Someone's Here

"Something's wrong! We need to go!"

Zhang Jiu came running toward the others in a panic.

He glanced at Square-faced Martial Artist kneeling on the ground and ignored him, hurrying instead to report to Chen Feng:

"It's Iron Butcher!"

"I climbed up high and looked into the distance. He's heading straight for us!"

Chen Feng's expression changed dramatically.

Hadn't Zhang Biao Tou and Xue Hai together been able to take him down?

Iron Butcher clearly wasn't in the Viscera Quenching Realm.

And how had he caught up so quickly?!

"Move! Hurry!"

Chen Feng directed everyone to mount up, then swung onto Square-faced Martial Artist's horse himself.

"What about me?!"

Square-faced Martial Artist panicked at once. Ignoring the blood on his face, he hurried to block the horse.

"You're going with Senior Cheng. Help him drive the carriage!"

A flicker of resistance crossed Square Face's eyes.

The carriage was the heaviest and slowest. It would definitely be the first thing their pursuers caught.

"Are you going or not?" Chen Feng barked.

There was no time to waste arguing with Square Face.

Their pursuers were right behind them. Killing him or driving him away now would both waste precious time. They might as well put him to work driving the carriage.

That would also free up Cheng Li, letting the Bone Forging Realm martial artist make better use of his strength.

"I'm going! I'll go!"

Square-faced Martial Artist hurried to agree. He ran over to Cheng Li, took the reins and whip, and was clearly afraid they would leave him behind.

"Hyah!"

Chen Feng pulled the reins.

The steed beneath him neighed and bolted forward, with the others close behind.

Chen Feng watched the road ahead, constantly recalling the scenery from memory and gauging how much farther they had to go before reaching the next inn.

At the same time, he had to prepare for the worst: there might already be enemies at the inn.

Then they would truly be at the end of their rope.

They would have neither water nor food.

If the horses gave out first, Chen Feng would abandon them without hesitation and have Cheng Li carry Cheng Tingxue.

He would leave the maid behind.

Then they would run all the way back to Pingcheng.

The two sides would part ways there and leave their fates to heaven. Chen Feng would have done all he could for them.

But...

There was one thing he couldn't figure out. How exactly was Iron Butcher tracking them?

They had deliberately chosen a secluded spot to rest.

And there was more than one road back to Pingcheng.

Yet Zhang Jiu had said Iron Butcher was heading straight for them...

Those bandits, too, had seemed to be lying in wait for a long time.

Where had things gone wrong?

Chen Feng's thoughts raced.

At dusk, Zhang Village.

It was already very close to Pingcheng. It was the first place Chen Feng had stayed after leaving the city.

He remembered it especially well.

Fortunately, the worst-case scenario Chen Feng had imagined hadn't come to pass.

They could still replenish some supplies quickly and buy fodder for the horses.

But Chen Feng didn't choose to rest any longer.

The carriage was slow enough as it was.

No one knew whether Iron Butcher might catch up at any moment.

The others followed Chen Feng's decision and kept moving.

However...

Before long, they had no choice but to turn onto a side road and stop in an open space.

"Damn it!"

Square-faced Martial Artist cursed.

"The carriage is busted! We're on the last stretch, and the wheel just had to break now!"

Chen Feng dismounted to inspect it. The wheel was worn down too badly; it was completely ruined.

Square Face's expression shifted uneasily.

They were still some distance from Pingcheng, with no village or inn nearby. There was clearly no way to repair it.

But they didn't have enough horses.

No one knew what to do.

Cheng Li kept watch for any movement nearby.

Wang Huan paced back and forth anxiously, regretting that something always went wrong at the last moment.

Zhang Jiu stared silently at the wheel.

Old Li sat quietly to one side, lost in thought, watching the Xu Family martial artist fiddling with his wound now and then. No one knew what he was thinking.

"Wuwu..."

Cheng Tingxue's maid began to cry, sobbing in fits and starts.

The sound left everyone on edge.

Cheng Li Xue, meanwhile, spoke softly to comfort the maid.

Her face was pale and drained, and she was clearly forcing herself to stay calm.

It was hard to tell whether the comforting words she murmured were meant for the maid or for herself.

"Stop crying!"

Wang Huan scolded her.

"I've been sick of you for ages. Cry, cry, cry. You cried when we were surrounded by bandits, and now you're crying because the carriage broke. Can't you be quiet for a while?"

"Waaah!"

Wang Huan's scolding only made the maid cry louder.

She kept making a racket.

As if she were throwing a deliberate tantrum, she didn't just cry—she wailed at the top of her lungs.

Chen Feng's expression turned cold.

The maid's cries were far too loud. In this quiet place, they could easily give away everyone's position.

He strode over to Wang Huan's side...

Vrrng—

The hum of metal rang out.

Everyone turned pale with shock.

Chen Feng had drawn the saber from Wang Huan's waist and pressed it straight against the maid's neck.

"Cry one more time."

It seemed she remembered how ruthless Chen Feng had been when he beat Square-faced Martial Artist.

The maid's mouth snapped shut.

Terror filled her eyes.

She was afraid Chen Feng might really strike.

Once she had quieted down, Chen Feng let it go and lowered the saber.

Just as he was about to slide it back into Wang Huan's scabbard,

his nostrils twitched. He caught a faint, secret fragrance.

It was very subtle.

You could easily miss it if you weren't paying close attention.

Chen Feng's expression changed.

He realized something.

All along the journey, he had kept catching traces of fragrance behind the carriage.

At first, he had thought it was the scent of rouge.

But perhaps that wasn't it.

He went over to Cheng Tingxue and the maid, sniffed them, then hurried to the carriage and pulled the curtain aside.

The familiar fragrance wafted out at him.

The others had no idea what Chen Feng was doing. They only saw him climb into the carriage and rummage around.

Soon,

he pulled a sachet out of the carriage.

Chen Feng's face darkened. He handed the sachet to Cheng Tingxue and asked:

"Whose is this?"

Confusion flickered in Cheng Tingxue's eyes. She remembered this sachet belonged to...

Cheng Tingxue turned to look at the maid.

At once, a trace of panic surfaced in the maid's eyes.

She quickly suppressed it, but Chen Feng's keen eyes had already caught it.

"Do you know there's a traitor in your household?!"

Chen Feng gritted his teeth and looked at Cheng Tingxue, exasperated with her.

At the same time, he was furious with himself for not checking the carriage earlier.

No wonder the bandits had been able to lie in wait...

No wonder Iron Butcher could pinpoint their location...

All along the way, Chen Feng had trusted people too much. He hadn't expected every teammate to be more useless than the last!

He roughly yanked the maid away from Cheng Tingxue, leaving her to stumble and fall to the ground.

The maid panicked at once and turned to Cheng Tingxue, seeking help.

However slow on the uptake Cheng Tingxue might have been,

she understood what was happening now. She stared at the maid in shock.

She couldn't believe that after treating her so well, she had been repaid with betrayal.

Just then,

"So this is where you are!"

A familiar voice rang out from beyond the woods.

Chen Feng whipped around.

Xue Hai was riding toward them, a long spear in his hand.

Several dark bruises marked his face, as though he had been injured in a fight.

At the sight of Xue Hai,

Cheng Li's face brightened.

"Thank goodness..." the maid cried out in delight as well.

Chen Feng's expression changed drastically.

Even though they were hidden in the woods, Xue Hai had found them with pinpoint accuracy. That meant he had a way to track them.

"Wait!"

Chen Feng shouted.

Everyone stopped and turned to look at him, waiting for his next instruction.

"Fall back. Something's wrong with him. Senior, get ready."

Cheng Li's expression changed.

Then he took up a fighting stance and warily watched Xue Hai.

The others did the same, quietly retreating.

But the maid looked anxious and called out:

"Xue Da..."

Her words cut off abruptly.

Chen Feng raised the saber in his hand. As everyone stared in disbelief,

he thrust it forward!

The blade plunged into the maid's heart.

The maid's eyes widened. She couldn't understand why Chen Feng had suddenly attacked.