Ambush

Ye Yun followed Liu Laosan all the way up. Before long, they reached the side of the main hall at the mountaintop.

Once there, Liu Laosan became cautious. He carefully peered toward the several courtyards beside the hall.

After a quick yet thorough look, he turned back and whispered to Ye Yun, "Young Master Ye, there are two men guarding the outside of their courtyards. Later, I'll draw their attention first, and you can take the chance to ambush them. Is that all right?"

After hearing Liu Laosan's plan, Ye Yun considered it briefly before nodding at him.

Having received Ye Yun's approval, Liu Laosan straightened himself up, then swaggered toward Wu Heihu's courtyard.

Xu Shan stood guard outside the courtyard in boredom. Looking at Zhang Tie, who was likewise standing watch outside the Second Chief's courtyard across from him, he called quietly, "Old Zhang, do you think the Third Chief brought back any women this time? Damn it, you bastard beat me to it last time. This time, I'll definitely be first."

"You? It's not that I, Zhang Tie, look down on you, but can you beat Zhao Goudan and the others to it?

"If I hadn't slipped him some silver last time, do you think I could have gotten one? And don't even mention how good it felt!" Zhang Tie said to Xu Shan with a lewd grin.

"Damn it, I was wondering how you managed to get ahead of everyone. So that's the trick. No, I'm doing the same thing this time!" Having heard the inside story from Zhang Tie, Xu Shan said indignantly.

"Ahem."

Just as Zhang Tie was about to speak, he suddenly heard a sound and turned around.

He discovered that, at some unknown time, a figure had appeared beside him, frightening him into stumbling back several steps.

Once he regained his senses and saw who it was, he froze for a moment. Then he put on that lewd expression again and asked with a grin, "Third Chief, why is it you? I thought you wouldn't be back until tomorrow. Why did you return now?"

"Damn it, instead of guarding properly, what are you two yapping about here? Do I need to report to you when I come back?" Liu Laosan coldly rebuked Zhang Tie.

Just as Zhang Tie was about to speak, Xu Shan in the distance also spotted Liu Laosan.

He immediately jogged over impatiently and asked Liu Laosan in delight, "Third Chief, why are you back? Did you snatch any women on this trip? Did you bring any back?"

Xu Shan questioned Liu Laosan eagerly, but all he received was Liu Laosan's icy gaze.

After several breaths, Liu Laosan took a few steps forward before turning back to face Xu Shan and Zhang Tie.

"You two, come a little closer. I have something very important to instruct you about," Liu Laosan said flatly as he looked at them.

Hearing Liu Laosan's words, neither man suspected a thing and instinctively moved closer to him.

At that moment, Ye Yun, who was watching from not far away, saw this and knew the time had come.

By doing this, Liu Laosan had drawn Xu Shan and Zhang Tie's attention over, while exposing their backs to Ye Yun without reservation.

Ye Yun pushed off with his feet and charged toward the two men. Deliberately, he made not the slightest sound.

In the blink of an eye, Ye Yun arrived behind Xu Shan and Zhang Tie. He gave Liu Laosan a signal with his eyes, then shot out both hands at lightning speed, covering their mouths from behind. His arms flexed, twisting their heads in opposite directions.

Having received Ye Yun's signal, Liu Laosan also attacked swiftly, striking his palms heavily into the two men's chests.

When the attack ended, Xu Shan and Zhang Tie both stared wide-eyed at Liu Laosan, their faces full of unwillingness and confusion.

Within a few breaths, the two died, carrying hatred toward Liu Laosan and unwillingness into death.

Ye Yun released his hands, wiped the blood from them on their clothes, then casually tossed the two bodies to the ground.

Ye Yun turned to Liu Laosan and pointed at the gate of Wu Heihu's courtyard, signaling that he could knock now.

Seeing Ye Yun's gesture, Liu Laosan nodded in reply. In two or three strides, he reached the gate and pounded on it several times.

Soon after, a rough voice sounded from inside the courtyard.

"Who is it? Knocking on my door in the middle of the night—are you courting death?"

"Big Brother, it's me, Laosan. I just came back from the foot of the mountain. I have something important to tell you, so open the door quickly," Liu Laosan shouted into the courtyard.

"Laosan, what damned important matter could it be? Did you have to say it now? If it isn't important, I'll make you regret it. Just wait," Wu Heihu's voice came from within.

Before Wu Heihu came out, Ye Yun stepped forward a few paces and pressed himself against the wall, waiting with his full attention focused.

After waiting seven or eight minutes, he finally heard the sound of the gate opening.

As the courtyard gate opened, a burly man stepped out. He stood around eight feet tall, with eyes like bronze bells and a large dark face. Dressed in white cloth garments, he glared at Liu Laosan with an unhappy expression.

"Laosan, speak. What exactly is so important?" Wu Heihu said as he took a few more steps forward.

Seeing Wu Heihu appear before him without the slightest guard, Ye Yun knew that opportunity was like a fleeting bolt of lightning—once missed, it would never come again.

He kicked off hard, shooting toward Wu Heihu in an instant like an arrow released from the bowstring.

At the same time, his left hand clenched into a fist as he unleashed Ninefold Waves. This was the first time Ninefold Waves had been displayed before anyone since its creation.

As Wu Heihu listened to what Liu Laosan might say, he suddenly sensed an attack coming from the side.

He turned his head and paled in shock. In his panic, he was actually intimidated by the Fist Force of Ninefold Waves, freezing in place for a second.

But when masters fought, every second counted. By the time he came back to his senses, he could no longer dodge. He could only raise both hands before his chest and take Ye Yun's punch head-on.

As the attack landed, Wu Heihu felt a violent force of the fist crashing over him wave after wave.

Bang!

The sound was like wood and stone colliding. Wu Heihu was sent flying by Ye Yun's punch, smashing into the wall behind him. The wall collapsed at once, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Just as Ye Yun was preparing to launch another attack, a figure holding a long saber rushed out from the courtyard opposite.

The man who emerged was Zhang Bao, the Second Chief of Clearwind Stronghold. He was thin and gaunt, with a sinister face and a black mole at the corner of his mouth. He did not look like a martial artist at all.

Zhang Bao swept his gaze around before fixing it tightly on Ye Yun. "Who are you? How dare you trespass into my Clearwind Stronghold? Laosan, what is going on?"

Facing Zhang Bao's questioning, Ye Yun ignored him. He kept his eyes warily fixed on the rubble behind the wall Wu Heihu had smashed through.

Hearing Zhang Bao's question, Liu Laosan turned to face him, assumed a fighting stance, and said, "Heh heh, Second Brother, it's exactly as you see. A wise man submits to circumstance. Young Master Ye intends to wipe out Clearwind Stronghold, and I have been won over by his character. So I have already surrendered under Young Master Ye's command, offering strategies to help him destroy Clearwind Stronghold!"

"You!"

Upon hearing Liu Laosan's words, Zhang Bao's pupils instantly dilated as he stared fixedly at Liu Laosan.

Ye Yun's mouth twitched involuntarily. Liu Laosan's words had disgusted him.

(End of Chapter)