Chase in the Mountains, Conspiracy Emerges (Seeking Reads, Seeking Recommendation Tickets)

"What! This person is a master of Dark Energy!"

"Quick! Protect the young miss!"

The dozen or so guards of the caravan moved in unison, surrounding the old woman as if facing a formidable enemy.

The old woman frowned, cast a deep look at Shen Qingxue, and sneered: "A mere practitioner of Bright Energy. It would have been better if you had just accepted your deaths peacefully, instead of forcing this old woman to exert herself..."

"Dark Energy!"

Liu Guyuan's expression changed drastically, and without a moment's hesitation, he turned and fled.

If it were just an ordinary Bright Energy martial artist, he could still rely on the techniques of the Sky Sea Martial Arts Hall to put up a fight, while incidentally showing off in front of Shen Qingxue.

Dark Energy—these two words did not merely represent a gap in strength, but a situation where resistance was utterly impossible.

By generating energy from within the body, one could manifest it to strike directly. The flying needle embedded in the nearby tree just now was the perfect example of energy-driven force.

Had Shen Qingxue not been pulled away by Zhou Yun just in time, that needle would not have embedded itself in the tree, but pierced through her throat.

"A master of Dark Energy, is it."

Shen Yichen had just been about to draw his sword and charge, but upon hearing those words, he forcibly suppressed the urge to step forward.

Compared to the unique sword techniques of his Sky Sea Escort Agency, he was confident he could defeat any opponent who used Bright Energy.

But if it were Dark Energy... that was an opponent on an entirely different level.

"Thinking of running? Did you ask this old woman for permission?"

The old woman channeled her internal energy, leaving several afterimages in the air as she arrived instantly before Liu Guyuan.

The fierce energy within her withered palm erupted, striking Liu Guyuan's chest in a heartbeat. He spat out a mouthful of black blood, his vision went dark, and he collapsed to the ground.

This son of the county magistrate died without ever understanding how he had lost his life for nothing, despite this being a delivery mission that should have been impossible to fail.

Seeing this, Zhou Yun's pupils constricted; Dark Energy was even more powerful than he had imagined.

If the energy within her body could be generated infinitely, he stood almost no chance of being her opponent, even with his mastery of the Black Ape Fist.

But fortunately, even for Dark Energy, there would come a time when the energy was exhausted.

The old woman's goal did not seem to be the cargo, but to silence everyone present.

The dozen martial artists swarmed her; they were all top-tier experts in their own right, but they couldn't last a single round under the old woman before being struck in the heart by sudden bursts of energy.

The old woman killed quickly, but the consumption of energy for such feats was immense.

When an opening finally appeared, the old woman struck a martial artist in the chest with her palm, but this time, no energy manifested.

"Now is the time!"

Zhou Yun seized the opportunity. Having been maneuvering around the old woman within the crowd, he grabbed Shen Qingxue's arm and bolted.

"Senior Brother Zhou, wait for me!"

Seeing the two of them flee and the surrounding guards nearly wiped out, Shen Yichen followed them into the mountains without hesitation.

The old woman frowned slightly, struck down the remaining few martial artists, and just as she was about to pursue them into the mountains, one of the martial artists grabbed her leg with a death grip.

"Mayflies trying to topple a tree."

The old woman's palm slammed into the middle-aged martial artist's crown, his skull instantly caving in as he finally lost his strength.

"To think three of them escaped? No, they won't get far. At my pace, I can catch them in less than an hour."

A murderous intent rose in the old woman's eyes as she pursued the direction in which the three had fled.

Deep in the mountain forest.

Zhou Yun dragged Shen Qingxue along, running wildly without daring to pause for even a moment; he could not be certain if the enemy possessed movement-based martial arts.

With the complex terrain surrounding them, as long as they circled through this vast mountain forest for a few hours, they would eventually be able to shake off that Dark Energy assassin.

It all depended on their luck, and who would be the first to reach their limit.

"Junior Brother Zhou, my cousin..."

Shen Qingxue had seen Liu Guyuan die a miserable death with her own eyes, but she had seen Shen Yichen escape with them.

However, the three had only fled together for a short distance before becoming completely separated in the complex environment.

Not to mention the death of the magistrate's son and how the authorities would view the Shen family.

If this only son of Second Uncle Shen were to die on this mission as well, Shen Qingxue would inevitably face accountability from both the Sky Sea Escort Agency and the Sky Sea Martial Arts Hall.

Forget about the position of Chief Escort; even the connections she had painstakingly cultivated over the years would vanish with the tide.

Regardless of anything else, Shen Yichen could not die, or else everything would be truly over!

"Senior Sister, as long as the green hills remain, there is no need to worry about firewood!"

Zhou Yun urged her sternly.

"No, you don't understand. Anyone else can die, but that brother of mine cannot..."

Shen Qingxue stopped in her tracks, the light in her eyes dimming as she prepared to turn back to find Shen Yichen.

Slap!

A palm struck her across the face.

Shen Qingxue's gaze went vacant, and she stared at Zhou Yun in a daze.

"Senior Sister, do you wish to live?"

Zhou Yun said in a low voice, "The opponent is a Dark Energy expert, and we don't even know if they possess a martial movement technique. Neither of us is a match for them in a single exchange."

Having said this, Zhou Yun lied; with his mastery of the Black Ape Fist, he might have been able to stall that old woman for a moment or two.

But he could not take that risk.

"Junior Brother Zhou..."

Shen Qingxue's face flushed red, and she gradually began to calm down.

According to the intelligence provided by her father, the person who arranged this escort mission was her second uncle at the Sky Sea Martial Arts Hall—the master of the hall himself.

As for the leaked intelligence, the Bright Energy expert coming to intercept them was supposed to be just a gang member from Clear Water County.

Why was it a Dark Energy expert? Someone must have set a trap from within.

"We must first go to Clear Water County to seek refuge; the Sky Sea Escort Agency has influence there as well."

After a brief analysis, Shen Qingxue gritted her teeth and continued walking deeper into the forest.

"That is for the best. Does Senior Sister know the route to Clear Water County?"

Seeing that Shen Qingxue was no longer being stubborn, Zhou Yun breathed a sigh of relief, though he could not help but worry about the two of them getting lost in these mountains.

"My family escorts goods year-round, and every direct descendant is required to memorize the maps of the surrounding areas from a young age. I happen to have memorized the routes through this forest when I was eight."

Shen Qingxue regained her composure and took the lead.

Zhou Yun nodded. He had not expected to encounter such a formidable enemy on his first escort mission, and now he had to rely on Senior Sister Shen, this living map, to make it out of the deep mountains and return to the county town.

Both of them had studied the Black Ape Movement Technique, so their speed was much faster than when they were with the carts of cargo, and they soon reached the main road.

They encountered no obstacles along the way, thanks to Shen Qingxue's memory and Zhou Yun, who no longer held back and used the Black Ape Fist to dispose of any wild beasts that blocked their path.

"Junior Brother, your Black Ape Fist has actually reached mastery?"

Seeing this, Shen Qingxue could not help but feel surprised.

She had joined the martial arts hall half a year earlier than Zhou Yun and had yet to fully integrate the Black Ape Fist, let alone reach her current level of minor success in Bright Energy. How long had it been since Zhou Yun had even started?

If she didn't know Zhou Yun's background inside and out, she would have suspected he was some young master from a major city playing around in Black Stone County.

"Just a stroke of luck."

Zhou Yun did not offer much explanation, focusing instead on the journey.

In less than an hour, the two bypassed the forest trails and arrived at the main road leading to the county town.

Just as Shen Qingxue was about to step onto the main road, Zhou Yun grabbed her.

"That old woman is waiting by the road like a rabbit waiting for a stump."

Zhou Yun held his breath and pointed to a spot not far ahead, where an old woman in tattered clothes sat cross-legged on the road.

Not long after, there was a rustle from the bushes on the side of the road, and Shen Yichen emerged from them.

"I headed into the forest, so that old woman must still be circling around in there. Taking the small paths would take at least five or six days to reach Clear Water County, so it's better to just take the main road. It's just a pity about Shen Qingxue and that Zhou Yun..."

Shen Yichen wiped the sweat from his forehead, still feeling lucky for his own cleverness, when he suddenly saw the familiar figure sitting on the road.

"As expected, you juniors simply cannot endure hardship."

The old woman gave a vicious smile, channeled her internal energy, and rose abruptly to chase after Shen Yichen.