Ambush

The next day.

In the Origin Mulberry Field of Emerald Cloud Valley.

A young man with delicate features and clear eyes, shirtless, held a long saber and practiced the Army-Breaking Saber Technique in the clearing before a bamboo shed.

Under the scorching sun, scarlet steam rose from the young man's skin, lingering without dissipating.

Each time he finished a set of the Army-Breaking Saber Technique, the youth would pause to rest for a moment, take a sip of wine brewed from Origin Mulberry Fruit, and once his strength had recovered slightly, he would immediately begin another round of training.

This person was naturally Shen Mu.

Ever since he had finalized the plan with Hong Jingcheng last night, he had risen at dawn to resume his usual cycle of training.

Meanwhile, Hong Jingcheng had already arrived and was currently lying in ambush inside the bamboo shed, waiting for the prey to walk into the trap.

"This guy is truly a freak."

Inside the bamboo shed, Hong Jingcheng watched the scene outside, his heart unable to suppress a secret tremor of shock.

In all his years in Emerald Cloud Valley, he could find almost no one else who could compare to Shen Mu's focus on cultivation.

Practicing the Army-Breaking Saber Technique was incredibly taxing; every time a set was completed, it felt as if the body had been completely hollowed out.

An ordinary person would need at least half an hour of rest to recover enough strength to resume training.

Shen Mu was different; his rest periods were likely not even half a stick of incense long before he immediately launched into the next round.

Like an ascetic monk, he felt no fatigue, repeating the process over and over again...

"No wonder he managed to successfully promote to the second level of Boiling Blood within just two months of entering the valley. At this rate of cultivation, I wouldn't be surprised if he reached the third level in another two months."

Hong Jingcheng could not help but feel a surge of admiration.

He knew he could not do it—he could not cultivate with such single-minded devotion for an entire day like Shen Mu.

Time passed slowly; Shen Mu practiced the Army-Breaking Saber Technique over and over outside the shed, while Hong Jingcheng lay in wait, quietly anticipating the target's arrival.

When the sun slanted westward and the clouds stained the sky like blood, Shen Mu stood once more with his saber planted in the ground, scarlet steam swirling around his body.

"Hoo, hoo, hoo~"

Shen Mu sat cross-legged on the grass, enjoying this long-awaited moment of leisure.

Just then, two figures appeared at the mouth of the valley, walking along the field path toward the bamboo shed where Shen Mu was located.

"They're here."

Watching the two figures, a cold, grim smile curled the corners of Shen Mu's lips.

Guo Jinchuan, if I had been unprepared, this Emerald Cloud Valley would likely have become my burial ground...

But unfortunately, your plan to settle your gambling debts is destined to fall through.

Shen Mu thought to himself.

He was very grateful that he had accompanied Guo Jinchuan to Cloud Dragon County yesterday and had secretly followed him afterward due to his suspicions.

Otherwise, his life would likely have ended right here.

At the same time, Hong Jingcheng peered through the gaps in the bamboo shed and saw the two figures on the path.

"Guo Jinchuan, you finally arrived."

Hong Jingcheng's mouth twisted into a bloodthirsty grin.

If he had harbored any doubts about Shen Mu's words before, those doubts were now completely eradicated by Guo Jinchuan's arrival.

"Brother Shen."

While still some distance away, Guo Jinchuan smiled and greeted Shen Mu, who was sitting on the grass.

Behind him was Yue Kun, dressed in the attire of the Firewood Gang; in the dim twilight, his lowered face was obscured.

"Brother Guo, what brings you here?"

Shen Mu also greeted him with a smile, appearing as if he had not sensed the approaching danger in the slightest.

Guo Jinchuan's gaze was inscrutable as he laughed, "Brother Shen, I've come today because I have a favor to ask."

"Oh?"

Shen Mu raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance as he asked, "I wonder what Brother Guo needs help with?"

At this moment, Guo Jinchuan and Yue Kun followed the path to the front of the bamboo shed, stopping only three zhang away from Shen Mu.

"It's like this."

Guo Jinchuan looked down at Shen Mu sitting on the grass and smiled, "I hope to borrow Brother Shen's life for a moment!"

However, before his voice had even faded, Yue Kun beside him suddenly raised his head, his eyes flashing with sharp light.

He exerted sudden force with his legs, leaving two inch-deep footprints in the ground as he launched himself into the air, lunging straight at Shen Mu. His right fist whistled with violent force, smashing toward Shen Mu's face.

"Bang~"

But just as Yue Kun's fist was about to land on Shen Mu's face, he was struck as if by a speeding truck. He spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward faster than he had come, crashing heavily to the ground.

Before anyone knew when it had happened, a figure had appeared beside Shen Mu—it was none other than Hong Jingcheng.

It was he who had arrived first by starting last, sweeping out from the Bamboo Shed and pressing a fist into Yue Kun's chest, sending him flying.

"Pfft."

Yue Kun's face turned deathly pale, and he could not help but spit out a mouthful of blood, struggling as he tried to crawl up from the ground.

But this punch from Hong Jingcheng had shattered nearly all of his ribs; at this moment, even the slightest movement felt like being stabbed by countless knives, the pain so intense he lacked the strength to even cry out.

Looking at Hong Jingcheng standing beside Shen Mu, Yue Kun's face turned ashen.

"Hong... Hong Jingcheng?!"

A deep sense of regret welled up in his heart.

Why did he have to collude with Guo Jinchuan to steal the Origin Mulberry Fruit?

Why did he have to listen to Guo Jinchuan's suggestion to rob Shen Mu?

At this very moment, Yue Kun understood that everything was over.

"Guo Jinchuan, you..."

Yue Kun spat out another mouthful of blood, cast a look of extreme malice at Guo Jinchuan, and then rolled his eyes back and fainted.

The sudden turn of events caused Guo Jinchuan's expression to change drastically.

"Hong... Brother Hong!"

Guo Jinchuan's face turned ghastly white, his entire body trembling.

Why was Hong Jingcheng here?

Having witnessed Hong Jingcheng's methods, he knew deep down that he was now a fish on the chopping block, left to be slaughtered at the other's whim.

"You piece of filth, do you even deserve to call me Brother Hong?"

Hong Jingcheng's face was livid as he sneered, "Colluding with outsiders to lure a Dark Gold Red Tiger into the valley, causing hundreds of casualties!"

"Guo Jinchuan, I treated you well. Whenever there was money to be made, we shared it, and I never shorted you your cut. I never expected you to commit such an act of betrayal!"

Guo Jinchuan immediately fell to his knees, crawling all the way to Hong Jingcheng's feet, weeping bitterly, "Brother Hong, I was wrong, I was truly wrong. My heart was blinded by greed, my heart was blinded by greed!"

"Spare me this once, and in the future, I, Guo Jinchuan, will be your beast of burden. I can even offer you my sister..."

"Spare you once?"

Hong Jingcheng let out a cold laugh and kicked out, sending Guo Jinchuan flying like a kite with a broken string for several yards.

"Pfft."

Guo Jinchuan spat out blood, quickly scrambled up, and knelt before Hong Jingcheng once more.

"Brother Hong, I was wrong, please spare me this once."

Guo Jinchuan kowtowed incessantly.

Hong Jingcheng looked down at him from above, his eyes devoid of any pity, and sneered, "Spare you once? Then who will spare the brothers who were killed or injured?"

Guo Jinchuan hurriedly explained, "That was an accident! I only planned to lure a low-grade beast into the valley; I never expected a Dark Gold Red Tiger to appear..."

However, before he could finish, a dagger suddenly appeared in his left hand, and he lunged upward, slashing toward Hong Jingcheng's throat.

He knew that the mistake he had made meant certain death, so his only option was a desperate struggle to trade for a sliver of survival.

As long as he killed Hong Jingcheng, he would have a way out!

Hong Jingcheng's expression shifted violently; he never imagined that Guo Jinchuan would launch a surprise attack at such a moment.

However, the gap in their cultivation was simply too vast, especially since Guo Jinchuan's right arm was broken and he had already been severely injured by Hong Jingcheng's kick.

Hong Jingcheng merely leaned back slightly, dodging the seemingly lethal strike.

Seeing his plan fail, Guo Jinchuan stepped forward, changing the trajectory of the dagger to thrust straight at Hong Jingcheng.

"Hmph!"

Hong Jingcheng let out a cold snort, reaching out his right hand to catch the incoming dagger with only his index and middle fingers, then followed up with a heavy punch from his left hand, slamming it into Guo Jinchuan's left arm.

"Crack!"

A violent sound of bone breaking came from Guo Jinchuan's left arm; bone shards even pierced through his robes, and blood surged out, instantly staining his clothes red.

"Ahhh!"

Guo Jinchuan let out a shrill, desperate scream that echoed throughout the entire Emerald Cloud Valley.

Shen Mu merely watched this scene with cold eyes, feeling not a shred of pity in his heart.

This fellow had brought Yue Kun to his doorstep with the sole intention of taking his life.

The two had no past grievances or recent grudges; simply because he possessed a significant amount of silver, the other party had sought to harm him...

Such a person deserved to die!

If he hadn't brought reinforcements, the fate of these two men would have been his own!

"Noisy!"

Hong Jingcheng kicked Guo Jinchuan away once more.

Guo Jinchuan lay on the ground like a curled-up shrimp, looking up at Shen Mu with a face full of malice.

"You followed me last night?"

At this point, how could he not understand?

The reason Hong Jingcheng appeared here was likely because Shen Mu had followed him last night, discovering the plot he and Yue Kun had hatched against him.