"Just luck! Pure luck! And thank you, Mr. Wang, for looking after me!" Shi Feizhe repeatedly clasped his hands in salute.
He really had been lucky!
He'd only eaten at Three Talents Manor for a few days, and he'd nearly lost his life!
In his previous life, overtime at work had drained his life away. In this world, work could actually kill him! If he'd died in such a muddle, people would have laughed him to death!
Thankfully, luck had been on his side, and he'd managed to survive.
It was just as they said: a smiling office drone was never too unlucky!
"I wonder, little brother, will you be traveling with us to Yu Province, or do you have other plans?" Hua Xiaomei had regained his carefree air. He glanced at Mr. Wang before continuing.
"Um... As much as I'd like to go to Yu Province with Brother Hua, the jianghu is so vast. I'd rather travel around and see more of it!" Shi Feizhe thought it over, then declined.
He felt there was something off about this group. They didn't look like good people. But Brother Hua had also offered him guidance, so he couldn't very well say that.
Still, this group looked terribly unlucky! He'd better keep his distance!
With his frail little body, he might get drowned in their blood if they started spitting it up!
"Mm~ Little brother, you've got spirit!" Hua Xiaomei didn't mind. Great medicinal herbs always tasted better when they grew wild; the cultivated ones just lacked something.
"If fate brings us together again, we'll meet in the jianghu!" Hua Xiaomei clasped his hands in salute.
Next time they met, perhaps he could pluck this great medicinal herb!
That was the jianghu for you! Surprises waited around every corner!
"The green mountains never change, and the clear waters flow on. We'll meet again in the jianghu!" Shi Feizhe replied.
Hua Xiaomei set off toward Yu Province with Huang Wufeng, Jiang Ning, and six or seven others.
"Why are you being so polite to someone like that?" Jiang Ning sent him a voice transmission, unable to resist asking.
"How could you understand the patience and effort it takes to grow vegetables?" Hua Xiaomei said, waving his fan. "Sigh! Now that Three Talents Manor is gone, I wonder if Father will fly into a rage."
"Such a trivial worldly possession. When has your mad father ever cared about that?" Jiang Ning said with a cold laugh.
"Fair point! Fair point!" Hua Xiaomei nodded.
"Brother Hua, I worked for nothing today. Why don't I climb into your bed tonight and let you put in some effort?" Huang Wufeng clung to Hua Xiaomei.
"Get lost!"
When Shi Feizhe returned to the house he rented, he was no longer part of Three Talents Manor, and there was no need for him to flee!
He was only a jianghu novice who'd been practicing martial arts for a few days. He'd made no contribution to Three Talents Manor, and as long as he didn't lay claim to its property, perhaps he could even do the bookkeeping for the new Three Talents Manor!
Surely the Yellow Sky Sect would need someone to keep the accounts after moving into Three Talents Manor!
But he waited expectantly for several days. When the Yellow Sky Sect members finally arrived, he was all set to volunteer—then he spotted several familiar faces among them.
They were people from the Four Directions Gang!
Could the Four Directions Gang have been absorbed by the Yellow Sky Sect while he was away from Yi Yang City, and started working for them?
He'd killed members of the Four Directions Gang. Surely, after all this time, they'd forgotten about him!
Forgotten, my ass!
Entrusting your life to other people was downright foolish.
When he left Yi Yang City, he hadn't even dealt with Liu Laosan's corpse. It wasn't that he didn't want to; he hadn't had the time or the strength.
Liu Laosan's corpse had been in his courtyard. All the Four Directions Gang had to do was catch him, and they'd know who killed Liu Laosan! With his current third-rate kung fu, he could probably handle one strong man, but he definitely couldn't beat two.
So he had only one choice: run!
Run all the way to Qiu Yang City!
During the day, Shi Feizhe hid inside and packed his things. When night fell, he told his landlady he was going to Yi Yang City to join some relatives, then used the cover of darkness to head toward a remote area.
He took a long detour, heading southeast toward Qiu Yang City.
A faint moon shone that night, letting him see the muddy path and keeping him from stumbling along in the dark, one foot sinking deeper than the other.
Hadn't someone once said that anyone who kept walking at night was a pig?
He imitated a pig, oinking twice to himself. What was so bad about being a pig?
Pigs could even become generals!
From ancient times to the present, people had repeatedly used pig tactics to great success. At the first sign of an attack, a pig would back its rear up against a wall, so you couldn't grab its tail...
For the past half month, he'd kept up his martial arts training. His physical condition had improved tremendously, and walking at night no longer wore him out.
He trudged along step by step. He didn't know how long he'd been walking, but by the time he was lightly sweating all over, he spotted a faint glow ahead.
As he got closer, he saw it was a ruined temple!
The temple was only about two or three rooms in size, and only half its door remained. In the firelight, he could see a headless statue on the altar inside.
Someone lay beside a fire.
Hearing someone approach, the person warily opened his eyes and reached for the weapon beside him. But when he saw Shi Feizhe, just a young man, he relaxed and lowered his guard.
"Make yourself at home! If you see anyone coming, hide behind the statue," the man said weakly. "But I suggest you leave this place."
Shi Feizhe nodded. Right now, he didn't want to get mixed up in any trouble!
He turned to leave, but then saw a blade flash at him beneath the moon! He hurriedly tried to roll aside, but the flash of the blade blocked that movement. If he rolled, he'd be cut in two.
At that moment, the man beside the fire drew the long sword at his side. With a metallic ring, a flash of swordlight blocked the blade.
"My friend! He's just a passerby!" the man said, his face pale.
"Shan Xu! Are you still willing to call me your friend?" said the man holding the long saber. "I, Ye Qiandeng, am truly ashamed!"
Only then did Shi Feizhe, drenched in cold sweat, realize he was still alive.
Damn it, why was everyone in the jianghu a lunatic?
Shi Feizhe scrambled into the ruined temple. The entrance was already blocked. If he went outside, he'd be dead!
The saber in Ye Qiandeng's hand looked like a Tang sword, but also like a goose-feather saber. Its blade was long but narrow, gleaming coldly in the moonlight.
Shan Xu rose from beside the fire, holding a sword—a Eight-Sided Han Sword! He coughed twice and said, "My friend, you can kill me if you want! But let the witness go!"
"Back then, two people were hunting you in the wilderness. There was a ruined temple, just like this one. I was a passerby, and you said the very same thing to them." Ye Qiandeng sighed. "This moment is just like that one."
"I've changed my mind! Hand over the Twelve Story Building, and you can leave!" Ye Qiandeng said, holding his saber out crosswise.
Shi Feizhe: Why did trouble follow him everywhere?
Before you continue