TNIBFT -Chapter 176 Meeting

A group of ordinary people looked like ants to Meng Qing.

A cold smile tugged at the corner of his lips. With a flash of his cold sword, several employees in the shop were struck, bleeding and collapsing to the floor, screaming in pain.

Old Yang stood opposite Meng Qing. His arms trembled, blood seeped uncontrollably from his sleeves, dripping onto the floor. Seeing his injured comrades, his eyes burned with anger. “Who exactly are you?”

“Every injustice has a culprit. Why harm innocent people?”

In the jianghu, there is a code called righteousness.

Ordinary heroes would never hurt commoners.

“Me?”

Meng Qing’s lips curled into a cold smile. His eyes turned dark as he looked at Ye Tian. “You don’t remember me?”

“But someone as pathetic as you, barely surviving all this time, it’s probably for the best that you’ve forgotten the past,” Meng Qing sneered. He lightly stroked the blade of his sword, his gaze clouded with malice. “With this sword, I’ve killed over a dozen members of the Ye family. If you die by my hand, it’ll be a family reunion of sorts.”

Members of the Ye family?

Seeing Meng Qing’s face, blood surged through Ye Tian’s body like a boiling cauldron, a thousand needles stabbing his heart, unbearable.

He couldn’t control the trembling of his body. The hatred in his chest seemed poised to consume him entirely.

He had no memories from before Sifang City. He had transmigrated into this book, knowing only the story, yet the hatred in his heart boiled like a raging fire, stabbing every inch of him. He stared at Meng Qing, wishing he could tear him limb from limb.

An enemy of his benefactor?

The employees lying on the ground looked at Ye Tian with complicated expressions.

Such a good man… and yet his entire family was killed by this person?

This man had clearly come for Ye Tian.

Yuan Heipang gritted his teeth and scrambled to his feet. Taking advantage of Meng Qing’s momentary inattention, he clutched Meng Qing’s thigh, his face twisted in fear, shouting, “Master, run!”

He was just a small fry.

Born into a fallen family, even scraping dung for landlords had earned him scorn. Life had been bleak… until he met Ye Tian.

At the hotpot shop, he had found a sense of purpose. As long as he worked hard, Ye Tian would acknowledge his efforts.

He was afraid of death—but now, he feared Ye Tian dying even more.

If Ye Tian died, he would be trapped in that endless darkness forever. Once someone had seen the light, how could they return to the shadows?

Yuan Heipang, blood pouring from his mouth, clung stubbornly to Meng Qing’s leg.

Meng Qing looked down, his eyes cold and merciless. With a single kick, Yuan Heipang spat blood and slammed into the back wall, losing consciousness.

“Foolish and overconfident!”

Meng Qing sneered and raised his sword, aiming at Ye Tian.

In the flash of an instant—

“Clang!”

The sword meant for Ye Tian was intercepted by another.

Ye Tian looked up in a daze. A young man with a topknot, dressed in a pale cotton robe, long eyebrows brushing his temples, and a cold gaze scrutinizing him, said, “You are Ye Tian?”

His eyes were appraising, tinged with disgust.

“Yes!”

Before Ye Tian could speak further, Shangguan Ning and Meng Qing were already locked in combat.

Their movements were lightning-fast, swords clashing in midair, sparks flying.

Whether the newcomer was friend or foe was unclear.

Ye Tian glanced at Yuan Heipang on the ground and rushed over to help him up. Old Yang quickly joined him.

“Master, you need to leave immediately!”

Xiao Wang spoke anxiously.

The others all looked at Ye Tian with pleading expressions.

Old Yang said, “This grudge today… I will repay it a hundredfold in the future!”

“Damn it, they even dare to kill my men and don’t even bother to find out my name.”

“Stop bragging! Help Brother Yuan up quickly—we need to get out of here!”

Xiao Wang trembled all over as he rushed to support Yuan Heipang.

They hadn’t gone more than a few steps when the fighting between Shangguan Ning and Meng Qing intensified, and both were injured. Their strength was evenly matched, and their wary eyes locked onto each other—neither moved further.

“Who are you?”

Meng Qing spoke, carefully scrutinizing the young man before him. “What’s your relationship with Ye Tian? Do you even know who Ye Tian is?”

“Daring to save him is a capital offense!”

“Hmph!”

Shangguan Ning snorted disdainfully. With her soft sword in hand, she glared coldly at Meng Qing: “If you want to kill Ye Tian, you’ll have to go through me first!”

With that, she dashed forward like a gust of wind.

“Who’s this young man?”

“He’s here to save the master!” Xiao Wang said with relief.

Old Yang, who was supporting Yuan Heipang nearby, noticed but didn’t point it out. He raised an eyebrow and said, “Deep loyalty and true affection—adversity shows one’s real feelings.” Then he glanced at Ye Tian.

“What filthy words?”

Ye Tian was speechless as he helped Yuan Heipang to move.

Meng Qing wasn’t willing to let Ye Tian escape and took the opportunity to launch a sneak attack. The group’s escape route was tightly blocked. The bloodstain on Shangguan Ning’s abdomen kept spreading. The longer it went on, the paler her face became. Gritting her teeth, she looked at Ye Tian: “You run out, I’ll hold him back!”

“Go!”

Shangguan Ning said this without hesitation, fighting with reckless abandon.

Before Ye Tian and the others had moved two steps, Shangguan Ning took another sword wound to her abdomen. Blood dripped from the cold blade onto the floor. Her hands were soaked in blood as she gripped Meng Qing’s long sword, refusing to let go through clenched teeth.

Seeing Ye Tian trying to escape, Meng Qing kicked Shangguan Ning hard in the shoulder.

“Bang!”

Inside the hall, tables and chairs were smashed into a pile. Shangguan Ning fell to the ground, struggling. Through her blurred vision, she seemed to see the front door being pushed open, the bright light stabbing her eyes—it must be Ye Tian escaping, right?

Shangguan Ning felt a surge of relief.

Finally, she hadn’t failed His Majesty!

Her mind grew increasingly heavy…

At that moment, Ye Shuangxue and Xiao Jiang, who had just returned from outside, heard the sounds of fighting from afar.

Ye Shuangxue rushed forward, kicking the door open. Her eyes, black like onyx, widened in shock. The house was in chaos—tables and chairs shattered, and the wooden floor was covered in large bloodstains. The glaring red made her heart seize as she frantically searched for Ye Tian.

Several uncles lay on the floor, badly injured. Panicking, she looked up and saw Ye Tian in the corner, his grey-white clothes soaked in blood.

At that moment, someone was raising a sword to strike Ye Tian. Ye Shuangxue roared in fury: “Father!”

Without thinking, she charged at Meng Qing in her rage.

She had no weapon—just her bare hands.

Hearing his daughter’s voice, Ye Tian turned. Seeing her rushing toward him, tears streaming down her face, he shouted, “Don’t come over!”

Ye Shuangxue ignored him. Gritting her teeth, she delivered a flying kick with all her strength into Meng Qing.

“Bastard!”

Meng Qing was enraged. The delay had already lasted too long. Continuing to stall would only bring a large group of city guards, which would be disastrous for him.

As Meng Qing shifted his focus, Ye Tian reached for his long sword.

“Father…”

Seeing the blood gushing from Ye Tian’s hands, Ye Shuangxue couldn’t help but quiver, tears streaming as she looked at him. Her father had shed so much blood to save her.

Ye Shuangxue attacked Meng Qing like a madwoman. Her strength wasn’t enough; her strikes were nothing more than a scratch to Meng Qing.

Meng Qing sneered: “Today, I, Meng Qing, will send both father and daughter on their way together!”

Ye Tian’s first reaction was to tackle Ye Shuangxue, shielding her beneath him. Feeling the blood on Ye Tian and the sudden weight on him, Ye Shuangxue broke down, crying uncontrollably: “Father, don’t die!”

“Don’t die!”