Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The two sides were on the verge of a clash. The bandits had the advantage in numbers and brutality, while the Knights were handpicked, well-armed, and specially trained.

For a moment, neither side showed a clear upper hand—both seemed equally likely to win.

Ning Chan sat inside the carriage, peering through the raised curtain of the window as if watching an amusing spectacle, a faint smile playing on his lips.

The bandits were no good, but neither were most of the Knights he had brought along.

Let the dogs fight—who knew which troublemaker would last longer?

Kane, standing with his back to Ning Chan, let his gaze drift over the scene, though his thoughts kept circling back to Ning Chan himself.

He had always "heard" of Ning Chan’s abilities—would today be the day he finally witnessed a miracle?

"Don’t be afraid. The gods will protect us." Seeing that the skirmish had a while left, Ning Chan lowered his eyelids, his gaze settling on the boy before him. Poor Little Kane must’ve been scared stiff by this *"bloody and brutal"* scene.

"Uh-huh." Kane’s thoughts paused for a moment before he responded in a dry, strained voice.

Gods… Was Ning Chan referring to himself?

Just as Ning Chan was worrying whether the child would be frightened to tears by the violence, two bandits broke through the Knights' defensive line and charged toward them.

Their snarling faces said it all—they intended to capture Ning Chan and Kane to force the Knights into submission.

Ning Chan’s eyes turned icy as they settled on them. Why not just fight the Knights openly? Why drag innocent people into this? Did they think it made them look clever?

The scattered fire particles in the air began to gather, condensing into a pinprick of flame that landed on the leather pouches at their waists.

Earlier, Ning Chan had seen them pour something from those pouches onto wooden staffs, igniting flames effortlessly. Now, he wanted to test whether the contents were what he suspected.

The small red dot landed on the pouch, a wisp of thin blue smoke curling upward. Then, the spark spread, leaving blackened streaks around it. The moment the pouch split open, a whip of fire burst forth, swiftly licking over the bandit’s body.

"Ah! Where did this fire come from?! Shit, the booze sack’s leaking!"

Catching the strong scent of rotgut liquor in the air, Ning Chan tsked in feigned "shock" at this "coincidence."

Thankfully, the liquor these men carried was high-proof enough—otherwise, if he had ignited the pouch, it would’ve just spilled like weak cider.

In that case, forget burning—it probably would’ve fizzled out the moment it touched the flame.

But now? Look at how fiercely it burned, the man screaming his lungs out.

The other bandit instinctively glanced up at the sun—had the heat caused the wine pouch to catch fire?

He reached to untie the pouch from his waist, intending to toss it away.

But the moment his hand touched it, flames rapidly coiled around his wrist. Soon, he was enjoying the same "fiery welcome" as his companion.

Though he had seen it coming, seeing it happen right before his eyes still sent a jolt through Kane.

Thankfully, his back was turned—Kane suppressed any trace of fear on his face, leaving only shock. If Ning Chan saw his lack of genuine fright, his disguise as a child might be exposed!

Unlike Ning Chan, who had the "confidence" to disregard others’ opinions, Kane wasn’t ready to reveal his true self yet.

The sudden appearance of two flailing human torches nearby made both fighting sides instinctively pause.

The hell just happened?! How had these two men suddenly gone up like kindling?

Various thoughts flashed through their minds, causing a dramatic shift in the morale of both sides.

While the other members of the Knights were unaware of Ning Chan's abilities, Hector knew all too well—he had personally experienced the power of Lord Holy Son and understood that deciding who lived or died was as simple as a flick of his fingers.

Clearly, those two who had sought to pick on easy targets had chosen to challenge a god's power, and now they were as good as dead.

At this moment, Hector was almost grateful to those two ambushers—had it not been for them, Lord Holy Son wouldn't have stepped in this soon.

Glancing at the wound on his arm, Hector raised his sword and shouted, "The Lord is with us! Charge! Capture these fools who dare challenge the Church's might!"

Peter, hearing Hector's battle cry, felt a chill run down his spine.

Could there really be a god? His gaze flickered toward the two barely twitching human torches, and he swallowed hard, his fingers trembling ever so slightly.

What was happening before him shattered everything he believed. His once-firm convictions began to waver under these unnatural circumstances.

As the saying goes, better safe than sorry.

Thus, Peter, once a staunch atheist, now found himself becoming superstitious.

His hesitation only amplified the fear among his subordinates, many of whom were already believers.

After all, in this era, most people still believed in the existence of gods—otherwise, the Church's power wouldn't have eclipsed that of the monarchy.

The bandits' guts turned to ice: they were doomed. They had offended the divine and would now face punishment.

As their morale crumbled, the Knights' spirits soared, pressing their advantage against the demoralized bandits.

By the time the battle ended, the ground was soaked with blood.

Seeing that the situation was now under control, Ning Chan stepped down from the carriage and walked toward the sealed gates of the estate.

"Is Uncle Wuqinuo here? This is Chantulika Ning. You can open the gates now—the bandits have been slaughtered," Ning Chan rapped his knuckles against the door and called out loudly.

Wuqinuo, who had been nursing his injuries and feeling uncertain, his face lit up like sunrise at the sound of Ning Chan's voice.

He knew of Chantulika Ning—the newly arrived Apprentice Saint of their Church, a brilliant young man, the bishops' golden boy, believed to have the potential to become the Holy Lord.

Wuqinuo was well-informed because he, too, was a member of the Church's Knights. His current posting at the pottery estate was part of the Knights' rotational guard duty, and by cruel chance, his shift had coincided with the bandits' attack.

If Chantulika Ning was here, it meant the rest of the Knights were likely on their way. If true, those notorious bandits might have truly been driven off.

Still, out of caution, Wuqinuo didn’t order the sandbags moved and the gates opened immediately. Instead, he sent a nimble scout to climb atop the sandbags and scope out the situation outside.

Seeing Wuqinuo's excited expression, the scout felt his shoulders relax slightly. He scrambled up the sandbags in a few quick steps and peered over the wall.

Spotting the familiar armor in the distance and the two children in white robes with golden sashes standing before the gates, his lips trembled as he shouted hoarsely, "We're saved! We've survived!"

Without waiting for Wuqinuo's order, he leaped down from the sandbags in excitement and began desperately tugging them aside to let those outside in.

The others quickly joined in to help.

When the gates finally opened, they were met with Ning Chan's smiling face, and the urge to sweep him up in celebration was overwhelming.

Supported by others, Wuqinuo approached Ning Chan and said, "Welcome, Lord Holy Son. What do you need from us?"