Chapter Nineteen: Fleeing Once Again

Chen Ergou said, “Young Master Xuan, it really is them. I didn’t see wrong.”

Xuan Dong replied, “Capture them for me.”

This man called Chen Ergou had thought he’d mistaken them at the auction, but now, seeing them outside, it turned out they truly were the two he suspected. Thus unfolded the current scene—a fateful encounter. Last time, it was Chen Ergou’s elder brother who led him and a group to abduct Xiao Qing. Had Fire Qilin not arrived early at Xuanlin City, the rescue would never have succeeded so unexpectedly, nor would they have faced the later dangers in the cave. Fortunately, an elder intervened, or else they would have become corpses, with no chance for subsequent adventures.

Yet this time, Fire Qilin and Xiao Qing felt no fear. They were no longer the people they once were; having learned superior cultivation methods and mental techniques, they had no reason to fear opponents of equal rank.

The next moment, following Young Master Xuan’s command, several burly men charged forward, intent on forcibly restraining Fire Qilin and Xiao Qing.

Fire Qilin said, “Xiao Qing, now we can avenge ourselves for last time.”

Xiao Qing replied, “Brother, let me do it. I want revenge myself!”

Fire Qilin nodded, “Alright.”

As they spoke, the burly men surrounded them, but Xiao Qing remained unperturbed. In a flash, cold energy gathered in her palm, and she struck into the void.

Suddenly, her palm transformed, towering taller than a man, trailing deep frost as it swept forward across the ground.

The burly men leapt back in alarm, retreating hastily. This was no trivial matter; if that cold energy seeped into their bodies, with the water-path techniques they practiced, it would mean slaughter for them.

Water-path techniques were restrained by ice; unless their strength greatly exceeded their opponent’s, they would be suppressed and battered.

Seeing Xiao Qing wielding a technique that perfectly countered their attributes, the men hesitated, unwilling to advance.

However, Chen Ergou saw this as his moment to shine. He cast an earthen barrier at Xiao Qing, confident it would leave her helpless.

But Xiao Qing was no longer someone easily threatened by those of equal rank. As the earth technique appeared beneath her feet, she stomped down with all her strength, leveraging the advantage of her dragon form to instantly dispel the low-level earth spell.

Indeed, her dragon body was a veritable fortress—almost invincible among peers.

The earth spell dispelled, she leapt before Chen Ergou, landing a direct punch on the man who had once harmed her, showing no mercy.

But Chen Ergou, a desperate man who valued his life, seeing Xiao Qing easily break his earth spell, immediately used the opening to escape with his earth-escape technique, hiding behind a stranger.

Meanwhile, the burly men seized the moment to swarm Xiao Qing, hoping sheer numbers would win the day against one so reckless.

Yet Fire Qilin would never stand by while his sister faced danger. Suddenly, he unleashed a palm of fire energy.

He did, however, intentionally hold back its power, uncertain whether Xiao Qing’s current strength could withstand a full-force blow.

His only concern was protecting Xiao Qing. As for vengeance, she wished to do it herself and he had agreed. So long as he scared off those threatening her life, that was enough.

Sure enough, after the fire palm struck, the burly men halted, no longer daring to advance, watching as their opportunity slipped away.

“Shame on you, big brothers,” Fire Qilin taunted, “ganging up on a child. If you have the guts, fight me—I’ll oblige!”

His words provoked the burly men, who turned their attention to Fire Qilin.

Xiao Qing glanced at him; Fire Qilin signaled back, assuring her he was fine and she need not worry.

Xiao Qing returned her gaze to Chen Ergou, eyes fixed on him as if she would devour him—her hatred was palpable.

Meanwhile, the burly men, desperate to finish the fight and capture those Young Master Xuan had ordered, shamelessly rushed Fire Qilin together.

But Fire Qilin was no pushover.

Yet his spiritual energy was nearly depleted; after two fire palms, most of his strength was gone. He could only cast one low-level thunder spell from the Hundred Fires Thunder Art, or two fireball spells.

Was he truly alright?

The next second, he acted—choosing to use another spell.

“Swift Wind and Thunder!” Fire Qilin shouted.

A crack of thunder echoed; within a meter around him, blue arcs of electricity shot from his head, enveloping all the burly men.

In an instant, they were immobilized—those in mid-air frozen as if time itself had stopped, a breathtaking sight.

This was the primary thunder spell of a celestial-grade technique. Used unexpectedly, its effects were astonishing; if the enemy anticipated and prepared, it would be less effective.

Its flaw was that it required enemies to be nearby; without that, it was useless.

Moreover, its control lasted but half a minute. If one didn’t defeat the enemy in that time, things grew uncertain—one had to rely on other abilities.

Xuan Dong exclaimed, “Thunder spell? Impossible!”

He was shocked. He had seen the youth use fire spells twice, and now thunder—was this his imagination or reality?

Before he could recover, Fire Qilin knocked the burly men to the ground with several punches, a trace of blood at their lips.

They stood quickly, wiped their mouths, and launched another attack.

Meanwhile, Xiao Qing, frustrated by Chen Ergou’s constant retreat, abandoned pursuit and returned to assist her brother.

Her decision was wise; Fire Qilin was nearly drained, and with his current physique, he was no match for several burly men—he would only be beaten.

Seeing Fire Qilin in dire straits, Xiao Qing charged in, using her dragon body to join the fight, exposing her back to the men.

Each burly man slammed a fist into her back. Fortunately, her body had been fortified—transformed into a dragon form—otherwise, it would have been more than a mouthful of blood; it would have been fatal.

“Xiao Qing… Xiao Qing…” Fire Qilin cried.

A thug sneered, “You’re next!”

Xiao Qing managed, “Brother, you’re alright… Thank goodness. I’m fine, just… hurts a bit…”

“Enough, stop talking,” Fire Qilin said. “Rest now, leave the rest to me.”

Fire Qilin declared, “I want you dead!”

The next moment, he produced a pill from his spatial pouch—a third-grade Spirit Restoration Pill, which could instantly restore forty percent of his spiritual energy, a tremendous help now.

Yet the burly men, experienced in such matters, recognized the pill, causing the others to grow wary.

Everyone knew this youth was extraordinary. If he took the pill, it would give him a second wind—something they could not allow. They had to defeat him quickly before he regained strength, or who knew how long the chaos would last.

It was a deep humiliation for them—unable to defeat two children after so long, and even wounded by them, their reputation was ruined, especially in front of Young Master Xuan. They would become the subject of gossip across the martial world.

Water balls and crystals hurtled toward Fire Qilin, who didn’t dodge but took the hits head-on. To their surprise, a strange light flickered, and the water attacks dissipated instantly.

It was the soft armor he wore that negated the damage.

Meanwhile, Fire Qilin swallowed the Spirit Restoration Pill, and within his core, spiritual energy surged back to forty percent—he was battle-ready.

He began to retaliate.

“Fire Thunder Slash!” Fire Qilin shouted.

He raised both hands above his head; a massive sword materialized in the air, descending with overwhelming force. As before at Huang’s mansion, the ground shook, and his clothes billowed as if stirred by an invisible wind.

His spiritual energy was instantly drained; if not for the Daoist True Art sustaining his stamina, he would have collapsed.

Where the sword struck, the ground split open; the burly men, paralyzed by thunder and scorched by fire, were obliterated—reduced to nothing.

It was utter annihilation; such was the price for harming Xiao Qing and provoking Fire Qilin’s wrath.

This was Fire Qilin’s first kill. In Flame Village, he would have been cursed, possibly punished for harming his own kind.

Spectators commented, “That boy must have a death wish.”

“Indeed,” another replied, “the city lord won’t let them get away.”

Fire Qilin realized then: behind the fallen burly men, Young Lord Xuan Dong stood. His strike had claimed several lives, including Xuan Dong’s. Once again, they would have to flee.

Ignoring the trembling and heat in his body, he hoisted Xiao Qing onto his back and rushed for the city gate, hoping the lord would not learn of these events too soon.