The Shadow of Return
Chapter Quote: Just as I've decided on a plan for the northern frontier, I encounter a murderer on my way home. New enemies and old grudges emerge, and the brave prevails when they meet on a narrow road.
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After leaving Zengtou City, Yan Qing did not return directly to Daming Prefecture, but took a detour to another secret contact point agreed with "Yinyi", preparing to form a secret report on the latest situation in the north and the details of Shi Wengong joining the alliance and send it through more reliable channels.
Autumn had deepened, and the withered vegetation along the official road added a touch of solemnity. Yan Qing, still dressed as a traveling merchant, rode slowly, seemingly leisurely, yet in reality, he was keeping his eyes and ears open. The successive attacks had made him wary of any complacency.
They reached a desolate area with no village or shop nearby, and a dense, withered forest beside the road. Yan Qing reined in his horse, his nostrils twitching slightly. Besides the scent of dust and withered grass, the air seemed to be mingled with a faint, almost fishy odor.
It's not a beast, it's... the smell of blood!
He was startled and immediately dismounted, leading the horse into a hidden place in the ravine beside the road, and then he sneaked into the dead woods as quietly as a civet cat.
After only walking a few dozen steps, the scene before him made his pupils shrink suddenly!
Seven or eight bodies lay sprawled in the clearing in the woods! Judging by their attire, they were the brothers sent by the Hidden Post to fend him off! They had apparently been waiting there when they were suddenly attacked, slaughtered before they could even resist! The wounds, mostly to vital areas like the throat and heart, were clean and sharp. The attackers were both highly skilled and ruthless!
Yan Qing crouched down, carefully examining the wounds, then glanced at the signs of fighting around him (which were almost negligible), his expression growing gloomier. These brothers were all skilled, yet they were completely wiped out before they could even raise a warning. Their opponents were definitely not ordinary people!
Is he from Liangshan? Or is he the expert sent by the lingering official from the Palace Marshal's Mansion?
He was thinking, when suddenly, a sinister voice came from behind him, with a hint of cat-and-mouse teasing:
"The prodigal Yanqing is indeed as good as his reputation says. His sense of smell is very keen."
Yan Qing's muscles tensed instantly, he slowly stood up and turned around.
I saw three more people appearing at the edge of the woods.
The leader was tall and thin, with a sallow complexion, as if he had been ill for a long time. However, his eyes were frighteningly bright, like two will-o'-the-wisp fires. In his hands were a pair of strange weapons—Ziwu Yuanyang Yue. This person had a cold aura, giving Yan Qing an extremely dangerous feeling.
Yan Qing recognized the person on his left. It was the tall and thin man holding the judge's pen who had fought with him many times. He was staring at him with resentment.
The man on the right, however, made Yan Qing's heart sink! He was dressed like a monk, with a square face and big ears, a large incense scar on his forehead, and holding a solid iron Zen staff. Although he didn't speak, his profound and imposing aura, as well as the faint smell of blood coming from the Zen staff, all showed that he was a top master of external martial arts!
"Who are you?" Yan Qing said calmly, secretly adjusting his breathing and raising his condition to its peak. These three people, especially the monk and the sick man, put more pressure on him than any previous attack.
The sickly-looking man chuckled, his voice hoarse and unpleasant: "You are about to die, why ask so many questions? Someone is offering a large price for your life, and by the way... to retrieve what you took from Liu Kongmu."
Sure enough, they came for the evidence to frame Lu Junyi! Yan Qing's mind raced. These three people didn't look like officials, nor did they belong to Liangshan. They looked more like... professional killers, or masters of some secretive force!
"Want something? Come and get it if you can." Yan Qing sneered, and the dagger slipped quietly into his hand.
"Arrogant!" The tall and thin man holding the judge's pen could no longer hold back. He shouted loudly, and the pen shook, turning into several cold stars, directly hitting Yan Qing's upper body! He had suffered at the hands of Yan Qing before, and this time he intended to attack in front of his companions, and his first move was a killing move!
However, things are different now! Yan Qing has fought dozens of battles, often on the brink of life and death. His martial arts, experience, and determination are no longer the same as before!
Seeing the Judge's Pen coming, he didn't dodge or evade. Instead, he shifted his footsteps and moved like a ghost, following the shadow of the Pen! His short knife struck first, slashing at the opponent's wrist! It was a suicidal tactic!
The tall and thin man had not expected Yan Qing to be so brave. He did not want to risk his life, so he hurriedly withdrew his pen and returned to defend. Just when he had exhausted his old moves and had not yet regained his strength, Yan Qing's knife suddenly changed its momentum, from slashing to stabbing, like a venomous snake spitting out its tongue, piercing his throat!
Fast! Ruthless! Accurate!
The tall and thin man was so frightened that he tilted his head back desperately, and at the same time, he raised the judge's pen to block!
"laugh!"
Although the knife tip was blocked, it still left a deep bloody wound on his jaw, so deep that the bone could be seen! Blood gushed out instantly!
In one move, the winner is decided!
There was a hint of surprise in the eyes of the sick man and the monk. They obviously did not expect Yan Qing's martial arts to improve so quickly.
"Waste!" the sick man snorted coldly, scolding the tall, thin man. Then, he moved, floating towards Yan Qing like a ghost, and the Ziwu Yuanyang Yue in his hand drew two strange arcs, one above and one below, locking onto Yan Qing's neck and waist! The moves were tricky and ruthless, and the angles were extremely sinister!
At the same time, the monk also moved! He didn't rush forward, but instead slammed his iron staff into the ground. With a dull "dong" sound, the ground trembled slightly! An invisible wave of air spread out from it, faintly blocking Yan Qing's space to dodge left and right!
The three of them cooperated well with each other. The sick man took the lead in attacking, the monk controlled the situation, and the injured tall and thin man wandered around the periphery, waiting for an opportunity to strike!
The pressure increased sharply!
Yan Qing knew that he must not be surrounded by three people, he had to fight quickly and decisively, at least he had to get rid of one of them first!
Facing the sick man's strange double axes, he did not retreat but advanced, his body suddenly shrinking as if it had no bones, and actually slipped through the almost impossible gap between the two axes! At the same time, he slashed the sick man's ribs with his short knife!
This move is extremely dangerous, but also extremely wonderful!
The sick man exclaimed "Huh?", obviously not expecting Yan Qing's body movements to be so strange. It was too late for him to defend himself with his two axes, so he had to exert force on his feet and retreat quickly!
But he is fast, and Yan Qing is even faster!
It clung to him like a cancer, the short knife following him like a shadow, the tip of the knife never leaving his vital point!
Seeing this, the monk in charge frowned and raised his staff suddenly. With the sound of whistling wind, he swept through the army and smashed it into Yan Qing's back! The force was so strong that if someone was hit, their bones would definitely be broken!
Yan Qing seemed to have eyes on his back. At the critical moment, he pointed his toes and suddenly rose high, turning like a kite, and flew over the top of the sweeping Zen staff! At the same time, he raised his left hand and three silver balls shot out in a V-shaped formation towards the tall and thin man who was trying to outflank him from the outside!
The tall and thin man had just suffered a loss, and seeing this, he was frightened and hurriedly dodged and blocked, and his offensive suddenly stopped.
In a flash, Yan Qing, with his extraordinary skills and desperate fighting style, broke the carefully arranged encirclement of the three people and forced the sick man who was the main attacker to retreat again and again!
The sick man was shocked and angry. He was so proud of his martial arts skills, how could he have suffered such an injustice? With a strange cry, he changed the moves of his two axes and attacked Yan Qing like a violent storm, hitting his vital points with every blow. He was determined to keep Yan Qing alive even if it meant getting injured!
The monk also joined the battle again by waving his staff, the wind from the staff was whistling and the force was immense!
Yan Qing suddenly felt the pressure double. Under the combined attack of the two, he was like a small boat in a storm, surrounded by danger! He relied entirely on his innate true energy and unyielding willpower, wielding his short sword, applying all his training to the extreme, barely protecting his vital parts. However, new wounds continued to appear on his body, and blood stained his clothes red.
If you keep defending for too long, you will lose! If you continue like this, you will definitely lose!
A flicker of determination flashed in Yan Qing's eyes. He saw that the monk's stick had missed, and at the moment when his old strength had been exhausted and new strength had not yet been generated, he suddenly abandoned his defense against the sick man and rushed towards him! He stabbed the monk's heart with his short knife, completely ignoring the deadly double axes behind him!
Besiege Wei to save Zhao! Attack them and they will surely save them!
The monk hadn't expected Yan Qing to be so frantic. It was too late for him to defend himself with his staff. He could only roar angrily and slam his huge hand, like a palm-leaf fan, towards Yan Qing's head! It was a tactic that would hurt both sides!
At this critical moment, something strange happened!
"call out--!"
A wolf-tooth arrow shot from outside the forest like a meteor chasing the moon, with a shrill sound of breaking through the air! The target was not anyone in the field, but the mandarin duck axe that was about to hit Yan Qing's back with incredible precision!
"clang!"
Sparks flew everywhere! The huge force contained in the arrow knocked the mandarin duck axe off balance and it passed by Yan Qing's ribs, only scratching his clothes!
This sudden arrow startled everyone present!
Yan Qing took this opportunity and continued to stab the monk in the heart without changing his knife momentum! The monk was forced to retract his palm to block, and with a "swish", the tip of the knife cut a deep gash on his arm!
Yan Qing also used the recoil force to float backwards, putting some distance between himself and the two men. He gasped heavily and looked in the direction of the arrow with surprise and suspicion.
Just outside the forest, a horseman had appeared. The man on the horse was a burly figure with a rough face, holding an iron-framed bow. Was it Hua Rong, the "Little Li Guang"?!
Beside him stood two other people. One had a green face and fangs, and a ferocious appearance. He was the "Red-haired Ghost" Liu Tang; the other was a fat monk holding a sword, and he was the "Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen!
Someone from Liangshan?! Why are they here?! And... offering help?!
Yan Qing's mind was in a mess and he had no idea what was going on.
When the sick man and the monk saw Hua Rong and the other two, their expressions changed slightly, especially when they saw the bow in Hua Rong's hand, a trace of fear flashed in their eyes.
"We are following orders and it has nothing to do with Liangshan. Please give us some favors!" the sick man said in a deep voice.
Hua Rong sat upright on his horse, expressionless, and said calmly, "This man is wanted by Liangshan."
His tone was calm, yet it carried an unquestionable dominance.
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Chapter 34 End
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