The next day.
Having slept soundly, Fat and Thin Kongos emerged from the cave and bathed in the morning sunlight.
Both of them felt somewhat fortunate.
They could hardly believe they had truly survived the hands of that murderous god whose blade drew blood with every strike.
Thin Kongo clutched his still-aching chest and muttered:
"Big Brother, if you ask me, from now on, we should just shake down those old fossils who haven't made an inch of progress in years. Better not provoke the monsters on the Qilin Rankings. They aren't human."
Fat Kongo deeply agreed and nodded.
"Indeed."
"Shen Yi is decisive in killing, but he is a man of principle. If we encounter him again, we should maintain good relations with him."
As the two made their plans,
they headed toward Xiaoqing Town.
When they reached the town entrance, there were still not many people about in the early morning.
Fat and Thin Kongos were considering finding an inn in town to rest up properly when they ran straight into three black-clad figures.
Black uniforms embroidered with silver cranes, Embroidered Spring Blades hanging at their waists.
Fat Kongo's expression changed sharply, and he murmured under his breath:
"Black Guard of the Pacification Office?"
They had to be here tracking Shen Yi!
Sure enough, just as the two parties passed each other,
one Black Guard raised the sheath of his Embroidered Spring Blade and barred Fat Kongo and Thin Kongo's path, his icy voice entering their ears.
"Stop!"
Fat Kongo's brows tightened, then the expression on his plump face relaxed as he put on a fawning smile.
"Honored officers?"
"What can we do for you?"
The leader of the Black Guard was Li Wudang, Trial Commander of the Dong Commandery Pacification Office. He smiled faintly.
"Judging by the bearing and demeanor of you two, you must be the famed Blade Catcher brothers of the Jianghuai region, Fat and Thin Kongos?"
"According to the information we received, you Blade Catchers discovered Shen Yi's trail and pursued him together."
"Constables found the corpses of those Blade Catchers in the forest, but only the two of you returned alive."
Li Wudang paused.
His calm tone instantly turned sharp, and his eyes fixed upon Fat Kongo and Thin Kongo like those of a hawk.
"Shen Yi let you go?"
"Why?"
"Where is he now?!"
Fat Kongo's face turned deathly pale in an instant. Li Wudang's conjecture matched the truth exactly.
There was simply no chance for him to explain himself.
The Pacification Office wielded overwhelming authority. As wandering jianghu men, the two of them had no capital to resist. Fat Kongo immediately clasped his fists and bowed.
"Reporting to you, my lord."
"That Shen Yi has deep foundations and peerless blade skills. Only by trading the secret arts we possessed were we able to cling to our miserable lives."
"As for where he went, Shen Yi drifted away yesterday like a floating cloud. We truly do not know."
Li Wudang narrowed his eyes and silently scrutinized Fat Kongo and Thin Kongo before speaking blandly.
"Then in which direction did he go?"
Fat Kongo lowered his head and exchanged a glance with Thin Kongo.
He hesitated slightly.
From the bottom of his heart,
he actually greatly admired Shen Yi's talent and cultivation, and he deeply appreciated his character of keeping his word.
After their brief time together, he had already concluded that Shen Yi was not one of those utterly wicked criminals on the wanted list.
There had to be another reason why Shen Yi had cut down his superior and betrayed the Pacification Office.
Whether out of jianghu loyalty or an instinctive resistance to the Pacification Office's overbearing and unreasonable ways,
he did not wish to reveal Shen Yi's whereabouts and bring trouble upon him. Yet he had only just hesitated slightly when—
Clang!
The sound of an Embroidered Spring Blade leaving its sheath rang in his ears. Li Wudang's cold voice was like a magistrate of the halls of Yama.
"Clinging to life while shielding a criminal!"
"Death!"
Fat Kongo suddenly raised his head.
The gleam of the Embroidered Spring Blade was already right before him!
Rustle, rustle.
Shen Yi crouched beside a clear stream, drinking water.
The setting sun was like blood, staining the entire stream crimson.
He had not actually gone very far.
After leaving the cave last night, he had walked two li before finding a lush tree, leaping onto a branch, and dropping off to sleep.
After this sleep, he felt refreshed and invigorated.
His essence, qi, and spirit were whole.
He had reached a state of bodily perfection unlike any he had ever known. This was also the result of the Vajra Body Forging Art breaking through to great mastery.
Suddenly.
Shen Yi scooped up a pebble from the stream and flicked his wrist.
With a bang, the pebble pierced through the trunk of a distant tree.
"Come out!"
"You've followed me for two days. Do you really think I can't catch up to you or kill you?"
"Hey, hey, we've met before, at least."
"You start shouting about killing the moment you see me. You're far too vicious!"
A pretty girl in white wrinkled her delicate nose and emerged gracefully from behind the tree.
Shen Yi frowned.
The girl before him was charming and lively, her bright eyes darting about with a trace of sly cunning.
She was very beautiful.
But he had never seen her before.
Unless...
Shen Yi asked dubiously:
"Tao Tao?"
The girl in white covered her mouth and chuckled.
"Brother Chen Liu truly is a nobleman with a short memory."
Heh, it really was Tao Tao.
It was simply that Tao Tao before him looked utterly different from how she had appeared that night at Longshu Temple. Even her voice and bearing had completely changed.
No wonder he had failed to recognize her.
"Disguise?"
Tao Tao grinned.
"Didn't expect that, did you?"
Shen Yi truly had not expected Tao Tao's disguise technique to possess such a miraculous effect, capable of changing one's appearance from head to toe.
After pondering for a moment, Shen Yi finally asked:
"Why are you following me?"
"Could it be that you want to trade my head for money too?"
Tao Tao smiled and stopped three zhang away from Shen Yi. This was a safe distance where she was confident she could evade Shen Yi's blade.
"That's so vulgar."
"I'm not short of money."
"I merely happened upon the Qilin rising star who has just shaken the jianghu. How could I not be curious enough to follow and have a look?"
Shen Yi curled his lip.
"You've had your look."
"And you don't intend to make a move."
"Then let us part here. Don't follow me again."
Shen Yi rose to his feet, one hand resting on the hilt at his waist.
He turned to leave.
But Tao Tao's voice came from behind him.
"You've seen enough, but I haven't."
"Do you know..."
"People from the Dong Commandery Pacification Office have already come after you."
Just as expected.
Shen Yi said:
"So what?"
Tao Tao's voice grew somewhat heavy.
"I just received word that they killed Fat and Thin Kongos in order to find your trail."
Shen Yi abruptly froze in place.
"What?!"
"What did this have to do with them?"
"I heard the Pacification Office beheaded them on the charge of clinging to life while shielding a wanted criminal. Their heads have even been hung at the entrance to Xiaoqing Town..."
"To make an example of them."
Shen Yi still found it hard to believe.
"Their external cultivation and body forging are formidable. How could they have been executed so easily? Who did the Pacification Office send?!"
Tao Tao sighed.
"They sent Li Wudang, Trial Commander of the Dong Commandery Pacification Office, along with two Banner Commanders. All of them are first-rate fighters."
Shen Yi frowned.
He knew of Li Wudang.
He was a prominent figure even within the Dong Commandery Pacification Office, attaining the position of Trial Commander at such a young age.
He was often held up as an example to inspire the low-ranking constables.
Shen Yi had not expected
that this man would be the one sent to hunt him down.
Tao Tao continued her account.
"Thin Kongo had yet to recover from the serious injuries you inflicted on him. Before he could even resist, the two Banner Commanders easily subdued him."
"And Li Wudang is one of the Dong Commandery Pacification Office's outstanding young talents. His name is also listed on the Qilin Rankings."
"Though Fat Kongo's external cultivation was formidable, his brother had been seized, and his foundations were inferior to Li Wudang's. After only a few exchanges, he had already been defeated."
Shen Yi fell silent.
"And then..."
Before you continue