Chapter 8 Take Care
As Chu Qing observed from above, the tall woman suddenly swung the shorter one in her hands and hurled her forward.
This strike was fierce and unstoppable. Chu Fan had no room to evade—it could only be met head-on.
The veins on his arms bulged as he gathered his strength and unleashed a move from the Taiyi Divine Palm.
A thunderous crack resounded through the air.
The tall woman's body trembled slightly from the impact, while Chu Fan was forced back three or four steps, his face dark as iron.
The tall woman burst into laughter.
"Admit defeat yet?"
Chu Fan's expression darkened further, teeth grinding audibly.
"Again!!"
"Good!"
The tall woman grinned with excitement.
"If you lose again, you'll have to kneel and call us big sisters!"
At that, Chu Fan's face grew even gloomier, though he said nothing.
His silence alone showed that even he wasn't certain of victory.
Chu Qing couldn't help clicking his tongue in amazement.
Chu Fan's strength needed no explanation—he was born with great power, but even more impressive was his sect.
Its founder, the Taiyi Patriarch, had been a once-in-a-generation genius.
Gifted beyond compare, he mastered any martial art after a single glance, perfected it after a single attempt, and could derive new techniques from the old. He came to believe that all martial arts beneath heaven were but child's play—too easy.
Thus, he called himself "Taiyi," meaning "Supremely Easy."
Under this title, the Taiyi Patriarch roamed the martial world for half a lifetime—never defeated, never slain—and in time founded the Taiyi Sect.
During his reign, the sect dominated the martial world.
Even after his death, though the sect declined, it endured through three centuries of storms without ever falling—thanks to the three volumes of the Immutable Heaven Scripture he left behind.
That peerless text was said to contain unmatched martial truths.
Chu Fan's Taiyi Divine Palm and Taiyi Divine Fist both came from the scripture's Human Volume.
The Earth Volume hadn't been seen for nearly a hundred years, yet even the Human Volume alone was enough to make other martial experts tread carefully around the Taiyi Sect.
Though no longer as glorious as before, few dared provoke them.
And with Chu Fan's talent and mastery, it was almost absurd to see him struggling against two women.
"Truly, there's always someone stronger," Chu Qing murmured.
He swept his gaze around the area.
"Where's that junior sister of his gone off to?"
He remembered how silently she'd appeared beside him in the teahouse earlier—he hadn't sensed her at all. That alone made her no ordinary martial artist.
If she were here, his second brother wouldn't be suffering like this.
As for himself, if he wanted to take advantage of the chaos to assassinate the remaining two Iron Horse bandits, would it be possible?
After watching for a while, Chu Qing shook his head slightly.
"Their vigilance is too high. I need a moment of distraction. Otherwise, even if I kill one, taking the second will be far more difficult.
"And those two look ready to flee at any moment."
Indeed, the remaining Iron Horse bandits were not fighting at full strength. They circled the outskirts of the battle, exchanging wary glances, retreating the instant danger neared—clearly preparing to run.
Chu Qing pondered silently. Opportunities weren't hard to find.
At present, there were two.
First, the head of the bandit he had killed earlier—once that horse returned carrying the head, it would certainly throw the battle into confusion.
Second, the missing junior sister.
If she suddenly reappeared and joined Chu Fan against those two women, it would split their focus. Then, Chu Qing could strike with precision and finish the remaining targets.
By his estimate, the horse should be returning about now…
Sure enough, within moments—after two or three more exchanges between Chu Fan and the women—the sound of galloping hooves echoed from afar.
The two surviving Iron Horse bandits instantly brightened.
"Fifth Brother's here!!"
Their eyes snapped toward the approaching horse—even Chu Fan couldn't help but glance in its direction.
The tall woman laughed aloud.
"More company? How delightful!"
The short one replied coldly, "Don't get distracted."
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
The exchange between the two women left Chu Qing completely stunned.
So they didn't even know who the Iron Horse Seven Bandits were?
Then why were they fighting Chu Fan?
He had thought these two women were ambushers planted here by the bandits. But now it seemed that wasn't the case at all.
Could it really be just coincidence? Was Chu Fan simply unlucky enough to run into a pair of lunatics?
No wonder those two remaining bandits looked like they wanted to flee the whole time—it turned out they weren't even on the same side.
Just then, as all eyes turned toward the sound, a horse galloped swiftly onto the scene.
There was a rider—a young woman.
Her age wasn't great, her attire was similar to Chu Fan's, and her face was utterly expressionless, as if everyone in the world owed her money.
"Junior Sister Wen, help me!!"
At the sight of her, Chu Fan's face lit up with joy.
He didn't even stop to wonder why his junior sister was riding one of the Iron Horse Bandits' steeds; instead, he called out to her immediately.
Junior Sister Wen didn't hesitate. With a light step, she leapt from the horse—but before joining the battle, she tossed something toward the remaining two bandits.
Her movements were too fast. The two bandits didn't dare meet the attack barehanded.
The leader raised his great axe and swung hard.
A sharp crack echoed—then a wet splatter. The thing she had thrown was split cleanly in two, and red-and-white matter flew everywhere.
For a moment, everyone froze in shock, their movements halting.
Chu Fan instinctively asked, "Junior Sister Wen… what was that?"
"A head."
Her voice was calm and emotionless.
"Where did you get it?"
"Found it."
Simple, concise—without a single wasted word.
As soon as she finished speaking, the tall woman picked up a bloodstained strip of cloth and read aloud,
"'The Iron Horse Seven Bandits, murderers whose crimes fill the land—their sins demand death. —Night Emperor.' Who's this Night Emperor?"
Her question was straightforward, but no one answered.
The shorter woman spoke coldly,
"'The Iron Horse Seven Bandits, their sins demand death?'"
The bandit leader, who had been struck silent with shock, suddenly pointed at Chu Fan and Junior Sister Wen and shouted angrily,
"Yes! That's them! They're the Iron Horse Seven Bandits!"
Chu Fan's expression darkened.
"What nonsense are you spouting?! Who are you calling Iron Horse Seven Bandits!?"
"Of course it's you!" the leader snapped without hesitation.
"Just look at your junior sister's horse! If you're not the Iron Horse Seven Bandits, then who is? Two great heroines, please help us! These villains have been chasing us to the ends of the earth—save our lives!"
"Ah, I see! I love fighting—ah, I mean, I love saving people!"
The tall woman's eyes lit up with excitement. She shouted happily and charged straight at Chu Fan.
Chu Fan had a thousand things he wanted to say, but the woman clearly had no interest in logic. He could only grit his teeth and meet her attack.
Junior Sister Wen could have explained, but her temperament was strange. Seeing this, she said nothing, instead stepping forward to join Chu Fan and engage the two women together.
Meanwhile, the last two Iron Horse bandits exchanged a glance, then leapt onto their horses.
The leader let out a sharp whistle, and two more steeds galloped over from the distance.
They immediately spurred their mounts and fled at full speed.
Even as they escaped, the leader shouted back,
"Our martial skills are too weak to be of help! We'll take our leave first—take care, heroines!"
By this point, even a fool could tell something was wrong.
But the tall woman remained completely unaware. Instead, she cheerfully waved after them.
"Take care!"
(End of Chapter)