Chapter 1253

A few shades of dimness flickered in Gu Jinzhi's eyes.

She tossed another five copper coins.

The five copper coins, as before, rolled across the ground.

"Ron'er!"

Hearing Gai Nie was overcome with grief, his eyes blood-red, nearly breaking into sobs.

This kind of wound pained him far more than death itself.

Hearing Gai Nie immediately decided to take Miss Duanmu back to Shu City and summon the finest imperial physician in the Shu Kingdom to examine and treat her injuries.

As for that assassin, Hearing Gai Nie had also noted them down and was secretly tailing them.

He swore silently to himself that once he returned to the Shu Kingdom, he would get to the bottom of this assassin's identity.

Only, he would never have imagined.

This assassin was not someone sent by the Qinglong Society Sect at all.

On the contrary, it was an old friend he had met while traveling in Jiangnan...

"Oh no, how did I end up going the wrong way!"

"Isn't this the way to the brothel!"

"Sigh! What rotten luck! I actually took a wrong turn!"

Just at this moment, a burst of noisy voices suddenly rose from the street corner.

Right after it came the thundering rumble of galloping hooves.

"My lord, Young Lady, please go slowly..."

The tavern proprietress's voice was very anxious, but before she could finish speaking, a fine steed was seen charging toward them at full speed.

"Giddy-up—"

After the carriage came to a stop, a man in white robes was seen leaping down from it.

He had a handsome, refined face and an elegant bearing.

But a hideous scar on his face ruined his handsome appearance.

And at this moment, the man was reaching out to lift the carriage curtain.

Revealing inside, a delicate, Eight Linglong young girl seated within.

The girl was still quite young, looking to be about seven or eight years old.

Yet between her brows there was a hint of haughtiness, as though she rather looked down on people.

"Little sis, stop fussing! I'll take you to stroll through the garden!"

The man gently patted the top of the girl's head and coaxed her in a mild tone.

"Hmph, I don't like gardens at all!"

The girl pouted, clearly not buying it.

"Since you don't want to go, big brother will keep you company and play."

Saying this, the man took hold of the girl's wrist and headed off in another direction.

Inside Tavern 1075.

Only the tavern proprietress remained, standing there in a daze.

She couldn't understand why these two siblings had suddenly rushed out.

Just now in the carriage, the girl had seemed to say she wanted to go out and stroll through a garden.

But the man had insisted on pulling her along, saying there was something urgent to attend to.

The proprietress found it strange, but seeing the two siblings hadn't left, she didn't bother with other people's business.

Little did she expect that, after the pair reached the street, they turned directly into a tavern.

"Hero, our little shop has just closed for the night, I'm afraid we won't be open for business!"

The Shopkeeper hurried forward to greet them, speaking politely.

But the two siblings paid him no attention whatsoever and walked straight into the tavern.

They then instructed the Shopkeeper to have the staff bring out every delicacy for the two of them to taste and enjoy.

After the two ate and drank their fill, they came back out to wander about.

They happened to run into Hearing Gai Nie and Duanmu Rong locked in combat.

"Ron'er! How are you?"

Watching helplessly as Miss Duanmu was wounded, Hearing Gai Nie's eyes instantly reddened with panic, and he quickly grabbed her shoulders to ask.

"Big brother! How did you get here?"

Seeing Hearing Gai Nie suddenly appear, Duanmu Rong said joyfully, "It was you who saved Ron'er, wasn't it?"

Hearing Gai Nie said nothing.

Duanmu Rong had a gentle, obedient nature—kind, pure, and even a little silly.

But she was, after all, a top-tier expert, with extraordinarily keen perception.

Just now, when she heard the words Hearing Gai Nie had called out, she felt something was off.

Especially in that instant, she clearly sensed a terrifying power erupt suddenly from Hearing Gai Nie's body.

This force was in no way inferior to half a step into the Heavenly Being realm!

What was going on?

Could big brother have already stepped into the Innate Realm long ago?

But how could that be possible!

Although Hearing Gai Nie had extraordinary aptitude and outstanding comprehension,

But from childhood on, every single time he had been diligently studying all manner of classic texts and medical books, never once slacking off.

Yet just relying on this bit of foundation he had, he wanted to reach the Innate Realm? It was simply a fool's dream!

Miss Duanmu was shaken to her core, yet she did not probe further.

She had only one thought in her heart: to escape as quickly as possible.

Therefore, taking advantage of the moment when Hearing Gai Nie was holding her and his attention was divided.

Miss Duanmu broke free from his embrace and darted toward the outside of the wine shop.

But who was Hearing Gai Nie?

The dignified Hearing Gai Nie, Sword Saint!

How could he possibly give up so easily.

He immediately raised his true Qi and gave chase after Miss Duanmu.

Miss Duanmu's movement technique was superb, her speed astonishingly fast, and in the blink of an eye she had already shot out more than ten zhang of distance.

"Careful!"

It was just that she, Wan Wan, had never expected that her own elder brother would be so stubbornly unrepentant.

When she turned her head to look back, she saw her elder brother actually standing in place, neither dodging nor flinching.

This scene frightened her out of her wits, and she could not help crying out in alarm.

"Big brother! Dodge, quick!"

Miss Duanmu screamed as she ran, yet the speed beneath her feet did not slow by even the slightest bit.

What she thought in her heart was: no matter what, she could not abandon her own elder brother to fend for himself.

"Hahaha! Little brat, you think you can shake me off?"

Seeing that Miss Duanmu was about to crash into Hearing Gai Nie's body, she instead heard him suddenly roar furiously, his entire body's true Qi surging.

A crisp 'crack' was heard.

That layer of protective Thunder Gang Qi forcibly bounced Miss Duanmu away.

"Ah!"

Miss Duanmu let out a wretched cry, tumbled to the ground, and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

Hearing Gai Nie, heart aching beyond measure, threw himself before her, his eyes brimming with tears.

"Rongrong, I've come too late! Don't worry, I Yidinghui Gang avenge you!"

In Hearing Gai Nie's eyes there surged an intense hatred and fury.

"Big brother, Rongrong doesn't want to marry Li Shimin, he's far too brutal!"