Chapter 115 Wa Ruhuang: "Why is Taihang Dao meddling in other people's business?"...

The man in black strained to stay close behind the smiling man, leaping across countless rooftops with dramatic leaps and bounds, barely catching his breath, yet still trailing far behind the old man.

Just as Lian Zhao had finished suppressing Ting Fengzhi's disordered meridians and removed the last silver needle, he breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the sound of a sword being drawn outside the door.

Lin Mu called out in a tense voice, "Senior Brother!"

Lian Zhao suddenly pushed open the door, and his scalp tightened immediately. He saw the smiling man from last night standing with his hands behind his back on the eaves of the three-story building, his clothes fluttering in the wind, his demeanor otherworldly. But in the eyes of the group of young people, he seemed like a Yama, the King of Hell, who was about to take their lives.

The man in black who caught up wisely landed on the low roof tiles to the side, letting the old man "stand out alone." Perhaps most people who cultivate immortality have a penchant for being the center of attention.

No matter where he is, the old man will always choose the highest point to stand on, in order to show off what he thinks is the demeanor of a great immortal. In reality, he is like a flagpole stuck on the roof, with his robe fluttering in the wind, resembling a ghost banner, exuding a ghostly aura. It is obvious at a glance that he has gone astray.

Judging from the expressions of those boys who looked like they'd seen a ghost, his appearance was definitely eerie.

The man in black couldn't help but roll his eyes, thinking to himself: Loading the cargo.

Having shown off his cargo in silence for a while, he leaped down from the rooftop and headed straight for the inn.

The teenagers were on high alert and drew their swords to fight.

"Those who block my way..." The smiling man had one hand behind his back and the other hand raised slightly.

The black-clad men watching were all too familiar with his move; they knew he was about to spout the arrogant threat of "Anyone who gets in my way will be killed," and then effortlessly kill them all.

The man in black knew perfectly well that these words were not empty talk; if it were him, he would definitely have given way.

But the four teenagers, oblivious to the danger, dared to confront the attack head-on, unleashing a rainbow of sword energy to strike at the approaching crisis.

The smiling man paused halfway up his hand, his slightly parted fingers closing as if he had changed his mind: "Fine, they're all children, I'll spare your lives."

The four longswords, aimed at the smiling man, suddenly stopped. The boys' expressions changed, and they heard the smiling man calmly say, "Get out of the way." A strong and powerful gust of air suddenly swept out, blasting them all away and smashing open the doors and windows of the inn.

The smiling man barged into the room without any hindrance and immediately saw the person on the bed and the umbrella.

Just as he was about to grab the Death Umbrella, a sharp wind blade suddenly slashed down, almost severing half of his hand!

The smiling man quickly withdrew his hand, but a shallow, long bloodstain was still cut into his palm by the wind blade.

Zhou Yaren grabbed the Death Umbrella and held it behind her, instantly unleashing several wind blades that struck the attacker, piercing through the tables, chairs, doors, and windows inside the house.

The smiling man slashed at Zhou Yaren's vital point with a gust of wind, but she managed to take the blow head-on. She was then sent flying, crashing through the inn's door and slamming against the courtyard wall.

"You'll know if you listen to the wind!"

Zhou Yaren was in excruciating pain from the injuries to his meridians. He gritted his teeth, blood dripping from between them, and used the wall to support himself as he stood up.

Four teenagers arrived with swords drawn to block the smiling man who was attacking Tingfengzhi. They all knew that this was futile and that the smiling man's goal was the Death-Reporting Umbrella.

No one expected that the other party would launch a surprise attack, and Tingfengzhi, who was seriously injured, was no match for the Smiling Man.

"Listen to the wind," Lian Zhao shouted, "Run!"

Despite their best efforts, the teenagers could only hold off their opponent for a moment.

A gust of wind swept across the ground, knocking aside the men in black who tried to stop her, lifting Zhou Yaren up and leaping over the high wall, before fleeing in a panic.

The piercing wound in her knee was excruciatingly painful. Zhou Yaren used the wind to navigate through the alleyways, occasionally raising her fan to thwart the smiling men who were hot on her heels.

As the smiling man rushed forward, he dodged left and right, spun in mid-air, his movements light and agile. Dozens of gusts of wind swept past his mask and body, leaving marks on the blue brick walls as if they were carved by a knife.

During their chase, the powerful gusts of air they generated knocked down passersby along the way.

The smiling man stared at the bloodstains on the ground, his voice laced with a smile: "You're running so fast with an injured leg, doesn't it hurt? Why waste your energy? You'll be crippled if you keep running. Hand me the Death Umbrella, and I might spare your life."

Blood soaked through her trousers, and the excruciating pain in her knees made Zhou Yaren clench her teeth, unable to open her mouth at all.

The smiling man continued, "You can tell a gentleman is as pure and upright as a clear breeze and a bright moon. His blindness has already caused countless young women in the capital to feel regret. If he were to become lame as well, it would truly be unsightly."

So what if he's blind or lame? Appearance has never been something he values.

Zhou Yaren ignored him, determined to get rid of him.

"Why bother? It's just an umbrella." The fact that someone would risk their injured leg and life to protect him must mean that what I feared was a potential problem.

Wildfires cannot burn them all; the spring breeze brings them back to life. It seems we must eradicate them completely.

He was about to catch up with Zhou Yaren, the Death Umbrella was within reach, practically within his grasp. But just as he reached out his hand, a damned gust of wind lashed at him.

A few drops of blood fell on the surface of the fan that had stirred up the storm; they had dripped from the corner of Zhou Yaren's mouth.

Hmph, you're at your last gasp. How long can you hold out?

“There’s no road ahead,” the smiling man said calmly, seemingly having plenty of energy left. “Where can you run to?”

The city was filled with houses and people, so Zhou Yaren couldn't ride the wind without restraint, because the storm was extremely destructive—a gentle breeze could support flower petals and leaves, but to support the weight of an adult would be a formidable gale.

But in this urgent situation, Zhou Yaren was trapped in a dead end, and his leg injury made it difficult for him to walk. He had no other choice. He flicked his fan to the ground, and a sudden gust of wind arose. Using the wind as leverage, Zhou Yaren soared upwards.

The strong wind it generated destroyed grass and broke trees, sent sand and stones flying, and even blew off roof tiles. People along the way screamed in terror, and some people hugged a child who was almost blown into the air by the wind. The child cried loudly in fear.

The man squatting in the outhouse suddenly felt a bright light above him. He looked up and saw that the triple-layered roof covering the house had been completely ripped off, sending toilet paper flying everywhere. Before he could even scream, a large bird—no, a masked bird-man—flew over his head.

Just then, the birdman looked down and was caught off guard by a large butt sticking out in the latrine. He said, "Don't look at what you shouldn't see," and casually pulled a blanket that had been lifted into the air to cover the latrine, serving as a temporary roof.

Then, an old woman shouted in the courtyard, "My bedding!"

One after another, the shouts echoed: "My manuscript!"

"My raincoat! My winnowing basket!"

"Good heavens, the wind is blowing so hard, the roof is being ripped off!"

Zhou Yaren was so tightly gripped by the smiling man that she couldn't care less about anything else and could only minimize the area affected by the wind damage.

Hearing the commotion, Li Liuyun came out of the county government office and saw two people flying over rooftops and fighting not far away. Wherever they passed, a strong wind swept away the tiles like locusts.

Normally, Tingfeng wouldn't have gone so far as to tear off residents' roofs, but with an arrow piercing his left knee and Li Liuyun personally treating and bandaging the wound, he would probably have difficulty even walking. So at this moment, he could only rely on the wind to move, but the Wind Control Technique had already severely damaged his vital energy and meridians...

Li Liuyun frowned, staring at Tingfengzhi who was fleeing in a disheveled state, his hand gripping the folding fan tightly was also bleeding.

As the blood dripped, Zhou Yaren hurriedly moved the umbrella that was used to report the death, thus preventing the drop of blood from falling onto the umbrella surface.

The smiling man moved with ghostly speed, weaving through the newly risen tiles, and in a few quick flashes, he caught up with Zhou Yaren.

Before the drop of blood floating in the air could fall, it struck the smiling man squarely between the eyebrows.

The drop of blood, like a sharp knife, cleaved open that false smile.

The mask split in two on his face, and just as it was about to fall off, he caught it with his hand. At the same time, the smiling man grabbed several pieces of a suddenly rising tile and struck Zhou Yaren on the back of the head!

Li Liuyun seized the opportunity to draw his sword. The scabbard flew out of his hand first, shattering the blue tile behind Zhou Yaren's head. The sword energy he generated forcefully forced the smiling man back several steps.

"He who hears the wind knows when to go."

Without hesitation, Zhou Yaren told Li Liuyun to "be careful" and then headed east without looking back.

The smiling man secured the mask with his hair, fastened it back onto his face, and tilted his head with a smile: "Li Liuyun."

Li Liuyun blocked his path with his sword: "You recognize me?"

"As a direct disciple of the Celestial Master's Capital Sect, you must have heard of him." Seeing Zhou Yaren ride the wind away, the smiling man quickly went around her, "I am only here to retrieve the Death Umbrella, and have no intention of making enemies with you."

"What do you want with the report of the dead umbrella?" Li Liuyun vaguely guessed the other party's purpose.

Sure enough, the smiling man said, "Of course—cut the weeds and eliminate them at the root."

It seems that not only did he realize that the "Death Umbrella" was the source of the injustice, but the Smiling Man also clearly realized this, which is why he suddenly turned around and chased after Ting Fengzhi to kill him.

He should have sent Tingfengzhi away from Fengling earlier, but he overlooked it, and now it's too late. Li Liuyun swept his long sword out, desperately blocking the smiling man's path: "You are well aware of the Emperor's secret decree, you know everything about the imperial envoy who went to Hedong Road to investigate, you can also influence the salt certificate case, you act recklessly in Fengling Ferry and fabricate a wrongful case, and you are so secretive and hiding behind a mask, you must be an acquaintance from the capital."

Because I've met him before and know his background, I said I didn't want to make enemies with him.

"Huh?" The smiling man suddenly dodged aside, neither denying nor admitting it.

If that were the case, Li Liuyun was certain that the other party wouldn't dare to easily harm him, otherwise the imperial court and Taihang would never let the matter rest. The smiling man clearly didn't want to cause himself such trouble, making himself miserable every day, so he could help Tingfeng Zhi buy himself a chance to escape.

The sword's momentum was fierce and unstoppable. No matter where the smiling man dodged, the sword energy would pursue and strike. The eaves where he had landed were sheared off, tree branches were neatly cut off, and brick walls were split in two... Just as Li Liuyun had expected, the fierce sword energy forced the smiling man to retreat repeatedly!

At this moment, Lin Mu, who had finally caught up, couldn't help but shout from two miles away, "Senior Brother Liu Yun, stop him!"

The smiling man glanced casually at the group of teenagers chasing after him and sighed, "Why is Taihang Dao meddling in other people's business?" He had no intention of having a direct conflict with Li Liuyun and the others, but they didn't know how to back down.

"I've already shown you enough respect by yielding several moves; don't be ungrateful." The smiling man suddenly changed his demeanor, his aura surging, carrying a hint of righteous indignation. He forcefully deflected Li Liuyun's sword strike, parrying the sword tip with his bare hands and holding it between two fingers. "Swords have no eyes; if you go too far, it might cost you your life." With that, he twisted his wrist, and with a backhand motion, he slashed the blade towards the neck of the swordsman.

Li Liuyun suddenly leaned back.

The smiling man shoved him away with a palm strike, saying, "Make way."

He didn't have time to waste arguing with a few brats and delay his business.

The palm strike landed squarely on Li Liuyun's chest, the force seemingly piercing through his body, numbing his internal organs. Sure enough, the next moment, this piercing palm wind struck Lian Zhao, who was rushing forward.

Li Liuyun was horrified and turned to look. Lian Zhao knelt on the ground, clutching his chest, and suddenly vomited blood.

"Lian Zhao!"

Looking back at himself, Li Liuyun felt only a tingling and dull pain in his heart and lungs, but no damage to his internal organs. When he looked up again, the smiling man had already leaped dozens of feet away, chasing after Ting Fengzhi.

After the previous exchanges, it's clear that even if they were all combined, they wouldn't be a match for the Smiling Man. Even if Tingfeng Zhi were at his peak, he probably wouldn't be able to defeat him.

If the smiling man is determined to seize the umbrella of death today, I sense that the outcome is likely dire.

Li Liuyun's heart sank. Before his fellow disciples could arrive, he chased after them without stopping.