Pursuit and Escape, and the Pig-Face Mask

When his true identity was exposed, Shen Ziming showed no surprise on his face.

He had already expected it when Chen Sheng kept scrolling through his phone.

"Are you not afraid of me?"

Shen Ziming asked with a smile.

Chen Sheng remained perfectly calm in the face of his question.

"If you wanted to kill me, you wouldn't have told me to run just now."

That was what he said, but in truth, every muscle in Chen Sheng's body was tense, and he had opened his chat window with Li Chenghu.

If anything went wrong, he planned to turn and run immediately.

It would naturally be best if he could get away.

If he could not, he would tell Li Chenghu everything he knew so far.

As they spoke, the color gradually returned to Shen Ziming's face at a visible rate.

Bracing himself against the sofa, he slowly stood.

Chen Sheng stood as well, keeping two meters between them at all times.

Noticing Chen Sheng's movement, Shen Ziming merely smiled and paid it no mind.

"Sorry, Little Brother Chen."

"I don't mind telling you a few things, but five minutes have already passed."

"With how cautious that person is, he'll probably come upstairs to check soon."

"If he sees you, or you see him, you'll be dead for sure."

Shen Ziming quickly headed for the balcony.

"After I leave, slip away in the opposite direction."

"But you'd better not call the police. Believe me, it's for your own good."

When he reached the balcony door,

Xu Ziwen turned back and gave Chen Sheng a gentle smile.

"Thank you for carrying me upstairs earlier."

"If I don't die, I'll definitely repay this favor."

With that,

Shen Ziming pushed open the door and went out.

Once on the balcony, he gave a light leap.

He actually jumped straight down from the third floor.

Chen Sheng stood where he was, watching Shen Ziming.

Only after the other man's figure vanished into the night did he withdraw his gaze.

Looking at his phone, a trace of conflict appeared on Chen Sheng's face.

Li Chenghu's chat window remained open on the screen.

Outside the Wooden House.

Knock, knock.

Shen Ziming knocked on the door of his home.

"It's me."

After saying that, he pushed the door open and entered.

There was not a trace of light inside.

But in the darkness, he could vaguely make out the outline of a figure beside the wooden table.

"Having fun being a teacher?"

A hoarse voice rang out in the dark, carrying a hint of flippancy.

"Not bad. The children are quite cute."

Shen Ziming's tone was equally relaxed.

The two spoke as though old friends reunited, casually chatting about everyday matters.

Bzzz—bzzz.

After the fluorescent tube flickered for a moment, the room lit up.

Sitting in the chair was a man in black wearing a Pig-Face Mask.

"I wonder if your students would be too scared to sleep if they found out their teacher was a Wanted Criminal."

Through the two holes in the mask, a pair of triangular eyes rested on Shen Ziming, filled with the teasing amusement of a cat toying with a mouse.

"What do you think, Teacher Xu?"

The Pig-face Man addressed him as Teacher Xu again and again, his sarcasm unmistakable.

"I found half of what you wanted."

"And I got clues to the other half."

Shen Ziming remained unmoved by the Pig-face Man's mockery.

With just two casual remarks, he successfully drew the other man's attention.

"Oh?"

The Pig-face Man immediately held out his hand.

"Give it to me, and I'll let your escape slide."

"Fine."

Shen Ziming agreed readily.

As he spoke,

he pulled a wooden box out from beneath the bed.

Inside the opened box lay several sheets of paper.

The paper looked quite old, its edges already yellowed.

Even so, the sheets remained remarkably intact, without a single tear.

That alone showed how carefully their owner had preserved them.

Crooked writing covered the pages, unlike modern script.

Shen Ziming took out the sheets and walked toward the Pig-face Man.

As he walked, he spoke.

"What I found is only the Breathing Technique portion."

"I'm still investigating the corresponding stance training."

"No matter. Give me the Breathing Technique first."

The Pig-face Man stared fixedly at the pages in Shen Ziming's hand, his gaze burning with eagerness.

One step, two steps, three steps.

Shen Ziming walked slowly.

A hint of impatience gradually appeared in the Pig-face Man's eyes.

"Don't you dare try any—"

Whoosh! Before he could finish,

Shen Ziming flicked his arm and flung half the pages at the Pig-face Man.

The papers scattered through the air. The Pig-face Man could not even spare Shen Ziming a glance as he sprang to his feet and reached into the air to catch them.

At that moment,

Smack! A fist suddenly burst through the pages and shot straight at the Pig-face Man's face! Seeing such precious items being destroyed, the Pig-face Man's eyes instantly turned red.

"You're courting death!!!"

With a furious roar, his arm moved after yet arrived first, turning into a black streak as it slammed directly into Shen Ziming's fist.

The next second, their fists collided.

Without the slightest pause, Shen Ziming's body was swept away by an immense force and sent flying backward.

Bang! A massive hole instantly burst through the fragile Wooden House under the violent impact.

Fragments flew everywhere,

and Shen Ziming crashed heavily to the ground, blood slowly spilling from the corner of his mouth.

His entire arm was filled with needle-like pain, nearly numb beyond feeling.

But he did not dare pause for even a moment.

While the Pig-face Man was still gathering the pages, Shen Ziming hurriedly climbed to his feet and ran into the distance.

Inside the house,

after gathering every page that recorded the Breathing Technique, the Pig-face Man carefully tucked them into the lining of his clothes.

He did not even overlook the torn scraps on the ground, collecting every last one.

After finishing all that, he quickly stepped out of the Wooden House.

Looking around,

he saw that many residents had been awakened by the commotion.

Figures stood at window after window, craning their heads to look outside.

Some were even holding up their phones, seemingly calling the police.

"Damn mongrel."

The Pig-face Man adjusted his mask, ensuring that it fully covered his face.

He looked in the direction Shen Ziming had fled, his eyes churning with killing intent.

The other half of the Breathing Technique was still on that man.

No matter what, he could not let that bastard escape.

With that thought,

the Pig-face Man pushed off the ground, shooting forward like an arrow as he pursued Shen Ziming.

Ten minutes later,

on the hill behind Wutong Village.

Shen Ziming's figure darted swiftly through the forest.

Not far behind him, the Pig-face Man pursued relentlessly.

Shen Ziming glanced back.

The distance between them was steadily shrinking.

He could even clearly see the cold gleam flashing in the Pig-face Man's eyes.

Yet Shen Ziming did not give up.

From beginning to end, he had never considered defeating the Pig-face Man.

His opponent was a fifth-rank Hidden Force Warrior, while he himself was only seventh-rank.

If they truly fought, he would undoubtedly die.

His only chance of survival lay ahead.

When he had visited the graves a few days ago, he had already surveyed the terrain.

A few hundred meters ahead, there was a river.

As long as he reached it, he would have a chance to escape.

Now it was simply a matter of whether he leaped into the river first or the Pig-face Man caught him first.

Three hundred meters.

Listening to the sounds rapidly closing in behind him, Shen Ziming's heart pounded faster than ever before.

The constantly surging adrenaline pushed his speed up another notch.

Two hundred meters.

He could even vaguely hear the rush of flowing water.

One hundred meters!

Fifty meters! A flash of joy crossed Shen Ziming's eyes.

It was right ahead!

Just a little farther!

Yet just as the river came into view,

a furious roar suddenly sounded behind Shen Ziming's head.

"Bastard, keep running!"

It was accompanied by a sharp whistle through the air.

Without time to think, Shen Ziming ducked low and threw himself forward.

A fist narrowly grazed over his head.

But Shen Ziming also rolled across the ground several times.

When he got back up,

a fist rapidly enlarged before his eyes.

"Die!!!!"

At the critical moment, Shen Ziming had no time to dodge and could only raise both arms to block.

Crack!

The next second, accompanied by the sound of breaking bones, Shen Ziming was sent flying once more, crashing helplessly to the ground only a few meters from the river.

His destination was right before him.

He struggled to rise.

Thud! A foot suddenly stomped onto his back, forcing his barely raised body back down.

"Got some guts."

The Pig-face Man's icy voice came from above him.

"But don't worry."

"Next, I have plenty of time to deal with you slowly."

As he spoke,

Pig-face Man raised his foot, intending to kick Shen Ziming unconscious and take him somewhere secluded for a leisurely interrogation.

Whoosh! Suddenly,

a piercing shriek rose from behind and rapidly closed in.