Chapter 48

Two men in black walked one after the other, maintaining a distance of several steps. Even in this desolate, deep forest, they remained highly alert, showing a high level of professionalism.

This made Qin Feng's heart tremble slightly, as the people sent by the Western Qin in the previous pursuit were all military officers. These men, however, were clearly not just skilled soldiers but had undergone special training.

The man in front saw a mark on a tree and walked over to examine the wild grass drawn on it. Gao Yuan understood that this wild grass must carry some information, but unfortunately, he did not know what it was. The other man stood with his back to the tree, his eyes sharply observing the surroundings.

Suddenly, he let out a soft exclamation, and the sound drew the attention of the other man in black.

"What's wrong? Did you find something?"

One of them pointed to the trap bait. Qin Feng's bait was not very sophisticated, at least not to an expert, and these two men were clearly experts. Qin Feng's purpose was to divert their attention.

At this moment, Qin Feng had already adjusted his body and mind to their best state, waiting for the moment when they would go to check the bait, ready to launch a sudden attack. He gripped the hilt of his knife tightly, and his whole body tensed up.

However, to Qin Feng's surprise, the two men in black, upon discovering the anomaly, did not move to investigate it. Instead, they simultaneously took something from their waists and aimed it at the trap.

Seeing what they held, Qin Feng was greatly alarmed. It was the Western Qin's special powerful crossbow, with such strong penetration that it could pierce through even the best steel armor, let alone the leaves covering Princess Zhao Hua.

Seeing the crossbow raised, Qin Feng knew he could no longer wait. He roared and leaped forward like a leopard, his iron knife raised high, and he struck down from the air.

The two men in black, who had noticed the anomaly in the trap, did not realize that a killer was hiding nearby. Qin Feng's sudden appearance shocked them. Both crossbows turned to aim at the charging Qin Feng, and with two whistling sounds, two arrows were shot.

With two sharp clangs, the arrows were deflected by the iron knife, which continued its unimpeded path. Qin Feng still came down like a mountain, his knife aimed at the head.

One man stepped forward, while the other quickly retreated.

The man who stepped forward did not have time to draw his knife and could only raise his crossbow. With a light snap, the crossbow broke, his hand broke, and his head was severed. Blood spurted as Qin Feng landed, and with a slight push on the ground, he charged again, merging with his knife to strike the other man.

Fear appeared in the eyes of the man in black, but to Qin Feng's surprise, he made no attempt to dodge or block. Instead, he raised his hand, and a black object flew into the air.

"Alarm!" Qin Feng was greatly alarmed. He threw his iron knife at the man in black, and in mid-air, he changed direction, chasing after the flying object. He managed to grab the tail of the object, but with a slight tremor, the tail was caught, and the head separated, whistling sharply as it shot into the sky. After rising several meters, it exploded into a cloud of colorful mist that lingered for a long time.

His efforts were in vain. Qin Feng landed heavily, his eyes filled with uncontrollable rage. He squeezed the object in his hand, turning it into powder.

The iron knife collided heavily with the man's newly drawn knife. With a dull sound, the man's short knife flew out of his hand, his right wrist dislocated, and his internal organs were severely shaken, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth as he stared at Qin Feng with fear in his eyes.

Qin Feng took a step forward, and the man in black suddenly flipped his left hand, pulling out something and putting it in his mouth. Just as his hand rose, he felt intense pain. Qin Feng, who had been several steps away, was already in front of him, his strong hand tightly gripping his wrist. With a snap, the wrist broke.

Following this, intense pain shot through his legs, and the man in black fell to the ground, both legs broken by Qin Feng. With both hands and legs broken, the man lay on the ground, only able to breathe heavily, unable to move.

Qin Feng took a small pill from the man's tightly clenched left hand, sniffed it, and sneered, "Want to die? It's not that easy. Tell me, who are you?"

The man in black lay on the ground, blood still gushing from his mouth, but the fear in his eyes gradually faded. He looked at Qin Feng without a word.

"Do you want to act tough in front of me? I've seen plenty of tough guys." Qin Feng sneered, grabbed the man's right hand, and realigned the dislocated joint. He then grabbed the man's little finger and applied pressure. The man in black could not help but let out a long, agonizing scream as his little finger was crushed.

"Who are you? How many of you are there?" Qin Feng gripped the man's ring finger.

The man in black closed his eyes.

Qin Feng applied pressure again, and another scream echoed.

This happened three times, and in a moment, all five fingers of the man's hand were completely ruined. But apart from the agonizing screams, the man in black did not say a single word.

Seeing the man in black, drenched in sweat and resigned to his fate, Qin Feng sighed. This was a true assassin; there was no hope of getting any information from him. He reached out and grabbed the man's throat. At this moment, he saw a glimmer of joy in the man's eyes.

With a twist of his hand, the man's head tilted to one side. Qin Feng searched the man's body but found nothing to identify him, only some weapons. He did the same with the other man, whose head had been severed.

Looking up at the colorful cloud in the sky, which was slowly dispersing, Qin Feng knew that the time ahead would be filled with blood and rain. But if Deng Pu came personally, what could he do?

He quickly dug through the leaves in the trap, pulled out Min Ruoxi, and released her acupoints. Without a word, he hoisted her onto his back, tied her securely with a rope, picked up his iron knife, and ran forward.

"You, you're not going to deal with those bodies?" Min Ruoxi asked, seeing Qin Feng run away without a second thought, unlike his cautious behavior a few days ago.

"There's no need. We are now in their line of sight. The only way out is to fight our way through," Qin Feng said grimly.

Princess Zhao Hua's body trembled, and she fell silent. Qin Feng turned and handed her a pill, "This is for you."

"What is it?" Min Ruoxi asked.

"It's poison. If you take it, you will die instantly, and it will seal your throat," Qin Feng said.

Min Ruoxi's hand trembled, almost dropping the pill, "You mean I should take it if I have no other choice?"

"Whether you take it or not is up to you!" Qin Feng ran forward, trees flying past on both sides, "As a princess, if you have no other choice, taking it might be more dignified."

Min Ruoxi thought for a moment, "I understand. Do you have no confidence in escaping?"

"No!" Qin Feng said bluntly, "If the pursuers were just a seventh or eighth-level expert, I would have some confidence in fighting them, but Deng Pu is beyond the ninth level. The huge gap in skill cannot be overcome by bravery alone. Moreover, Deng Pu is extremely experienced; no tricks will work against him."

"Qin Feng, but I heard that you haven't even crossed the fifth-level threshold. How can you have the confidence to fight against seventh and eighth-level experts?" Min Ruoxi asked curiously.

"I'm different!" Qin Feng laughed, "Due to the cultivation method I practice, I was fortunate to meet Dr. Shu, who expanded my meridians with drugs, nearly doubling their size. The amount of internal energy in my body is not inferior to that of a seventh-level expert. Combined with the power of my cultivation method, I do have the strength to fight an eighth-level expert. There is still a glimmer of hope, but in front of a ninth-level expert, I am still no match."