Hooked

"Young Hero Lu, is that true?!"

Liu Xitian immediately perked up at his words.

If Lu Cheng could truly recover the medicinal herbs, then Liu Xitian would have nothing to worry about in the future.

Lu Cheng already knew who the inside man was, so he no longer cared about Xiao Kuang and the other man's reactions. He merely nodded to Liu Xitian.

"Naturally. If I hadn't fought and chased them for half the night, I would have set off by now."

"But I'm truly exhausted and have no choice but to rest."

"Fortunately, that group all has names and identities. There's no fear of them running away."

"At daybreak tomorrow, I'll set out. Everyone, keep a close watch here. Once I recover the lost medicinal herbs, we'll continue our journey!"

Liu Xitian was overjoyed.

"Good, good, good! I'll go find the inn servant right away and have the finest room cleared out for you!"

After taking two steps, he ran back, seized Lu Cheng's hand tightly, and spoke with fervent sincerity.

"Young Hero Lu... I... my entire family is depending on you."

"Don't worry. Once we return, I absolutely won't treat you poorly."

Lu Cheng discreetly freed his hand and replied with a smile.

"Since I have taken on the duty of guard, this is what I ought to do."

Near the Hour of the Tiger, the entire inn lay silent.

Lu Cheng was given the best room in the inn.

It was in the middle of the second floor, neither facing the street nor adjoining the courtyard, with inner and outer chambers. It was quiet and spacious.

Yet it also completely separated Lu Cheng from everyone else in the rear courtyard.

After washing up, he blew out the lamp and lay down on the bed fully clothed.

His eyes remained open as he stared at the beam overhead.

More than half an hour passed. The moon vanished beyond the west, while the sun had yet to rise. It was the darkest time of the day.

Three short, one long, faint taps suddenly sounded against the window frame.

Lu Cheng silently sat up and gently pushed open the rear window.

In the darkness, Zhao Cheng hung outside the window. He pointed toward the rear courtyard and whispered, "They've just changed shifts, but Zhou Yunxiang indeed didn't go back."

Lu Cheng nodded without speaking.

Seeing this, Zhao Cheng swayed and flipped back onto the roof.

Lu Cheng followed right after him, twisting his body as he flipped out through the window.

As his toes closed the window, he tapped off the sill and borrowed the force to leap onto the roof. The entire process was soundless.

In the pitch-black night, unless one stood face-to-face with them, no one would ever notice the movement here.

The two lay prone on the far side of the roof ridge. Even their breathing was deliberately suppressed as they listened intently to the sounds below.

Other than Lu Cheng, everyone in the caravan, including Xiao Kuang and Zhou Yunxiang, had divided into two shifts, changing every two hours.

They had arranged for the four carriages to be guarded without leaving them for the entire night.

Before resting, Lu Cheng had quietly coordinated with Zhao Cheng.

He had specifically told Zhao Cheng to keep watch on Zhou Yunxiang the entire time.

Sure enough, after changing shifts, that fellow had not gone back to rest.

A long time passed, yet not the slightest sound could be heard.

"Could that guy have gone to call for people?"

Zhao Cheng was somewhat nervous.

If Zhou Yunxiang had not come to kill them as Lu Cheng expected, but had instead called over a whole crowd to wipe everyone out, that would be terrifying.

Lu Cheng shook his head.

"No. He doesn't know that I've already discovered him."

"And he has no doubts at all about me recovering the two carts of medicinal herbs, which means he also knows the experts who attacked during the day have already gone far away."

Zhao Cheng nodded.

Otherwise, how could Lu Cheng, with Early Stage of Strength Refining cultivation, possibly defeat four Refining Strength Mid-Stage fighters and reclaim the medicinal herbs?

The two stopped speaking and waited quietly.

After about the time it took for an incense stick to burn, a faint click sounded from beneath the roof.

Lu Cheng instantly became alert and quietly nudged Zhao Cheng beside him.

In the corridor below, Zhou Yunxiang was followed by a junior brother at the Early Stage of Strength Refining.

The two silently arrived outside Lu Cheng's room, lit two incense sticks laced with sleeping drugs, and slipped them into Lu Cheng's room.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the Early Stage of Strength Refining junior brother took out a thin-bladed dagger.

He quietly slid open Lu Cheng's door bolt.

The two slowly entered the room.

As Zhou Yunxiang drew his long saber, that junior brother pulled a firestarter from his robes.

After striking it alight, he tossed it toward Lu Cheng's bed.

Zhou Yunxiang followed close behind, using the light to bring his saber down in a chopping stroke.

The saber came down with a muffled thud.

The expected spray of blood did not appear.

Beneath the bedding was nothing at all.

"Not good! Go!"

Zhou Yunxiang abruptly realized he had fallen into a trap and turned to leave without hesitation.

Before he could take a step, a crack sounded in his ears, followed by the whistle of wind at his side.

Lu Cheng had flipped down from the roof, smashed open the window with one palm, then somersaulted inside and charged at Zhou Yunxiang.

In the darkness, Lu Cheng's feet shifted swiftly, his palms half-curled as he lunged directly at Zhou Yunxiang's face.

Zhou Yunxiang was, after all, a Refining Strength Mid-Stage fighter, and his reaction was not slow. He knew that if he turned, he would not be able to evade those two palms.

Thus, he did not try to flee. He twisted sideways in the darkness to avoid the strike, while the long saber in his hand swept upward toward the direction of Lu Cheng's attack.

By then, the firestarter had ignited the bedding on the bed.

Though the firelight was not strong, it gave the two enough illumination.

Seeing the blade's gleam, Lu Cheng did not withdraw his hands. Instead, he forcefully thrust one hand forward while drawing the other back at his side.

At the same time, power burst from beneath his feet. Like a goshawk skimming on spread wings, his body swished aside and slanted around Zhou Yunxiang to his flank.

That strange movement technique made Zhou Yunxiang suck in a cold breath.

"Seven Strikes of the Black Hawk!"

This Mid-Grade Human Tier martial skill was quite famous throughout Yang City.

Thus, Zhou Yunxiang recognized it the moment he saw it.

But for that very reason, his heart went cold in an instant.

Moreover, Lu Cheng had entered from outside, making it clear that he had long prepared an ambush. Zhou Yunxiang panicked for a moment.

In that moment of distraction, Lu Cheng seized the opportunity.

With a turn of his wrist, his five fingers slipped around the saber's edge, clamped onto Zhou Yunxiang's pulse gate, and twisted hard.

The second form of Seven Strikes of the Black Hawk: Wrist Locking and Twisting.

Zhou Yunxiang felt as though his wrist had been caught in iron pincers. The pain made him release his long saber.

His left hand formed a palm and struck toward Lu Cheng's face, trying to force him to let go.

Lu Cheng neither dodged nor retreated. As he tilted his head aside to evade the palm's edge, his right hand released Zhou Yunxiang's pulse gate and took the palm strike head-on.

His left hand slid up along Zhou Yunxiang's arm, five fingers hooked like claws as they viciously seized Zhou Yunxiang's shoulder hollow.

The third form: Claw Probing and Throat Locking.

Lu Cheng's fingertips sank into flesh as he gripped Zhou Yunxiang's shoulder hollow and collarbone, then wrenched them fiercely.

With a crack, half of Zhou Yunxiang's body went numb. Before his scream could leave his throat, Lu Cheng drove an elbow into his chest, sending him stumbling backward.

The commotion had already alerted everyone.

Xiao Kuang was the first to rush over. When he saw Zhou Yunxiang fighting Lu Cheng, his expression became extraordinarily complicated.

"Th-this... what's going on?"

He could not understand why Lu Cheng and Zhou Yunxiang had begun fighting in the dead of night.

But immediately afterward, Lu Cheng's skills left him stunned.

Zhou Yunxiang, like him, was a Refining Strength Mid-Stage martial artist.

Although Emerald Cloud Abbey was stronger than Lin Martial Arts Hall, that strength lay with its abbot and several elders.

Nearly thirty years of tributes had drastically reduced the resources available to Emerald Cloud Abbey's disciples.

Though Lin Martial Arts Hall was weaker than Emerald Cloud Abbey, that was only when it came to experts of the Body Refining Realm.

The disciples below them, on the contrary, had ample resources, and their overall strength was somewhat greater than that of Emerald Cloud Abbey.

Therefore, Xiao Kuang and Zhou Yunxiang could be said to be evenly matched in strength.

But wasn't Lu Cheng only at the Early Stage of Strength Refining? How was he still overwhelmingly suppressing Zhou Yunxiang?

Looking to the other side, Zhao Cheng was also exchanging blows back and forth with another man.