Joyful Reunion

The three entered the small town and arrived at a horse and cattle post at the east end. Inside, it was empty, with only a young man in tight clothing busy at work.

The youth had thick eyebrows and large eyes, with a honest-looking face.

He lowered his head, carrying half a side of pork into a cattle cart, then turned and scooped water to wash the ground, cleaning away the bloodstains. He was extremely busy.

"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 people stationed there, serving as a cargo transit point.

"Brother Wu, Miss Ouyang, you've come to Tanxi Town too. And this must be... Young Master Lu, right? We met on Old Master Lu's birthday."

Zhao Fangshun exclaimed in surprise. Then, as if thinking of something, he shook his head and sighed.

"Did something happen?"

"Alas, a rushed letter arrived from Jiangzhou. My master was challenged at his home and ambushed, gravely injured. He's bedridden now... We brothers had just finished delivering a shipment and were about to celebrate with a feast, when we encountered this misfortune."

Zhao Fangshun rubbed his face vigorously, his expression clearly saddened.

It was evident that his eyes were bloodshot, showing extreme worry.

"My junior disciples have already ridden back to the city. I'm here organizing some goods and will also be heading to the city."

"Hero Zhang has profound internal energy, his qi flows to the tips of his hair, already at the Sixth Rank. His Four Directions Fist is extremely exquisite, making him rarely matched. To think that... do you know who attacked him?"

"According to what my junior disciples said, the attacker is about thirty years old, with a long face and no beard. There's a purplish-red scar from his left eyebrow to his eye. He combines swordplay with palm techniques, his moves are very refined. Master exchanged a palm strike with him, but didn't guard against the endless aftershock of the opponent's palm force. He was hit directly in the chest and spat blood, severely injured."

"Eyebrowless Sword Wei Zhongming."

Wu Yunchong gritted his teeth.

"He is the eldest disciple of Gu Dongting. He is skilled in using the Azure Wave Sword and Surging Wave Palm. It's said that due to a family tragedy in his childhood, he became extremely cruel as he grew up, and never holds back his attacks. The Eastern Sea Sword Sect and the Four Directions Hall had no prior grievances. If anything, it should be because the Four Directions Hall has been helping our Celestial Star Sect gather information these days..."

The group fell silent for a moment.

From this news, they could at least confirm that the Eastern Sea Sect members were still in Jiangzhou city and had not left.

Furthermore, their intelligence was very well-informed. As soon as they saw the Celestial Star Sect Leader Ouyang Zheng leave the city, they immediately took their anger out on the Four Directions Hall and attacked fiercely. They might even have set up an ambush within the city. If they had returned to the city to buy horses earlier, they might have run right into it.

Wu Yunchong's expression turned grim at this thought. If Lu Wu-bing hadn't insisted on taking a detour around the city, things could have been much worse.

"How can the Eastern Sea Sect do this? If we weren't on urgent business, how could we tolerate such a villain running rampant? It's all my fault!"

The Three Divine Peaks had mobilized together to deal with the Demonic Sect experts heading south. They didn't have time to get entangled with the Eastern Sea Sword Sect. They hadn't expected the other party to be so unscrupulous, resorting to any means to achieve their goals. Injuring Zhang Zhenshen of the Four Directions Hall might have been to establish dominance, or to vent their anger. More likely, it was to set a trap, intending to lure his senior brothers and sisters there. They had calculated that their master would be unable to intervene.

Lu Wu-bing glanced curiously at Mao Mao, who was following behind him. He noticed the little creature looked disgusted and wasn't entering the inn, as if afraid of soiling its snow-white paws.

"Brother Wu, please don't blame yourself. Whether it was aimed at you or not, the Eastern Sea Sect's actions are unreasonable and unworthy of a righteous sect. They would also take their anger out on the Four Directions Hall. You seem to be in a hurry; are you returning to your mountain sect? Why aren't you riding horses?"

"We encountered trouble on the road and lost our horses. We were even thinking of troubling you earlier to borrow some mounts. That's naturally out of the question now. After I return to the mountain, I will definitely report this to my sect elders and seek justice for the Four Directions Hall."

Wu Yunchong's face contorted. He wanted to go back to Jiangzhou to visit the injured Hero Zhang, but he couldn't bring himself to ask. Knowing there was trouble in the city and going there would be suicidal.

"The relationship between our two families has always been deep, and everyone at my Four Directions Hall greatly admires Mister Ouyang... We are awaiting good news from the Celestial Star Sect. As for mounts, it would be my honor to help you, senior brothers and sisters."

Zhao Fangshun forced a smile. "Follow me. The livestock at the post have been driven into the valley to rest sufficiently, perfect for riding. Let's go pick a few."

Saying this, he didn't allow Wu Yunchong to refuse and pulled his hand, leading him out the door to the left. Indeed, the faint neighing of horses could be heard from that direction.

After walking a short distance, the sound of horses' hooves could be heard ahead. Amidst the trees, within the enclosure, someone was heard lightly scolding.

"The old man who takes care of the horses isn't very pleasant. He's always shouting in that raspy voice, making a racket." Zhao Fangshun chuckled, shaking his head.

Lu Wu-bing's footsteps faltered slightly. He suddenly turned to look back at the inn they had just left. He understood why Mao Mao hadn't wanted to go inside.

Even now, they were unwilling to get close.

How could it be about being clean?

After graduating in his previous life, Lu Wu-bing had worked in many companies, both large and small. He had even delivered packages and worked in a slaughterhouse.

Previously, the inn had reeked of blood. The few people, having made up their minds, saw the half-side of pork and assumed it was pig's blood.

However, Lu Wu-bing had raised pigs and slaughtered them. He knew that pig's blood didn't smell that strong or pungent.

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

"You..."

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

Swish...

A blinding white rainbow appeared.

Three feet away.

A sword pierced his throat.

Lu Wu-bing's sword was incredibly fast.

Zhao Fangshun's arm had only been raised halfway, revealing half a hanging black iron from his sleeve, when he was already pierced through the throat by the move [White Rainbow Pierces the Sun].

"Gurgle!"

A strange sound came from Zhao Fangshun's throat. Blood gushed out like a spring. He could no longer raise his arm. The five sleeve darts let out a bang and shot diagonally into the ground.

Five small holes were pierced into the muddy ground at Lu Wu-bing's feet.

"Bang..."

Zhao Fangshun fell backward, staring at the sky.

"This!"

Wu Yunchong and Ouyang Lan's faces changed drastically.

In a flash, they understood what had happened. Their hearts tightened, and they simultaneously turned to look at the horse farm fence.

"Kill!"

Shouts of killing erupted.

The hooves thundered like thunder...

What met their eyes were twenty to thirty horses charging out. The riders brandished sabers and spears, some drew bows and nocked arrows, shouting loudly.

At the same time, above the fence, a bang sounded, and a volley of arrows rose into the air.

"Grab the horses and break through."

Wu Yunchong's swordplay spun, and a dense sword light swirled around him as he charged into the arrow rain and leaped up.

He had almost been tricked, falling right into an ambush.

He was furious in his heart.

Lu Wu-bing narrowed his eyes, his mind as calm as ice. He turned, grabbed Ouyang Lan, and sprinted towards the mountain forest to the side, shouting, "Into the mountains. Senior Brother will return."

There was no time to explain.

These people were dressed in a motley fashion; they were either mountain bandits or common thugs, which wasn't much of a concern.

However, they had bows and arrows, and some of them wore leather armor.

The leader, a dark-faced man wielding a steel spear and wearing steel armor, carried a huge, heavy iron shield as if it were nothing. He clearly wasn't someone to be trifled with.

His combat power was extraordinary.

Most importantly, these people had clearly lured them in, intending to trap the three of them. They were confident they could take them down.

Furthermore, it was possible that a master from the Eastern Sea Sword Sect was nearby.

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

By escaping into the mountain forest, they could first negate the enemy's advantage in mounted combat.

Secondly, it would limit the effectiveness of the enemy's superior numbers and the power of their archery volleys.