"Startled, aren't you?
Hearing this, Xu Jingyao was more than startled; Nangong Qianyu's image in her eyes was likely shattered.
"No... no! Sister is really... really amazing!" Xu Jingyao weakly waved her hand, forcing a smile.
"Pfft!"
Seeing her expression, Nangong Qianyu couldn't help but laugh. She proactively took Xu Jingyao's arm, clenched her fist, and said, "When we girls are out, we must learn some self-defense. Otherwise, it's easy to be bullied by bad people."
"Uh!"
Xu Jingyao looked at the delicate fist before her, which could unleash such terrifying power. For a moment, she was speechless.
"This is called self-defense?"
She silently grumbled to herself.
"Sister is right! If possible, teach me too!"
Although Xu Jingyao was grumbling internally, she had to admit that Nangong Qianyu's cool string of actions earlier had also stirred her interest.
"Okay! I'll teach you later!"
Nangong Qianyu readily agreed.
She was quite fond of Xu Jingyao. There was no problem with Ye Ming teaching her a couple of immortal cultivation techniques.
Meanwhile, Ye Ming walked towards the sole surviving subordinate.
Needless to say, these people were acting under orders.
So, who was the mastermind behind this?
And why were they targeting Xu Jingyao?
It was precisely because he wanted to understand all this that Ye Ming had stopped Nangong Qianyu.
"Speak!"
Ye Ming said coldly, "You should know you only have one chance to speak."
"Yes... yes! I know!"
The subordinate nodded quickly. After witnessing Nangong Qianyu's ferocity, he naturally didn't dare to lie.
"Sir! This group of people today is..."
Swoosh!
Just as the man was about to reveal everything, from behind him, an arrow radiating a crimson glow suddenly shot towards the back of his head. Everywhere it passed, it left a chilling aura in the air.
"Heh! You couldn't resist acting after all!"
While the subordinate was completely unaware that his life hung in the balance, with a spatial distortion, the crimson arrow that was about to hit him, as if it had plunged into an invisible mire, its swift, wind-like speed abruptly halted.
The killing intent carried by the arrow vanished instantly.
Yet, despite this, the terrifying chill from behind made the subordinate feel as if he had fallen into an icy abyss. His body convulsed, and he slumped to the ground.
In that instant, death had brushed past him.
He stared with wide, bewildered eyes.
In contrast, Ye Ming remained calm. It seemed as if everything that had happened was within his expectations.
Not only him, but Nangong Qianyu too.
Of course!
Compared to their composure, Xu Jingyao, standing beside them, was somewhat panicked.
Her gaze remained fixed on the arrow suspended in mid-air, unable to snap back for a long time.
"Come out! There's no need to hide!"
Ye Ming said calmly, looking at the dissipating arrow.
Yes!
The arrow was not physical but condensed from energy.
It was a form of attack.
Such a method was not overly profound among ancient martial artists; it was merely an application of spiritual energy.
"Your skill is impressive!"
After Ye Ming spoke, a masked man leaped down from a large tree a hundred meters away. He landed with barely a sound, demonstrating his exquisite control over his strength.
"Oh!"
Seeing the masked figure, Ye Ming smiled playfully and said, "Since you dare not show your true face, it seems someone among us recognizes you, right?"
"Hmm?"
Hearing this, the masked man frowned, feeling a hint of unease.
Then, Ye Ming's next words turned his slight unease into outright terror.
"Miss Jingyao! You might recognize this person!"
Ye Ming looked at the masked man with a half-smile, beckoning Xu Jingyao to come closer.
"I..."
Seeing Ye Ming's gesture, Xu Jingyao glanced at the imposing masked man. Honestly, she felt a little scared.
"It's alright! I'll go with you!"
Nangong Qianyu linked her arm with hers, giving Xu Jingyao a reassuring look.
With Nangong Qianyu by her side, and recalling the explosive display earlier, Xu Jingyao's confidence in Nangong Qianyu now even surpassed her confidence in Ye Ming.
Thus, the two approached Ye Ming.
Facing the three of them, the masked man's gaze immediately fell upon Xu Jingyao.
Strangely, his gaze towards Xu Jingyao held little hostility; it was merely complex and tinged with… helplessness.
His every move was evident to Ye Ming and Nangong Qianyu.
At the same time, this confirmed Ye Ming's earlier words: the other party knew Xu Jingyao.
"You... you give me a very familiar feeling!"
At this moment, Xu Jingyao seemed to notice the other's gaze. She frowned slightly, her voice laced with apprehension, and said.
"Miss! You must have mistaken me for someone else!"
The masked man averted his gaze, not daring to meet Xu Jingyao's eyes, and looked back at the surviving subordinate lying on the ground.
"Still thinking of how to silence him?"
Ye Ming seemed to have seen through his intentions and said with a half-smile, "Even if you kill him, the others nearby didn't die. When they wake up, they can still reveal everything."
Here, Ye Ming even offered a suggestion: "If you truly don't want things to be exposed, you could try killing me! That way, perhaps no one will know about today's events!"
It must be said, the suggestion Ye Ming offered was indeed a good one.
Whether it was feasible was another matter entirely.
Hearing these words, Xu Jingyao's beautiful eyes widened again. She began to doubt if her ears were playing tricks on her.
Was the young man beside her actually advising the other party on how to prevent something from being revealed?
Was this a joke?
At this moment, not only Xu Jingyao had this thought, but the masked man opposite her did too.
His mind was a bit muddled.
But then again, what the young man before him said was not wrong. To prevent things from becoming known to the outside world, he had no choice but to silence the witness.
"Thank you for your suggestion!"
The masked man took a deep breath, waved his hand, and the surrounding air instantly changed. Accompanied by the energy surging from the man's body, the previously turbulent airflow gathered behind him, condensing into crimson arrows that pointed at Ye Ming.
"To show my gratitude, I'll let you die quickly!"
With that, a ferocious glint flashed in the masked man's eyes. He brought his hand down.
"Kill!"