A Bitter Choice

"All right, let's rest at the mountain temple up ahead."

When the convoy reached a mountain temple, Zhou Haiyan decisively gave the order to rest.

They had been traveling for nearly a full day. If they did not rest now, the fatigue accumulated by the convoy would affect tomorrow's journey.

"Phew, we can finally rest. My whole body's about to fall apart."

After getting out of the carriage, Shen Yuniang stretched lazily, and the expression on her face relaxed considerably.

Zhang Zhi and Qin Yaxin, who got down after her, did not look much different. After all, both of them were Bright Force martial artists, so their stamina was naturally far better than Shen Yuniang's.

After the three women, Zhang Yao stepped down as well.

Once out of the carriage, he walked straight toward Zhou Haiyan, who was leading the convoy.

"Miss Zhou, have you seen Old Lu?"

Zhang Yao swept his gaze over the people resting nearby, then looked at Zhou Haiyan.

"Old Lu? Ah, you mean that old man who cooks?"

Zhou Haiyan immediately understood and pointed toward the area ahead where everyone had gathered to rest.

"He should be over there."

At once, Zhang Yao headed over. After searching around, he returned to Zhou Haiyan.

His face was dark and frightening.

"No. Miss Zhou, are you sure Old Lu kept up with the convoy?"

"Yes. After the last rest stop, I counted everyone. Not a single person was missing. Could he have fallen off the convoy somewhere along the way?"

Zhou Haiyan could not help but ponder aloud.

"I'm going back to find Old Lu."

Zhang Yao spoke heavily, his voice filled with resolve.

"No, Master Zhang. The convoy has already traveled very far. Even if you go back, you may not find him."

"And the road to Lidu is anything but peaceful. Who knows when bandits might appear."

"If that happens, everyone will die!"

Hearing this, Zhang Yao fell silent for a moment.

Because he knew Zhou Haiyan was telling the truth.

"Phew... One night!"

"Give me one night."

Zhang Yao gritted his teeth and said those words.

"Fine. But if you haven't returned before dawn, the convoy will depart anyway."

Zhou Haiyan looked at Zhang Yao solemnly and spoke in a deep voice.

"All right."

After Zhang Yao said that, he turned to give chase, only for a figure to block his path.

"Zhang Yao, have you gone mad? We've already come this far, and you still want to look for that old man?"

It was Shen Yuniang.

"So you want me to stand by and watch Old Lu die? He saved my life. I owe him my life!"

Zhang Yao's face darkened as he glared at Shen Yuniang.

"Heh, you may care about loyalty and righteousness, but what about us?"

Shen Yuniang refused to yield.

"Once you leave, what if we encounter bandits? Then Zhi'er and I will both die."

"Or do you think that old man is more important than Zhi'er?"

Shen Yuniang's words caused Zhang Yao's fury to falter. Especially when Zhang Zhi stepped forward, her cool face carrying a trace of tension and worry.

Seeing this, Zhang Yao's face twitched. He squeezed out a sentence through clenched teeth.

"I'll be back before dawn."

After saying that, he did not look into Zhang Zhi's eyes. He turned and left.

Zhang Zhi remained where she was, watching her father's departing back, a complicated expression appearing on her face.

"Old Lu! Old Lu!"

In the darkness of night, Zhang Yao ran wildly while calling out.

Yet no one answered him. He passed several villages they had traveled through before, but still found nothing.

Even when he was about to reach their previous rest stop, he had still found no trace of him.

By then, the edge of the sky had gradually turned white. Dawn was approaching.

Zhang Yao had no choice but to stop.

"Sigh..."

He let out a long sigh and dragged himself back, his silhouette utterly lonely.

On a small path completely opposite the direction of Lidu, a figure passed through the tall grass, revealing his appearance.

His right eye, uncovered by the mask, was filled with irritation and speechlessness.

"This guy still isn't planning to give up?"

Lu Fan turned his head and glanced in the direction behind him, his expression somewhat grim.

That tall, thin man he had encountered in Chi City had apparently used some special method to pinpoint his direction with terrifying accuracy and chase after him.

Along the way, he had even used the Tortoise Breath Formula to conceal his aura and changed direction twice, yet the distance between them had still gradually narrowed.

"That guy probably has some means of locating me. If I keep running, my stamina and force will run dry first, and I might be caught before then."

Lu Fan's face sank, and a terrifying gleam flashed in his eyes.

That was right. Since he could not escape, the only option was to kill the other man.

At the very least, if he could wound him, he could escape farther.

With that thought, Lu Fan stopped. After calming his blood and qi, he activated the Evergreen Formula and began preparing for battle.

Not long afterward, a set of footsteps approached. Soon, a tall man caught up from behind and circled around to stand in front of him.

"Not planning to keep running?"

Shang Qi narrowed his eyes at Lu Fan and secretly let out a breath of relief.

This old man seemed to think he possessed a method that could keep locating him with perfect accuracy, so he had decided not to run anymore.

In truth, the Blood-Tracking Incense in his possession had already run out.

"You sure talk a lot of nonsense."

Lu Fan spoke in a low voice, clenching his fists. The force in his Qi Sea instantly flowed into his legs. The next moment, he shot forward like an arrow released from its bow, charging fiercely toward Shang Qi.

Back in Chi City, there had been another person present, so he had not fought head-on and had chosen to flee immediately.

But now, this man had actually chased after him alone, so there was no need for Lu Fan to be polite.

Although this man's realm was above his, the difference in the amount of force they possessed was not that great. It was not as though he had no chance of winning.

The Force Vortex in his Qi Sea spun madly at that moment. Streams of pure force poured out and gathered in his right hand.

Boom!

Lu Fan threw a punch. Surging force wrapped around his fist, raising the power of that strike to an utterly terrifying level.

With this punch, even a small mountain would have a hole blasted through it.

Shang Qi, meanwhile, immediately sensed the incomparably condensed force wrapped around Lu Fan's fist.

"This force... is really from the Middle Transformation Force Stage??"

Shang Qi's expression changed drastically.

He had not expected this old man's force to be so condensed, already extremely close to the level of the Late Transformation Force Stage.

If they simply clashed force against force, he would gain almost no advantage at all.

Thus, he did not choose to meet it head-on. Instead, he used that move.

The next instant, Lu Fan's fist came down.

Enormous force erupted in an instant.

Boom!

The surrounding trees were buffeted by the aftershock of that force and swayed violently.

At the center of the explosion, a deep crater nearly three feet deep appeared.

The terror of that power was clear to see, but...

Lu Fan's face darkened as he looked at the empty bottom of the crater ahead.

At that moment, an icy aura appeared behind him. He whirled around.

Shang Qi stood there with an easy expression, not even a speck of dirt staining his clothes.

And at that moment, a faint sound echoed out.

Crack.

A fissure appeared in Lu Fan's mask. Then, amid that crisp sound, it shattered completely, exposing the face he had hidden beneath it.