Oh. My. Fate?! (BL, Volume #1)

44 Leave Behind Your Lives!

Mister Zhong knelt on the ground andclutched his arm, the ground around him splattered with blood. Hiswife crouched beside him and held onto his shoulder, crying. Beforethem stood five men or rather one of them stood with a blood-soakedsword in his hand while the other four were seated on their horses,looking down at the couple.

"I asked you what happened!"

Mister Zhong tightened his lipswhile the blood continued to ooze out of the wound.

Madam Zhong shook her head wildly,making her hair fly in all directions. "We don't knowanything! We already said we don't know anything!"

"Shut up! I'm talking to yourman! You must have seen that guy! What did he look like? Where did hego?"

Mister Zhong leaned against hiswife. After losing so much blood he felt dizzy. "Really ..."He didn't get to say more.

In a flash of white robes, Qiu Lingarrived before the bandit and kicked him away just like the one frombefore. The man crashed against a tree, slid down and lay there, notmoving again. Qiu Ling turned around to the other bandits.

The four men looked at theirbrother, then gazed at Qiu Ling incredulously. One of them leanedover to the man in the middle. "Boss ... Did that old man just ...knock out fifth brother?"

The other two men also looked at theleader. They hadn't even seen that white-haired geezer approachthem until he kicked their fifth brother.

The leader of the bandits furrowedhis brow. "Old man, what is the meaning of this?"

Qiu Ling smiled at him. "Iheard an interesting story yesterday."

"Hah?" One of the otherbandits twitched his lips. "Tch, you're asking for a beating,old man!" He unsheathed his sword and urged on his horse.

Qiu Ling stood still and waited forthe bandit to reach him. He smiled when the man brandished his sword,stepped to the side and grabbed the bandit's wrist. Then he pulledhim out of the saddle. The bandit crashed to the ground. He wanted toroll to the side and get up but Qiu Ling still clutched his wrist.Even worse, while the bandit struggled he stepped onto his back andheld him down.

"I heard an interesting storyyesterday," he repeated and looked up at the three men on thehorses.

The two on the sides watched himwith black faces but they didn't dare act rashly. Their leadercontrolled his emotions better. Nothing could be gleaned from hisface. His fingers tapped his thigh and he slightly narrowed his eyes."What kind of story?"

"It's about the history ofthis place."

"Oh?"

"You see people call this partof the Long kingdom the Long mountain range. But despite its name, itisn't a mountain but a dragon instead. Apparently, this empire isblessed because the dragon king once helped the emperor to establishit so nobody dares invade. I reckon the dragon slumbering here wouldbe one of the subjects of the dragon king."

"The people indeed tell a storylike that."

"Mn." Qiu Ling smiled."You see I might not look like it but I have some relations withthe dragon race. Since the dragon king seems to have decided toprotect this empire I should help him, don't you think so?"

"Help him?" The leader ofthe bandits smiled. "Old man, I admit you're pretty feisty foryour age. But you took our fifth and fourth brother by surprise. Doyou really think you can defeat the three of us now that we'reprepared?"

"Of course." Qiu Ling'ssmile grew even sweeter. "I believe there is something youpeople tend to say in this kind of situation. What was it again?"He averted his face and squinted his eyes, all the while rubbing hisfingers as if it could help him remember. "Ah!" Qiu Lingdropped his hand. "We might have to modify it a bit." Helooked at the bandits again, the playful smile gone and his lipsforming a straight line. "This mountain came into being throughme, these trees could grow thanks to me. Since you dared to harm mypeople, leave behind your lives!"

He let go of the bandit's arm andstepped on his neck. The bandit's eyes bulged but he couldn'teven cry out. Crack. His life was gone just like that. With aflourish of his sleeves, Qiu Ling sent out a gust of wind that blewthe two bandits at the sides from their horses. They fell and rolledto the side, moaning and doubling over in pain.

With one step, Qiu Ling came up totheir leader. He grabbed him by the throat and lifted him from thehorse. The man clutched at his hands and flailed his legs but QiuLing didn't budge an inch.

"You're overestimatingyourself. Seriously, if you hadn't gone after them again, you mighthave lived." No one was allowed to make his beloved cry!

His fingers squeezed. The leaderstruggled harder but he couldn't free himself. His face only turnedredder with each moment. Finally, he stopped breathing. Qiu Lingthrew him to the ground, not bothering with him any longer. Instead,his gaze locked onto the two men who had just gotten up.

The bandits tensed, exchanged aglance and turned around. They tried to run away but in the nextsecond, Qiu Ling stood before them, each hand grabbing one of theirshoulders and holding them in place.

Daring to hurt his beloved but notdaring to bear the consequences? He'd make them pay with theirlives!

Qiu Ling didn't waste time. Hishands went straight for their hearts this time. He let the deadbodies fall to the ground, their blood forming a pool below them. Adeep gash blemished their chests but not even a drop of blood hadsoiled Qiu Ling's hands or clothes.

Looking at him like that he seemedlike a cold-blooded immortal, detached from the world and uncaringabout all human life. Still, he had done this to save two people.

Mister Zhong couldn't help butlook at his wife while still clutching his injured arm. "Are yousure, he's not a here—"

His wife threw him a furious glare.She really wanted to whack her husband over the head right now! Butshe didn't dare to behave unruly in front of this Daoist Master.

Qiu Ling wanted to turn around tothem and have a look at Mister Zhong's injury when a small voicecried out to him: "Grandfather!" Jing Yi stood at the edgeof the path, his small face pale with fright while he took in thedead bodies of the five bandits.

Qiu Ling closed his eyes, barelyholding back a curse. Damn it! He really wanted to kill those guysall over again!