Joyful Reunion

The three entered the small town and arrived at an ox-and-horse relay station on its eastern end. The place was empty, save for a young man in fitted martial clothes bustling about.

The young man had thick brows and large eyes, with an honest-looking face.

He had his head lowered as he carried half a pig carcass onto an ox cart. Turning around, he scooped up water to wash the floor, rinsing away the filthy blood. He was busy beyond measure.

"Brother Zhao, why are you the only one here?"

Wu Yunchong asked in surprise.

He remembered that this Four Directions Hall outpost had quite a few men stationed here and served as a freight transit point.

"Brother Wu, Miss Ouyang, you've come to Tanxi Town as well. This must be Young Master Lu of the Lu family, right? We met on Old Master Lu's birthday."

Zhao Fangshun cried out in delight. Then, as if recalling something, he shook his head and sighed.

"Did something happen?"

"Alas, an urgent message came from Jiangzhou earlier. My master was challenged at his door, ambushed, and badly wounded. He is now bedridden...

My brothers and I had just finished handing over an escort shipment and were about to feast in celebration. Who could have expected such dreadful news?"

Zhao Fangshun rubbed his face hard, a faint grief showing on his features...

His eyes were bloodshot. Clearly, he was terribly worried.

"My junior brothers have already ridden back to the city at full speed. I stayed behind to sort out some goods, and I too will soon head into the city."

"Hero Zhang's inner force runs through every inch of his body, even to the tips of his hair. He has already reached the Sixth Rank. His Four Directions Fist is exceedingly subtle, and he rarely meets an equal. Yet he actually... actually... Do you know who struck?"

"According to my fellow disciples, the man was around thirty, with a long beardless face and a purplish-red saber scar running from his left brow to the corner of his eye. He mixed palm techniques into his swordplay, and his moves were exceptionally intricate.

Master exchanged a palm strike with him, but failed to guard against the endless follow-up force in the man's palm. He was struck squarely in the chest and vomited blood, suffering grave injuries."

"Eyebrowless Sword Wei Zhongming."

Wu Yunchong ground his teeth in fury.

"This man is Gu Dongting's foremost disciple. He excels in the Azure Wave Sword and Surging Wave Palm. It is said that his family suffered a calamity when he was young, and he grew up with an exceptionally cruel temperament, never leaving room for mercy when he strikes.

The Eastern Sea Sword Sect and Four Directions Hall had no grievance between them. If one had to name a reason, it would be that Four Directions Hall had been helping our Celestial Star Sect run about gathering intelligence these past days..."

For a time, none of them spoke.

From this news, they could at least be certain that the Eastern Sea Sword Sect members were still hiding within Jiangzhou City and had not left.

Moreover, their intelligence was extremely well-informed.

The moment Ouyang Zheng, the Celestial Star Sect's leader, left the city, they immediately vented their anger on Four Directions Hall and brazenly attacked.

They had very likely set an ambush within the city as well.

If they had returned to the city earlier to buy horses, they might well have walked straight into it.

Wu Yunchong's expression turned extremely ugly at the thought.

If Lu Wu-bing had not insisted on going around the city, they would have been in for a fine mess.

"The Eastern Sea Sword Sect has gone too far! If we were not occupied with important business, how could we allow such villains to run rampant? This is all my fault!"

Three Divine Peaks had joined forces to deal with the demonic sect experts heading south.

They had no time to tangle with the Eastern Sea Sword Sect, yet they had not expected the other side to act without scruple, stopping at nothing to achieve their ends.

Their attack on Zhang Zhenshen of Four Directions Hall might have been meant to establish their power, or perhaps to vent their rage.

More likely, it was a trap laid to lure his fellow senior and junior disciples over.

They had calculated that their master would be unable to get away.

Lu Wu-bing, however, cast a strange glance at Mao Mao trailing behind them. He noticed that the little fellow looked disdainful and refused to enter the relay station, as though afraid of soiling its snow-white paws.

"Brother Wu, do not blame yourself. Whether they were targeting you or not, the Eastern Sea Sword Sect acts without reason and disgraces the righteous path. They would still have turned their anger upon Four Directions Hall.

You all seem to be in a great hurry. Are you returning to your mountain gate? Why are you not riding?"

"We encountered an incident on the road and lost our horses. Earlier, we had intended to trouble you and borrow some mounts.

There is naturally no need to mention that now. Once Wu returns to the mountain, I will certainly report this to my sect elders and seek justice for Four Directions Hall."

Wu Yunchong's expression twisted with conflict. He wanted to return to Jiangzhou to visit the injured Hero Zhang, yet he could not bring himself to say it.

He knew perfectly well there was trouble in the city. Going there now would be courting death.

"Our two houses have always shared a deep friendship. Everyone in Four Directions Hall deeply reveres Mister Ouyang as well... We are simply waiting for good news from the Celestial Star Sect. As for mounts, it would be Zhao's honor to help you senior brothers and sisters."

Zhao Fangshun forced out a smile. "Come with me. The animals at the relay station have all been driven into the valley. They have rested enough and are fit for riding. Let us go pick a few."

As he spoke, he gave Wu Yunchong no chance to refuse, seized his hand, and headed left out the door.

Sure enough, the faint neighing of horses could be heard from that direction.

After they had gone only a short distance, the clatter of hooves reached them from ahead.

Beyond the trees, deep within the enclosure, someone could be heard softly berating something.

"The old fellow tending the horses has quite the foul temper. All day long, he bellows with that broken-gong voice of his, making a great fuss over nothing." Zhao Fangshun shook his head and smiled.

Lu Wu-bing's steps halted slightly. He abruptly turned to look back at the relay station, and he understood why Little Cat had refused to enter.

It did not even want to approach now.

What did it have to do with cleanliness?

After graduating in his previous life, Lu Wu-bing had worked for quite a few companies—large factories, small factories, and even as a courier. He had also worked in a slaughterhouse.

The relay station had reeked of blood earlier. Seeing half a pig carcass, they had assumed the blood on the floor was pig blood.

But Lu Wu-bing had raised pigs and slaughtered pigs. He knew pig blood was not so fishy, nor was its stench so piercing.

He suddenly turned and asked, "Brother Zhao, was your junior sister Zhang Shu captured by the Eastern Sea Sword Sect?"

"You..."

The smile on Zhao Fangshun's face froze. His pupils contracted, and his arm shot upward.

Whoosh...

A snow-bright white rainbow flashed.

At a distance of three feet.

One sword pierced his throat.

How swift was Lu Wu-bing's sword?

Zhao Fangshun's arm had only risen halfway, a portion of black iron just emerging from his sleeve, when White Rainbow Pierces the Sun had already punched through his throat.

"Ghk!"

A strange sound came from Zhao Fangshun's throat. Blood gushed like a spring, and his arm could no longer rise. With a bang, five sleeve arrows shot out and stabbed slantwise into the ground.

They punched five tiny holes in the mud at Lu Wu-bing's feet.

"Thud..."

Zhao Fangshun fell backward, staring at the sky.

"This!"

Wu Yunchong and Ouyang Lan's faces changed dramatically.

In an instant, they understood what had happened. Their hearts chilled, and they simultaneously turned toward the horse enclosure.

"Kill!"

Shouts of slaughter erupted.

Hooves thundered...

Two or three dozen horses charged into view, their riders brandishing sabers and spears. Some had bows drawn and arrows nocked, shouting as they came.

At the same time, with a twang above the fence, a rain of arrows rose into the air.

"Seize horses and break out!"

Wu Yunchong's sword force spun, dense sword-light swirling around him as he charged into the arrow rain and leaped into the air.

He had nearly been tricked into plunging headfirst into their ambush.

He was already furious beyond measure.

Lu Wu-bing narrowed his eyes, his heart cold and calm as ice. He turned, grabbed Ouyang Lan, and raced toward the forest on one side, shouting, "Into the mountains. Senior Brother, come back!"

There was no time to explain.

These people were dressed in a motley assortment of clothes, bandits or mountain brigands at best. They would ordinarily have amounted to nothing.

But they had bows and arrows, and some wore leather armor.

The dark-faced man at their head carried a steel spear. Clad in steel armor, he wielded a huge, heavy iron shield as effortlessly as though it were weightless. One glance showed that he was no one to provoke.

His fighting strength was extraordinary.

Most crucially, this group had used both coercion and deception to lure them into an encirclement. Clearly, they were confident they could swallow all three of them whole.

It was even more likely that Eastern Sea Sword Sect experts were nearby.

Facing them head-on now was the worst possible choice.

Fleeing into the forest, on the other hand, would first cripple their advantage in mounted combat.

It would also limit the power of their numerical superiority and concentrated arrow volleys.