"Where's Tu Xingsun?"
"How should I know!"
"What about Murong Bo?"
"That old schemer won't make a move lightly. We can't count on him!"
"Damn it, your mother! You pick now to let us down?"
Wu Que endured Xu Feng's storm of punches and, after communicating with Nightingale, cursed furiously.
Wu Que faced off against Xu Feng, while Nightingale kept Xu Yue occupied.
The former was a contest of martial arts. Wu Que's folding fan moved with graceful ease and endless variation, while Xu Feng's attacks were broad and forceful, his blood and qi blazing with masculine vigor. Their strength had originally been about equal, but Xu Feng had struck suddenly and seized the initiative. He pressed forward relentlessly, attacking with wild abandon.
He had every right to focus solely on offense and ignore defense.
That was because, unlike the temporary alliance between Wu Que and Nightingale, Xu Feng and Xu Yue worked together with perfect understanding.
Xu Feng reined in his blood and qi, his fists raining down like a storm. With every move, snowflakes swirled around him, taking the place of a defense.
Whenever Wu Que tried to counterattack with a deft technique, the whirling snowflakes and biting wind disrupted him at just the right moment. Wu Que's martial arts style was light and nimble, yet he was forced to meet each blow head-on. After a few exchanges, he couldn't take it anymore. He spat out a mouthful of blood, which shot like an arrow toward Xu Feng's brow.
Xu Feng tilted his head aside to dodge it, then continued to press forward with a savage grin. Wu Que drifted back and took the chance to look toward Nightingale. His heart sank even further.
Xu Yue was able to support Xu Feng, which meant she still had plenty to spare even while fighting Nightingale.
By rights, Xu Yue had been trapped for several hours, and her magic should have been badly depleted. She shouldn't have been a match for Nightingale.
But now, snowflakes spun through the air, and the temperature inside Worry-Free Cave kept dropping. White frost spread across the walls, turning the place into a battlefield of ice and snow.
This wasn't some clichéd breakthrough in the middle of a fight. The Goblin bombs from earlier had left Worry-Free Cave on the verge of collapse.
Xu Yue seized the opportunity to keep attacking her surroundings, forcing Nightingale to use her magic to hold up the walls.
Nightingale didn't want to, but she had no choice.
Xu Yue could protect herself and fight even in the raging currents. Nightingale, on the other hand, couldn't use even a tenth of her strength if she fell into the water.
So when the foul-smelling water kept creeping closer, like a noose tightening around their necks, Nightingale was the first to reach her limit. She sent Wu Que a telepathic message: "Go!"
As soon as the word left her lips, her body abruptly scattered into wisps of smoke, slipping through cracks in the earth and stone.
Wu Que didn't even have time to curse. He took a punch from Xu Feng, tore through the snow and wind, then used his lightness skill to Blink away in a few quick strides.
"Quick!"
Xu Feng breathed a sigh of relief, but Xu Yue showed none of the relief of victory. She grabbed him and immediately chased after them the way they had come.
But before they could leave Worry-Free Cave, they saw the cracks in the earth and traces of attacks made with Literary Qi.
Xu Yue staggered.
"It's over!"
"Tu Xingsun, you bastard! You've got a death wish! How dare you ditch us!"
After escaping Worry-Free Cave, Wu Que and Nightingale returned to their temporary hideout by the Golden Water River in the northwest of Kaifeng. Seeing Tu Xingsun sitting there, calmly smoking, they flew into a rage and charged at him together.
Their third ally looked very much like Tu Xingsun, and even went by the same nickname.
Of course, it was just a flattering comparison. Compared with the one in Investiture of the Gods, their Earth-Walking techniques were worlds apart.
Even so, Tu Xingsun was extremely difficult to deal with among one-star Reincarnators.
After all, few people at this level could fly for long. Once their feet were on solid ground, who could guard against an enemy suddenly burrowing up from beneath them?
"Easy! Easy!"
Tu Xingsun tapped the ash from his cigarette. "Even if I'd joined that fight, we wouldn't have been able to seriously wound the Queen and the Prince, then have Murong Bo finish them off. Since I'd have shown up for nothing either way, I might as well have kept my identity hidden."
Wu Que snapped, "We had to wound them and force them to reveal their trump cards. That's how we'd succeed next time! What kind of bullshit are you talking?"
Nightingale's voice was even colder. "You fled in the middle of the fight and made us fall short of success at the last moment. My portal key and all the materials for setting up the magic array were wasted in that damned cave. I'm filing for Main God Arbitration!"
Tu Xingsun waited until they'd had their fill of anger, then clapped his hands and stood up. "This trip wasn't for nothing. Take a look!"
He pointed a finger. Pale-yellow wisps of smoke spilled from its tip and curled in the air before them.
Then, on what had been an empty patch of ground, a yellow dome of light suddenly appeared.
Inside stood a man holding a brush, on guard.
Seeing the imposing scholar, Wu Que and Nightingale exchanged baffled looks. "Who is he?"
Tu Xingsun smiled. "Huang Shang!"
"The author of the Nine Yin Manual?"
"Grandmaster Huang Shang?"
The name landed like a thunderclap. The two froze, then cried out in shock.
Tu Xingsun grinned. "Who else?"
Wu Que's eyes widened. "How is that possible? There are so many people in the Great Song. Where did you find him?"
There were plenty of Reincarnators skilled at uncovering plot details, and Wu Que was one of them.
Huang Shang had only realized that Huang Shang was from this dynasty thanks to the target-selection function on his Universal Card.
Before entering Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, Wu Que had considered looking for Huang Shang.
But the same problem remained: in a vast sea of people, how could he find someone who wasn't famous?
In the end, Wu Que had no choice but to give up.
But now, Huang Shang had appeared.
Tu Xingsun explained, "I didn't find him. He followed the Prince into Worry-Free Cave. I used the Earth-Walking Technique to eavesdrop on their conversation. Huang Shang wanted to fight alongside the Prince, but the Prince drove him away..."
Wu Que recalled Xu Yue's expression and suddenly understood. He slapped his palm. "No wonder she was in such a hurry! So that's what happened! Great! Let Huang Shang out—no, invite him out!"
Tu Xingsun ignored him, watching Wu Que with a sinister grin.
Wu Que understood. He took a deep breath. "I want Huang Shang. How many Reincarnation Points?"
Tu Xingsun leisurely held up three fingers. "Three thousand Reincarnation Points!"
Wu Que's expression changed dramatically. "Three thousand? Why don't you just rob me! My Bright Jade Art only cost two thousand!"
Tu Xingsun shook his head and replied in a scholarly tone, "That's not the whole story. I didn't just bring him here. I also withdrew my contractual right to compete for Huang Shang, handing you a grandmaster whose strength is at least two-star and whose future growth is limitless. Is three thousand Reincarnation Points really too much?"
After a pause, Tu Xingsun added with a grin, "We can even put on a little show right away, with you rescuing Huang Shang from me and earning his favor. And I'll help you as much as I can in this world. Is three thousand Reincarnation Points too much for that kind of all-in-one service?"
Wu Que fell silent.
Tu Xingsun pressed harder. "Think about it. The Queen and the Prince spent a fortune raising Huang Shang. They even gave him the cultivation path of literary talent from Sage of Confucianism and Taoism. If you snatch him from them now, how much are you getting for free?"
"That's right! They're losing big!"
Wu Que was delighted at the thought and had already made up his mind, but he put on a troubled expression and started bargaining. "Three thousand is too much. It's only a chance, and what if it fails? I don't have that many points either. How about..."
"How about I pay half too!"
Nightingale, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke. "We'll each pay one thousand five hundred points and spend some time with Huang Shang. Then we'll see which of us he'd rather go with!"
Wu Que froze as Nightingale took off her Cloak, letting her long black hair spill down.
She had big eyes, a small nose, and dimples that appeared even before she smiled. Though young, she was already very well-endowed, possessing an entire airplane runway.
All in all, she had the look of a cute girl, which was a far cry from the path of power she had chosen. No wonder she wore a Cloak.
Now she smiled at Wu Que and blinked. "Fair competition!"
Before you continue