My name is Fengjun." Leng Junfeng said after catching himself.
"So, what are you hiding for?" Meilin asked, causing Leng Junfeng to sputter.
"W-why do you think I'm hiding?" Leng Junfeng managed to ask while glancing at the other occupants. Is it really okay to ask such a personal question in front of others?!
"Of course, you're hiding. Why else will you switch carriages like me? So? Tell me the reason!" Wang Meilin leaned in with her eyes shining in curiosity.
"Urk!" What a convincing reason! Leng Junfeng thought. But he didn't want to reveal anything to Wang Meilin, so he retorted, "What about you? I'll tell you mine if you tell me why your reason for hiding like this."
"Huh?" Wang Meilin gasped. "How'd did you know?!"
Leng Junfeng sighed and covered his face with his palm. "Didn't you say I was hiding because I was switching carriages like you? That means you're doing the same thing."
"Oh? Ehehe..." Wang Meilin stuck out her tongue as she realized her mistake."
"I'm running away from home. My stupid father wants me to marry some guy I never met. Of course, I'd run away from home if I heard that." Wang Meilin said and then muttered, "I'd rather marry Brother Junfeng than some guy I never met."
"What?"
"N-nothing!" Wang Meilin quickly said to cover her previous sentence. "So I said my reason. Now tell me yours."
Leng Junfeng hesitated. Should I just tell the truth and omit some crucial details? No, how many people have had their clan exterminated? Saying that will make it easier for people to find me. I'll have to lie.
"I'm running away from home. But unlike you, I did so because I wanted to prove myself. My parents never let me out because they think I'll get myself killed, so I'm here to prove them wrong." Leng Junfeng lied.
Two hands held his shoulders. "I knew it!"
"Huh?"
"I mean, I could tell you were from some clan or family."
"Really, how?!"
"Hmmm, the way you dress and the way you speak. You're unlike most rogue warriors. You seem to have this dignity to you. In fact, you kinda reminded me of a person I used to know, but that guy didn't cultivate. I thought you might've been that guy, but that's impossible. Hahaha." Wang Meilin laughed.
Not didn't, but couldn't, right? Leng Junfeng thought, but he felt a warmth spread through his heart at Wang Meilin's words.
"So, you're going to Chang'an too, right?" Leng Junfeng asked.
"Un-huh! I have never gone to Chang'an before, so I want to take a chance to see while I still have the chance." Wang Meilin honestly said.
"Me too!" The part about never having been to Chang'an, not the part the second part. Leng Junfeng thought.
For the remainder of the journey, Leng Junfeng and Wang Meilin animately discussed all sorts of topics. They even journeyed together by switching to the same carriages until they reached Chang'an when Leng Junfeng snuck away.
In the future, Leng Junfeng would come to regret sneaking away without telling Wang Meilin, especially when she discovered his true identities and the circumstances, but that would be a story for another time.