Chapter 17

When Liu Nu saw his two subordinates killed and a man dressed as a hunter appear, blocking Su Qingzhi's way, his smile froze on his face.

He had just boasted that no one in the entire Jiangzhou would dare to meddle in the Liu family's affairs, but someone had come to her aid.

His expression darkened, and he said coldly, "You dare to challenge death. Kill him."

Liu Nu's words were meant to destroy her will, to plunge her into the depths of despair, and to plant the idea that the Liu family was unshakable in her mind.

In the future, even if she truly gained the favor of the Fifth Prince, she would still fear the Liu family and dare not easily oppose them.

Who knew that a hunter who had appeared out of nowhere would ruin everything and kill his subordinates.

Just by looking at Su Qingzhi's expression now, it was clear that his words had been in vain.

Liu Nu's killing intent boiled within him.

Eight of his subordinates behind him raised their whips, spurred their horses across the stream, drew their weapons, and, accompanied by the neighing of horses, charged at the hunter.

The morning sun slanted through the branches, casting a cold light on the weapons.

Su Qingzhi and the young maid watched as the eight knights charged at Gu Yang with great momentum, their hands tightly clasped together, their hearts in their throats.

In the next moment, they saw a flash of golden light.

They saw blood splatter, and the eight Liu family knights fell from their horses.

The strong smell of blood almost made Su Qingzhi vomit.

This was the first time she had seen Gu Yang in action. She couldn't even see his movements clearly, only feeling his figure flash, and eight people were dead.

She had never seen such fast swordsmanship, such a decisive and ruthless way of killing. The sight of him cutting down eight people in one stroke left a profound impact on her.

"Blood Killing Sword Technique!"

A middle-aged man beside Liu Nu immediately recognized the sword technique the hunter used, his eyes filled with gravity, "Are you from the military?"

The Blood Killing Sword Technique was traditionally passed down in the military, and only officers of the rank of major or above could learn it.

Either this person was from the military, or he came from a military family. He was certainly not an ordinary hunter.

People from the military were not to be trifled with. A single misstep could bring down a few war gods from the military.

The man replied coolly, "Scared?"

This time, Liu Nu spoke, "Liu Nu of the Liu family from Bazhou. May I ask for your name?"

His attitude was completely different from before.

The other party had shown sufficient strength, and the sword technique he used was a secret military technique, which made him take it seriously. He wanted to find out the other party's background.

"Gu Yang."

Liu Nu's eyes narrowed, "From the Gu family in Yunzhou or the Gu family in Shendu?"

In the world, the two most famous Gu families were in Yunzhou and Shendu.

The Gu family in Yunzhou had a thousand-year-old lineage and was a first-class family.

The Gu family in Shendu had a close relationship with the Gu family in Yunzhou, one of the founding heroes of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the hereditary Marquis of Wuan. The current Marquis of Wuan was a famous spear master known throughout the world.

Whichever one it was, the Liu family could not afford to offend them easily.

The man avoided answering, saying, "I'm taking these two women with me."

Liu Nu stared at him for a while, then shook his head, "That's not possible. She is wanted by the Fifth Prince."

The man seemed to sigh, "Then there's nothing to talk about."

Liu Nu was still somewhat wary of him, saying, "Why would you risk becoming an enemy of the Liu family and the Fifth Prince for a woman? There are plenty of women in the world. Don't ruin yourself."

"Attack."

Gu Yang was tired of talking.

There were plenty of women in the world, but the one who was willing to pay him 30,000 taels was probably the only one.

...

When Su Qingzhi heard Liu Nu mention the Fifth Prince, she stared at Gu Yang, but saw no hesitation on his face. The words "Attack" showed his unwavering determination.

Her nose tingled, and her vision blurred. She unconsciously tightened her grip on Zhixing's hand, hurting her, but she didn't notice.

...

"Tong Shu."

Liu Nu said to the middle-aged man beside him, "It's up to you."

The middle-aged man stepped forward, his long sword already drawn, pointing at Gu Yang, "Zhang Tong, I would like to learn your Blood Killing Sword Technique."

Gu Yang sensed the familiar aura from the man, knowing that he was the Sixth Rank Warrior who had left a psychological shadow on him.

In the previous simulation, although he had overcome his heart demon and advanced to the Sixth Rank, he still couldn't defeat this man.

Now, after another simulation and nearly a decade of hard training, he had learned the powerful Blood Killing Sword Technique, and he finally had the confidence to face him.

"Stop!"

Just as the battle was about to begin, a woman's voice rang out.

The three of them turned to see Su Qingzhi, who pushed aside Zhixing and stepped forward, her voice hoarse, "Liu Nu, I'll go with you."

This statement took everyone by surprise.

"Miss—"

The young maid Zhixing was stunned.

In the cold wind, Su Qingzhi's frail body stood firm. She didn't look at Gu Yang beside her, but said resolutely, "This is a matter of the Su family, and it has nothing to do with others."

Liu Nu was first shocked, then overjoyed, saying, "If Miss Su can understand, that's the best."

The Sixth Rank Warrior Zhang Tong looked at her with a complex expression. He could see that this Miss Su was unwilling to let Gu Yang die for her.

One was willing to become an enemy of the Liu family and the Fifth Prince for her.

The other was unwilling to let him die, even at the cost of her own life.

Such feelings moved even a man of iron like him.

"Miss—" The young maid Zhixing was already crying.

Su Qingzhi knew that too many people had died for her. Her parents, her entire family, had all died because of her.

She didn't want anyone else to die for her!

She would bear her own misfortune.

She would take revenge for her own grievances!

Thinking of how he had spent the whole night driving away the cold for her, her heart ached, and she said softly, "Big Brother Gu, your kindness, I will repay in the next life..."

"Stupid."

At that moment, Gu Yang's voice rang out, followed by a gust of wind.

A loud clang echoed, making her ears hurt.

Su Qingzhi turned around and saw Gu Yang already engaged in battle with Zhang Tong, the wind from their movements almost blinding her.

Her heart felt as if it was being tightly gripped, making it hard to breathe.

After a moment, everything calmed down.

She opened her eyes and saw Gu Yang standing there, covered in blood. Her mind went blank, and she almost fainted.