Chapter 40 Draft - Do Not Subscribe, Please Await Revision

Gao Li had already climbed onto the roof ridge.

He was very familiar with the terrain here. With a few leaps, he disappeared into the crowd without a trace.

Seeing that You Mingjiang had snatched a good horse, Xiao Wu leaped into the air and landed steadily behind You Mingjiang.

Yu Mingjiang was startled and instinctively turned around to deliver an elbow strike. However, Xiao Wu reacted quickly, raising his arm to block the fierce blow.

She snapped at him, "What do you think you're doing?"

Xiao Wu had no time to explain. He reached for the reins, spurred the horse's flanks, and yelled, "What can we do at a time like this? Stop asking these nonsense questions!"

You Mingjiang felt extremely uncomfortable.

She doesn't like strangers sticking close behind her, since several of her vital organs are exposed to their eyes.

You Mingjiang yanked hard on the reins, only to find that Xiao Wu's hand was tightly gripping the other end, and he couldn't shake it off no matter how hard he tried.

There was no other way; getting away was the top priority.

We can only temporarily accept this uninvited trouble.

There was no time for arguing or questioning. You Mingjiang spurred his horse to gallop, the sound of hooves rising suddenly, and it disappeared at the end of the street.

Chu Liuxiang squatted down and placed his fingers on Wu Weiyang's pulse.

He stopped breathing.

His face darkened, and in a flash he leaped onto his horse, whipped it, and chased after the assassin in the direction he had fled.

We must catch up with these assassins.

Especially that little girl with her face covered in greasepaint who shot Wu Weiyang to death with an arrow.

.

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The moonlight was hazy.

Xiao Wu has always been quite confident in his lightness skill.

But when he encountered that clueless man, he finally saw what a true master of light-body skills was.

His skill level is so high that it would not be an exaggeration to say that he is unparalleled in the martial arts world.

.

You Mingjiang lay on the horse's back, panting heavily.

The horse galloped frantically, exhausted to the point of foaming at the mouth. Luckily, it reached a bend in the road and managed to put some distance between itself and the man.

Fine beads of sweat trickled down her cheeks and clung to her wispy sideburns, feeling cool and refreshing.

The face paint had long since faded, and her hair was disheveled. She murmured, "Finally, I'm free!"

In fact, she had also thought on a whim that even if they stopped, what could this man do to them?

If the two of them team up to deal with that man, they might not be outmatched.

In the end, however, the two fled in disarray.

.

The two glanced at each other, secretly observing one another. Their eyes met unexpectedly, but they both looked away simultaneously.

No one spoke.

Because they don't like each other.

Both of them secretly wondered: at such a young age, how could he be doing such heinous things in the Green Dragon Society...

It's either a lack of upbringing or he was born with evil in his bones; he's a complete scoundrel!

.

You Mingjiang dismounted and strolled along the river.

Xiao Wu looked around, unsure of where to go. Almost unconsciously, he took the horse and silently followed behind her.

You Mingjiang slowed down, always being careful not to expose his back to Xiao Wu, a stranger.

The two of them walked slowly like that.

After an unknown amount of time, You Mingjiang finally spoke: "Don't you have anywhere to go? Why are you following me?"

Xiao Wu glanced at her sideways, then suddenly sneered, "Do you think you have anywhere to go?"

You Mingjiang curled his lip, his face full of disdain: "I'm too lazy to waste my breath on a piece of trash like you who can be slapped away with one palm."

Xiao Wu retorted defiantly, "I wouldn't have lost to that man anyway; I just wanted to spare Wu Weiyang's life. What deep-seated grudge did you have against Wu Weiyang? Why were you so decisive in killing him? Was it for money?"

You Mingjiang was somewhat puzzled and asked in return, "You don't want to kill him?"

Xiao Wu sighed: "I have no grudge against him, why should I kill him? Wu Weiyang is the ballast of the Yangtze River shipping, his death..."

Xiao Wu looked somber and didn't continue speaking.

You Mingjiang, however, already understood what he meant.

She looked Xiao Wu up and down.

This fellow has a pleasing appearance, is in the prime of his youth, possesses considerable martial arts skills, and speaks with a touch of insight and conscience.

She thought to herself: What a promising talent, how did he end up on the wrong path of becoming an assassin? It's such a pity.

You Mingjiang felt that she had always remained vigilant and had not completely lost her humanity or gone down a path of no return.

But her life as an assassin in the Green Dragon Society, those deeply ingrained habits, still occasionally surfaced and affected her.

Xiao Wu isn't inherently bad; he's not the kind of person who's unrepentant to the end.

With this in mind, You Mingjiang decided to lend this young man a hand.

"You're a strange person. The Azure Dragon Society doesn't give you any choice whatsoever. If you didn't want to kill, why did you join in the first place?"

You Mingjiang stared at Xiao Wu and continued, "Spending too much time in a place like that will eventually turn you into something neither human nor ghost. Haven't you thought about that?"

Back then, Fang Longxiang patted his chest and confidently guaranteed: "The Green Dragon Society will only deal with corrupt officials and treacherous ministers who commit numerous evils and prey on the people. They will never involve the innocent!"

You Mingjiang believed it.

But later it turned out that it was all a lie.

.

.

Xiao Wu does indeed have something he can't say about.

He's not just an ordinary assassin from the Azure Dragon Society; he's also Qiu Fengwu, the young master of Peacock Manor.

Why join the Azure Dragon Society?

Behind this lies a huge secret that must never be known to outsiders, and it is also an unprecedented crisis for Peacock Manor.

The reason why Peacock Manor has been so powerful in the martial arts world for hundreds of years is because of the intimidating power of the Peacock Feather.

But who would have thought that the real peacock feather had long been lost?

Without this core asset, the manor would face utter destruction if its secret were to leak out.

As the young master of the manor, Qiu Fengwu understood that relying solely on a powerful weapon to maintain appearances would eventually lead to decline...

But I never expected this day to come so soon.

Now he must hone his skills relentlessly, becoming the best in martial arts, strategy, connections, and prestige, so as to become the new "Peacock Feather" of Peacock Manor and revitalize the manor!

Furthermore, the Azure Dragon Society is a formidable and secretive organization in the martial arts world, with numerous informants and excellent intelligence.

Over the years, Qiu Fengwu has been determined to find the Peacock Feather. After inquiring around, he vaguely heard that the treasure had fallen into the hands of Bat Island.

Upon hearing this news, he felt extremely anxious.

But there was nothing he could do; he didn't even have an invitation to Bat Island.

People in the martial arts world who have invitations won't go around bragging about having them.

With no other option, he could only obediently disguise himself as Xiao Wu, keeping an eye on news through the Azure Dragon Society's intelligence network while seizing the time to improve himself, hoping to reach the threshold of Bat Island as soon as possible.

Little did Qiu Fengwu know that the girl in front of him had an invitation to Bat Island! If he had known, he would have shamelessly begged her to take him on the ship.

.

You Mingjiang scrutinized the boy in front of him.

Xiao Wu felt a heavy weight in his heart and sighed deeply: "So what about you? Are you planning to go back and ask Ximen Yu for a reward?"

You Mingjiang's expression was indifferent, as if he were talking about a trivial matter: "Why bother going back? Just pick up the bucket and run away."

In the Green Dragon Society, a portion of the payment is given before a murder is committed, and the remaining balance is settled only after the crime is completed.

Xiao Wu asked in surprise, "Run away with the bucket?"

You Mingjiang said softly, "Do you want to hear a secret from me?"

Xiao Wu asked, "Would it kill you to hear that?"

"That's right. After you hear this, you'll have to become a fugitive like me, hunted down to the ends of the earth by the Azure Dragon Society."

Xiao Wu frowned and blurted out, "You're going to defect?"

You Mingjiang crossed his arms and scoffed, "Defection? That's ancient history! The former leader of the July 15th branch was none other than Ximen Yu back then... I can't quite remember his exact name. Anyway, I stopped being involved with the Azure Dragon Society after that."

Xiao Wu suddenly realized, clearly having heard her story before. "You're from the Yazhou branch..."

You Mingjiang frowned and put a finger to her lips.

Xiao Wu was sensible and shut his mouth.

But the thought of Wu Weiyang's death gripped her heart, and she couldn't help but ask again, "If you were going to leave, why did you come back? And why did you do this murderous thing for the Green Dragon Society?"

"Because that's a fake Wu Weiyang, an imposter."

"A fake Wu Weiyang?!" Xiao Wu's eyes widened, his voice rising an octave. "How did you know?"

You Mingjiang licked his lips: "It's only two or three days earlier than you, it's nothing."

.

This task was a collaboration she made with Yun Conglong.

Yun Conglong and Wu Weiyang were close friends.

Having discovered that his best friend had been secretly replaced by people from Bat Island, and with many spies planted around him, Yun Conglong, after much deliberation, finally offered his pledge of allegiance to You Mingjiang.

Wu Weiyang's wish was to safeguard the foundation he had built on the Yangtze River and to combine the "dragon" and the "phoenix tail" into one.

Yun Conglong naturally wanted to help his friend fulfill his last wish.

Once he has the time, he will devote all his efforts to purging the gang of traitors from Bat Island.

In You Mingjiang's view, she was happy to get involved in anything that could cause trouble for the Qinglong Society.

Using the Yangtze River as bait is a perfect example of using one enemy to devour another.

If Bat Island really has the ability, it can certainly cause trouble for the Azure Dragon Society.

Dogs fighting, a mouthful of fur.

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However, this trick could not be kept secret from the Azure Dragon Society for long.

Yu Mingjiang, who took the money but did not perform his duties, along with Gao Li and Xiao Wu, who failed in their mission, are bound to bear the wrath of the Azure Dragon Society.

Defection was only a matter of time.

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The Azure Dragon Society has never tolerated traitors.

Those traitors who left the organization and lived comfortably were seen as thorns in the side by the Azure Dragon Society, and they had to be eliminated.

The Qinglong Society's higher-ups felt that the existence of such a traitor was like a bomb that could explode at any moment, sending a dangerous signal to others: one can live a fulfilling life even without the Qinglong Society.

This is outrageous!

This would seriously destabilize the organization, causing the assassins to harbor rebellious thoughts and no longer obediently follow the organization's orders.

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Xiao Wu suddenly laughed out loud, his gaze towards You Mingjiang was complicated, "Then I'll tell you a secret too."

He's usually not very talkative, I don't know what's wrong with him today.

Perhaps it was because You Mingjiang was a girl that he felt less guarded; or perhaps he had been feeling stifled for too long and really needed to talk to someone.

You Mingjiang waited quietly for him to continue.

"I'm not an assassin, I'm the young master of Peacock Manor." After saying that, Xiao Wu paused deliberately.

Logically, he thought You Mingjiang would laugh at him for his unrealistic dreams upon hearing this. Unexpectedly, You Mingjiang said thoughtfully, "Does the young master mean that everything in Peacock Manor will belong to you in the future?"

Xiao Wu was slightly surprised, but he nodded and affirmed, "That's right, Peacock Manor will be mine sooner or later."

Upon hearing this, You Mingjiang clapped his hands and burst into laughter: "That's wonderful!"

Xiao Wudao: "What's so good about it?"

You Mingjiang smiled and said, "Now that we've shared our secrets, we're friends from now on."

Xiao Wu frowned: "You wouldn't have decided to be friends with me just because of my identity, would you?"

You Mingjiang nodded: "Yes. As long as you're not an assassin, I can be your friend."

Xiao Wu's lips twitched slightly: "Is it because I'm not an assassin, or because I'm the young master of Peacock Manor?"

"What's the big deal? I won't discriminate against you," You Mingjiang said with a smile. "However, I have a favor to ask, would you like to hear it?"

Xiao Wu raised an eyebrow and replied, "Oh?"

You Mingjiang's eyes lit up, and he said, "Could you lend me the peacock feather another day? I promise I'll return it to you after I've used it."

Xiao Wu was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter.

He laughed so hard he bent over, but there was a hint of bitterness in his smile, as if he were hiding many unspeakable sorrows.

Filled with doubt, You Mingjiang pressed for an answer: "Is it not allowed?"

Xiao Wu finally managed to stop laughing, wiped away the tears that had welled up in his eyes, his expression somewhat enigmatic, and replied calmly:

"If you're lucky enough."

We were lucky enough to wait until he found the peacock feather.

.

You Mingjiang didn't dwell on it much and changed the subject: "Who was that man who was chasing after me just now?"

Xiao Wu glanced at her and asked in return, "You don't know who he is?"

You Mingjiang shook his head and recalled seriously, "I only smelled that he smelled very fragrant. He had slicked-back hair and was carrying a box of face powder, so I guessed he might be an opera singer. But he was also very skilled in martial arts, especially in lightness skills, which were extremely impressive."

·

She's either genuinely slow-witted, or she's pretending.

With such a detailed description, how could anyone not guess who that person is?

Xiao Wu sighed deeply, waved to her, turned and walked away with his horse, but after only two or three steps, he stopped again.

He didn't turn around and said, "Actually, I lied to you just now. I didn't lose to that man on purpose; I really couldn't beat him. He has never been defeated. Not just me, probably no one in the entire martial arts world can kill him... Good luck."

The one tracking them was none other than the famous Chu Liuxiang.

You Mingjiang smiled, then his expression turned serious.

She watched Xiao Wu's retreating figure and called out:

"You should be praying for your own good fortune and taking care of yourself. The Azure Dragon Society is not a place worth staying for long. If you have already gotten what you wanted, I advise you to leave as soon as possible."

Xiao Wu asked, "Why?"

You Mingjiang said calmly, "Because I will raze it to the ground sooner or later."

He'd better defect to the Azure Dragon Society as soon as possible.

Otherwise, if we meet again, we'll probably be on opposite sides.

.

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Author's Note: [Let me see] Thank you to all the little angels for the nutrient solution:

[Heart] "White" irrigation nutrient solution +1; "Silver" irrigation nutrient solution +6; "Moonlight" irrigation nutrient solution +1; "Twilight" irrigation nutrient solution +4 [Heart]

[Three-Cat Head] Before starting the story, I initially set Lu Xiaojia as an ISTP, but after reading more closely, I felt she was more like an INTP, and even a little bit of an ESTP... The overall character design is now settled on a youthful vibe + innocent heart + intellectual homosexuality [rainbow fart]

The first keystroke went wrong [cracked][cracked] and my friend even said I wrote a crossover of martial arts novels with frozen men [question mark]. I was indignant [angry], so I opened the comments section to take a look...

[Clown] Lu Xiaojia, where are your fans?