Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

At this moment, Xu Qingyue and Xu Yongnian were spattered with blood. Xu Qingyue supported Xu Yongnian as they staggered, finally collapsing to the ground.

With tears in his eyes, Xu Yongnian pleaded, "Sister! You need to run! If you don't, neither of us will get out of here. Forget about me! Go back and find someone to avenge me!"

Tears also streamed down Xu Qingyue's face. "Yongnian, I'm not leaving... If we're going to die, we'll die together as brother and sister. I'm going to fight these bastards to the end!"

As she spoke, Xu Qingyue struggled to her feet despite her injuries and planted herself in front of Xu Yongnian. Though her figure was frail, she shielded him tightly behind her. Xu Yongnian wept profusely. "Sister, please, stop worrying about me..."

The leader of the group opposite them, a man with fiery red hair wielding a machete, gave the Xu siblings a cold smile. "You two should stop dreaming. Neither of you is getting away today!"

Wiping away her tears, Xu Qingyue glared hatefully at the man. "Bloodknife, you beast! I can't believe you survived back then and even managed to slip away to the East Sea. If time could be turned back, you never would have made it out alive!"

The man called Bloodknife gave a sinister smile. "You can only blame your foolish Xu family. You didn't pull the weed out by its roots. Don't blame me for being ruthless; blame your rotten luck for crossing my path!" As he spoke, Bloodknife casually placed a cigarette between his lips. An underling, picking up the cue, quickly lit it for him. Bloodknife grinned. "See this? This is my status now! I may have been a dog for your Xu family in the past, but times have changed! Now I work for Lord Hong of the East Sea! I have my own men, and I'm a Grandmaster-realm cultivator! Killing the two of you would be as easy as crushing an ant."

Filled with resentment, Xu Qingyue shot back, "You despicable, shameless scoundrel! Back at my family's estate, all you did were sneaky, underhanded jobs. My grandfather had a kind heart and spared your life out of pity, but you repay kindness with betrayal! You dare touch me? Aren't you afraid the Xu family will hunt you down?"

Blowing out a puff of smoke, Bloodknife replied with a faint smile, "Once you two are dead, who's going to know it was me? And now that we've had this little chat, there's even less chance I'll let you live." With that, Bloodknife waved his hand, signaling to his henchmen. "Get them! Kill them both!"

The gang of thugs, all carrying machetes, charged at Xu Qingyue and Xu Yongnian. With a sharp cry, Xu Qingyue endured the pain and lashed out with a powerful kick, instantly felling two of her attackers. Her body was agile, her fists falling like raindrops on the men around her, and several more quickly went down. After all, as a cultivator, she naturally had an advantage over ordinary people.

But she was overwhelmed by their numbers. Already injured, her movements began to slow. Suddenly, the sound of something whistling through the air came from behind.

Before Xu Qingyue could react, a machete slammed into her thigh, and a searing heat shot through her leg. Blood gushed from the wound. A wave of intense pain washed over her, and her body went limp as all her strength seemed to drain away.

THUD!

Xu Qingyue could no longer support herself and fell to one knee. With her hair disheveled, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, and her body covered in wounds, she was a pitiful sight. Wiping the blood from her lips, she glared at Bloodknife, raging, "Bloodknife, you despicable, shameless cur! I'll never forgive you, not even as a ghost! The Xu family won't forgive you either. Just you wait!"

Bloodknife snorted and commanded with a flick of his hand, "Chop off her head!"

"Yes, sir!" The remaining six or seven men instantly raised their blades, aiming for Xu Qingyue's neck.

Xu Qingyue closed her eyes, a single, mournful tear sliding down her cheek. She never imagined this would be her end.

"Sister!" Behind her, Xu Yongnian howled, tears streaming down his face. He wanted to help, but his injuries were so severe he couldn't even stand. He could only watch helplessly as his sister was about to be killed right in front of him.

However, just as the blades were about to fall on Xu Qingyue's delicate neck, there was a sudden gust of wind. A figure streaked past in a flash. Before Xu Qingyue could get a clear look, the men who had been about to strike her were sent flying, crashing into the surroundings.

Xu Qingyue cried out in shock. Looking up, she saw the face of the man standing before her and froze. She stared in utter disbelief. It was Zhao Dong?!!!

"Zhao... Zhao Dong?!!" Xu Qingyue exclaimed, unable to believe her eyes. First, she couldn't believe Zhao Dong was actually here. Second, she couldn't believe he would help her, especially since they had just had a disagreement that very day.

Just then, she felt her body lighten. Zhao Dong had already helped her to her feet, a faint smile on his lips. "What, surprised?"

Xu Qingyue bit her lip, her voice trembling slightly. "Zhao Dong, what are you doing here?"

"Just passing by. I saw you were in trouble and figured I'd help out."

Xu Qingyue was rendered speechless. Then, with a complex look in her eyes, she said, "But... earlier today, we were giving you such a hard time..."

"I'm a bigger man than that; I won't hold it against you. Makes you feel a little guilty, doesn't it?"

Xu Qingyue didn't deny it, biting her lip and nodding with a hint of apology. "Zhao Dong, thank you! Thank you for lending a hand."

"A simple 'thank you' isn't enough, of course. But we can talk about that later." Zhao Dong grinned, his gaze shifting to Xu Yongnian on the ground.

Xu Yongnian was also staring at Zhao Dong in surprise, never expecting him to show up. He furrowed his brow. "You, Zhao," he said, his voice laced with suspicion. "Why do I get the feeling you're up to no good? You're not in cahoots with them, are you?"

Zhao Dong's eyes suddenly went cold, piercing Xu Yongnian like an icy dagger. Xu Yongnian shivered as Zhao Dong's voice rang out icily, "If you want to die, no one is stopping you, you idiot!"

Xu Yongnian's face flushed and then went pale. He looked ghastly, yet he couldn't think of a single thing to say in rebuttal.

Just then, Bloodknife scowled and scoffed, "Where did this stray mutt come from, trying to play the hero? I'll give you some advice, kid. Break your own legs, and I'll spare your worthless life. Otherwise, I'm taking it!"

Zhao Dong turned to face Bloodknife, his expression deceptively innocent. "Are you talking to me?"

Bloodknife's eyes flashed coldly. "Who else? Are you looking to die?"

Zhao Dong laughed. "Are you one of Hong Wu's men?"

Bloodknife's eyes turned frosty, and he roared, "You son of a bitch, who the hell are you to say Lord Hong's name?"

Zhao Dong cracked his knuckles, twisted his neck, and smirked. "My name is Zhao Dong."

"Zhao Dong? Who the hell is Zhao Dong?" Bloodknife eyed him suspiciously, then his pupils suddenly shrank as he shrieked, "You're that son of a bitch Zhao Dong, the one Lord Hong put a bounty on?!"

Zhao Dong frowned. "A bounty? That bastard put a bounty on me?"

Bloodknife gritted his teeth. "Lord Hong said whoever kills you gets ten million! You sure picked a good time to show up, delivering yourself right to my doorstep!"

A sinister smile spread across Bloodknife's face, but Zhao Dong simply twisted his neck again, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "I'll give you a chance, too. Kneel, break your own legs, and I'll spare your worthless life."

Beside him, Xu Qingyue gasped, her face filled with dread. "Zhao Dong, this Bloodknife is a Grandmaster-realm cultivator! He's incredibly strong, you..."

"Strong? He's nothing but an ant," Zhao Dong said dismissively.

"You're courting death, Zhao! I'm a third-level Grandmaster, and today I'm taking your life!" Bloodknife raised his machete and leaped high into the air, soaring four or five meters before bringing the blade down directly at Zhao Dong's head.

Zhao Dong just smiled coldly, a sharp glint in his eyes. The moment Bloodknife moved, so did he. Stomping on the ground, he shot forward like an arrow released from its bow, charging toward the airborne Bloodknife. His fingers clenched into a fist as he slammed it directly at Bloodknife's chest.

On the ground, Xu Yongnian whispered urgently to Xu Qingyue, "Sister, let them fight! This is our chance to slip away!"

Xu Qingyue gritted her teeth and shook her head. "No! Zhao Dong came to save us. If we just leave without a word, what would that make us?"

"Sister, why do you care so much!" Xu Yongnian said anxiously. "You really think this Zhao Dong can beat Bloodknife? He's just some idiot with a death wish! Let's go!"

Xu Qingyue shook her head again, resolute. "No! He came to our rescue. How could we just abandon him? That would be completely dishonorable!"

"Sister," Xu Yongnian pleaded, exasperated, "what if Zhao Dong is no match for this Bloodknife?"

"Then I'll help him. No matter what, we can't leave him behind!" Xu Qingyue said firmly.

Zhao Dong, of course, overheard their conversation and was inwardly surprised. So Xu Qingyue is actually a decent person. With that thought, his prejudice against her softened considerably.

Meanwhile, his body had already reached Bloodknife. Deftly dodging the downward slash, Zhao Dong hammered his fist toward Bloodknife's chest.