Yu Sheng was astonished. He actually hit it right on the nose. It was not surprising to him though, as every protagonist will always start with crippled spirit roots and having their fiance stolen from them.
These blessed sons of destiny may have not been able to absorb spirit qi, but their luck would have given them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In this case, the original Yu Sheng had a lot of innate talents, thus he must have been under the "reincarnate into multiple mortal lives to gain experience" or "My parents with unparalleled background left me as a baby so that I can grow stronger". To present Yu Sheng, did it even matter?
To not continue blowing the mind of Xiao Hei, Yu Sheng kept his thoughts to himself and continued to experience his younger self's life.
Xiao Hei guided him forward on the river of time. This time, he arrived at Gold Blossom City, When the original Yu Sheng had just turned 16.
There were 6 major continents in the world he was currently in. On the smallest continent, in a very small kingdom, in a back-water district, there was a place called Gold blossom City. What a perfect way for someone to start their protagonist story.
This was not the original Yu Sheng's first time here at Gold Blossom City. He had actually been here 2 years ago, before he went to Qing Piao Sect, he had made a stop in this city to purchase amenities. This was when the inexperienced and naive Yu Sheng fell in love for the very first time.
On a long stretch of road that was leading towards Gold Blossom City, it was infamously known for its rampant banditry that would occur frequently. It was then also called by locals, the "Highway of thieves".
At this very moment, in the dead of night, a well-adorned carriage pulled by two horses sped across this infamous road. The horses were galloping at max speed as if they were worried that tragedy would befall them if they went any slower.
Inside the carriage were 4 people. There was a middle-aged man, his wife, their daughter and a level 2 qi-refining cultivator. They were currently on their way back to Gold Blossom City and were visibly in a hurry.
Anxiety and distraught were plastered on their faces, as they were informed in a neighbouring district that their businesses back at Gold Blossom City were under attack by their competitors. All of their shopfronts were taken over by hooligans at once.
This must've been a coordinated attack, and the Xian Family who was out of the district to attend a party came rushing back.
The fastest way back was travelling through the "Highways of thieves", but they did not bring enough bodyguards to make the trip safe.
However, the Xian family had some stroke of luck when a cultivator in a red robe ever so happened to be passing by. After prostrating, begging and promising him a fortune to protect them on their way back to Peach Blossom CIty, the cultivator reluctantly agreed.
The carriage was moving very quickly, and in the middle of the night, with clouds covering the only sources of light they had, it was very difficult for the Xiao family to see anything in front of them.
A group of bandits had used this to their advantage. After the targeted carriage passed by a certain area, a bandit hiding in the shadows took out a torch and lit it on fire.
Slowly, one by one, more and more torches were lit up by the bandits. The bandits used this information to gauge the current location of the carriage. If the situated bandit did not light up their torch, that would mean that the people in the carriage were cautious. A lack of information was still information after all.
However, the bandits had information on the current predicament that the Xiao Family were going through. The bandits knew that the family could not afford to spend any longer out of Peach Blossom City.
"Neighhhhhh!!!!"
One of the horses was shot in the legs. Both horses started to panic, and their thrashing around caused the carriage to shake and dislodge itself. The bandits circled around the now stationary carriage. They had cut off all possible escape routes for the people inside, and all they had to do was finish their targets off.
Panic ensued inside the carriage. Despite knowing that there was a cultivator protecting them, how can they not feel anxious?
"Senior, I would have to thank you for protecting us again." The middle-aged man, Xiao Xu Ming cupped his hands together and bowed towards his benefactor.
The girl named Xiao Hua Li and her mother followed Xu Ming's actions, not wanting to offend the cultivator.
However, what their supposed benefactor did next completely horrified the family. The cultivator they had employed opened the carriage door and promptly joined the ranks of bandits.
The family's heart sank. They knew they had made a huge mistake. Had they accidentally invited a tiger into their homes?
"Leave your carriage now! and we might just kill you painlessly!" A random bandit cackled evilly.
Xu Ming reluctantly stepped out of the carriage, many thoughts running through his head. Could this possibly be a scheme concocted by his business rivals? Including the cultivator that miraculously appeared in front of them, was this all just a scheme so that they could dispose of the Xiao family?
Xu Ming instinctively extended his arm, signalling his protectiveness over his wife and daughter. He called out ferociously, or what he thought was ferocious. "Don't you dare do anything to my wife and daughter, or I would never let you off!"
The bandits raised their eyebrows, surprised at what they were hearing. Fuck! who would want to touch your woman? These bandits were not lacking money at all. Escorts and prostitutes, they could have them all!
Why would they want to share two women among dozens of them? Moreover, having sex in the wilderness and on the coarse sand and not on a soft and clean sheet of a bed? These bandits only wanted the best for their golden rod!
The bandits started to chuckle upon hearing those words. They were mocking Xu Ming for thinking too highly about himself and his family. Xu Ming, however, thought differently. He took their laughter as a mockery of his resolve.
Xu Ming thought lowly of these bandits. To him, bandits were uneducated scum who took banditry as a last resolve. To him, animals should, and would behave like animals. Thus, he prepared for the worst and decided that he would end his family's misery if need be.