Grace Miller also heard the sound of hoofbeats. Now that he had the "Sword Qi Finger" at his disposal, he naturally feared nothing. He said to Charlotte Harris:

"Go hide behind the tree and watch me deal with them."

Charlotte Harris nodded excitedly, feeling greatly relieved. She had been chased by her enemies all the way, with nowhere to run, and now a celestial being had descended from the heavens to save her. Her gratitude was beyond words. Knowing that the Sword God could handle things without her help, she gripped her sword and hid behind the nearest tree.

Grace Miller stood with one hand on his hip and the other pointing vaguely at the sky, feeling a bit puzzled. Why did his dantian feel so empty, as if there wasn't a trace of immortal energy left? But just now, the two "Sword Qi Fingers" had clearly worked. He shook off these distracting thoughts and waited for the pursuers.

Chapter Three: Be Husband and Wife First, or Take Revenge First

Grace Miller stood imposingly in the middle of the road, thinking that no matter how fierce the pursuers were, they were still mortals. He was a Sword God descended to the mortal realm; with a casual flick of two fingers, he could defeat them utterly. The young lady would surely be so impressed that she would be completely devoted to him. Everything would fall into place—haha, was "Romantic Sword" just an empty title?

Three horses trotted toward him. The three riders wore strange outfits: black clothes, black hats, black cloaks, all trimmed with white. At a glance, the white stripes seemed to flicker back and forth.

These three were all government officers, used to being imposing. Most commoners would run far away at the mere sound of their horses' hooves, let alone dare to confront them. Now, seeing someone boldly blocking their way, they were all taken aback.

But this person was too odd—broad daylight, and he wore only shorts. Though he was handsome and well-built, he looked for all the world like a reckless fool.

The three officers exchanged glances. The tall, thin one in the middle jumped off his horse, walked up to Grace Miller, drew his waist knife halfway out, and shouted:

"You little fool, why are you blocking the road? Do you know what this is?"

Grace Miller curled his lip and said:

"A kitchen knife, right? Who doesn't know? Are you guys cooks?"

The tall, thin officer was furious at these words. He drew his knife fully and advanced step by step, sneering:

"Brat, you dare block us from pursuing a wanted criminal? You must have a death wish."

When the officer was only a few steps away, Grace Miller thought the time had come and pointed a finger at him.

The tall, thin officer, though talking big, was actually cautious. Seeing his opponent point at his chest, he quickly stepped back and raised his knife to block.

Both were surprised.

Grace Miller was surprised because his finger had no power at all—not even a trace of sword qi, not even a gust of "sword wind."

The tall, thin officer was surprised because the kid in front of him really was an idiot, with no skill whatsoever, yet dared to stick his neck out for someone else.

Grace Miller grew anxious and pointed several more times. There was some wind this time, but still no sword qi at all.

The two officers behind burst out laughing. One of them said:

"Mr. Clark, leave this fool. He must know where the girl is hiding."

The tall, thin officer also laughed:

"Where did this idiot come from?"

He raised his leg and kicked. He only used thirty percent of his strength, but Grace Miller, though his inner elixir had been swallowed by Charlotte Harris, still had a celestial body and was much lighter than ordinary people. With that kick, he flew through the air, past the tree where Charlotte Harris was hiding, and landed straight in the grass.

Of all the people present, none was more surprised than Charlotte Harris hiding behind the tree. She had witnessed the "Sword God brother's" divine skills twice—there was no way they were fake. How could he suddenly become so weak, unable to even handle an ordinary officer, getting sent flying with a single kick, and even yelling as he went, with not a trace of heroism?

The officer called "Mr. Clark" was also surprised, thinking his leg skills had really improved—he'd only used thirty percent of his strength and it had such an effect. He couldn't help but feel pleased with himself. As he walked toward the grass, he called out loudly:

"Miss Ye, come on out. Your lover is useless!"

Charlotte Harris glanced back at Grace Miller lying in the grass, completely baffled. Seeing the officer getting closer, she suddenly thrust her sword at his throat, darting out from behind the tree.

Mr. Clark had already guessed someone was behind the tree. He swung his knife to deflect the sword. His martial arts were far superior to Charlotte Harris's, so he simply guarded himself and didn't rush to attack. He laughed and said:

"Miss Ye, you found yourself a fine lover—bare and white as can be. Did the three of us spoil your fun?"

Charlotte Harris was both embarrassed and anxious. Gritting her teeth, she attacked with several sword strikes, forcing him to expose a weakness in front of his abdomen. With a shout, she kicked at him in rapid succession.

Mr. Clark, confident in his hard qigong, wanted to show off in front of his companions and didn't dodge. He braced himself and took Charlotte Harris's kicks head-on.

Charlotte Harris's kicks felt like striking an iron plate; he didn't budge an inch, and her own feet hurt instead. On the last kick, his belly suddenly bounced like a ball, and with a cry, Charlotte Harris was sent flying.

The other two officers rode their horses closer, laughing:

"Mr. Clark, go easy. If you kill the girl, it'll be hard to explain."

Without turning his head, Mr. Clark waved his hand and said:

"Don't worry, she won't die."

Grace Miller was dizzy from his fall and took a long time to recover. Sitting on the grass, he looked at his hands, unable to understand why his "Sword Qi Finger" had suddenly vanished. He looked up at the sky, wondering if some shameless immortal was secretly plotting against him again.

Just as he was thinking this, someone flew toward him. Judging by the voice, it was Charlotte Harris. He hurried to catch her, but Charlotte Harris hit him with considerable force, and the two of them rolled several times before coming to a stop.