“Tranquilizer darts!”

Zhen Jiu’er’s sharp eyes recognized them at once.

These days, weapons were closely monitored, and guns were basically impossible to come by. But homemade weapons still turned up now and then.

This was a homemade tranquilizer gun — if any of those needles just now had struck them, they would quickly have lost the ability to resist.

Those people were after Ninth Master!

“You go first!” Zhen Jiu’er leapt off Lu Beicheng’s lap, snatched something up off the ground, and hurled it with all her strength.

From the bushes not far away came a muffled grunt of pain.

The clump of grass shook violently — clearly someone was fleeing.

But Zhen Jiu’er didn’t chase after them. Instead, she pushed Lu Beicheng’s wheelchair straight into a narrow path nearby.

Lu Beicheng hadn’t said a word this whole time, his long fingers resting on the wheelchair’s armrest, yet never pressing down.

This girl’s skills were far more impressive than he’d imagined.

This wasn’t something an ordinary fresh graduate could pull off.

The Zhen Jiu’er in front of him and the one Ji Mingyu had investigated were worlds apart. As if they were two completely different people.

“Ninth Master, watch out!” Zhen Jiu’er turned sideways just as a tranquilizer dart shot past close beside her — practically grazing her.

It had nearly struck her arm.

With skills this good, she could easily have gotten away on her own. But instead she stayed behind him the whole time, pushing his wheelchair.

This girl, it seemed, truly didn’t mean him any harm after all.

Lu Beicheng suddenly reached out.

Before Zhen Jiu’er could even register what he was doing, she felt her shoulder tighten.

Her clothes were seized and yanked hard.

Completely unable to resist, she tumbled over the back of the wheelchair in an instant and landed straight in his arms.

“Ninth Master…”

Jiu’er couldn’t help but widen her glistening eyes, too stunned to react.

Lu Beicheng’s arm strength was simply astonishing!

“Don’t talk!” Lu Beicheng slapped the wheelchair’s handle, and it immediately rose up to “stand,” striding briskly into a thicket of thorns.

Zhen Jiu’er instinctively tried to look outward, but Lu Beicheng’s large palm came down on the back of her head, pressing her face into his chest.

Thorns snapped and scattered as they pushed through; some of the barbs caught on Jiu’er’s arm, sending a sharp sting through her.

She tried to pull away, but before she could move, her arm was suddenly yanked back.

He used his own body to shield her from the outside.

Zhen Jiu’er felt as though she had completely disappeared into his body — despite the thorny thicket covering the entire hillside, not a single barb touched her.

The people chasing behind wanted to press forward, but the thorns were simply too fearsome; no one could force their way through.

Anyone who tried would end up torn to shreds like a hornets’ nest.

But the thicket stretched too wide, and there was no time to find another way around.

The masked figures could only watch helplessly as Lu Beicheng slipped from their sight.

Damn it! They’d finally gotten the chance to catch him alone, and now it was blown!

…

Once the danger had passed—

Zhen Jiu’er immediately lifted her head from Lu Beicheng’s arms and knelt up halfway. “Ninth Master, you—”

It wasn’t quite what she’d imagined.

Jiu’er blinked, a little stunned. He didn’t seem… hurt?

“Just now…”

“The wheelchair has a protective shield. It can’t stop blades or bullets, but a few thorns aren’t much of a problem.”

Still, Lu Beicheng’s expression at the moment didn’t look particularly good.

Between his brows, there was a faint trace of restrained pain.

“Can you… get off me first?”