The old man also looked toward Chengzi and Qiang Ge, silently questioning them with his eyes.
He frequently traveled the road to Xifeng City, and this route definitely did not pass through here. It seemed the two men had ulterior motives.
Meanwhile, Sheng Xia put on a frightened and angry expression as she demanded, “Mr. Driver, why did you leave the main road and drive into the mountains?”
At the same time, she placed Jinbao on her shoulder, preparing herself for a fight at any moment.
Chengzi let out a wicked grin.
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
Five minutes later, Qiang Ge stopped the van and locked the doors.
Qiang Ge advanced from the front while Chengzi approached from the rear, each holding a dagger as they closed in on Sheng Xia and the old man.
Before Sheng Xia could speak, the old man rose to his feet. Leaning on his cane with his left hand, he slipped his right hand into his trouser pocket and coldly demanded, “What exactly are you trying to do?”
Chengzi chuckled.
“Old man, be smart about this. Leave behind your briefcase and anything valuable you’ve got, and we’ll make your death quick and painless.”
The old man trembled with anger.
These two brats had some nerve.
They actually dared to rob him.
Without another word, he pulled out a pistol, raised it, and pulled the trigger.
“Bang! Bang!”
Two gunshots rang out.
Yet instead of hearing Chengzi and Qiang Ge collapse, they heard the metallic clink of bullets hitting the ground.
Qiang Ge had stepped in front of Chengzi and blocked both bullets with his body.
He had actually awakened an Absolute Defense ability. His body had become tough enough to withstand bullets head-on.
The old man’s gunfire seemed to enrage the pair.
Before Sheng Xia could react, her vision blurred.
Chengzi had already appeared in front of the old man, snatched away his pistol, and fired directly at his leg.
“Bang!”
The old man immediately collapsed to the floor as blood poured from the wound.
One possessed Absolute Defense while the other had awakened a speed ability.
After a brief assessment, Sheng Xia concluded that direct confrontation was not an option.
She needed to outsmart them.
Suddenly, inspiration struck.
While the two men were distracted dealing with the old man, and just as Chengzi pointed the gun at the old man’s head, Sheng Xia tossed Jinbao directly at Qiang Ge.
The little monkey immediately extended his claws and began scratching wildly.
The sudden interruption disrupted their rhythm.
At the same time, Sheng Xia quickly condensed two water spheres, each the size of a human head, and hurled them toward the pair.
Caught completely off guard, both Qiang Ge and Chengzi were struck squarely.
Sheng Xia firmly controlled the water spheres around their heads and signaled Jinbao to seize the gun.
Encased within the water, Qiang Ge and Chengzi found their vision obscured and their breathing impaired.
Chengzi suddenly felt something sharp slash across the hand holding the pistol.
The pain forced him to release his grip.
With nimble movements, Jinbao snatched up the gun and leaped back onto Sheng Xia’s shoulder in just a few bounds.
At that moment, terror filled both men’s hearts.
Ever since awakening their abilities and joining forces, they had always been unstoppable.
They never imagined they would encounter an elemental ability user today.
Inside the water spheres, they could still move their arms freely, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t gather enough force to break through.
Breathing became increasingly difficult.
As despair overtook them, both men desperately covered their mouths and noses.
Two minutes later, they suffocated and drowned in agony.
Only then did Sheng Xia let out a breath of relief before quickly hurrying over to the old man.
Reaching into her backpack, she secretly took gauze and bandages out of her spatial storage and temporarily treated his wound.
Only after the injury had been bandaged and the old man was helped back into his seat did he finally recover from his shock.
This young girl had actually saved his life.
He had never expected such a young and adorable-looking girl to be an elemental ability user.
It seemed he really was getting old.
Not only had his gun been taken away, but he had also been shot in the leg.
Who knew how long people would laugh at him once he returned?
While the old man was busy lamenting his misfortune, Sheng Xia had already dragged Chengzi and Qiang Ge out of the vehicle and climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Sir, do you know the way to Xifeng City?” she asked while starting the engine.
The old man nodded.
“I do. Miss, head back to the mountain road we came from, then continue north. Drive another two hours and you’ll see Xifeng City’s defensive walls.”
“Alright. Sir, please sit tight. This is actually my first time driving a vehicle like this, so I may not be very good at it. Your injury needs proper medical treatment, so we’d better get moving.”
After warning him about the bumps ahead, Sheng Xia stepped on the accelerator and set off.
Her driving skills were honestly terrible.
She had barely driven manual transmission vehicles before and could only rely on memories from driving lessons to muddle through.
After a short distance, her muscle memory gradually returned, and the ride finally became smoother.
Meanwhile, once the vehicle stabilized, the old man activated his communicator and made several calls.
He explained his situation and instructed people to arrange emergency medical treatment.
Two hours later, Sheng Xia finally reached Xifeng City.
At the city entrance, they were met by people who had come to pick up the old man.
There were five of them in total: four men and one woman.
The woman looked to be around twenty years old. She wore sportswear, had a tall figure, flowing long hair, gentle features, and bright eyes that naturally inspired affection.
The four men were dressed uniformly and appeared to be professional security personnel.
The moment she spotted Sheng Xia’s vehicle, the young woman ran over.
When she saw the old man’s injured leg, she immediately launched into a scolding.
“Grandpa, honestly! We told you not to run off by yourself, but you wouldn’t listen. Look at you now. You’ve gotten yourself hurt again. Are you satisfied now?”
Qin Zhentian’s face turned red from his granddaughter’s lecture.
Noticing Sheng Xia watching, he hurriedly changed the subject.
“Alright, alright, Shuang’er. Let Grandpa introduce someone. This is Sheng Xia, my lifesaver. She’s also an elemental ability user. Sheng Xia, this is Qin Shuang, my granddaughter. You two should get acquainted.”
As he spoke, he desperately signaled the four men with his eyes, urging them to take him away to see a doctor before Qin Shuang continued scolding him.
It was simply too embarrassing.
If his vehicle hadn’t broken down in Kangcheng, forcing his driver to stay behind for repairs while he rushed back to Xifeng City alone, none of this would have happened.
As the head of the Qin Corporation, he had nearly failed to make it home alive.
And it was all because he had been curious about the rumored treasure in Kangcheng that was supposedly capable of bringing the dead back to life.
He had hurried there only to discover he’d been deceived.
The so-called treasure was nothing more than an ordinary flower with an unusual appearance.
Not only had the trip been pointless, but he had nearly lost his life on the way back.
What a complete waste.
Once Qin Shuang confirmed that her grandfather was safe, the enormous weight on her heart finally lifted.
His sudden disappearance to Kangcheng without telling anyone had terrified the entire family.
Compared to what might have happened, a leg injury was already the best possible outcome.
She walked over to Sheng Xia and unexpectedly pulled her into a bear hug.
The sudden embrace startled Sheng Xia badly.
“Miss, thank you so much for saving my grandfather and treating his wound. You really went through a lot for him.”
Hearing Qin Shuang’s sincere gratitude, Sheng Xia felt somewhat embarrassed.
After all, she was pretty sure the old man had only gotten dragged into the situation because of her.
But somehow, everyone seemed to have misunderstood what had happened.
From beginning to end, the old man appeared to believe that Chengzi and Qiang Ge had been targeting him for robbery…