The two quickly bypassed the deadwood and saw a man lying on the ground, a large patch of lawn stained crimson with his blood. He had clearly been dead for a long time.
Su Ziyan crouched down, wiped his neck with a dagger, and then turned him over. Three swords were impaled in his chest.
Her hands trembled slightly, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears. "Second Brother...呜呜, how dare you, how dare you cause your death!"
Looking at the bloody corpse before her, she felt immense sadness and grief. He had been injured while saving her.
"Are you his brother?" Su Yuanfeng frowned, looking at Nangong Che. A dense, biting killing intent emanated from him, as if the surrounding temperature had plummeted.
A wicked, charming curve appeared on Nangong Che's handsome face. "We are brothers from the same mother but different fathers. He was the second child of my father king."
"Why did you kill him, and where is your father king?" Su Ziyan asked angrily. These scumbags, how could they be so cruel as to kill their own brothers.
"He died, by my arrow," Nangong Che said calmly.
"You bunch of bastards, I will never forgive you," Su Ziyan gritted her teeth and said hatefully.
She had never seen such ungrateful, inhumane beasts!
A mocking curve appeared on Nangong Che's lips. "Wife, they are not worth your anger. What dishes do you like to eat? I'll cook for you."
"You can cook?" Su Ziyan blinked, asking in surprise. What else could this fellow cook besides fighting in the past?
"Tell me what dishes you like, and I'll make them for you." Nangong Che's lips twitched slightly. This woman was truly silly.
"I want sweet and sour pork ribs!" Su Ziyan blurted out without hesitation.
"Sweet and sour pork ribs?" Nangong Che frowned. "Wife, isn't that your favorite?"
"..." Su Ziyan awkwardly touched her nose. She did indeed prefer sweet and sour pork ribs. "Just changing the taste occasionally."
Nangong Che nodded, seemingly understanding, and then walked into the nearby kitchen. After searching under the stove for a long time, he finally found rice and flour. He washed them clean and then started a fire according to Su Ziyan's instructions.
Soon, fragrant white porridge and dishes were served.
Su Ziyan sat at the table, eagerly awaiting the white rice porridge to be cooked. Watching Nangong Che's busy back, she felt that this man was quite good.
He was good to her and willing to change himself for her. Meeting him in this life was her good fortune!
Dinner ended pleasantly. After Su Ziyan had eaten her fill, she immediately went to refine medicine.
...
The next morning, as dawn broke.
Su Yuanfeng awoke feeling full of strength and brimming with energy. His body seemed to have recovered well.
Just as Nangong Chen was about to knock on Su Ziyan's door to wake her, the door to her room suddenly opened. Su Ziyan emerged, carrying a pile of things, and was momentarily stunned. "You're all awake."
"En, I'm mostly fine. You should go cultivate quickly," Su Yuanfeng said kindly, patting Su Ziyan's shoulder with a smile. He could see how obsessed this girl was with cultivation.
Su Ziyan nodded and then ran to the rooftop to sit cross-legged.
Nangong Che also climbed onto the rooftop and sat on a stone stool opposite Su Ziyan. He closed his eyes to rest.
A quarter of an hour later, Su Ziyan slowly opened her eyes. She clasped her hands together, circulated her energy, and a faint blue light gradually enveloped her body.
Su Yuanfeng saw her like this without any shock or confusion, because he knew Su Ziyan had advanced.
This girl was indeed smart, successfully advancing to the Martial Master stage in just half a year!
"Rumble—"
Just then, a deafening sound reached everyone's ears, followed by a tremor as if an earthquake had occurred.
"This... is the earth dragon turning over?" Su Ziyan's eyes widened in disbelief. The earth dragon turning over usually only happened in winter, and it was still five months before the Spring Festival.
Had the Spring Festival come early this year?
Regardless of whether it was the earth dragon turning over, this place was definitely not safe. They had to leave quickly.
"You two go and see. Tell me immediately if you find anything," Su Yuanfeng instructed Nangong Che, then pulled Su Ziyan and rushed out.
"Wife, where are we going?" Nangong Che asked Su Ziyan. He didn't recognize this place; it didn't look like any city they had visited before.
Su Ziyan didn't answer, quickening her pace forward. Nangong Che had no choice but to continue following her.
Su Yuanfeng held Su Ziyan's hand as they weaved through the forest. Suddenly, a giant python lunged at Su Ziyan with its bloody maw wide open. Fortunately, Su Ziyan reacted quickly and dodged in time, narrowly avoiding danger.
"Hiss hiss—" The giant python flicked its forked tongue, staring menacingly at Su Yuanfeng and Su Ziyan. Its mind held ancestral memories; the soul of the man before it was weak, but the soul of this woman was so strong, it made the python crave to devour it.
In this world, there was a type of spirit beast called a demonic beast. These demonic beasts usually hid in deep mountains and old forests, and ordinary people could not capture them. Furthermore, demonic beasts were ferocious and bloodthirsty. Once one encountered a demonic beast, it had to be killed as quickly as possible, otherwise, the demonic beast would tear its prey to shreds.
"You quickly go and lure that big worm away," Su Ziyan whispered to Nangong Che.
Nangong Che did not hesitate. With a flash of movement, he leaped onto a large tree and then charged towards the giant python.
Seeing Nangong Che attacking it, the giant python immediately met the challenge.
The two beasts became entangled. Nangong Che used all his strength to fight it fiercely. This giant python possessed peak third-grade strength, and he could not afford to be careless, or they would be killed by it.
"Wife, let's escape quickly." Nangong Che punched the giant python hard, seizing the opportunity to run towards Su Ziyan.
Seeing this, the giant python immediately pursued. Nangong Che grabbed Su Ziyan and leaped up.
At this critical juncture, Nangong Chen suddenly blocked in front of them and then drew the sword at his waist, slashing at the giant python.
"Puff." With a sound, the sword severed the python's seven-inch mark, and its massive body crashed to the ground.
Su Ziyan and Nangong Che both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you," Su Ziyan said gratefully to Nangong Chen.
Nangong Chen waved his hand, a bright smile appearing on his young face. "You're welcome. I was just passing by and helped out. Since you're alright, I'll be going now." With that, he lightly tapped his toes, and his entire body leaped into the air, speeding off into the distance.
Su Ziyan gazed thoughtfully in the direction Nangong Chen had left. Judging by his age, he should also be a young man.
"Let's go back," Su Ziyan said to Su Yuanfeng, turning to him.
Su Yuanfeng nodded.
"Father, was that pill from yesterday really effective?" Su Ziyan asked cautiously, as their situation was dire, and she didn't dare to take risks.
"Don't worry, I felt much more comfortable after taking that pill. This is a good sign," Su Yuanfeng chuckled heartily, stroking his beard. He was very gratified that this girl had not disappointed him.
"That's good." Su Ziyan breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed her father's condition had indeed improved.
"Yan'er, I heard that there are many powerful experts in the Imperial Academy. What if you encounter them during the selection competition?" Su Yuanfeng suddenly frowned in worry. They had too many enemies.
"Father, although those experts are very powerful, I believe I can defeat them," Su Ziyan declared with conviction, clenching her fist. She was determined to enter the Imperial Academy; no one could stop her.
"En, Yan'er has ambition. I support you," Su Yuanfeng patted Su Ziyan's shoulder to encourage her. He hoped that father and daughter could live peacefully and together forever, never to be separated again.
...