Chapter 251

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Since he couldn’t escape the fate of being hunted down, Zhang Xiaohua decided to face it calmly and make the most thorough preparations. After all, his second brother and the people of the Li family had already gone far away. The ones who had plundered the Li family of Lu Town, including the stronghold chief, had also been killed by him. That Envoy Ying likely had neither the time nor the mind to go after Li Yinfeng anymore. At this moment, Zhang Xiaohua had a strong sense of heroism.

To prevent his internal qi from being exhausted, Zhang Xiaohua had long prepared for a battle of endurance. While absorbing Yuan Qi from the Yuan Stone to replenish his depleted True Qi, he also employed qinggong. Coupled with the Piaomiao Sect’s movement technique, he darted through the forest with agility. Although Envoy Ying behind him was slightly faster in qinggong, Zhang Xiaohua was exceptionally cunning. At the start, his movements were still somewhat rough, and he had nearly been caught several times. However, as time passed, his technique became smoother, and his speed significantly increased, almost matching Envoy Ying. Envoy Ying was furious—was this boy toying with him? He was actually practicing qinggong right in front of him!

Even so, he wasn’t too worried. While the boy’s qinggong was impressive, he was still young. Even if he began practicing internal skills in his mother’s womb, his internal strength couldn’t possibly match his own. Once the boy was exhausted, wouldn’t he be easy to capture?

One pursued while the other fled, gradually moving farther from West Cui Mountain. The distance between them remained steady at ten zhang, neither widening nor shrinking. Just as they were locked in this stalemate, a dazzling firework shot up from the direction of West Cui Mountain, bursting into a brilliant display of colors. Zhang Xiaohua was startled—wasn’t it too early for New Year’s festivities? Who in their right mind would set off fireworks so soon?

Envoy Ying, on the other hand, was overjoyed. He quickly pulled out an object from his bosom and tossed it into the air. With a sharp “whoosh”, it soared high, followed by a loud “bang” as it exploded—another firework, identical to the first one. Even with Zhang Xiaohua’s limited experience, he understood—reinforcements had arrived for the envoy.

Sure enough, a clear, piercing whistle rang out from West Cui Mountain. Before the sound had even faded, its source was already closing in on them at an alarming speed. Zhang Xiaohua was horrified—just what kind of speed was this? It seemed his life was in grave danger today.

Realizing this, Zhang Xiaohua took a deep breath and tucked the Yuan Stone into his robes. His True Qi surged violently within him, flashing through his meridians without pause. His speed instantly increased, and in the blink of an eye, he had widened the gap between himself and Envoy Ying, dashing straight toward the depths of the valley. Seeing this, the Envoy Ying dared not delay. He let out a long whistle of his own, his feet never halting, as he recklessly poured his True Qi into his legs. If he didn’t give it his all now, then when would he?

The person from the Divine Cult possessed exceptional martial arts. By the time the whistle ceased, he had already closed half the distance. When Zhang Xiaohua managed to glance back, he could vaguely make out a black silhouette in the moonlit night, already within his field of vision. How could he afford to slack off? Without hesitation, he changed direction, fleeing toward an even denser part of the forest.

In truth, he had underestimated that person’s martial arts. The moment he entered the man’s line of sight, his presence had already been locked onto by the expert’s internal energy. Unless Zhang Xiaohua’s qinggong was vastly superior, it would be almost impossible to escape his pursuit. Whether in the dense forest or an open plain, it made little difference.

Just as Zhang Xiaohua altered his course and entered a thick woodland, the pursuer had already overtaken Envoy Ying and was closing in directly. Zhang Xiaohua landed atop the canopy of a large tree, intending to search for a hiding place or a potential escape route. But before he could react, his vision suddenly darkened, and he instantly lost consciousness.

And this just so happened to be midnight!

When Zhang Xiaohua landed on the tree, the Divine Cult expert had already closed the gap to within ten zhang. He was just about to exert his strength and lunge forward when he suddenly saw Zhang Xiaohua’s body go stiff and fall straight from the treetop. The sudden turn of events startled him, making him hesitate instead of advancing. After waiting for a while, he and Envoy Ying finally approached from two different angles to investigate.

Beneath the tree, amidst fallen leaves and dry grass, Zhang Xiaohua was sound asleep, snoring peacefully. The expert frowned as he observed for a moment before gesturing to Envoy Ying. The latter quickly stepped forward, reached out, and grabbed Zhang Xiaohua by the arm, effortlessly lifting him up. Envoy Ying couldn’t help but let out a surprised “Huh?”  The expert asked curiously: “Ying Fei, what is it?”

“Qin Daren, this boy is extremely light.”

[TL_Note: Daren is a title given to a superior or an official]

“Oh? Is he just too skinny?”

“Skinny, yes—but he’s far too light.”

“Hmm.” Qin Daren neither confirmed nor denied it.

Without further discussion, the two executed qinggong and swiftly returned to West Cui Mountain.

When Zhang Xiaohua opened his eyes, he saw the road rushing past at high speed. He immediately realized his predicament and quickly shut his eyes again, releasing his divine sense.

It was a bright and clear morning. The two men from the Divine Cult were riding extraordinarily fine horses, galloping swiftly in one direction. Zhang Xiaohua was slung face-down across Ying Fei’s horse. Though his eyes were closed, his eyeballs darted around beneath his lids as he rapidly considered his options.

Before long, they arrived at a three-way fork in the road. Qin Daren took the lead, steering his horse left to make a turn, while Ying Fei lagged slightly behind. Just as Ying Fei was about to turn his horse to follow, Zhang Xiaohua suddenly sprang up from the horse’s back, his body shooting toward the right. Ying Fei was caught off guard. Both his hands were occupied holding the reins, leaving him no time to grab Zhang Xiaohua. In desperation, he jerked the reins upward in an attempt to loop them around Zhang Xiaohua’s leg. However, despite being airborne and facing away from him, Zhang Xiaohua’s divine sense had never withdrawn. He was fully aware of Ying Fei’s intentions. Instantly, he curled his body into a ball, dodging the reins, and the moment he landed, he didn’t pause to check his surroundings. With a light tap of his toes, he dashed straight into the open wilderness beside the road.

Before Zhang Xiaohua could take more than a few steps, he heard a hearty laugh behind him. “Haha! I knew you were awake, but I never expected you to have such skills—to actually escape from right under Ying Fei’s nose!”

Zhang Xiaohua didn’t turn around, but his divine sense swept back. He saw a man with a square face and a kind expression casually pursuing him as if taking a leisurely stroll. Zhang Xiaohua frowned. Could this be the person who had chased him last night? Within just a few breaths, the young man had already caught up. Zhang Xiaohua abruptly changed direction, veering to the side. The young man was unhurried; he simply adjusted his course and continued the chase. Zhang Xiaohua tried several more sudden shifts in direction, as well as bursts of acceleration, using every trick he could think of, but he couldn’t shake him off in the slightest. Realizing that escape was futile, Zhang Xiaohua suddenly did something completely irrational—he stopped. He came to an abrupt halt, spun around, and said, “Big Brother—” But before he could finish, he saw the man with silvery hair hurtling toward him at full speed. For a moment, he wasn’t sure whether to call him big brother or uncle.

The silver-haired man had been focused on the chase and never expected Zhang Xiaohua to stop so suddenly—as if he had never been running at all. Caught off guard, he couldn’t halt his momentum in time and was about to crash straight into Zhang Xiaohua.

Zhang Xiaohua had no intention of letting himself be rammed. Regardless of whether the man was a big brother or an uncle, he swiftly sidestepped. The silver-haired man, possessing extraordinary qinggong, instantly adjusted, took a deep breath, and his body floated upward, gliding past the very spot where Zhang Xiaohua had just stood before landing lightly.

Watching him turn around, Zhang Xiaohua grinned and asked: “Big Brother, why are you chasing me so relentlessly?”

The silver-haired man remained silent, staring at Zhang Xiaohua for a long moment before finally asking: “Do you really want to know? Then tell me first—why did you go to West Cui Mountain?”

Zhang Xiaohua’s eyes darted about before he replied righteously: “To uphold justice, of course! That West Cui Mountain is overrun with bandits, killing and plundering at will, committing heinous crimes. As a lay disciple of Dalin Temple, it is only right that I act with compassion and send them to my Buddha’s Pure Land.”

“You? A lay disciple of Dalin Temple?” The silver-haired man’s serious expression suddenly twisted into something comical, as if he had just heard the most ridiculous thing in the world. He couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “You dare claim to be a lay disciple of Dalin Temple in front of me? Do you even know who I am?”

Zhang Xiaohua’s heart skipped a beat: IDamn, it’s the fake running into the real deal! Have I been exposed? Could this guy actually be a genuine lay disciple?”

Quickly adjusting, Zhang Xiaohua clasped his hands and said: “Could it be that Big Brother is also a disciple of Dalin Temple?”

“Ptui! A bunch of bald-headed monks from Dalin Temple? They aren’t even worthy of being my master!” The silver-haired man looked utterly disdainful.

“Then, Big Brother, you are?”

“First, tell me who your master is!”

“My master? Hehe, didn’t I just say, big brother? I’m from Dalin Temple.”

“Who’s your big brother? Call me Daren! And stop wasting time—I know for a fact you aren’t from Dalin Temple, so don’t bother with that nonsense.”

“Ah… Big—oh, Daren, I don’t have a master. I’m entirely self-taught.”

“You taught yourself? Hmph! Your movement technique has traces of Piaomiao Step, but it’s not entirely the same. Do you have some connection to the Piaomiao Sect?” The silver-haired man sounded doubtful.

“Piaomiao Sect?” Zhang Xiaohua’s eyes flickered before he suddenly grinned. “You guessed right! I am the direct disciple of Ou Peng, the grand leader of the Piaomiao Sect! If you don’t want to offend Piaomiao Sect, you’d better let me go immediately!”

“Hahaha!” The man burst into laughter, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. He then said: “Your qinggong barely resembles Piaomiao Step by thirty percent, and yet you shamelessly claim to be a disciple of Piaomiao Sect? Let alone the fact that you’re obviously not one of them—even if you were, if I decided to take you, they wouldn’t dare utter a single word of protest!”

Damn! Who is this bigshot now? Zhang Xiaohua thought to himself. Right, he mentioned a ‘Divine Cult’. What kind of sect is that? Poor Zhang Xiaohua had only heard of the Piaomiao Sect, Dalin Temple, and the Evil Tiger Gang. As for the rest of the martial world, he knew nothing at all—so naturally, he had no idea what this so-called Divine Cult was.

Seeing that Zhang Xiaohua had fallen silent, the silver-haired man pressed on: “I don’t care which sect you’re from. I only want to know why you went to West Cui Mountain. You killed their chieftain and six of their men—what’s the reason?”

Zhang Xiaohua quickly waved his hands. “Big Brother, you’ve got it all wrong! I only killed the chieftain—the others weren’t my doing!”