"Ye Ming!"
As the three of them descended the mountain, a voice suddenly echoed in Ye Ming's mind.
It was Nangong Qianyu's.
"You noticed too!"
Ye Ming glanced subtly at Nangong Qianyu with his eyes and responded telepathically.
"Yes! They seem to be targeting Jing Yao," Nangong Qianyu said gravely.
In fact, when Nangong Qianyu met Xu Jing Yao, she had already detected someone secretly observing the latter. At first, she didn't pay much attention.
After all, Xu Jing Yao's beauty was undeniable, and it wasn't strange for her to attract attention.
However, after the three of them descended the mountain, the unseen observer continued to follow. This indicated that the other party definitely had ill intentions.
"It's fine! Let them follow!" Ye Ming's eyes narrowed slightly. "Once we reach a less crowded place, they should reveal themselves."
Although Ye Ming could easily ferret out those people now, he was unsure if there were others lurking in the shadows.
Therefore, to minimize trouble, it would be more effortless to lure them into a trap.
"Alright! I'll listen to you!"
Such minor matters, even without Ye Ming's presence, would be practically effortless for Nangong Qianyu to resolve with her current strength.
"Wow! Jing Yao! Don't you think it's beautiful over there?"
At this moment, Nangong Qianyu pointed to a path deviating from the main road. The place was shaded by lush trees, and the dazzling sunlight, filtering through the gaps in the leaves, cast a golden glow on the ground, creating a mesmerizing interplay of light and shadow that was a feast for the eyes.
"Yes! It is indeed beautiful!"
Xu Jing Yao was instantly captivated by the scenery.
"Let's go take a look!"
And so, the three of them deviated from the main path and headed towards the small trail.
Not far behind them, several individuals who saw them walking towards the secluded path widened their eyes in excitement.
"An opportunity has come!" The leading man waved his hand and said, "Everyone follow me. If this job is successful, we can all live in luxury for half a year!"
"Hooray! Long live our boss!"
A group of subordinates behind him waved their weapons, immensely thrilled.
"Let's go!"
With the boss's command, the group charged forward.
As they took their first steps, Luo Fu and a middle-aged man appeared, following closely.
"These people are just some street thugs with no traceable background. If we have them do this, no one will be able to find out!"
Luo Fu sneered, his face full of smugness.
"Young Master! I believe you should report this matter to Master. In case..."
"Shut up!"
Luo Fu's words were interrupted by the middle-aged man once again. However, this time, his tone was clearly tinged with anger. "Wan Jun! I hope you haven't forgotten your place! My father sent you here to protect me. Stay out of matters that don't concern you and keep your mouth shut."
"I warn you, if any information leaks from this matter, I might face punishment. But you, you will surely die."
After speaking, Luo Fu left without paying any further attention to the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man stood in place for a few seconds, his fists clenching and unclenching. In the end, he still followed.
He... had no choice.
...
"Ye Ming! Take a picture of us!"
Nangong Qianyu tossed her phone to Ye Ming and pulled Xu Jing Yao along. They found a spot with a wide field of view and stood side by side.
Looking at the two lively sprites shimmering with golden light in the frame through the lens, Ye Ming's mood instantly brightened, finding it a beautiful experience.
"Come on! I'll count to three, and then you..."
However, it seemed someone didn't want Ye Ming to have a good mood and directly shattered the pleasant atmosphere.
"Two beautiful ladies! Shall we help you take photos?"
Behind Ye Ming, a group of men, with their heads tilted and weapons slung over their shoulders, approached them with lewd grins.
Some of them, upon seeing Nangong Qianyu and Xu Jing Yao, already had the expressions of depraved pigs, licking their lips with saliva.
"You... you guys..."
The sudden appearance of this large group of people startled Xu Jing Yao, a hint of fear flickering across her pretty face.
In contrast, Ye Ming and Nangong Qianyu merely watched them coldly.
Although they knew these people would eventually show up, their appearance had disrupted the originally harmonious atmosphere, which made them very displeased.
Especially Nangong Qianyu.
"Ye Ming! Don't interfere!" she said indignantly.
"Alright!"
Ye Ming shrugged, indicating she could do as she pleased.
"Sister! You..."
Xu Jing Yao, standing beside them, was stunned as Nangong Qianyu charged towards the group.
Not only her, but even the group of thugs were equally bewildered.
"Boss... Boss! This... this..."
They had never seen such a scene.
Logically, their appearance should have caused the two beautiful women in front of them to panic and cry for help.
But now, the script was all wrong!
The other party seemed to be ready to fight them head-on.
"Get lost! What are you afraid of! She's just a weak woman, are you scared of her!"
After speaking, the burly man, who was their leader, strode forward. Looking at the delicate figure before him, he smirked lewdly, "A beauty like you, I've never seen one before. Don't worry, brother will definitely cherish you well..."
"Ah!"
Before the burly man could finish his words, Nangong Qianyu, who was initially nearly ten meters away from him, suddenly appeared in front of him. Then, a rapidly enlarging fist appeared in his eyes.
*Boom!*
A miserable scream echoed in the air. The burly man's body streaked across in front of his subordinates, like a human cannonball, unceremoniously slamming into the thick tree trunks around him.
*Crack!*
After breaking through three tree trunks in succession, his body slowly slid to the ground. His eyes rolled back like a dead fish, and he fainted on the spot.
From beginning to end, he had no idea what had happened.
Silence.
The scene fell into a deathly stillness.
Xu Jing Yao covered her small mouth with her hand, her wide, beautiful eyes fixed on Nangong Qianyu, feeling a bit dazed.
Was this the gentle sister she had been interacting with earlier?
If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would have suspected that someone else had been swapped in.
"Come on! It's your turn!"
Nangong Qianyu's gaze shifted, and she looked at the group of subordinates.
She was still angry.
"???"
However, the subordinates' heads were still buzzing, and they clearly hadn't grasped the situation yet.
But Nangong Qianyu wouldn't give them time.
The next second!
*Bang bang bang!*
"Ah!"
A series of shrill screams painted the silent atmosphere with some color.
"Wait... wait a moment! Don't knock them all out, leave one conscious!"
Just as Nangong Qianyu was about to deliver a violent blow to the last remaining subordinate, Ye Ming quickly called out to stop her.
He still needed to extract some information from the other party.
"Fe... Female hero! Don't... don't hit anymore! I'll talk, I'll tell you everything!"
*Clang!*
The last surviving subordinate immediately knelt down, his forehead hitting the ground. He cried out for mercy.
The scene before him was simply too terrifying.
It was like defeating one opponent with one punch, utterly unreasonable.
"Hmph!"
Nangong Qianyu lowered her fist and turned back to Xu Jing Yao.
"Sis... Sister?"
Perhaps Xu Jing Yao was also frightened by the scene, as she instinctively took a step back, hesitant to look directly at Nangong Qianyu.
Her little heart was still pounding erratically.
"Scared, aren't you!"