37 Falling into the Trap

Cheng Zhi and the green-robed Chixinzi stood before a low peak, their gazes fixed on a cavern below that emitted a crimson glow.

The cavern was well-hidden, shrouded in tangled vines and overgrown with wild grass. Deep within the rocky grotto, a faint, burning red light flickered.

Chixinzi wore a green robe with his head tucked into a hood, his face obscured by a bird-beak mask. His messy, gray-white hair whipped about like a flag in the strong wind, and his black-gold, prosthetic-like hands were tucked into his sleeves, his entire being radiating the imposing aura of a deep pool or a towering mountain.

Unlike Chixinzi, Cheng Zhi had a ghost-faced owl perched on his right arm. The creature was massive, exuding the oppressive pressure of a predatory raptor.

It was a rare spirit bird, one that had been specifically delivering messages between Cheng Zhi and He Ping for some time now.

Cheng Zhi removed the copper tube tied to the owl's claw, inside of which was a rolled-up note with a message written upon it.

After reading the words, he could not help but knit his brows.

"What is it?"

Chixinzi asked, "What task did my junior brother set for you that has made your expression so grim?"

"Reporting to you, Senior, that man has had me hiding in Four Peaks Mountain for this past period. On one hand, it was to help me evade capture; on the other, he secretly instructed me to investigate the whereabouts of that Mountain Demon..."

Cheng Zhi heaved a deep sigh.

"That man sent word for me to find a way to lure this Mountain Demon out, and then incite a conflict between the Thirteen Flying Cloud Riders and the beast. It seems that from the very beginning, I was nothing more than bait he deliberately cast out."

"My junior brother is a man of deep schemes, but his calculation this time is quite sound. Letting the Thirteen Flying Cloud Riders—those lackeys of the Daoist sects—clash with this Mountain Demon will indeed deplete the strength of both sides. As the saying goes, 'When the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman reaps the benefit.' This method of borrowing strength to strike at another is not bad at all."

The corners of the mouth on Chixinzi's mask curled upward.

"The opportunity is too good to miss. Let me lend him a hand for the time being!"

The moment the words fell, the green-robed figure leaped into the air. His sleeves billowed like wind, and he descended from the low peak like a giant demonic bird, diving straight toward the red-glowing cavern.

"Senior?!"

Cheng Zhi was greatly astonished. He watched as Chixinzi moved with the speed of a shooting star, drilling into the bottomless cavern. A moment later, a roar that shook the surrounding wilderness erupted, causing Cheng Zhi to collapse onto his backside. His blood surged, and his eardrums felt as though they were about to shatter from the sound.

"BOOM!"

As if the earth were quaking and the mountains swaying, the red light within the cavern intensified. Then, a green shadow darted out at an incredible speed, sweeping up grass and leaves in its wake.

The very next second, a blinding red light burst from the cavern entrance. The surrounding air felt as if it were being scorched by fire, followed by another earth-shattering beastly roar.

A damp, cold, and moldy demonic wind gusted out from the cave, and a black, phantom-like shadow lunged out, pursuing Chixinzi closely.

"Mountain Demon...!?"

Cheng Zhi's heart skipped a beat. He recognized that strange black shadow; it was indeed the One-Horned Mountain Demon. After all, he had witnessed this very beast clash with the government runners who had come up the mountain, watching it devour living men alive.

(This... is Senior Chixinzi using himself as bait to lure this ancient monster—the one who reigns over Four Peaks Mountain—into a trap?!)

In the night, the members of the Long Wind Society held oil-soaked torches. The crackling flames flickered in the wind, illuminating the dark mountain rocks and trees nearby. Through the gaps in the forest, one could see that this was a clearing.

Looking closely, one could see that in this clearing, aside from the members holding torches on the perimeter, the vast majority of those present were kneeling on the ground.

"Master Ma, we have captured the man."

Yan the Second hung his head, kneeling on the ground while bracing himself with his horse-chopping saber.

"This fellow truly knew how to hide, but there are those in our society skilled in tracking methods like scent-tracing and earth-listening, so we finally found his trail."

"Well done."

The leader of the Thirteen Flying Cloud Riders, Ma Mingsheng, who sat upon his horse with his purple-complexioned face, nodded slightly at him.

"By the way, where is your society leader, 'Smiling Leopard' Xiao Hao? Why is he not here?"

"Boss Xiao and the others went to deal with that He Family brat. They are likely cleaning up the traces now and probably won't be able to make it for a while."

A bead of cold sweat slid down Yan the Second's forehead. "Smiling Leopard" Xiao Hao had long since been refined into a corpse puppet, but a corpse puppet could not speak—which was precisely why He Ping had spared his life.

"The He Family brat, so it was him!"

Ma Mingsheng let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Your Long Wind Society is quick to act. How much did He Jin pay you?"

Yan the Second could only offer a foolish, simple-minded laugh.

"Where is Cheng Zhi?"

Ma Mingsheng asked again.

"Bring the prisoner up."

Yan the Second called out and gestured. Immediately, five wolf-like, tiger-fierce members shoved a man bound with five-flower ropes forward.

Ninth, one of the Thirteen Flying Cloud Riders, held a portrait depicting Cheng Zhi's features. He compared it to the man being shoved forward before saying in a deep voice, "It is indeed this Cheng Zhi. This brat certainly made us search long enough."

"Wait."

Ma Mingsheng seemed to have sensed something. His purple face suddenly darkened, and he raised his right hand to cut off Ninth's words.

"This man is a bit off... come to think of it, what is going on with his face?"

"Face?"

Ninth was confused, his eyes filled with bewilderment.

Ma Mingsheng moved with lightning speed, performing a "Cloud-Turning Skill" from his horse, nimbly flipping down to the ground.

He arched his brows and suddenly stepped forward, his figure swift as a lightning bolt. As his right hand reached out and tore forward, the skin on the face of "Cheng Zhi" fell away at his touch, revealing it to be nothing more than a human-skin mask.

The skin of the hog-tied "Cheng Zhi" was ripped away, exposing a bloody, skinless face beneath.

It turned out that the face of this corpse puppet had been deliberately flayed to disguise it as "Cheng Zhi."

"It's a fake!"

He let out a loud shout to warn the Thirteen Flying Cloud Riders behind him.

With a sharp clang of metal, all the members of the Long Wind Society present rose to their feet and drew their weapons.

At the same time, the skinless corpse puppet stared fixedly at Ma Mingsheng with two turbid, crimson eyeballs set in lidless sockets. Its face, stripped of skin to reveal raw muscle, curled into a grin, and its mouth gaped wide, suddenly spraying a foul-smelling, putrid arrow of blood.

Ma Mingsheng was quick to react; he dodged the blood arrow while simultaneously kicking the corpse puppet disguised as "Cheng Zhi" away.

The corpse puppet's chest collapsed as it flew several meters through the air. High up in the surrounding treetops, hidden archers drew their powerful bows, and arrows rained down like a storm.

"The Long Wind Society has set a trap!!!"

Seeing this, Ma Mingsheng let out a tiger-like roar. His eyes widened abruptly, a sharp light flashing within them. Locking his gaze onto Yan the Second, he surged forward like a lightning-fast whirlwind, charging straight toward him.

BOOM!

Purple-Complexioned Face swung his right palm, and Yan the Second felt a whistling wind above his head as a monstrous palm force descended upon him: "Yan the Second, your Long Wind Society dares to commit treason—you are courting death!"

Yan the Second had roamed the pugilistic world for a long time. The moment he saw Ma Mingsheng strike with the speed of lightning and the overwhelming power to stir up wind and dust, he knew he was no match for his opponent in a single exchange. He let out a strange cry and threw several bamboo tubes at his feet.

As soon as the tubes hit the ground, they exploded like firecrackers with a series of "bangs," releasing a thick, pungent smoke that smelled of sulfur.

Ma Mingsheng, intending to pursue, was caught off guard and inhaled some of the thick smoke. He couldn't help but cough, though he remained alert.

"Be careful, the smoke is poisonous."

He retreated a step, took out a bottle of pills capable of neutralizing toxins, poured a handful into his mouth, and did not forget to warn his companions.

"Do not lose your footing! Prepare to break through!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a terrifying, beastly roar erupted, sounding as if it were right in his ear. The intense sound waves caused the smoke screen to tremble, and even the ground beneath their feet shook violently.

"A Mountain Demon?!"

Ma Mingsheng froze, his entire body stiffening as, in an instant, the realization dawned on him.

Damn it... I've fallen into a trap!