Meanwhile, on the other side, Zu'an was desperately fleeing and hid in a forest he had passed through before. All those special forces movies he had watched before weren't for nothing. Although they were just theoretical, he had no choice but to give it a try now.
The four people chasing him were all at the fourth rank of cultivation. He had no chance of winning in a head-on confrontation. His only chance was to let them split up and defeat them one by one. The complex terrain in the mountains and forests, coupled with the obstructed view, should be the best battlefield.
Seeing him escape into the woods, the four people behind him frowned. However, each of them was more powerful than him, so they were not afraid and continued to chase after him.
Zuan darted through the dense forest, using his agility and the abundance of trees to finally gain a slight lead over the four. If he had continued running, he might have been able to shake them off completely, but there's no such thing as being able to guard against thieves for a thousand days.
With these people lurking in the shadows, he might not be so lucky to escape next time.
So he found a large, lush tree, jumped up and hid in the canopy, using the dense foliage to conceal himself.
After a while, the four men caught up to the vicinity:
"What happened? It seems like we lost them?"
"Don't panic, they should be hiding nearby."
"Everyone be careful, especially watch out for the trees."
...
Zu An's heart sank. These people were clearly students of the academy, but they were all so experienced that they didn't seem like students at all.
As for their origins, it's obvious without even guessing that they were sent by that guy Shi Kun.
That beautiful headmistress really deserves a spanking! She didn't even know so many spies had infiltrated the school. I'll definitely have a good talk with her when I get back.
The four searched for a while, but the woods were quite large, and it wasn't going to be easy for them to find it.
"This won't do; it's like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"If everyone spreads out to search, it will be more efficient."
"But wouldn't it be dangerous to separate? Young Master said his combat power is somewhat strange."
"Tch, no matter how strange it is, it's still just a third-rank cultivator. Do you think it can kill me with a single sword strike?"
"That's right, we're not like Yuan Wendong, a useless person, who would chat with him at a crucial moment."
"Alright then, everyone spread out and search. Remember not to get entangled in combat. Once you find the enemy, focus on holding them off until we come to their aid."
...
The four men, each responsible for a different direction, moved slowly and warily. The archer was the one heading towards Zu'an's direction.
Zaun couldn't help but feel a little eager to try. These people had both ranged and melee combat skills, and their coordinated attacks were indeed quite troublesome. Relatively speaking, the archer posed the greatest threat to him.
Because he had to dodge the archer's arrows while fleeing, which greatly slowed him down and caused him to get closer and closer to his pursuers, he had no choice but to rely on the dense forest to maneuver around.
If the archers are eliminated, it will be much easier to fight or flee afterward.
Especially since this guy just boasted that I couldn't possibly kill him with one sword, he set such a high bar that it would be a disservice to him not to grant his wish.
However, seeing the three figures faintly visible in the distance, Zuan gave up on this tempting plan. They could get here quite quickly from this distance. The archer below was at least a fourth-rank, and if he accidentally got surrounded, it would be dangerous for him.
The four people gradually walked away, and their figures disappeared from sight.
Zuan didn't move. After a while, the four of them ran back together, looked around, and were immediately disappointed.
"Hmph, it seems that guy really isn't here."
Zuan sneered inwardly. Did he really think he could fool me with such a tired trick from TV dramas?
The one with the gun seemed to be the leader of the four. He said to the archer, "Liao Zhongyou, you stay here and provide support from the center to prevent Zu'an from circling back to avoid our search."
Zuan was overjoyed. He had just been disappointed to miss his chance, but they had delivered themselves to his doorstep. However, the one who was called "Flying on Shit" and the one who was called "Swimming in Urine" were quite a smelly team. What kind of subordinates did that guy surnamed Shi hire?
At this moment, Liao Zhongyou laughed and raised his bow and arrow: "Good! If he dares to come back, I'll take his life with one arrow."
The others nodded, then moved many times faster than before, searching in the other three directions, clearly worried that he might have run too far.
Liao Zhongyou looked around and muttered to himself, "Hmm, let's find a high vantage point to ambush them. That way we can have a panoramic view. Hmm, this tree is not bad."
He looked at the big tree in front of him, nodded in satisfaction, and then, with a light touch of his toes, nimbly climbed up.
He charged straight for the densest branches, but was met with a sharp, cold glint. The sword was fast, accurate, and urgent, and since he was in mid-air with no leverage, he had no way to dodge it.
Piercing his throat with that lightning-fast sword light, his horrified scream turned into a series of low, gurgling sobs.
"I killed him in one strike, are you surprised or not?" The leaves were parted, revealing Zuan's grinning face.
...
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