Chapter 81
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The atmosphere inside the cave grew tense.
However, the child in the woman’s arms seemed rather excited, stretching out a little finger to point.
“That little bird—it looks like it got eaten by that scholar’s toad…”
The woman quickly pressed down his arm, glancing sidelong at the scholar nearby. Instinctively, she leaned closer to the burly man behind her and whispered: “Jing’er, what did I just tell you earlier?”
“But it’s true.” The child pouted, withdrawing into the crook of her shoulder.
The burly man standing in front of the woman tightened his grip on the hilt of his blade, his face darkening. He was all too aware of where that bird had come from.
…It was one of the messenger birds raised by the Imperial Guard, known for their exceptional tracking abilities.
Now, it was certain—the four of them had been discovered.
And that scholar… he was definitely no ordinary person.
At this thought, the burly man felt an urge to slap himself.
“Why did things have to get so complicated…”
Taking a deep breath, the man cupped his fists again toward the scholar.
“We four have rested enough. We won’t disturb the young master’s respite here any longer. Farewell.”
Under the wary gazes of the two men and the woman, the firelight cast the scholar’s shadow onto the cave wall, its flickering form resembling a demon poised to pounce upon them at any moment.
The campfire crackled, sending sparks dancing into the air.
The Toad Daoist blew away the feather that had clung to the corner of his mouth. Meanwhile, Lu Liangsheng, who was holding a black game piece, looked at his master with a mix of amusement and exasperation before gently placing the piece on the board.
His face, however, betrayed no surprise. It wasn’t a deliberate attempt at composure—one simply did not show too much emotion before strangers. With only a slight nod, he remained seated and returned the courtesy with a cupped fist salute.
“Since the four of you wish to leave, I won’t insist on keeping you. However, the roads are treacherous at night, and these desolate mountains are rife with wild beasts. Even if you don’t take this to heart, you should at least consider the safety of the child in your arms.”
These simple words caused the breathing of the four strangers to become noticeably heavier. The coachman clenched the fabric of his trousers, his body trembling slightly, while the burly man gripping the blade felt his heart skip a beat.
How does this scholar know?
There was no doubt now—something was amiss.
“Thank you, sir, for your kind advice, but we must be on our way.”
He had no time to ponder who the scholar truly was. Turning his face slightly, he lowered his voice and gave a terse command.
“Let’s move, quickly!”
The coachman and the woman nodded, hastily gathering the child and following the burly man. Yet, just as they stepped out of the cave, the nearby foliage erupted in chaos. Figures wielding blades surged out from the darkness.
A cold, commanding voice rang out sharply in the night.
“You won’t be going anywhere.”
Outside the cave, the hurried footsteps came to an abrupt halt. The burly man gripped his blade tightly, shielding the woman and the child in her arms behind him, his face turning ashen.
“Damn it…”
The pursuing bandits moved swiftly and in an organized manner, forming an arc that surrounded them in moments. Among them, two men holding torches stepped aside, making way for a slender figure clad in an open-fronted green robe, with soft armor visible underneath. The man strolled forward, his hands clasped behind his back, his pallid face faintly tinged with a chilling smile.
“As long as the tracking bird is with me, even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I’ll drag you back.”
His gaze naturally fell upon the scholar inside the cave. The smile on his face remained as he barked coldly: “Anyone unrelated, get lost immediately!”
At this moment, someone behind him opened a birdcage and let out a peculiar whistle.
Yet after a long pause, no bird returned.
The man’s expression shifted slightly, and he leaned close to the leader, whispering a few words. The leader’s smile gradually faded as his sharp eyes locked onto the two men and one woman before him.
“Where’s my bird?”
Instinctively, the burly man, the coachman, and the woman turned their gazes toward the scholar in the cave.
Inside, the Toad Daoist snorted. “This old man will go and retrieve—”
Before the Toad could finish, Lu Liangsheng let out a sigh, gently brushing his sleeves and subtly pressing his master back down. His face bore a faint smile as he rose and walked to the cave entrance, cupping his hands in a respectful salute.
“To be honest, I must apologize. Your bird… likely won’t be coming back.”
The black-clad men around him bristled with anger, their faces contorted as they prepared to charge. However, the leader swiftly raised an arm, halting them. Narrowing his eyes, he scrutinized the scholar standing at the cave entrance.
Dressed in nothing more than a simple scholar’s robe, accompanied by two bookshelves and an old donkey not far behind, he looked every inch the part of an unremarkable, pedantic literatus.
“Quite the nerve for a scholar. Facing blades, yet you don’t cower. I’ve already told you to get lost if you’re uninvolved. Since you’ve chosen to stay, don’t come crying later.”
Hearing the threat, the burly man and the woman at the cave entrance tensed, their hearts sinking. Yet in their line of sight, the scholar remained calm, his expression warm as he cupped his hands in response.
“One should walk through the world openly and without shame. Why would I hide? However, my toad eating your bird was indeed wrong. I will compensate you.”
With that, Lu Liangsheng suddenly raised his arm and gave a sweeping motion. From his sleeve, a cascade of objects spilled out.
A cacophony of metallic clinks rang out as countless items flew through the air.
Among them, one object shot straight toward the center of the crowd.
The pale-faced leader instinctively raised his hand, his iron-clad fingers deftly catching the flying object between two fingers.
“A copper coin?”
“Leader, look at the ground in front of us!”
By the flickering firelight, they saw, just two paces away from their frontmost ranks, a perfectly aligned row of copper coins neatly placed on the ground. The group of black-clad men collectively sucked in a sharp breath.
Even the burly man standing near the scholar couldn’t help but think: “The coachman wasn’t wrong. Encountering such a handsome scholar at night—he’s no ordinary man…”
For a martial artist of exceptional skill, using hidden weapons in this way might seem crude and unsightly. But to simultaneously arrange so many copper coins into a precise, straight line—this wasn’t a question of technique but something far stranger.
This bizarre scene caused even the pale-faced leader to grow wary.
What he had assumed to be a simple, unremarkable scholar now appeared to be anything but. His gaze shifted to the child in the woman’s arms. With a flick of his hand, he discarded the coin he had caught and issued a low command.
“Someone, go over.”
“I’ll go!”
A black-clad man stepped forward, striding confidently. He leaped over the row of copper coins in two long strides.
But as his third step landed, one of the coins in the grass suddenly shot upward, spinning through the air. With a sharp hiss, it struck the sole of his foot, slicing through his shoe and piercing his flesh before burrowing into his foot.
“Ah—!”
The running figure immediately collapsed to the ground, clutching at his foot. Beneath the fabric, his skin bulged unnaturally, forming a small lump that rapidly moved up his leg—past his ankle, shin, thigh, and straight into his abdomen.
“Agghhh! It hurts! It hurts so much!”
His blood-curdling screams echoed through the night. The black-clad man clawed at his clothing, tearing it open as he writhed in agony on the ground, his bloodshot eyes filled with despair.
His unrelenting cries startled the woman at the cave entrance, who quickly covered her child’s eyes and pressed him against her shoulder, shielding him from the gruesome sight.
The next moment—
The bandit on the ground let out one final, piercing scream before it abruptly stopped.
Pop!
His abdomen burst open, leaving a gaping hole. A copper coin, tangled with viscera, shot out and spiraled into the air. It seemed to lose all momentum mid-flight and fell to the ground with a faint clink, bouncing twice on a nearby rock before coming to a complete stop.
The man lay with wide, unseeing eyes. He had breathed his last.
This was none other than the sinister technique detailed in the [Southern Waters Collection of Lost Arts]:
——Open the intestines and break the stomach.
The other bandits gasped sharply, the sound of their breath hissing through their clenched teeth. Instinctively, their feet shuffled backward by two steps. Even the pale-faced leader couldn’t help but shift uncomfortably, though he refused to give up.
“Scholar, we have no grievances with you and have never even met before. Why do you insist on making things difficult for us?”
His tone had noticeably softened.
At the cave entrance, Lu Liangsheng exhaled quietly in relief. At least they’re willing to talk. He had no desire to leave a pile of bloodied corpses in the wilderness tonight. Looking at the leader, he nodded lightly.
“Indeed, there is no enmity between us. A group of you chasing down three adults is none of my business, but I must protect the child. May I?”
The words “may I” left his lips with a calm and measured tone. While the pale-faced leader’s expression remained unchanged, the black-clad men around him grew visibly restless, shifting nervously but too wary to advance.
It was merely a probing question, but it confirmed that this group was indeed after the child.
Turning his head, Lu Liangsheng looked at the boy in the woman’s arms. The child, perched on her shoulder, had a pair of clear, curious eyes that met his gaze.
After a moment of contemplation, Lu Liangsheng’s face softened into a smile. He turned back toward the outside of the cave and repeated his question, once more with calm composure.
“May I?”
Behind the pale-faced man, his iron-gloved hand clenched audibly, the knuckles cracking under the pressure. The scholar before him was likely versed in some form of sorcery, and considering the sinister technique just displayed, he was undoubtedly no good person.
…What to do?
If this matter isn’t handled properly, the Venerable Master over there…
To be honest, he was also acting under orders. Yet, while he didn’t mind risking his life to complete the mission, dying without achieving anything would be different. Meaningless sacrifices are the most stupid things.
The pale-faced man’s anxiety showed in his incessant rubbing of the iron gloves, frustration building as indecision gnawed at him. Just then, a strong gust of wind swept through the area. The desolate wilderness and surrounding woods became shrouded in an encroaching mist.
A faint, rhythmic chime of bells echoed through the fog, ding, ding, ding, growing steadily closer.
“Immortals and Buddhas view the mortal world as a sea of suffering, which is why they use compassion to save all beings, helping them escape the cycle of life and death, much like using a boat to ferry people across…”
A Buddhist chant, barely audible yet distinct, resonated as if whispered directly into the ears of all present.
The pale-faced man subtly let out a breath of relief.
“Venerable Master’s people are here…”
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