The reason these three people below were not directly buried was due to the terrain they had chosen. There, a section of protruding rock extended horizontally, leaving a small, narrow space, which gave the three of them a chance of survival.
Thirty breaths later, Zhao Yuan and his men were covered in dirt. Some even had hands covered in blood, their faces twitching with pain. They had exhausted their strength. Even at their fastest speed, they still hadn't cleared a path to rescue the people.
Zhao Yuan's face, in particular, had turned very pale. Just now, there were two huge rocks pressing down. Among their group of five, they had to spare some people to stabilize the sides. As a result, those moving the huge rocks had used all their strength. They had even broken three of their own swords and sabers. Zhao Yuan had even expended a large amount of internal energy to lift the huge rocks.
Only then had they barely managed to move the two huge rocks one by one. By now, although they were close to the three people buried below, the five of them had also exhausted their strength.
But there was still no sound from the three people buried below! Zhao Yuan knew that they had no time to rest. They had to rescue the three as soon as possible. And more importantly, a problem had arisen. A huge tree hanging over the road had had a section of its thick roots exposed due to the collapse of the mountain above.
Among the tangled roots, three huge rocks were leaning against each other. At this time, if they wanted to move the huge rocks, they would have to cut the roots. But the three huge rocks would become extremely unstable and might fall with just a single vibration.
To stabilize these three huge rocks, it was not enough to just use some things for support. Someone had to hold up the three huge rocks from below at the same time.
Just by looking at the weight of these three huge rocks, and looking at the state of the five of them at this time, even if two of them held up one rock at the same time, they might not have the strength.
"Boss, it's no good. We have to recover our strength. Otherwise, not only will we not be able to save them, our arms will also be crushed under there!" A stout servant, his chest heaving violently, looked at the three huge rocks, his face changing several times.
Even with his stout body, not only were his hands trembling at this time, but even his legs were trembling uncontrollably. This was a symptom of excessive physical exertion.
Zhao Yuan frowned tightly. He was not a reckless person. To act rashly would not only fail to save the master, but would also hasten the death of the three people below. But now, nearly forty breaths had passed. When he listened with his internal energy, there were only two breaths left below. Time simply did not allow them to recover their strength.
"No... no way. The master and the others can't hold on. If anything happens to the master, we'll all be dead…"
Zhao Yuan gasped heavily. He gritted his teeth and immediately rejected this proposal. He was going to take a gamble. If he won, he could save the master. If he lost, they would all die together. As long as they moved these three huge rocks, the rest was just some rubble and dirt, which could be dug out at the fastest speed.
Just as Zhao Yuan was about to take a gamble, his ears twitched slightly.
"Someone's coming?"
Zhao Yuan had high-level internal cultivation, and his hearing and vision were sharp. He had suddenly heard faint footsteps on the mountain road.
Listening carefully again, he heard that there should be more than one person. He was overjoyed and immediately said to the stout servant, "Zhao Wuding, go and see who's coming. Regardless of whether you know them or not, just report the master's name, or promise them a heavy reward for their help. Be quick!"
Zhao Wuding and the others had only just heard a faint sound in the wind. They didn't even have time to answer and immediately ran off. They had always respected Zhao Yuan and had no doubts.
About thirteen breaths later, just as Zhao Yuan's heart was about to jump out of his chest, he saw four people quickly running towards them.
At the head was a burly man, carrying a long saber. The other two young men, one in black and one in white, both had swords hanging from their waists. These three had steady steps and were very agile when they jumped. It was clear at a glance that they were from the martial world. Zhao Wuding was left far behind.
Zhao Yuan did not recognize them, but seeing the three of them running over from afar, his heart was filled with joy. The master had been an official here for more than twenty years. He was an honest official who handled cases fairly and was deeply loved by the common people. That was why he had let Zhao Wuding report the master's name earlier. Anyone who had heard of the master's name, whether they really knew him or not, should be willing to help.
Seeing this scene, it was just as he had expected. After the three of them ran over, the burly man at the head glanced at Zhao Yuan.
"How can we help?"
This person's pronunciation was a bit strange, not at all like a local. But the other was very direct. Zhao Yuan had no time to investigate the origin of the three of them at this moment. He immediately cupped his fists at the three of them, and then pointed at the three huge rocks…
About half a cup of tea's time later, three mud-covered figures were revealed. Two of them were lying on top, supported on a protruding rock. It seemed they had used their bodies to protect the person below. At this moment, one of the two people on top had already died. His back had been smashed in deeply. The other, although not hit by any heavy objects like a huge rock, had also fainted due to being covered by a large amount of dirt.
Zhao Yuan didn't care about anything else. He quickly had Zhao Bing and the others move the two people away, revealing a person covered in dirt below. That person was also covered in dirt, and it was impossible to tell if he was still alive.
This time, without needing Zhao Yuan's further instructions, Zhao Bing and the others quickly dug away the surrounding dirt, soon revealing a person in brocade clothes…
The three people who had come from the mountain road had already automatically moved to the side. The two young men in black and white were communicating via secret voice transmission.
"Hehehe... Little Egg, look, see how scared they are. Apart from the dead one, we've already used our magical power to protect the heart meridians of the other two. Otherwise, they wouldn't have lasted until now. They would have seen the King of Hell long ago."
"It's been a few days since you've had a beating. Are you itching for one again, you dog?"
"What dog? Does that thing have any blood relation to me? This Mosquito Lord's bloodline is much nobler than its!"
"Hmph! Do you know what your bloodline is? Tell me. Maybe it's not even as good as a dog's…"
These three were Li Yan and the two demons. With Li Yan's cultivation, he could hear the close-range voice transmission of these two clearly without even wanting to. He was speechless about these two demons.
Now, although Qian Ji's cultivation was not as good as Zi Kun's, Zi Kun would have to put in some effort to defeat him. Besides, he couldn't really beat Qian Ji to death. As a result, that fellow Qian Ji had pushed his luck. He no longer called him "Granddaddy Elephant" as he had in the Foundation Establishment stage, but directly called him "Little Egg."
This had made Zi Kun furious. He had beaten Qian Ji up in the "Earthen Patch" countless times. But this fellow was just stubborn. Even while groaning and moaning, he was still stubborn as a dead duck. Anyway, after every fight, Zi Kun would also have some injuries on his body. Seeing this, Qian Ji was also a little proud in his heart.
Cultivators generally did not reveal their true faces in front of mortals. Just now, after seeing that there were mortals buried here, Li Yan had first used his magical power to protect the heart meridians of the two who still had a breath left. Then, the three of them had landed not far away, changed their appearance, and then pretended to be just passing by. The two demons were quite displeased with this.
They thought that Li Yan was making a big fuss over nothing. With Qian Ji's personality, he would have wanted to use his arts to save the people in front of them, and then have them kowtow in gratitude and sing his praises. But the two demons both knew that Li Yan did not like to show off, so although they thought so in their hearts, they still followed Li Yan's arrangements.
Li Yan of course had his own plans. Otherwise, he could have raised another gust of wind in the air, swept away the mud and rocks, and left without showing his face.
He had been on the Wind God Continent for half a month, and he found that he still knew too little. He wanted to take this opportunity to inquire about the situation here. Even from mortals, he could get a lot of information. After all, what Zhao Min had said and what he had seen in the classics were all from a long time ago.
Of course, the most convenient way would be to find a cultivator and perform a soul search. It was just that Li Yan had just arrived here and did not want to cause trouble. Li Yan never thought that after reaching the Nascent Soul stage, he could really be invincible and carefree. He knew that when he broke through the barrier to enter the Wind God Continent, he must have been sensed by some Spirit Transformation cultivators.
However, for foreign cultivators to enter the local land should not be anything new. Otherwise, if great cultivators often came and went across realms in shops like "Gui Qu Lai Xi," wouldn't the Spirit Transformation cultivators have to investigate them constantly? It was estimated that as long as they were not on the list of invading foreign races, and as long as you didn't cause trouble, those Spirit Transformation cultivators would not come out to stop you from coming and going.
Not to mention the Spirit Transformation level, even after reaching the Nascent Soul realm, Li Yan felt that his disposition had become much more indifferent. Unless necessary, he was too lazy to act. They wanted to spend more time cultivating and trying to improve themselves.
On the other side, the two people were soon woken up!
About half a cup of tea's time later, an old man with white hair and still covered in a lot of dirt walked over, followed by several servants. At this time, Zhao Yuan had been strictly ordered by the old man not to "walk" around. He could only sit on a rock, holding two thick tree branches that others had found, and was fixing his own broken leg.
Li Yan saw that Zhao Yuan's technique was skillful. It was clear at a glance that he was a person who often treated his own injuries.
Although the white-haired old man's face was still a little pale at this time, he walked with a certain air, as if he had been in a high position for a long time. The old man's face was thin and gaunt, and his pair of gray eyes were very bright.
"My name is Zhao Zhihuan. I am deeply grateful to the several strong men for their help. I wonder if the three strong men can move to my humble abode, so that I can do the honors as a host and thank the three for their kindness in saving me."
"Hehehe... there's no need for that. We were just passing by and lent a helping hand. It was nothing. It was your great fate and great fortune. Even if we hadn't acted, you would have turned misfortune into good fortune!"
Li Yan, who had transformed into a burly man, waved his hand and directly refused. Hearing his words, the two demons rolled their eyes in their hearts.
'Master is a real pro at lying! And, and, and turning misfortune into good fortune. If we had been a little later, those two would have gone straight to see the King of Hell…'
Zhao Zhihuan immediately took two steps forward upon hearing this.
"Judging by your accent, the three strong men are not from my Great Qi Kingdom. Great fate and great fortune were also bestowed by the three of you. Please, by all means, grant me the honor. When one receives kindness, one should repay it a hundredfold! Unfortunately, I came out in a hurry today and did not bring any gold or silver with me. If the three strong men leave just like that, wouldn't it make me feel uneasy forever? I hope the three of you will not refuse!"
Zhao Zhihuan said with an anxious look on his face. Inexplicably, his face had taken on some of the pedantry and stubbornness of a scholar. Although his words were directed at the three of them, he was already facing Li Yan. He could see that this burly man was the leader of the three. Li Yan had a difficult look on his face.
"I hope the several strong men will not refuse again. Our master is a famous good official in this province. Not only does he love the people like his own children, but he is also warm-hearted. How can he let his saviors leave empty-handed! I see that the three of you are also from the martial world. Your actions before were also straightforward. You shouldn't be bound by trifles!"
Just then, Zhao Yuan's voice came from behind. He was still holding a small piece of cloth torn from his clothes, making the final knot. As he spoke, he had already cupped his fists at the three of them.
"Then... in that case, the three of us will respectfully obey."
Li Yan no longer refused and agreed.
Seeing Li Yan agree, a smile appeared on Zhao Zhihuan's face. Then he turned his head and saw the corpse on the ground that had been almost smashed in two. He let out a long sigh.
"Zhao Wuding, you five, go and cut some trees from nearby. Make two simple wooden stretchers to put Zhao Yuan and Zhao Wu on. After you go back, give Zhao Wu a proper burial and bring his family to the mansion!"
Hearing Zhao Zhihuan's instructions, the mood of the others, which had just improved, became heavy again. Zhao Wu and Zhao Yuan were the master's personal bodyguards and had been with him for more than twenty years. They had been through so many storms. It was unexpected that Zhao Wu would die in an accident here today. However, after hearing Zhao Zhihuan's arrangements for Zhao Wu, the servants were also moved. The reason why Zhao Zhihuan could make people work for him to the death was because he made people feel that it was worth it.
And so, on the way back, four servants carried the wooden stretchers, and Zhao Yuan was supported by Zi Kun as they headed back.
Along the way, in what seemed like casual conversation, Zhao Zhihuan had also roughly "found out" the origin of Li Yan and the other two. The burly man at the head was named Zhang Ming, and the other two were his sworn brothers, Li Qianji and Zhao Zikun. It turned out that one of them had the same surname as him.
However, these three were also old hands in the martial world. They did not reveal where they came from in their words, only saying that they were traveling the world together to temper their martial arts. This type of martial artist was very common on the martial arts-prevalent Wind God Continent. After all, Wind Beasts appeared irregularly on the continent. They even attacked mortals. But fortunately, there were immortals to block the vast majority of the Wind Beasts, which allowed them mortals to survive.
With the frequent appearance of Wind Beasts, the practice of martial arts was extremely popular among mortals. Almost everyone, regardless of gender or age, practiced martial arts for self-protection. There were even many martial artists who traveled the world, tempering their martial arts on one hand, and killing Wind Beasts on the other. These people would use the Wind Beasts they killed to get rewards from the government to cover their travel expenses, or directly sell the Wind Beasts in shops and taverns for a high return.
The meat of some Wind Beasts was very delicious, and it was also a very popular source of goods in various taverns. Moreover, the flesh and bones of Wind Beasts could also be used as medicine, which was something that various shops competed for. So, many martial artists wandered around, regardless of the country. As long as they did not kill and rob, all countries were very welcoming to them.
Under such circumstances, Zhao Zhihuan did not care that Zhang Ming and the other two were unwilling to reveal their origin. Besides, due to some special reasons in his family, his judgment of people was even more unique. However, Zhao Zhihuan thought he had gotten their information, but he had no idea that the experience of the three people opposite him was not something he could imagine. In terms of experience and age alone, any one of them was more than qualified to be his great-grandfather.