Pursuit

Shen Chu held his breath and focused, hiding in the grass as he peered ahead through a gap.

In a clearing within the woods, four or five people were fiercely fighting a middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man wore the attire of a Martial Artist, clearly dressed like a trained fighter who had spent years escorting shipments.

He gripped a single-edged saber in his hand, its blade already chipped and curled. His body was covered in wounds, and the sleeve over his left arm had been soaked through with blood, yet he still gritted his teeth and held on.

The people surrounding and attacking him all wore identical gray masks that concealed their entire faces. Shen Chu's gaze lingered on those masks for a moment, and his heart tightened.

Their moves were vicious and sharp, and they coordinated seamlessly. They were clearly no ordinary people!

The middle-aged man fought as he retreated until his back pressed against a tree. Panting heavily, he cursed through clenched teeth, "You dogs of the Red Lotus Sect! We have no grievance against you—why are you determined to wipe us out?!"

One gray-masked man who appeared to be their leader let out a cold laugh, his tone carrying a hint of mockery. "Escort Chief Xu, if you want someone to blame, blame your rotten luck for insisting on taking this escort job. Our Flag Master has ordered it: not even a speck of the Li Family's goods is to enter Qingyang Prefecture. Since your Xu Family Escort Agency insisted on wading into these muddy waters, don't blame us for being ruthless."

The middle-aged man spat, blood streaking his saliva. "You cut off our retreat and killed so many brothers from our escort agency. You'd better pray I don't get away! If I do, I'll slaughter your whole family!"

"Hahaha! Escort Chief Xu, you needn't trouble yourself over that. My whole family has long since been wiped out. Now, let me send you down to reunite with them!"

The gray-masked man laughed loudly. No longer wasting words, he made a gesture.

All four men lunged forward at once, blades and swords flashing together.

Though the middle-aged man resisted with all his might, two fists could not beat four hands. Several fresh wounds were added to his body, his movements grew slower and slower, and his breathing became increasingly labored.

At last, after a muffled groan, a sword pierced him beneath the ribs. He slowly slid down the tree trunk, twitched a few times, and fell silent.

The gray-masked man stepped forward and checked his breathing. Only after confirming that he was dead did he let out a breath and straighten up, ordering one of the others, "You stay behind and deal with the body. Dig a hole and bury it—don't leave a trace. The rest of you, come with me. Clean up the bodies of the remaining Xu Family Escort Agency men as well. If anyone discovers them and ruins the Flag Master's grand plan, none of us can bear the consequences."

The others answered in agreement, then followed the gray-masked man deeper into the forest. Their footsteps quickly faded away into the dense woods.

Only a Red Lotus Sect Cultist in a gray mask and the escort master's corpse remained behind.

The Cultist looked around, chose a spot where the soil was loose, and lowered his head to start digging.

He dug with practiced ease, clearly not doing this for the first time. In about the time it took to brew a cup of tea, he had dug a hole of suitable depth.

Just as he was about to drag over the corpse, he suddenly felt something icy against his neck.

A blade had silently come to rest against the side of his throat.

"Blades have no eyes. Don't move."

A calm voice came from behind him.

"I ask, you answer. Dare to shout once, and your head will part ways with your neck."

The Cultist's body abruptly stiffened. But anyone who could make a living in the Red Lotus Sect possessed at least a measure of nerve and quick wits.

He slowly raised both hands in a surrendering gesture, his voice trembling slightly. "Spare me, hero... Ask away, ask away. I'll tell you everything..."

Shen Chu's blade rested steadily against his neck as he was about to begin questioning him.

But he suddenly noticed that something was off about the Cultist's movements.

The next moment, the Cultist sharply ducked his head to the side while his right hand shot toward his waist like lightning, trying to draw the short dagger hidden at the small of his back!

His movement was swift and sudden. Had it been an ordinary person, they might well have been caught off guard and killed in return.

But the man had encountered Shen Chu.

At the very instant he ducked his head and drew for the dagger, Shen Chu's blade swept sideways with the motion.

With a soft ripping sound, the edge precisely sliced across the Cultist's throat.

The Cultist's hand had only just touched the dagger's hilt when his entire body froze. A few garbled breaths escaped his throat. His eyes widened, and he slowly fell to his knees.

Then, with a thud, he toppled into the hole he had dug himself.

Shen Chu flicked the blood from his blade, then glanced down at the splashes of blood on the hem of his clothes and could not help frowning.

Brothers who killed often all knew that arterial bleeding sprayed in great volume. The victim therefore had to cooperate very well, or blood would easily get onto one's clothes.

That strike had gone somewhat differently than expected. The other man's final struggle had been greater, and the angle had been off, so blood had splashed onto Shen Chu.

Fortunately, Shen Chu looked down at the corpse and found that the man's build was not much different from his own. Though the clothes were stained with some dirt, they were generally clean.

In a few quick motions, he stripped off the Cultist's outer clothes and mask, changed out of his bloodstained garments, and put on the Cultist's clothing. It unexpectedly fit quite well.

Then, with a thought, he activated the [Incense Offering to All Living Beings] skill.

A faint blue-green glow surfaced over the corpse, which then turned into a wisp of blue-green incense smoke. It curled upward and drifted into Shen Chu's body.

[Incense Offering to All Living Beings Absorption Progress: 6/100]

Feeling that current merge into his body, Shen Chu crouched down, intending to give the Xu Family escort master a proper burial.

He had just placed the escort master's body into the pit and shoveled in a few scoops of dirt when, as he was about to continue burying it, he suddenly heard a jumble of footsteps and voices approaching from afar.

They came so quickly!

Shen Chu's heart immediately tightened. There was no time.

He made a snap decision, putting on the gray mask to conceal his face.

At the same time, he kicked the Silver-Veined Meteorite Iron longsaber in his hand, along with his bundle, into the pit. He quickly shoveled several scoops of earth over them, filled in the hole, and stamped the ground firm.

Then he used loose soil and fallen leaves to create a simple disguise.

Just as he finished all this and straightened up, that group of people had already arrived nearby.

At their head was a tall man wearing a black mask. A red flame pattern was carved into the mask's brow, clearly marking him as someone of far higher status than an ordinary Cultist.

He swept his gaze over the scene, his eyes resting on Shen Chu for a moment. "Finished cleaning up?"

Shen Chu lowered his voice and gave a vague "Mm," nodding as he tried his best not to reveal any flaws.

The leader did not grow suspicious. He merely waved a hand and said gravely, "Enough, stop dawdling. The Flag Master has ordered us to immediately pursue the Li Family's transport caravan. We absolutely cannot let them carry the goods into Qingyang Prefecture. Otherwise, if we ruin the Flag Master's grand plan, none of us will be able to answer for it."

Upon hearing the words "Flag Master," Shen Chu's heart gave a violent leap.