Chapter 247

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Li Yinfeng whispered: “Father, don’t speak. Listen to Zhang Xiaohua’s arrangements.”

Zhang Xiaohua thought for a moment and said: “Sister Li, how about I carry you on my back later?”

Li Yinfeng’s face flushed slightly as she replied: “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”

Shopkeeper Li was still puzzled. His daughter could walk just fine—why did she need to be carried? Looking at this thin young man, who wasn’t even as tall as his daughter, could he really carry her properly?

Zhang Xiaohua added: “Big Sister Li, later, you must hold onto my neck tightly. No matter what, don’t let go.”

Li Yinfeng’s face turned even redder, but she nodded slightly.

Zhang Xiaohua then turned to the two elderly people and said: “Uncle, Aunt, when I take you out later, be sure not to make a sound.”

The two elders nodded, thinking: “Isn’t that obvious? Making noise would alert the mountain bandits—what else would we do?”

After giving his instructions, Zhang Xiaohua pushed the door open, but Shopkeeper Li quickly grabbed his arm and said anxiously: “Young hero, at least open a crack first and check if there’s anyone outside. That’s just common sense!”

Zhang Xiaohua scratched his head and chuckled: “Haha, this is my first time venturing deep into a bandit’s lair to rescue people. I lack experience, I lack experience. But I know there’s no one outside.”

Shopkeeper Li didn’t believe him and cautiously opened a small crack, glancing left and right. Sure enough, there was no one. Only then did he open the door fully, and the four of them quietly stepped out. Pointing towards the stockade gate, Shopkeeper Li said: “Young hero, I remember the gate is over there. But when we came in, there were many guards posted there—it’s impossible to get through.”

Zhang Xiaohua smiled and said: “Uncle, don’t worry. I’ll take you all across.”

Shopkeeper Li was half-convinced but still said: “Alright, let’s go. We should move along the edge of the wall—there are dark shadows there, and they won’t see us.”

Zhang Xiaohua replied: “That won’t be necessary, Uncle. You and Auntie stand still. I’ll take you across. Time is tight, and walking over might get us spotted.”

With that, he motioned for Li Yinfeng to climb onto his back. Then, supporting the two elders under their arms, he channeled his True Qi through his body. Suddenly, his figure shot into the air, soaring straight toward the rooftop ahead.

The two elders were still trying to figure out what he meant by, ‘Stand still, I’ll take you across.’ They found it odd—if they weren’t supposed to walk, how were they supposed to get across? Before they could make sense of it, their bodies were lifted into the air. Though it wasn’t too high, it was still their first time experiencing such a thing. Their heads spun from the sudden ascent, and before they could recover, Zhang Xiaohua had already landed with them on the rooftop. Just then, they heard a group of people chatting and laughing as they walked past below. After waiting for a moment, they felt themselves soaring once again, gliding from one rooftop to another. Sometimes they hid in the shadows of a wall, sometimes inside an abandoned house. Each time, they narrowly avoided the mountain bandits. By the time the two elders’ dizziness had finally subsided, the four of them had already reached the edge of the buildings.

Zhang Xiaohua set the two elders down and said: “Sister Li, you should get down and take a breather too.”

Only then did Li Yinfeng release her grip, having clung to Zhang Xiaohua so tightly that he had almost been unable to breathe. Her face was flushed red.

Zhang Xiaohua asked with a smile: “Sister Li, are you still holding up?”

Li Yinfeng stretched her arms, gritted her teeth, and said: “I’m fine. If it had lasted a bit longer, though, I might not have been able to hold on.”

Zhang Xiaohua said: “Sister, it’s a dangerous moment, so we have to be flexible. If your arms really can’t hold on any longer, don’t you still have your legs?”

Li Yinfeng’s face turned so red it looked as if it could drip blood.

The two elders beside them turned their heads, pretending not to have heard or seen anything.

But Zhang Xiaohua wasn’t paying attention to them. His gaze was fixed on the distant stockade wall. The distance from the buildings to the plaza was too great—his divine sense could barely reach that far, making it difficult to pinpoint the positions of others. If someone happened to glance toward the plaza at the wrong moment, wouldn’t he be exposed immediately?

If he were alone, or even carrying just one person, he could free up a hand and still defend himself if they ran into someone. But now, he was carrying three people—one in each hand, plus one on his back. How was he supposed to fight if they were discovered?

Judging by the time, it was already getting late. The feast hosted by the stockade chief and the envoy had likely begun. Once they realized Li Yinfeng had been rescued, the entire stockade would be on alert. Even with his exceptional Qinggong, escaping might not be so easy.

Gritting his teeth, Zhang Xiaohua made up his mind—he would risk it. After all, the mountain bandits were all looking outward beyond the wall. By now, they were probably tired as well. Who would turn around? He turned to the three and said: “Are you all ready? This is the last step, and also the only truly dangerous part. Once we get past here, everything else will be easy.”

Although the three were puzzled—after all, the stockade wall was lined with torches, and there were likely many patrolling bandits—how could it not be dangerous? Still, they nodded obediently.

Zhang Xiaohua stretched his divine sense toward the stockade wall as much as he could. Though he could only make out a rough outline, he soon sensed an opportune moment. Without hesitation, he carried Li Yinfeng on his back, grabbed the two elders, and leaped toward the open plaza. Before he was even halfway across, his divine sense reached the stockade wall—just then, a patrolling bandit, feeling bored, suddenly turned his head. Zhang Xiaohua instantly flattened himself down. The bandit thought he had seen a large, shadowy figure flash across the plaza, but when he looked again, it was gone. Rubbing his eyes vigorously, he scanned the area but found nothing. Grabbing a nearby companion, he asked: “Brother, I swear I just saw a huge, wide shadow in the plaza. Do you think someone sneaked in?”

His companion chuckled. “Brother, have you been drinking too much tonight? Our stockade is under the strictest lockdown in history—not even a fly could get in. How could an outsider possibly sneak in? Besides, what did you say? A huge, wide shadow? Human shadows are long and narrow. Are you sure you weren’t seeing things? Or worse, maybe you saw a ghost?”

The first bandit shivered, instinctively shrinking his neck. Now that he thought about it, no normal person would cast such a strange shadow. Could he really have been mistaken? If it was actually a monster, that would be real trouble. Terrified by the thought, he quickly looked away and hurried off to patrol elsewhere, not daring to check again.

Seeing that no one was paying attention anymore, Zhang Xiaohua wasted no time. He immediately sprang up and dashed toward the stockade wall, diving into the shadows beneath it. Only then did he finally exhale in relief, gently setting the two elders down. Li Yinfeng also released her grip, unwrapping both her arms and legs from around him as she stepped down—or rather, she straightened herself up.

At this point, Zhang Xiaohua had completed most of the escape. As long as they got over the wall, they would be free as birds in the sky. However, the other three still didn’t fully understand the situation. Their hearts remained uneasy. Right above their heads, mountain bandits were patrolling back and forth—how were they supposed to climb over?

Zhang Xiaohua “watched” the movement atop the wall, then picked up a stone from the ground. Seizing the right moment, he hurled it with great force to his right. With his current strength, the stone flew a considerable distance, and soon after, a cacophony of chickens squawking and dogs barking erupted from the other side. Naturally, the guards on the wall rushed toward the commotion. Taking advantage of the distraction, Zhang Xiaohua swiftly carried the three others up to the wall and, without hesitation, shot down the other side, landing in the forest below. From behind, an irritated, raspy voice echoed across the plaza: “Which bastard threw that rock? No sense of decency at all! Smashed the back of my head—who’s gonna pay for my medical expenses!?”

In the forest, Zhang Xiaohu sat restlessly. His younger brother had been inside for quite some time, yet there was no sign of his return. However, the patrols on the stockade wall remained normal, suggesting Xiaohua had not been discovered. If not for his poor Qinggong skills, Zhang Xiaohu might have already rushed in to check on him.

Just as his anxiety peaked, he suddenly saw a massive shadow leap from the wall and hurtle toward him at high speed. Startled, Zhang Xiaohu instinctively prepared to dodge. But under the faint glow of the torches on the stockade wall, he vaguely made out human figures. Realization struck—could it be that Xiaohua had rescued the captives?

Looking closer—yes, indeed! He carried two elders, each held tightly in his grasp, their eyes shut firmly. In the dim light, their clenched fists were just visible. But—wait—why were there extra arms and legs in front of Xiaohua? Squinting, Zhang Xiaohu saw that there was also a long-haired young woman clinging to his back. Ecstatic, Zhang Xiaohu was about to rush forward to greet them, but before he could react, Zhang Xiaohua had already landed deep within the forest.

Keeping his voice low, Zhang Xiaohu called out: “Xiaohua? Is that you?”

“It’s me, Second Brother.” Zhang Xiaohua responded, gently placing the three on the ground.

Zhang Xiaohu stared at them in disbelief. “Xiaohua, how did this go so smoothly? Are you sure this isn’t a trick?”

Zhang Xiaohua rolled his eyes at him. “How difficult did you think this would be? It’s just a bandit stronghold. I am, after all… the founder of the Big Dipper Divine Fist! Rescuing a few people was as easy as flipping my hand.”

Seeing that his younger brother had made it out safely, Zhang Xiaohu finally felt at ease. Chuckling, he said: “Brag all you want. But let’s get moving. If we get caught now, all our efforts will be wasted.”

Zhang Xiaohua also felt a chill in his heart and said: “Second Brother is right. But how are we supposed to get down the mountain?”

That was indeed a problem. Earlier, Zhang Xiaohu had been carried up by Zhang Xiaohua. When they escaped from the stronghold, Zhang Xiaohua had carried two elders in his hands while Li Yinfeng clung to his back. But now, to descend the mountain, unless Zhang Xiaohua could suddenly grow a third arm, it was impossible to take all four of them at once!

The path leading from the stronghold to the outside world was out of the question—it was too dangerous. Their only option was to pass through the forest. However, with the mountain being so steep, simply walking through the woods didn’t seem feasible either.

Just as Zhang Xiaohua was at a loss, Li Yinfeng softly spoke up: “Isn’t this big brother Zhang Xiaohua’s senior brother? Can’t he carry someone?”

Zhang Xiaohu chuckled: “Miss Li, my name is Zhang Xiaohu, and I am a friend of Li Jinfeng. However, I’m not Xiaohua’s senior brother—I’m his biological elder brother. I could carry someone since I have the strength, but I don’t know qinggong. I can’t leap up and down the steep terrain, so I would have to walk down step by step.”

Li Yinfeng thought for a moment, then suggested: “Then why don’t you carry my father, and Zhang Xiaohua can help you? Wouldn’t that work?”

But after speaking, she frowned again and added: “Still, if all four of us rely on Zhang Xiaohua, that would be too much of a burden. It might be better to make two trips.”

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaohua shook his head vigorously and said: “No, absolutely not. Time isn’t on our side. If we’re not careful and the bandits catch us, it’ll be too late for regrets. Let’s just do it all at once.”

The others looked at him in confusion. “Do what?”

“Miss Li, please climb on.” Zhang Xiaohua said with a grin.