A Glimmer of Hope

"Brother Zhou, you only killed two County Guards who committed crimes. That second-rank Celestial Being slaughtered every criminal County Guard in an entire province. Would you say he was doing good deeds?"

Upon hearing that, Zhou Ming could only remain silent.

Jiang Jiang wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and smiled. "Good friend, I'm afraid I can't help you."

Chen Hao looked at the silent Zhou Ming and said, "However, I have a plan that may be able to win Brother Zhou a glimmer of hope."

Jiang Jiang's lively eyes shifted. "I thought of it too. Chen Hao, your mind works pretty fast."

After praising Chen Hao, Jiang Jiang walked over to Zhou Ming and patted his shoulder. "Good friend, call me Sister Jiang Jiang, and I'll point you toward a way out."

Zhou Ming turned his head slightly and glanced at Jiang Jiang.

This little brat actually wanted to take advantage of Brother Zhou.

Once Brother Zhou mastered the Immaculate Body, he would definitely set her straight.

He then said calmly, "It's nothing. I have my own clever way of getting away."

Chen Hao, who was sitting nearby, had thought that even if Zhou Ming did not ask Jiang Jiang, he would at least ask him. Yet after waiting for quite a while, Zhou Ming never spoke.

Chen Hao looked at Zhou Ming's composed demeanor, and his heart shook.

That expression was one of absolute confidence in himself.

Could it be that Brother Zhou was already certain he could escape the pursuit?

A faint anticipation rose in his heart. He looked forward to the formal clash between this new friend and the Sky Patrol.

"Brother Zhou."

"Mm?"

"As a friend, I can see your confidence. Though you haven't asked, I still have to tell you this plan. After all, having one more option is a good thing."

Looking at the solemn Chen Hao, Zhou Ming cupped his fists. "Then I'll thank Brother Chen in advance. I'm all ears."

"Go take the Martial Examination. During the examination, outsiders are forbidden from attacking participants. Violators will be executed on the spot. If you place in the top ten nationwide, you may meet the Empress. That is where the glimmer of hope lies."

Zhou Ming asked doubtfully, "Don't you have to join a Martial Academy to take the Martial Examination? Wouldn't joining one expose me?"

Jiang Jiang patted Zhou Ming's shoulder. "I can't blame you. You came from an escort agency, so you don't know much. Your martial path guide probably never explained it to you in detail either."

"But it's fine. Today, Sister Jiang Jiang will answer everything for you."

"Martial Academies are Martial Academies, and the Martial Examination is the Martial Examination. They must not be confused."

"Joining a Martial Academy is merely for gaining better resources there. The Martial Academies in the capital cities of every province have complete cultivation methods, as well as superior blood food. Obtaining them is very simple—strength rules all."

"Therefore, Martial Artists who join Martial Academies are almost always stronger than those who grow wildly outside."

"That is why rumors spread that if you do not join a Martial Academy, then you lack the strength. Why bother taking the Martial Examination just to get beaten up?"

"Do you understand now, my little brother Zhou Ming?"

Zhou Ming brushed her hand away.

The young master he had met at first had become a new friend, then a good friend, and finally little brother Zhou Ming.

A whole string of changing forms of address.

She had really become Sister Jiang Jiang.

This girl was really something when it came to taking advantage of people.

Zhou Ming grumbled inwardly.

Jiang Jiang clasped her hands behind her back, her smiling eyes curving like crescents. "Good little brother, why aren't you saying anything? Is there something you don't understand?"

Hmph! That's what you get for pointing that thing at me!

Zhou Ming said nothing.

Damn it!

Answering was wrong, but not answering was wrong too.

At that moment, Chen Hao rose to his feet. "Brother Zhou, it's getting late. We still need to return and report, and we should intercept anyone coming to find you along the way. Otherwise, Brother Zhou, you'll once again be saddled with needless bloodshed."

Zhou Ming stood and cupped his fists. "If fate allows, we'll meet again in the martial world."

Jiang Jiang left with Chen Hao.

Watching their backs, Zhou Ming turned and departed as well.

"Little brother Zhou Ming, hang in there. Don't die too soon. I hope I'll see you alive at the Martial Examination ten months from now."

Hearing her voice, Zhou Ming did not stop. In the blink of an eye, he vanished beside the stream.

"Jiang Jiang, you seem a little different toward Brother Zhou."

"Haha, don't you think our new friend is quite interesting?"

Chen Hao recalled Zhou Ming's expression from earlier and nodded. "Yes, Brother Zhou is an interesting man."

"What a pity. To borrow our new friend's words, our new friend is about to be gone."

"Perhaps..." Chen Hao blurted out, then paused. Seeming to think of something, he shook his head. "Forget it."

Jiang Jiang glanced at him without asking further.

She knew what her brother-in-law was thinking—nothing more than that slim possibility.

But if the Sky Patrol acted, what possibility could there be?

Zhou Ming, who had been hiding in a tree, watched the two disappear from sight. He immediately took off his shoes and jumped into the stream.

The icy, bone-piercing water made him shudder.

Even after circulating his blood energy, the piercing cold continued to seep into him slowly.

Without lingering, Zhou Ming headed upstream along the water.

Since the shore could leave tracks, he decided to travel by water.

Two days later.

As he climbed a rock wall with only a trickle of water running down it, when he was still about three meters from the top, he discovered a natural cave.

After thinking briefly, Zhou Ming placed the cultivation methods he had taken from the bodies inside the cave.

Then he turned and continued climbing upward.

Upon reaching the top, a four-meter-wide frozen stream came into view.

Zhou Ming immediately struck open the source with palm after palm.

The flow instantly grew stronger, plunging down from above to form a waterfall that happened to conceal the cave entrance.

Afterward, he spent three days marking every fork within the cave.

The entire cave had three exits. One was halfway up the mountain and extremely hidden, as a tree trunk completely blocked the entrance. Unless the tree was moved, no one would be able to discover it.

If not for the faint thread of light visible within the pitch-black cave, Zhou Ming would have thought he had reached a dead end.

Another exit crossed the entire mountain range, and it took Zhou Ming a day to fully explore it.

That side was a cliff, with a river below.

A massive rock connected to the mountain naturally stood at the exit, perfectly concealing the cave entrance.

The third was here, behind the waterfall.

Then there was the problem of meat.

Over these days, aside from scouting the routes, he had gone out to gather food and dry firewood.

There were plenty of roasted fish, eight wild rabbits, and a foolish roe deer whose limbs were bound with vines.

From the moment Jiang Jiang and Chen Hao left until now, he had not rested for even an instant.

He used this window of time to settle his worries and hide himself away.

In the pitch-black cave, Zhou Ming slowly fell asleep.

Outside, the roar of the waterfall grew louder and louder.

The frozen ice and snow began melting over a wide area.

Who knew how much time had passed.

In his sleep, Zhou Ming felt a trace of chill and instantly woke.

Looking at the puddle beneath his palm, he understood where the cold had come from.

Through the waterfall, he could see that it was already daytime outside.

Zhou Ming got up and picked up the cultivation methods resting on oiled paper nearby.

He murmured softly, "Fortunately, they didn't get completely soaked."

He entered the passage, picked up a roasted rabbit, glanced at the still-living foolish roe deer, then turned and walked out.

Finding a dry spot, he ate the rabbit while flipping through the cultivation methods he had taken.

Since he had searched Li Zhao's body, he had obtained a total of eight cultivation methods.

He had been too busy fleeing to read them.

Now, he could finally cultivate.

If he hid here only to be caught shortly afterward, then he would simply have to accept his fate.

As for the Immaculate Body, he had been unable to grasp its key point these past few days.

After circulating the pathways of every cultivation method in his hands once and seeing them successfully recorded on the panel, he began cultivating from the first one, a method called the Body Refining Method.

This time, while cultivating and tempering his bones, he did not let out those terrifying screams.

Only the thunderous roar of the waterfall echoed through the cave.

No matter how intense the pain became, Zhou Ming kept his teeth clenched tightly around the rolled-up cultivation manual.