Fugitive

"Second Brother, I told you there was something off about this kid."

"He kept looking around outside."

"He must have noticed something."

Song Chengan stepped into the Zhao residence.

Only then did he discover four or five corpses lying in the courtyard, as well as the Zhao family members bound together in a heap inside the house.

He looked at the two burly men holding sabers.

Their skin was bronze-colored, and they wielded broad-ringed sabers.

One of them had a vicious scar running across his brow.

"Scholar Song, run!"

Young Master Zhao somehow found the strength to rush over and clutch one of the saber-wielders by the foot.

He shouted.

"You're courting death!"

The bandit flew into a rage, kicked him away, then slashed at him with his saber!

"Mmph! Mmph!"

"Master!"

The Zhao family had their mouths stuffed shut, and seeing this scene, they were frantic.

What vicious bandits.

At the slightest disagreement, they would kill without hesitation.

Song Chengan extended his staff.

He blocked the slash.

"You're courting death!"

The bandit withdrew his saber, then swept it horizontally at Song Chengan!

Song Chengan did not continue tangling with him.

He pulled Young Master Zhao back.

"I told you this kid was suspicious. He's got real training."

"That was the Fire Cloud Staff Technique just now, wasn't it?"

"The martial art of the Wei Family from the northwest."

The man was somewhat surprised to see Song Chengan evade that slash.

"If he had no skill, how could he have sensed something was wrong and still come in?"

Someone walked out from the house.

He appeared to be in his thirties, with a long beard at the corners of his mouth.

He wore a Daoist robe and held a fly whisk.

Song Chengan looked at them.

"You're the bandits who escaped from prison, aren't you?"

"Scholar Song, that Daoist knows demonic arts!" Young Master Zhao said from behind Song Chengan, still shaken to the core.

"I am Mysterious Water Daoist Cheng Xuandao."

"These two are my sworn brothers."

"Mad Demon Blade Li Shijun and Evil Eye Demon Lord Zhang Kuang."

Cheng Xuandao chuckled, then asked, "May I ask which member of the Wei Family of the northwest you are, Brother?"

"Is that important?"

Song Chengan asked with a smile.

He did not know whether these three bandits had any accomplices.

"Not important."

Cheng Xuandao said.

"The Wei Family of the northwest is renowned far and wide. If we encountered them outside, we three brothers naturally would not dare provoke them."

"But blame yourself for knowing that we took the Zhao family."

"If we let you go, the Government Office will soon wrap us up like dumplings."

"So today, even if you are from the Wei Family of the northwest, we cannot let you leave alive."

"Big Brother, this is just a greenhorn fresh out of the gate. He doesn't even realize we brothers have surrounded him."

Song Chengan turned his head.

It turned out that while the Daoist had been using words to distract him, Mad Demon Blade Li Shijun and Evil Eye Demon Lord Zhang Kuang had, at some unknown point, formed a triangle with the Daoist and surrounded Song Chengan.

"How strange. The moment you got out, you retrieved your weapons and clothes. Looks like there's a traitor in the yamen."

"Curious?"

"Once you're dead, I'll burn paper and tell you."

"Kill him!"

Seeing that the encirclement was complete.

Cheng Xuandao stopped wasting words and shouted.

As his words fell.

Li Shijun and Zhang Kuang raised their sabers and charged in!

"Young Master Zhao, fall back. I'll deal with them."

Song Chengan shoved Young Master Zhao aside, then wielded the Demon Subduing Staff against the two men.

"Big Brother, this kid has genuine skill!"

Twenty exchanges later.

Zhang Kuang and Li Shijun were both beginning to lose their composure.

"The Fire Cloud Staff Technique at great mastery. Even in the Wei Family, this man must be a direct descendant."

Cheng Xuandao's expression darkened somewhat.

"Then all the more reason not to let him live."

"Hurry and show your real skills. Kill him!"

Zhang Kuang and Li Shijun exchanged a glance, no longer hesitating as they attacked with all their strength.

"Scholar Song, be careful. If things cannot be done, you can leave first."

Young Master Zhao grew anxious at the sight.

But the three bandits paid him no attention.

Young Master Zhao was merely a man too weak to truss a chicken. Once they dealt with Song Chengan, he would be meat on the chopping block.

"Big Brother, this man is rather difficult to handle!"

A hundred exchanges passed.

Li Shijun, Zhang Kuang, and Song Chengan were all breathing somewhat heavily.

Li Shijun and Zhang Kuang in particular were growing anxious.

This man was simply too difficult to handle.

His Fire Cloud Staff Technique had reached a marvelous, near-divine level, leaving them unable to find a single opening.

Seeing this, Cheng Xuandao could no longer keep his composure either.

Though they were in the courtyard, if they dragged this out too long, passersby outside might notice something amiss within.

"I'll aid you!"

As he spoke, he stepped forward with his fly whisk in hand.

He swept it at Song Chengan.

Song Chengan hurriedly dodged.

That Daoist's fly whisk concealed iron hooks and the like. He could not be careless. If it struck him, his skin and flesh would surely be torn open.

"It's over!"

Seeing the Daoist join the battle, Song Chengan no longer held back.

He struck out with his staff!

Zhang Kuang raised his saber to block it casually.

But his expression changed at once.

"Not good!"

This strike was unlike all the previous ones. The longsaber in his hand flew straight from his grip.

Song Chengan struck again, aiming for his head.

"Third Brother, what are you doing?"

Li Shijun roared.

"You're an old hand in the jianghu too. How can you not even hold onto your saber?"

As Li Shijun spoke, he gripped his saber with both hands and held it before Zhang Kuang.

But he immediately understood why.

With a tremendous crash.

The longsaber in his hand was smashed in two by Song Chengan's iron staff.

The force of that strike did not lessen, and it landed directly on his shoulder!

Could an iron staff forged from refined iron possibly be kind when it struck a human body?

His shoulder caved in, blood spilling from his mouth and nose. He was clearly taking more breaths out than in.

"Second Brother!"

Li Shijun's eyes split wide with fury.

But Song Chengan gave him no chance to grieve. With a backhand strike, he smashed the staff into his back, sending him flying into the wall.

At the sight, Cheng Xuandao's face filled with horror.

How could he not realize now that this young man had been concealing his abilities all along, luring him into the trap?

He regretted it somewhat.

Had he not joined the battle, he could have used the Zhao family as hostages.

But it was too late for regret now.

Without the slightest hesitation, he turned and ran for the courtyard wall.

He was going to flee.

But how could Song Chengan give him the chance?

He gave chase with staff in hand.

"Do you know why this poor Daoist is called the Mysterious Water Daoist?!"

Just as Song Chengan was about to catch up.

Cheng Xuandao turned around.

His ferocious face carried a trace of smugness.

He formed a hand seal.

"Water Dragon Technique!"

A water dragon over a zhang long formed from thin air and crashed toward Song Chengan.

"So you're a Qi Refiner at the Late Dao Seed Stage. No wonder the Government Office could do nothing as you fled all the way to Spirit Mound."

"But Water Magic?"

"Water Repelling Art!"

Song Chengan freed one hand and formed a hand seal.

In an instant, the water dragon scattered into nothingness.

"How is that possible?!"

Song Chengan wasted no words.

With a thrust of the Demon Subduing Staff, he pierced the Daoist through the chest.

The Demon Subduing Staff burst out through his body!

But before Song Chengan could breathe a sigh of relief, the Daoist opened his mouth and spat out a stream of black qi toward him.

It was already too late for Song Chengan to dodge.

"Benefactor Song, be careful!"

At that moment.

An Old Monk stepped in front of Song Chengan.

His body turned golden.

Then he struck out with his palm.

The black smoke scattered with the wind, and a black insect fell to the ground...

It was a strange black insect with four wings growing from its ribs. Even after landing, it struggled to charge at Song Chengan, but after crawling a few steps, it stopped breathing.