Nan Heng blocked the man attacked, he pushed the man away. Sending the man to the back.
"Can you stand up?"
Yueha nodded, she slowly stand up while still holding her left arm.
"Cover that wound up, im gonna buy some time."
Nan Heng gave her a small blanket from his bag. She then grab it and slowly wrap her arm with the blanket.
Nan Heng turned around, but the man was already gone. He was already beside him, Nan Heng then quickly dodged the attack by moving his body.
"You, i know it. You're suspicious from the beginning. Just who are you?"
"You do not need to know who am i. I'm just a reader."
"A reader? What kind of nonsense are you pouting?"
"You do not need to know."
Nan Heng raised his staff, pointing it toward the man.
"Alright, im just going to kill you."
The man jumped, swinging his sword. Nan Heng blocked the attack with his staff.
Crack!
A cracking noise can be heard coming from the staff.
'Damn it, it's already breaking.'
Nan Heng quickly take a step back.
"What's wrong? Your little weapon breaking?"
The man laughed at him. While he was laughing, Nan Heng point his staff to the air. He moved his staff, drawing a word with his staff.
"You should really raise your guard up."
The man stopped his laughing as he saw the word infront of him. Nan Heng slam his staff against the word, making the word move toward the man at a high speed.
"Huh? Shit!"
The man quickly try blocking the word with his sword.
Clank!
The word clashed with his sword, making a big spark. The man was filling intense pressure coming from the word, as the land behind him began to turn into dust. The man gathered all his strength, finally deflecting the word toward the sky. He then fell to the ground.
"Huft! Huft!"
The man look at Nan Heng.
"You! What did you do?!"
Nan Heng smiled at him,
'Damn it, that attack drained all of my energy.'
He was using the Art Essence martial art. Understanding the manual he read, Nan Heng figured that he would be able to use it but it will drain all of his energy. Because, he was still in Renzhu.
'If he attack me again i'll definetly die. So please, im begging you. Yueha.'
Gan Yueha appeared right behind the man. The man didn't sense her at all, as he was in a state of panic and he was already tired by just deflecting the attack.
"Gugh!"
The man quickly dodged the attack, Yueha attack grazed his right chin. He then quickly take a step back.
"You!"
Nan Heng quickly ran up to the man, swinging his staff. The man dodged the attack. But while he was dodging Nan Heng attack, Yueha attacked him, giving the man no room to dodge. Yueha's palm reached the man stomach, breaking through it
"Kugh!"
The man slowly backed away, while holding his stomach before falling down to the ground. Blood was pouring from his body, filling the whole dirt with blood. The man was already dead.
"Huft! Huft!"
Nan Heng fell down to his knees, while still holding onto his staff. His breathing were really hard. Yueha walk up to Nan Heng, she gave out her hand to him.
"Haha."
Nan Heng chuckled, before grabbing her hand. He slowly stand up, while Yueha help him up.
"Thanks."
She stayed silent, not saying a single word.
'Heh, as i thought. Good for me though that she doesn't respond.'
Both of them walked together, before Nan Heng then start walking by himself.
"I can walk by myself now."
He smiled at Yueha.
"You sure?"
Nan Heng nod his head, while still smiling to her.
"Sister? You're safe!"
Gan Hao appeared, standing infront of Yueha. He then hugged her sister.
"Yes, i'm fine brother."
As Nan Heng watched both of them, he smiled.
'What a lovely family.'
Nan Heng turned around and began to slowly walk away, going into the forest. Gan Hao check his sister, making sure she was really fine.
"Your arm.."
He looked at Yueha's arm.
"It's fine brother, it's just a small cut."
"Alright then, if you say so."
Gan Hao let out a sigh of relief.
"What happened back there brother? There was a big explosion."
"Oh, it's nothing. Just a small problem, don't worry about it."
Gan Hao smilled at his sister.
"I see."
Gan Hao looked at the dead man, lying on the ground. He walked up to him, grabbing his head.
'This guy... is already at peak Hanzhu.'
Gan Hao turned his head around, looking at his sister.
'There's no way Yueha could defeat him by herself.'
Gan hao walked up to Yueha.
"Sister, did you defeat him by yourself?"
"No."
"Who helped you then?"
"I don't know..."
"What do you mean by that?"
"It was a guy with a brown short hair, wearing a white robe. I don't know who he is."
'A guy with white robe?'
Gan Hao think to himself.
"He was also watching me in the tournament."
"I see, where's this guy right now?"
'I somehow need to repay this guy for helping Yueha, she would've died if not for him.'
"He's right her-"
Yueha pointing at the place where Nan Heng was standing before, but he was no longer there. Yueha looked around, noticing that he was no longer around this place.
"He was just here.."
Yueha keep looking around her, as she saw a staff lying on the ground. She picked it up. There was a crack on the middle of the staff.
"This was the staff that guy was using."
Yueha gave the staff to her brother. Gan Hao grabbed the staff. Observing it closely.
'What? It's just an old staff? He was fightning that guy using this?'
Gan Hao widen his eyes,
'to think someone would be using an old staff fightning someone at the level of peak Hanzhu.'
Gan Hao was surprised, an old staff like that should've been destroyed since the start of the match. Because of the pressure from the Zhu. But this staff is still intact, just only a crack in the middle.
'Just what kind of monster helped Yueha.'
He then looked af Gan Yueha.
"Come on, let's treat your wound."
"Yes, brother Hao."
Both of them quickly went to the nearest pharmacy, to get Yueha treated. Yueha was holding Nan Heng staff. Yueha looked up to the sky.
'I should have been the one thanking you, i hope i can meet you again.'
***
Nan Heng finally reached a street outside of the forest. He brush off the leaves on his white robe.
'Wait, something's missing.'
Nan Heng put down his bag, he then checked his bag. As he predicted.
'Damn it.'
Nan Heng had forgotten about his staff.
'I should've check my bag first before drifting off.'
He put his hand on his face, realizing he have made a mistake. Right now he was defenseless, not having any weapon.
'Haaa.. where should i find a wooden staff now.'
Wondering where he could buy a staff, he was in the middle of path in the forest.
'Fuck it, let's just follow the path.'
With no clue or map to which direction, he decided to just follow the path. Assuming he maybe will arrive at a city or a town nearby.