The bamboo forest receded rapidly as the wind whistled past his ears.
Within a dozen breaths, he had already traveled several miles.
The eastern shore of the lake came into view in the distance. The shallows were a chaotic jumble of rocks and knee-deep weeds, presenting a desolate and barren scene.
At the end of the wooden walkway, several figures were busy around a carriage.
Lu Zhaoyuan, holding a riding whip, shouted loudly, “Unload all the crates containing grain and dried meat! Load the empty crates onto the carriage! Move quickly, don’t drag your feet!”
Song Rou stood quietly not far behind him.
Four outer sect disciples were carrying the crates, drenched in sweat and not daring to slack off in the slightest.
Suddenly!
One of the outer sect disciples lifted a wooden crate, but the weight felt off. He paused, unable to resist turning his head to say, “Senior Brother Lu, there still seems to be some leftover grain in this crate. Should we load it onto the carriage as well—”
Swish!
Before he could finish, Lu Zhaoyuan’s face darkened, and the riding whip in his hand lashed out, wrapped in a fierce, whistling wind!
Crack!
“Argh!”
The outer sect disciple cried out in pain as his robes tore open. A bloody whip mark was branded onto his flesh, and fresh blood seeped out of the wound—a shocking sight.
Lu Zhaoyuan’s expression was as cold as ice, and his voice was chilling: “Slackers! Today’s fish count isn’t even met yet. If you keep dragging your feet and delay our business, don’t blame my whip for showing no mercy!”
The disciple trembled all over from the pain, but he gritted his teeth and didn’t dare utter another sound, hunching his back as he continued carrying the crates.
The other three shuddered at the lash, and their movements immediately quickened.
A look of pity crossed Song Rou’s face. Her lips parted, and she hesitated several times, but in the end, she said nothing.
“Heh...”
Beside the carriage, a figure leaning against the carriage shaft let out a low chuckle.
The man wore a bamboo hat pressed extremely low, revealing only his jaw and mouth. He looked as if he were watching a grand play, his smile teasing and playful.
After watching for a moment, he seemed to find it boring and turned his gaze toward the graceful figure nearby.
Song Rou noticed immediately. Her willow-leaf brows knitted slightly, and she instinctively turned her body away, a trace of disgust and discomfort appearing on her face.
Lu Zhaoyuan obviously noticed this as well.
His brow furrowed tightly, and he glared fiercely at the man in the bamboo hat, his eyes filled with warning.
In the past, this man had always kept a very low profile in front of him, speaking with plenty of flattery.
But today...
Not only did he not back down, but he even bared his teeth in a grin. Ignoring the warning, he scrutinized Song Rou’s exquisite curves even more brazenly, the heat in his eyes intensifying, and the smile at the corner of his mouth grew increasingly meaningful, as if he were admiring a plaything that would soon be in his hands!
Lu Zhaoyuan’s face went cold, but his heart skipped a beat.
This fellow...
What is the meaning of this? Does he think he has me completely under his thumb?
A faint sense of unease welled up in his heart.
Weng Gui’s attitude today was completely different from usual.
Although the man had been fierce in the past, he had always shown some restraint and maintained a surface-level politeness toward him.
But today, that layer of politeness was torn away completely, replaced by unabashed disdain and greed.
Just as his thoughts were in a tangle, Song Rou’s gentle eyes suddenly lit up. Her gaze bypassed Lu Zhaoyuan and looked not far away: “Junior Brother Shen!?”
Lu Zhaoyuan’s heart sank, and he whipped around to look.
On the winding, shaded path, a figure was walking unhurriedly toward the wooden walkway.
The man carried a green blade on his back and wore a green robe. His expression was completely composed, as if he had just happened to pass by and decided to stop and watch the commotion.
“Shen Xiuhan!?”
Lu Zhaoyuan’s heart pounded wildly. He took two steps forward to block the path, suspicion furrowing his brow: “Why aren’t you in your own waters catching fish? What are you doing here on my eastern shore?”
“Don’t take offense, Senior Brother Lu...” Shen Xiuhan smiled faintly and pulled a booklet from his robe. It was precisely the one Song Rou had gifted him. “I’m here to return Senior Sister’s things. This booklet was of great help to me, so I came to thank her in person.”
Lu Zhaoyuan ignored the words, his eyes locked onto Shen Xiuhan’s face!
Seeing that Shen Xiuhan’s gaze was clear and devoid of anything unusual, he let out a tiny sigh of relief, but his voice remained cold: “No need!”
“Since she gave you the notes, just keep them. If you can use them to catch a few more Precious Fish for the sect, you won’t have let your senior sister’s good intentions go to waste...”
Lu Zhaoyuan rambled on, doing his best to stall for time while pretending to glance casually at the carriage.
Within his sight, the crates had all been loaded onto the carriage.
Weng Gui climbed onto the front shaft and raised his riding whip high: “Yah!”
He gave a low shout!
Hooves clopped, and the wheels ground over the gravel as the carriage slowly started moving.
Lu Zhaoyuan’s racing heart finally settled back into his chest.
He let out a silent breath of relief and turned back, intending to dismiss Shen Xiuhan with a few quick words.
But in the next instant, his expression suddenly froze!
Where was he?
The green-robed youth who had been standing right in front of him just a moment ago had vanished without a trace.
Lu Zhaoyuan’s heart skipped a beat, and he whipped his head back to look!
Shen Xiuhan had somehow already positioned himself beside the front of the carriage.
On the carriage, Weng Gui, his path blocked, cursed his rotten luck inwardly. However, he forced a smile onto his face, cupping his fists in a polite bow: “Senior Brother, is there something you need me to—”
Whoosh!
Before he could finish, Shen Xiuhan suddenly raised his hand.
He casually flung the thin paper booklet, sending it flying straight toward Weng Gui’s face!
The pages rustled and fluttered in the air, turning into a flurry of white shadows that blocked Weng Gui’s vision.
At the exact same moment, Shen Xiuhan shifted his feet and stomped hard on the wet mud. Mud and stones exploded outward as he transformed into a green blur, sweeping low across the ground and shooting toward the carriage like a bullet!
“Oh no!”
Weng Gui’s expression changed drastically!
He jerked his head to the side, barely dodging the incoming booklet, as warning bells rang wildly in his mind.
Without a second thought, he bellowed at the top of his lungs, intending to drag Lu Zhaoyuan down with him: “Lu Zhaoyuan! The plot is exposed! Help me kill this—”
Before the word could leave his mouth, Shen Xiuhan had already descended from the air!
The bones and muscles in his right arm popped and cracked in a series of muffled explosions, like an iron-backed bow drawn to a full moon. The bowstring vibrated, fully charged with a terrifying force ready to explode.
The six acupoints in his body surged simultaneously. His Anjin force exploded like a torrential flood, roaring through his meridians and pouring all the way into his right arm.
A layer of forest-white frost spread from his palm to his fingers, condensing on his fingertips and glinting with a chilling light in the morning sun.
『Mystic Ice Force』!
His five fingers curved like talons, frost-white like blades.
『Heavenly Eagle Wind-Tearing Hand: Frost True Qi Version』!
Though this claw strike was incredibly swift and fierce, it carried a grand, majestic, and peerlessly overbearing momentum!
“You’re courting death!”
Weng Gui was, after all, an old demon who had lived on the edge of a blade for many years. In this moment of crisis, he roared furiously, his blood qi surging wildly within him.
He crossed his arms above his head, and a surge of dark red fiendish force erupted from his body, condensing into a thin qi shield above him.
『Yinsha Great Art: Fiendish Force Shield』!
However...
Crack!
The hastily formed qi shield was as fragile as paper before Shen Xiuhan’s claw strike.
Five frost-white fingertips ruthlessly tore through the fiendish force, their momentum unchecked!
Like five indestructible ice blades, they slammed heavily onto the crown of Weng Gui’s head under his horrified and despairing gaze!
Immediately after, a twist, and a squeeze!
Splat!
A geyser of hot red-and-white matter erupted violently from the five bloody holes on the crown of Weng Gui’s head!
But before it could splash down, the residual 『Mystic Ice Force』 in the wounds instantly froze it, turning it into tiny ice crystals.
In an instant, like a shower of red and white hail, it pattered down from the sky, clattering crisply against the wooden shaft of the carriage.
Weng Gui’s scream cut off abruptly.
The despair and horror in his eyes froze instantly, then slowly dilated and faded away.
Immediately after, like a sack of meat with its spine ripped out, he slumped limply from the carriage shaft and crashed heavily to the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust.
One of the Six Cangwu Demons, the Fourth Demon Weng Gui...
Perished!
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