Chapter 6: The White-Robed Youth

"Ah!"

Liu Le'er had intended to cast a spell to block the strange green horse, but her mind wavered, and the spiritual power within her body failed to circulate smoothly, causing her to cry out in alarm.

At the critical moment, she felt her vision darken as Liu Shi suddenly stepped forward, his tall figure shielding her, while his hand shot out like lightning, grabbing the horse's neck, which was as thick as a water bucket. He leaned his body sideways and collided with the strange green horse.

With a thunderous crash!

The strange green horse, letting out a high-pitched neigh, slammed into what seemed like a giant wall, its massive body forcibly halted in place. The impact was so fierce that the hard stone slabs on the nearby street shattered, sending fragments flying.

The silver carriage, propelled by inertia, crashed into the hindquarters of the strange green horse, veered sideways, flew several zhang, and then landed heavily on the ground with a bang.

Though the carriage did not overturn completely, its body was greatly deformed, and a mess of miscellaneous items scattered on the ground.

The driver, losing his balance, nearly tumbled off the carriage.

The tall young man, however, stood as still as a nail, not moving an inch.

Seeing this, the nearby crowd was dumbfounded. From some tea house, an exclamation of "Divine strength!" was heard.

Liu Le'er patted her chest, then looked at the tall figure shielding her, feeling a warmth in her heart.

In the past few years, whenever she encountered danger, her "Stone Brother" would instinctively step forward like this.

Their relationship had long surpassed that of mere relatives; they were closer than kin.

The strange green horse, blocked by Liu Shi, grew even more frenzied. Neighing, it lowered its head and rammed its massive skull fiercely into Liu Shi's chest.

"Stone Brother, be careful!" Liu Le'er exclaimed in alarm.

Expressionless, Liu Shi tightened his grip on the horse's neck and pressed downward.

With a thud, the strange horse's legs buckled, and its enormous body was forced to its knees, collapsing to the ground, shattering all the stone slabs around.

It felt as if a mountain were pressing down on it, its skeleton nearly falling apart. Only then did the blood-red light in its eyes fade, replaced by fear.

Faced with Liu Shi, whose strength far surpassed its own, the strange horse finally calmed down, lying obediently on the ground, not daring to move.

"Such great strength! The force of this horse's charge must be no less than four or five thousand jin, and this man can easily stop it!"

"Impressive!"

"I wonder which mansion's carriage this is, daring to race through the busy streets. If not for this strong man stopping it, who knows how many people would have been hurt!"

Most of the surrounding crowd finally came to their senses and began to discuss among themselves.

Only then did Liu Shi release his arm woodenly and stand still.

Though freed, the strange green horse still panted heavily, not daring to rise from the ground.

"Stone Brother, are you all right?" Liu Le'er hurried forward to check Liu Shi's body. Seeing he was unharmed, she breathed a sigh of relief.

The driver, already pale as death, now collapsed weakly onto the shaft of the carriage, seeing the strange horse subdued.

Just then, the carriage door was pushed open, and two pale-faced young men jumped out.

The first was a man in his twenties, dressed in a moon-white scholar's robe, with handsome features.

The other appeared only seventeen or eighteen, with a face like fine jade, clear black-and-white eyes, red lips, and white teeth. He wore a snow-white long robe, a jade belt, and a jade crown adorned with a pearl the size of a pigeon's egg. His bearing far surpassed that of his companion in the scholar's robe.

"You wretched servant, how do you drive? You nearly killed me!" The young man in the scholar's robe, still shaken, snatched the whip from the driver's hand and lashed him wildly.

Bloody welts appeared on the driver's body, but he dared not dodge, kneeling and kowtowing repeatedly, begging for mercy.

Seeing this, the young man in the scholar's robe grew even angrier, whipping faster.

"Quiet! They're from the Yu Mansion!"

"This has nothing to do with us. Don't say another word."

...

As soon as the two men's true identities were recognized, the nearby discussions abruptly ceased. Everyone looked at the two men with timidity, clearly knowing who they were.

"Second Brother, enough. This isn't entirely his fault. After all, the Green Wind Horse is a low-level demon beast, wild and hard to tame."

A hand suddenly reached out, blocking the scholar-robed man's wrist, stopping the whip mid-strike. It was the slightly younger white-robed youth, whose voice was like the tinkling of a spring, exceptionally pleasant to the ear.

The scholar-robed youth glanced at the white-robed youth, twitched his mouth, then snorted and threw down the whip.

"Thank you, Seventh Young Master!" The driver kowtowed repeatedly to the white-robed youth.

"Rise. Take this silver to compensate those injured by the carriage and the damaged shops. Handle this matter well, and your punishment will be reduced." The white-robed youth took out a pouch and handed it to the driver.

"Yes, yes." The driver nodded repeatedly, took the silver, and walked toward those who had been injured.

"Thanks to this brother for subduing the Green Wind Horse. If my brother and I had been injured, it would have been a small matter, but if others had been hurt, we would never be able to atone for it." The white-robed youth then turned to Liu Shi, smiling and bowing.

Upon seeing this, the young man in the Confucian robe also glanced at Liu Shi. Noting his ordinary features, dark skin, and simple green robe that looked somewhat shabby, his expression immediately grew more contemptuous, and he cupped his hands in a somewhat reluctant manner.

Liu Shi's gaze was wooden, and he remained silent.

The young man in the Confucian robe, never having been so ignored, showed an angry expression and was about to flare up, but the white-robed youth reached out to stop him.

The youth scrutinized Liu Shi for a few moments, noticing something unusual in his eyes, and his heart stirred.

More and more people were gathering around. Liu Le'er felt uneasy and tugged at Liu Shi, whispering, "Stone Brother, let's go."

Only then did the white-robed youth notice Liu Le'er. Seeing her delicate, doll-like features, his eyes lit up. He quickly caught up and blocked their way, saying:

"Please wait, you two."

"What is it?" Liu Le'er stopped, furrowed her brows, and asked with a fierce little face.

"My name is Yu Qi. Just now, the carriage from my mansion lost control and nearly injured you two. I deeply apologize." The white-robed youth said with a full smile.

"We're fine. Move aside." Liu Le'er said with a tight little face.

"Today's matter was resolved thanks to this brother's help. If I don't repay you, I'll feel uneasy. My residence is not far from here. Could I invite you both to sit for a while and let me fulfill my duties as a host?" Yu Qi said slowly.

"No need. What just happened was just a small effort. My brother and I have matters to attend to." Le'er shook her head without hesitation and pulled Liu Shi to walk around the person in front of them.

"Wait. The important matter you mentioned—could it be seeking medical treatment for your brother?" Yu Qi shifted his body and blocked them again. After glancing at the tall youth, he suddenly asked with a serious expression.

"You... how do you know that?" Le'er was startled and couldn't help showing a surprised expression.

"I have a naturally keen sense of smell. You both carry a faint herbal scent, so you must have just come from the nearby Wild Chrysanthemum Studio. Although this brother has astonishing strength, he seems to have some impairment in his divine wisdom. That's why I guessed as much. It seems I'm correct." Yu Qi looked toward the Wild Chrysanthemum Studio and broke into a smile. Though dressed as a man, in that smile, a hint of unusual charm emerged.

Even Le'er, a girl who appeared even younger, was momentarily stunned, but she immediately turned her head to glance at Liu Shi beside her. Seeing that her "Stone Brother" remained expressionless, she inexplicably felt a slight relief.

By then, the white-robed youth had already withdrawn his "stunning" smile and continued:

"Little sister, our Yu family has some influence in Mingyuan City and knows many renowned physicians. If you're seeking medical help, we should be able to assist."

"That's right, we came to Mingyuan City to seek medical treatment, but my brother's illness cannot be cured by ordinary doctors." Liu Le'er still shook her head.

"So it seems your brother's condition is not ordinary. That's fine. Our Yu family has an immortal guest adept in medicine, far superior to ordinary worldly doctors. How about asking him to examine your brother?" Yu Qi frowned at first, but after glancing at Liu Shi and Le'er, he clapped his hands and smiled again.

"Immortal..." Liu Le'er's eyes lit up, and she hesitated.

"Please don't refuse, brother and sister. Let me do my small part. Not to boast, but although there are other immortals in Mingyuan City, when it comes to medical skill, if the one in our Yu mansion claims second, no one dares to claim first." Yu Qi's eyes darted around briefly, then he spoke proudly.

"Alright, we can go back with you. But if this immortal cannot cure my brother, we will leave immediately." Liu Le'er was finally swayed by the white-robed youth's last words and reluctantly agreed.

"Of course. By the way, I haven't asked for your names yet." Yu Qi was delighted at Liu Le'er's agreement and immediately pressed further.

Liu Le'er hesitated for a moment, then gave her own name and Liu Shi's.

"So you are Sister Le'er and Brother Liu Shi." Yu Qi nodded repeatedly.

"Seventh Brother, these two are of unknown origin. How can you casually bring them home and even ask the Daoist to treat them?" The Confucian-robed youth, who had been left aside for a long time, looked displeased and couldn't help interjecting.

"It's fine. I know what I'm doing. Second Brother need not worry." Yu Qi waved his hand casually.

The Confucian-robed youth seemed somewhat in awe of his younger brother Yu Qi. His lips moved as if he wanted to say more, but in the end, he held back.

At that moment, several guards dressed in bright clothes and carrying swords and sabers hurried over from a distance.

Seeing this, the onlookers nearby scattered in a flurry, as if they were very afraid of these people.

The guards paid no attention to the crowd and quickly stepped forward to bow respectfully to Yu Qi and the other youth.

"Seventh Young Master, Second Young Master, we have come late. Please punish us."

"We're fine. No need to make a fuss. You take the carriage back first and keep this quiet." Yu Qi said calmly.

"Yes."

The several guards, obsequious and timid, immediately began to pull the strange cyan horse with all their might, quickly moving away.

"You two, please follow me." After dealing with this, the white-robed youth turned and smiled at Liu Le'er and the others, then walked ahead.

Liu Le'er glanced at Liu Shi again, tightened her grip on his hand, and followed behind Yu Qi.

The young man in the Confucian robe watched them walk away, his expression growing even darker. He stood there for a moment, then stamped his foot with a cold snort and followed.

……

"Ha, interesting! So she's the one said to have decent cultivation aptitude, the one the Prime Minister of Feng State was going to great lengths to send into the Cold Flame Sect." At an inconspicuous corner of the street not far away, two people suddenly turned around. The one in front, a black-clad youth with narrow, elongated eyes, spoke sinisterly while looking in the direction where Yu Qi and the others had disappeared, his face full of unspeakable malice.

"Junior brother, be more careful. The Yu residence is said to have rogue cultivators as protectors, and more than one at that. You must not underestimate them." Behind the black-clad youth, another person, a gaunt, ashen-clad man with several bulging animal-skin pouches hanging from his waist, also gazed at the backs of the Yu party and spoke slowly.

"Senior Brother Fan, I know how to handle things. But this Yu residence is my first trial mission. You are only sent to assist me. Unless there are special circumstances, there's no need for you to intervene. I will take care of everything with my men." The black-clad youth, upon hearing this, was unimpressed.

Seeing this, the ashen-clad man gave a wry smile and said nothing more.

He knew his junior brother's temperament well. Although his cultivation was not high, he had an elder relative in the sect as a backer and had always looked down on other fellow disciples of the same rank.

As they spoke, the two figures blurred and vanished from the spot.