Chapter 6: White-robed Young Man

"Argh!"

Liu Le'er wanted to unleash an ability to stop the horse-like beast, but in her panicked state, the magic power in her body wasn't circulating correctly, and she couldn't help but let loose a cry of alarm.

In this dire situation, she suddenly felt a shadow being cast over her. As it turned out, Liu Shi had abruptly stepped forward to shield her with his body, and at the same time, he had reached out with one hand like lightning, grabbing onto the horse-like beast's thick neck before turning his body to the side to collide head-on with the beast.

A loud thump rang out as the horse-like beast let loose an almighty neigh, and its enormous body was stopped cold in its tracks as if it had crashed into an immovable mountain.

Due to the excessive momentum that it had built up, a few of the hard stone slabs that the street was paved with were shattered under its thundering hooves.

At the same time, the carriage was propelled forward by its momentum and crashed into the beast's backside before flying several feet away to the side, then fell onto the ground with a heavy thump.

The carriage wasn't completely tipped over, but it had been significantly warped from the collision, and many pieces of its frame had come flying off before clattering onto the ground.

The coach driver was almost thrown off the carriage from the impact, but Liu Shi was standing completely still on the spot as if he had been nailed into place.

All of the nearby bystanders were astonished to see this, and a faint exclamation of surprise rang out from a certain teahouse.

Liu Le'er patted her own chest with a hint of lingering fear in her eyes, and a rush of warmth surged through her heart at the sight of the reliable figure standing before her.

During the past few years, whenever she encountered any danger, Liu Shi would always instinctively step in to protect her. Even though they weren't related by blood, they were just as close as blood relatives.

After being stopped cold in its tracks by Liu Shi, the azure horse beast became even more agitated, and it neighed furiously as it lowered its head before charging directly at Liu Shi's chest at full speed.

"Look out, Brother Rock!" Liu Le'er exclaimed in alarm.

Liu Shi remained completely expressionless as he locked his hand around the beast's neck, then exerted downward force with his arm.

The horse-like beast's legs buckled beneath it, and its enormous body was instantly flattened, causing it to fall to its knees, shattering all of the stone slabs on the ground around it in the process.

It felt as if its entire body were being crushed under a mountain that was threatening to shatter all of its bones, and the deranged look in its eyes immediately faded, replaced by a sense of fear.

In the face of Liu Shi, who possessed far superior strength to itself, the horse-like beast finally calmed down, sitting on its haunches in a docile manner, not daring to move.

"What incredible strength! With the momentum it built up, that horse beast had to have crashed into him with no less than two tons of force, yet he was able to stop it with ease!"

"Incredible, indeed!"

"Whose manor does this carriage belong to? How dare you drive it through a busy market so recklessly? If that man hadn't stepped in, who knows how many people could've been hurt or killed?"

Only after hearing this did everyone come to realize the severity of the situation, and they all erupted into spirited discussion.

Meanwhile, Liu Shi released the beast's neck in a wooden manner and fell still again.

Even though the horse-like beast had been released, it was still panting heavily and didn't dare to stand up.

"Are you alright, Brother Rock?" Liu Le'er hurriedly approached Liu Shi to examine his body, and she was very relieved to see that he was unharmed.

The coach driver had already turned as pale as a sheet, and now that the beast had been tamed, all of the energy seemed to have been drained from his body at once as he collapsed feebly onto the carriage.

Right at this moment, the door of the carriage was flung open, and two pale-faced young men emerged from within.

The first of the two men appeared to be around 20 years of age. He was quite handsome, and was wearing a white scholarly robe.

The other man appeared to only be 17 to 18 years of age with a complexion that was as fair as jade. The black pupils and whites of his eyes formed a very distinct contrast, as did his pearly white teeth and red lips. He was wearing a long white robe with a jade belt around his waist and a jade hat on his head. A pigeon-egg-sized jewel was embedded onto the hat, and he possessed far more style and flair than his companion.

"What the hell's wrong with you, you useless piece of trash? I almost died in there!"

The young man in the scholarly robe had a look of lingering fear in his eyes, and he snatched the horsewhip away from the coach driver before giving him a vicious beating with it.

With each strike of the whip, a bleeding gash appeared on the coach driver's body, but he didn't dare to evade the punishment and could only kowtow incessantly while begging for forgiveness.

The young man became even more incensed upon seeing this, and the whip fell with increased venom.

"Shush! They're from the Yu Manor!"

"This is none of our business, so let's all stop talking about it."

……

Once the two young men who had emerged from the carriage were identified, the discussions ringing out nearby immediately subsided. Everyone was looking at the two men with timid expressions, and it was clear that they all knew who the two men were.

"Let it go, Brother. Azure Wind Horses are low-grade demon beasts that are very wild in nature and difficult to tame, so he can't be blamed for this."

A hand suddenly reached out before grabbing the young man by the wrist, preventing the whip from falling again. It was the younger of the two men who had stepped in, and his voice was as pleasant to the ears as flowing spring water.

The whip-wielding young man took a glance at his companion, and his lips twitched slightly, following which he gave a cold harrumph before tossing the whip away.

"Thank you, Young Master!" The coach driver hurriedly began to kowtow toward the white-robed young man.

"Here, take this silver and compensate all of the people and shops that have been harmed by our carriage. If you can do a good job of that, you'll be spared harsh punishment," the white-robed young man said as he pulled out a bag before handing it over to the coach driver.

"Yes, Young Master." The coach driver hurriedly nodded in response as he took the bag of silver, then made his way toward the people who had been injured during the Azure Wind Horse's rampage.

"Thank heavens you were here to tame this Azure Wind Horse. It wouldn't be a big deal if my brother and I were injured, but it would be a travesty if we were to bring misfortune upon others," the white-robed young man said as he turned to Liu Shi with a smile, then cupped his fist in a salute.

The young man in the scholarly robe also turned to Liu Shi, only to find that he was completely unremarkable in appearance with a slightly dark complex and was wearing a simple azure robe that was rather shabby in appearance. A hint of disdain appeared in his eyes upon seeing this, and he cupped his fist in a rather half-hearted salute.

Liu Shi remained completely silent as he stared blankly at the two young men.

The scholarly-robed young man had never been ignored like this before, and he was just about to flare up with rage again, only to be stopped by the white-robed young man.

The young man took a closer look at Liu Shi, and his heart stirred slightly upon noticing the strangely vacant look in Liu Shi's eyes.

More and more people began to gather in the surrounding area, and Liu Le'er was beginning to feel rather uneasy. She gently tugged on Liu Shi's arm as she said in a quiet voice, "Let's go, Brother Rock."

Only then did the white-robed young man notice Liu Le'er, and his eyes immediately lit up at the sight of her gorgeous doll-like features. He hurriedly stepped forward to stop them as he said, "Please wait a moment."

"What do you want?" Liu Le'er asked as her brows furrowed tightly in her best attempt at a menacing expression.

"My name is Yu Qi. The carriage from just now belongs to our manor, and I sincerely apologize for putting you through such an ordeal," the white-robed young man said with a warm smile. [1]

"It's fine. Get out of our way so we can leave," Liu Le'er said with a hostile expression.

"If your brother hadn't stepped in, the consequences could've been catastrophic, so I would feel very guilty if I couldn't repay you somehow. The Yu Manor is not far away from here. Would you be open to paying our manor a visit so we can repay you with some hospitality?" Yu Qi asked.

"There's no need for that. It was the least that we could do in that situation. We still have other important matters to attend to, so we'll be on our way now." Liu Le'er shook her head without any hesitation, then began to skirt around the white-robed young man with Liu Shi in tow.

However, Yu Qi immediately positioned himself in front of the two of them again, then took a glance at Liu Shi before asking with an earnest expression, "Hold on. Could it be that by important matters, you're referring to seeking treatment for your brother?"

Liu Le'er was quite taken aback to hear this, and she asked with a surprised expression, "H... How did you know about that?"

"I was born with a very sensitive nose. Judging from the medicinal scent on your bodies, I presume you just came out of the nearby Wild Chrysanthemum Clinic. Your brother possesses incredible strength, but it looks like he's suffering from some type of mental ailment, and that's what led to my assumption. It looks like I was correct in my guess," Yu Qi explained as he cast his gaze toward the nearby Wild Chrysanthemum Clinic with a smile.

Even though he was a man, there was an indescribable hint of seduction in his smile.

As a young girl in her early teens, Liu Le'er was momentarily entranced by his smile, but she then immediately turned to Liu Shi to gauge his reaction. Liu Shi was still as expressionless as ever, and for some reason, that instilled her with a sense of reassurance.

The white-robed young man's smile faded as he continued, "Our Yu Family is a decently influential family in Farbright City with connections to many renowned doctors, so if it's medical services that you seek, then perhaps we can be of help to you."

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"We did come to Farbright City to seek out medical services, but my brother's condition isn't something that can be cured by the average doctor," Liu Le'er said with a shake of her head.

Yu Qi's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, but after some contemplation, he smiled as he said, "It sounds like your brother is suffering from a rather unusual ailment. However, we should still be able to help. Our Yu Family has an immortal guest elder who's very adept in the way of medicine, far more so than the average doctor. How about we get him to take a look at your brother's condition?"

Liu Le'er's eyes immediately lit up at the prospect of seeing an immortal doctor, and she was rather hesitant about how to proceed.

"Please don't turn down my offer. Just allow me to repay you for your efforts. I don't wish to come across as arrogant or boastful, but even though there are other immortal doctors in Farbright City, no one would dare to claim superiority in the way of medicine over our guest elder," Yu Qi proclaimed in a proud manner.

In the end, Liu Le'er was lured in by the white-robed young man's offer, and she reluctantly agreed, "Alright, we'll go with you, but we're leaving right away if that immortal doctor can't cure my brother's condition."

Yu Qi was ecstatic to hear this, and he said, "Of course. By the way, I still haven't had a chance to ask your names."

Liu Le'er hesitated momentarily before introducing herself and Liu Shi.

The scholarly-robed young man had been ignored for quite some time now, and he was clearly feeling rather disgruntled. Finally, he couldn't help but interject, "Brother, we've only just met these two and have no idea about their past, how can you just offer to bring them to our manor? Are you really going to get someone to treat him?"

"No need to worry, Brother. I know what I'm doing," Yu Qi replied in a casual voice with a dismissive wave of his hand.

The scholarly-robed young man seemed to be rather fearful of Yu Qi, and he seemed to want to say something further, but refrained from doing so in the end.

Right at this moment, several well-dressed guards equipped with swords and blades hurriedly rushed over from afar.

All of the surrounding bystanders immediately scattered upon seeing this, seemingly quite fearful of these guards.

The guards paid no heed to the bystanders as they hurriedly extended a collective respectful bow toward Yu Qi's duo.

"Please forgive us for arriving so late, young masters." [2]

"We're fine, there's no need to make such a big fuss. Take the carriage back to the manor, and don't make a big deal out of this," Yu Qi instructed in an indifferent voice.

"Yes, Young Master."

The guards immediately did as they were told, quickly tugging the Azure Wind Horse to its feet before departing.

After that, the white-robed young man turned to Liu Le'er and Liu Shi with a smile as he said, "Please come with me."

He then turned to lead the way, and Liu Le'er took another glance at Liu Shi, then tightened her grip on his hand before following along behind Yu Qi.

The scholarly-robed young man looked on as the three of them departed, and his expression became darker and darker. After remaining on the spot for a while longer, he gave a cold harrumph before also following along.

……

"Interesting! Isn't she the one who the prime minister of the Prosperous Nation is doing everything in his power to send to the Cold Flame Sect? I've heard she possesses decent cultivation aptitude."

All of a sudden, two people emerged from a discrete corner of a street not far away. They were led by a black-robed young man with a pair of long and narrow eyes, and he watched with a sinister expression as Yu Qi and the others departed into the distance.

The black-robed young man was accompanied by a man in gray who was as thin as a stick, and there were several bulging beasthide bags hanging from his waist. He was also looking in the same direction as he cautioned, "Be careful, Junior Martial Brother. I've heard that the Yu Manor houses multiple vagrant cultivators, so we can't take them too lightly."

The black-robed young man brushed off his concerns as he said, "I know what to do, Senior Martial Brother Fan. This is my first training mission, and you've only been sent to assist me. Unless any special circumstances arise, there's no need for you to step in. I'll take care of everything on my own."

The man in gray could only fall silent with a wry smile upon hearing this.

He knew this junior martial brother of his very well. Even though his cultivation base was nothing exceptional, he was directly related to one of the elders of the sect, thereby giving him a powerful backer, so he was always looking down on his fellow martial brothers.

All of a sudden, the two of them blurred before vanishing on the spot.

1. The "Qi" in Yu Qi's name is the Chinese character for 7. Earlier, he was referred to as the "seventh young master" when the coach driver said: "Thank you, Young Master!", so the accurate translation is actually "Thank you, Seventh Young Master", but that's not very idiomatic, so I decided against it. Hence, we can deduce that Yu Qi is the seventh young master of the Yu Family. ☜

2. Here, the two men are being referred to as "seventh young master" and "second young master", but once again, translating that literally wouldn't be very idiomatic, so I've just used young masters here to refer to both. From this, we can extrapolate that they are the second and seventh young masters of the Yu Family. ☜