Inch Step

"Bear with it. It might hurt a little."

Lu Wu-bing comforted her softly.

Without hearing his senior sister's reply, he made the decision himself.

He first took out a water skin and washed the wound, then covered the gash with his mouth, hollowed his cheeks, and sucked hard.

Out here in the wilderness, there was no better way to draw out the poison.

This was the only option.

He sucked out the poisoned blood until bright red blood flowed from the wound, then Lu Wu-bing finally stopped...

After rinsing his mouth with water, he took out some spare wound medicine from his bundle and carefully applied it.

Then he tore off the lining of his own inner robe, ripped it into wide strips, and wrapped the wound, passing the cloth beneath Senior Sister Xiaolan's armpit.

"I'll do it myself."

Ouyang Lan's voice was muffled, carrying seventy percent embarrassment and thirty percent irritation.

"You're so clumsy. What are you groping at?"

"Isn't it because I can't see? Mainly, it's just too dark." Lu Wu-bing said awkwardly.

I'd believe you only if ghosts existed.

Ouyang Lan rolled her eyes beautifully.

She could not even be bothered to scold him.

With nimble hands, she tied a knot in front of her chest.

After the poisoned blood had been sucked out and the medicine applied, she felt much lighter.

When she turned back to look behind them, she frowned slightly. "I wonder whether Third Senior Brother has truly escaped danger?"

Among the three of them, Third Senior Brother Wu Yunchong had possessed the strongest martial arts and swordsmanship.

Anyone could run into trouble, but not him.

Yet after everything that had happened, Ouyang Lan realized that this third senior brother was not quite as reassuring as he had once seemed.

"The Eastern Sea Sword Sect was never after you. I'm the one they mainly wanted to hunt down. As long as Third Senior Brother doesn't fight to the death, he'll definitely be fine."

Lu Wu-bing was certain of that.

What the Eastern Sea Sword Sect wanted most was still their Yuanling Swordplay Manual...

After he and Senior Sister Xiaolan had fled first, Flying Feather Sword Tan Zhongjing had immediately abandoned Wu Yunchong and pursued them madly.

With only Tiger's Den Stronghold's Tan Siwu to deal with, Wu Yunchong could escape with ease given his abilities."

"That's true."

Ouyang Lan nodded upon hearing that.

She thought that as long as Sect Master Gu did not personally act, there was nothing to worry about.

With that thought, Ouyang Lan held Mao Mao, who had run back to her, and her breathing gradually became even and deep.

Clearly, she was taking the time to regulate her breathing.

Injured both inside and out, her body exhausted... Though she felt somewhat sleepy, she still forced herself to cultivate.

Her father had once said that the more it was such a time, the more one had to overcome hardship and diligently train one's inner strength.

Only then could one advance with courage and vigor.

Back when she had lived on the mountain, she certainly had never taken those words to heart.

Today, she had narrowly escaped death. Faced with powerful enemies, she had been utterly powerless. From beginning to end, all she could do was flee desperately.

When it came to killing enemies, she could not even compare to her little junior brother, who had only just entered the sect. It was truly humiliating...

Something stirred in her heart.

For a moment, her father's teachings and her mother's reminders rose one by one in her mind.

Every sentence was like an evening drum and a morning bell, profoundly awakening her.

The moon slipped behind dark clouds, and the night grew several shades darker.

The insects fell silent, while birds and beasts returned to their nests.

As Ouyang Lan circulated her inner breath, she spared a fraction of her attention to the faint sound of a sword blade slicing through the air nearby.

That was her little junior brother diligently practicing his swordsmanship beside her.

Even while they were fleeing for their lives.

He had not stopped for even a moment.

She truly did not know where he found such powerful perseverance.

Thinking of how she had always slacked off whenever she could, Ouyang Lan felt faintly ashamed.

Before she knew it, she had stopped her breathing exercise and opened her eyes, quietly watching the graceful figure dancing through the night. For a while, she was entranced.

"I'll teach you Inch Step."

Ouyang Lan suddenly said.

Lu Wu-bing stopped his sword form and turned his head in astonishment. "Didn't Senior Sister say that methods for cultivating qinggong can only be formally passed down after one passes the assessment?"

"Do you still remember that Paired Swallows hidden weapon from earlier?"

Rather than answer directly, Ouyang Lan brought up the attack from when they had joined forces to kill Tan Zhongjing, when someone had ambushed them from the side.

"I remember. That person was extremely sinister. He hid quietly in the grass and did not strike even when Tan Zhongjing was hit by the sword.

He waited until we succeeded and let down our guard, then launched a surprise attack.

And that Paired Swallows hidden weapon was exceptionally ingenious and strange. It could split and join, circling back to cut through its targets. Its power was formidable."

"If I'm not mistaken, the one who attacked should have been Baicao Shusheng, Duanmu Tong."

Worry appeared on Ouyang Lan's face.

She continued, "This man is well-read in poetry and books, skilled in all manner of crafts, and considered a rare scholar of talent. In his youth, he was also quite renowned.

However, because he was young and reckless, he lacked caution in his actions... Back when he went to the capital for the imperial examinations, Hundred Victory Marquis Dong Heihu took offense over his cockfighting and dog racing, believing that he had led his second son astray.

So he found an excuse to strip Duanmu Tong of his examination qualifications... From then on, he fell into destitution and wandered the martial world."

"That man was actually being used by the Eastern Sea Sword Sect?"

At this point, Lu Wu-bing understood why Senior Sister Xiaolan wanted to teach him the Inch Step qinggong movement technique in advance despite knowing that sect rules did not allow it.

This Baicao Shusheng, Duanmu Tong, might be rather difficult to deal with.

Known as Baicao, he was surely deft of hand and clever of mind, capable of making all kinds of mechanisms and hidden weapons, with countless tricks at his disposal.

If he caught up to them.

And unleashed some terrifying hidden weapon...

"That does not necessarily mean he joined the Eastern Sea Sword Sect. Though Duanmu Tong was stripped of his scholarly title and barred from office for life, he still retained some of a scholar's pride.

The Eastern Sea Sword Sect is merely a bandit force of the martial world. No matter how great its reputation, it could not recruit a man like him.

Gong King Manor, on the other hand, has always recruited retainers, willing to spend heavily, and has gathered many strange talents under its banner.

If I were Duanmu Tong, I would join Prince Gong instead."

"Could it be that the Eastern Sea Sword Sect is also..."

The two exchanged a glance and suddenly felt that they might have uncovered a staggering secret.

If the Eastern Sea Sword Sect had also pledged itself to Gong King Manor, then had all these people truly come to Jiangzhou merely to seize the Yuanling Swordplay Manual?

"We can't see through this matter for now, so don't dwell on it. We should think about how to avoid those eyes in the sky once dawn comes."

Ouyang Lan was referring to the eagle in the sky.

Nighttime was manageable. If they hid, no matter how sharp an eagle's eyes were, it could not see clearly.

But once daylight came, it would be another matter.

The eagle flew high and fast, and the two of them had no way to counter it. They could only take the blows passively. The very thought was enough to give them a headache.

Lu Wu-bing also felt helpless.

He turned to look at Mao Mao, whose head was bobbing. The little fellow was sleeping peacefully in Senior Sister Xiaolan's arms, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

"If we can't deal with the eagle, then we'll deal with its master."

Just like the relationship between himself and Mao Mao...

Even if others came into contact with Little Cat, they could not obtain any useful information from its cries. There was no mutual understanding.

Then as long as they dealt with the eagle's master, the eyes in the sky would no longer be a concern.

"There's no need to ask—the eagle's master should be that Duanmu Tong. I heard that he learns everything: training falcons and hounds, cockfighting and raising insects, making poisons and blending fragrances, picking locks and breaking into houses—he can do it all. To kill him, we first need to avoid his first wave of attacks. Let's learn the footwork first."

Having said that, Ouyang Lan could no longer hold herself back and forced herself to stand.

"Alright."

Lu Wu-bing nodded heavily.

At a critical moment like this, it was no time for empty politeness.

Even if Master and Mistress found out, they likely would not object.

Little Fish writes wuxia and fears it won't be good enough, so every day he racks his brains over the plot, striving to make it exciting.

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