Zhu Chen had once again received an extraordinary fortune.
Zhu Chen turned toward the elderly village chief, about to respond—
When suddenly, a patrol member from Stone Village rushed over in panic.
"Village Chief—something terrible has happened!"
"Calm down," Shi Yunfeng said sharply.
Tell me exactly what happened."
The villager swallowed nervously, fear evident on his face.
"When we were hunting with the Fire Kingdom princess, we encountered a group of bandits.
They seized our prey—and tried to capture us all."
"To cover our retreat… the princess stayed behind."
Shi Yunfeng flew into a rage.
"The hunting party consists of Stone Village's strongest warriors!
How could you abandon a young girl?!"
The villager's face turned grim.
"Village Chief, there were Cave Heaven Realm cultivators among those bandits.
We were no match for them. Shi Hu and Shi Shan were both severely injured."
"Where are they?"
Zhu Chen stepped forward, killing intent surging in his eyes.
Huo Ling'er was his chosen wife.
Anyone who dared harm her was courting death.
"They were heading toward the forest thirty miles northwest," the villager replied.
"I don't know if they're still there."
Without another word, Zhu Chen spread his wings.
In an instant, he transformed into a streak of divine light, soaring into the sky and vanishing beyond the horizon.
Zhu Chen beat his wings and arrived at the location the villager had described at full speed.
From high above, he looked down into the forest and immediately spotted the scene below.
A girl with twin ponytails, dressed in a red gown, was fighting fiercely against more than a dozen burly men.
Her figure was nimble and agile, weaving swiftly through the dense trees.
From time to time, she raised her hands and condensed blazing fireballs, hurling them toward her enemies.
Though heavily outnumbered, the men were unable to suppress her for the moment.
That girl was none other than Huo Ling'er.
Not far away, several figures lay scattered across the forest floor.
Judging by their clothing, they were members of the Stone Village hunting team.
They were not dead—but badly injured, with their hands and feet tightly bound by thick ropes.
Zhu Chen withdrew his gaze.
In the next instant, his body plunged downward like a divine arrow, landing directly behind Huo Ling'er and startling the bandits who were chasing her.
"Zhu Chen?! Why are you here?"
Huo Ling'er turned around and froze for a moment when she saw the familiar figure.
Then her eyes lit up, and she hurriedly ran over.
She was drenched in sweat, her cheeks flushed, pink lips slightly parted as she panted heavily.
Zhu Chen glanced at the bandits who had just caught up, then looked back at her and asked calmly,
"These people can't fly. Why didn't you just leave?"
Huo Ling'er folded her arms, glaring angrily at the bandits.
"You don't know how shameless these people are!" she said indignantly.
"They wanted to capture the hunting team and use them as hostages to force the village chief to hand over everything in Stone Village. If I ran away, what would happen to them?"
During the two months she had spent in Stone Village, Huo Ling'er had long grown attached to the simple, kind villagers.
Now that the village was in danger, how could she abandon them and escape on her own?
The bandits, seeing Zhu Chen up close, burst into amused smiles.
After the villager had escaped, they thought he would bring back powerful reinforcements.
Yet all he brought was a half-grown brat who hadn't even lost his childish air.
It seemed Stone Village truly had no one worth mentioning.
At that moment, one of the bandits wielding a spiked club stepped forward, leering at Huo Ling'er.
"Little girl, don't struggle anymore," he said with a vile grin.
"Our boss thinks you're quite pretty. He just wants to—"
"Shut up."
Zhu Chen raised his hand.
A streak of crimson lightning shot forth instantly, piercing straight through the man's skull.
Before anyone could even react, the bandit collapsed to the ground, eyes wide open in disbelief.
"Oh no—this brat has a treasure!"
"Damn it! Kill him!"
"Kill him and the treasure is ours!"
The bandits immediately drew their weapons and rushed toward Zhu Chen.
Zhu Chen's expression remained indifferent.
With a casual flick of his finger, crimson lightning shot out once more.
Unlock 300+ Advanced Chapters via My Patreon Collection
✨ Available in Shop Now
patreon.com/HeavenlyYinYang