Unexpected

The next day.

The Fat and Thin Kongos, having slept soundly, emerged from the cave, basking in the morning sun.

Both of them felt fortunate.

They couldn't believe they had actually survived the encounter with that murderous fiend.

The Thin Kongo clutched his still-aching chest, muttering:

"Brother, if you ask me, from now on, let's just shake down those old geezers who haven't improved in years. Let's not mess with the monsters on the Qilin Rankings; they're not human."

The Fat Kongo wholeheartedly agreed, nodding in assent:

"Indeed."

"Shen Yi, that man, is decisive in his killings but a man of principle. If we encounter him in the future, we should try to maintain good relations."

The two schemed.

Then headed towards Xiaoqing Town.

Arriving at the town entrance, there weren't many people about yet in the early morning.

Just as the Fat and Thin Kongos were thinking of finding an inn in town to rest, they ran into three black figures.

Black uniforms of the Black Guard, Embroidered Spring Blades at their waists.

The Fat Kongo's expression changed drastically, muttering under his breath:

"The Pacification Office's Black Guard?"

They must be tracking Shen Yi!

Sure enough, as the two sides passed each other.

One of the Black Guards raised his Embroidered Spring Blade's scabbard, blocking the Fat Kongo and his companion's path, a cold voice reaching their ears:

"Stop!"

The Fat Kongo's eyebrows furrowed, then the expression on his plump face relaxed, replaced by a fawning smile:

"Esteemed officials?"

"What are your orders?"

The leader of the Black Guard, none other than Li Wudang, a Trial Commander from the Dong Commandery Pacification Office, gave a slight smile:

"Judging by your bearing, you two must be the famous blade-for-hire brothers from the Jianghu area, the Fat and Thin Kongos, am I right?"

"According to the information we received, you and a group of other hired blades discovered Shen Yi's whereabouts and tracked him together."

"The constables found the corpses of those hired blades in the jungle, but only you two returned alive."

Li Wudang paused.

His calm tone instantly turned sharp, his eyes fixed on the Fat and Thin Kongos like a hawk's:

"Shen Yi let you go?"

"Why?"

"Where is he now?!"

The Fat Kongo's face turned ashen in an instant, Li Wudang's deductions being exactly in line with the truth.

Not giving him any chance to explain, the Fat Kongo immediately clasped his fist in obeisance:

"Reporting to the esteemed official."

"That Shen Yi has deep foundations and unparalleled swordsmanship. We two were only able to exchange our lives for survival by using our secret techniques."

"As for his whereabouts, that Shen Yi left like a fleeting cloud yesterday. We really don't know."

Li Wudang narrowed his eyes, silently scrutinizing the Fat and Thin Kongos, he said blandly:

"Then which direction did he go?"

The Fat Kongo lowered his head, exchanging a glance with the Thin Kongo.

Slightly hesitant in his heart.

Deep down.

He actually quite admired Shen Yi's talent and cultivation, and also greatly appreciated his character of keeping his word.

After a short time together, he was already able to determine that Shen Yi was not one of those heinous criminals on the wanted list.

The reason he killed his superior and defected from the Pacification Office.

Must be for another reason.

Whether out of jianghu chivalry, or an instinctive resistance to the Pacification Office's overbearing and rude style.

He didn't want to reveal Shen Yi's whereabouts, bringing trouble to him, but just as he hesitated slightly.

Clang!

The sound of an Embroidered Spring Blade being drawn had already reached his ears. Li Wudang's cold voice was like that of a judge from the depths of hell.

"You seek to survive through unscrupulous means, harboring criminals!"

"You deserve death!"

The fat man suddenly looked up.

The gleam of the Embroidered Spring Blade was already close at hand!

Swish, swish.

Shen Yi squatted by the clear stream, drinking water.

The setting sun was like blood, reflecting a crimson hue onto the entire stream.

In truth, he hadn't gone far.

After leaving the cave last night, he walked for about a mile, found a lush tree, leaped onto its trunk, and fell asleep.

He slept soundly, feeling refreshed.

His energy and spirit were complete.

He had reached an unprecedented state of physical perfection, which was also the result of the Vajra Body Forging Art breaking through to the realm of Great Accomplishment.

Suddenly.

Shen Yi picked up a stone from the stream and flicked his wrist.

With a bang, the stone pierced through a tree trunk not far away.

"Come out!"

"You've been following me for the past two days. Did you really think I couldn't catch you, couldn't kill you?"

"Hey, hey, we've at least met once before."

"Coming at me with shouts of violence right away, how fierce!"

A pretty girl in white, wrinkling her delicate nose, walked out from behind the tree with a graceful sway.

Shen Yi frowned.

The girl before him was charming and lively, her bright eyes darting about, revealing a hint of cunning.

The girl was very beautiful.

But he had never seen her before.

Unless…

Shen Yi asked, half in doubt:

"Tao Tao?"

The girl in white covered her mouth and giggled:

"Brother Chen Liu really has a bad memory."

Heh, it really was Tao Tao.

However, the Tao Tao before him was completely different from how she looked that night at Longshu Temple; even her voice and temperament were completely different.

No wonder he didn't recognize her.

"Disguise?"

Tao Tao smiled mischievously:

"Unexpected, right?"

Shen Yi really hadn't expected Tao Tao's disguise technique to have such a miraculous effect of completely changing one's appearance.

Shen Yi pondered for a moment before asking:

"Why are you following me?"

"Don't tell me you also want my head to exchange for money?"

Tao Tao smiled, maintaining a distance of thirty feet from Shen Yi, a safe distance from which she was confident she could evade Shen Yi's blade:

"How vulgar."

"I don't lack money."

"It's just that I happened to run into a new talent on the Qilin Rankings who has just become famous in the jianghu, so how could I not be curious and follow along to take a look?"

Shen Yi curled his lip:

"You've seen what you wanted to see."

"And you're not making a move."

"Then let's part ways here and don't follow me anymore."

Shen Yi stood up, one hand resting on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Turning to leave.

But Tao Tao's voice came from behind:

"I've looked, but I haven't looked enough."

"Do you know..."

"Someone from the Dong Commandery Pacification Office is already after you."

Expected.

Shen Yi said:

"So what?"

Tao Tao's voice was somewhat heavy:

"I just received news that they killed the Fat and Thin Kongos to find your whereabouts."

Shen Yi's figure suddenly stopped in place.

"What?!"

"What does this have to do with them?"

"It is said that the Pacification Office beheaded them in the name of seeking survival through illicit means and harboring important criminals, and their heads are still hanging at the entrance of Xiaoqing Town..."

"As a warning to others."

Shen Yi still couldn't believe it.

"The two of them had powerful physical bodies forged through external martial arts; how could they be subdued so easily? Who did the Pacification Office send?!"

Tao Tao sighed:

"It was Li Wudang, the Trial Commander of the Dong Commandery Pacification Office, and two Centurions, all first-rate experts."

Shen Yi frowned.

Li Wudang, he knew this person.

He was also a prominent figure in the Dong Commandery Pacification Office, and he was able to sit in the position of Trial Commander at a young age.

He was often used as a model to motivate the Constables at the grassroots level.

He didn't expect that it was this person who came to hunt him down, Shen Yi.

Tao Tao's narration continued:

"Thin Kongo was seriously injured by you and hadn't recovered yet. Before he could resist, he was easily subdued by two Centurions."

"And that Li Wudang is a rising star of the Dong Commandery Pacification Office, and his name is also on the Qilin Rankings."

"Although Fat Kongo was strong in external martial arts, his brother was restrained, and his foundation was not as good as Li Wudang's. After a few moves, he had already been defeated."

Shen Yi was silent:

"What happened later..."