Encountering an Old Acquaintance in a Foreign Land

The man with the mole first let his gaze fall on Liu Qiaolian's attractive, curvaceous figure, a hint of heat in his eyes. But as his peripheral vision caught sight of Xia Daoming, as if remembering something, he abruptly shifted his focus to Xia Daoming.

"Huh!" The man with the mole narrowed his eyes, a trace of recollection appearing.

"Stop the carriage!"

After the carriage had traveled about five or six zhang further, the man with the mole suddenly thought of someone, his eyes lighting up as he shouted.

"Halt!" The driver quickly pulled back on the reins, and the carriage slowly came to a stop.

"Young Master, your meridians are quite severely injured this time. Evergreen Hall's Snow Toad Pill won't be able to fully heal you. You'll need to hurry to Green Cypress City's Thousand Treasures Hall to purchase some of their specially made Mystic Turtle Marrow Paste to apply. Only then is there hope for recovery.

During this time, you should avoid any unnecessary trouble, and especially avoid women." Inside the carriage, the old man in grey, sitting opposite the man with the mole, frowned slightly and advised.

Clearly, the old man thought his young master was bored on the journey and had developed ill intentions towards the woman by the roadside.

"Uncle Lin, I can distinguish between what's important and what's not. However, the man just now looks like a disciple recently taken in by Liang Jingtang, who appeared at Jade Flower Pavilion a few days ago," the man with the mole said, a fierce glint in his eyes.

This man with the mole was none other than Shi Yingdeng, the young master of the Shi Family, who had been injured by Liang Jingtang at Jade Flower Pavilion.

And the old man in grey was Lin Lu, the old steward by the Shi Family patriarch's side.

"So that's how it is. I must have been overthinking," Lin Lu said, relieved. Then, a sinister expression appeared on his face as he added, "If he's truly a disciple Liang Jingtang recently took in, this would be a good place to bury a body."

"Heh heh, I was thinking the same thing," Shi Yingdeng sneered.

With that, he impatiently lifted the carriage curtain and jumped out.

Lin Lu and the Martial Master acting as the driver quickly followed him out of the carriage.

"Master! That looks like people from the Shi Family!" Liu Qiaolian's expression changed slightly, and she whispered.

"Qian'er, your observation is good. They are indeed from the Shi Family. That young man is Shi Yingdeng. I met him at Jade Flower Pavilion just a few days ago.

As for that old man, I don't recognize him." Xia Daoming watched as Shi Yingdeng and the others alighted from the carriage in the distance, a hint of surprise on his face.

A few days ago, at Jade Flower Pavilion, Xia Daoming had already harbored murderous intent towards Shi Yingdeng.

He had even considered afterward whether he should find an opportunity to assassinate him in the city, but ultimately, he had reservations and risks, and gave up.

Unexpectedly, today he had run into him in this desolate wilderness, far from any village or shop.

"That old man is Lin Lu, the Shi Family's old steward, a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master!" Liu Qiaolian finally got a clear look at the newcomers' faces, her expression changing slightly again.

"Qian'er, later, try your best to keep that driver occupied. Don't let him get away. You don't need to worry about anything else," Xia Daoming said, his eyes narrowed behind his veil.

Liu Qiaolian's heart skipped a beat at his words, but she immediately replied, "Yes, Master!"

"My friend, have we met somewhere before?" Shi Yingdeng stopped about a zhang away, staring coldly at Xia Daoming, a fake smile on his face.

As Shi Yingdeng spoke, the driver had already bypassed Xia Daoming and Liu Qiaolian, blocking their escape route.

His gaze fell hotly upon Liu Qiaolian.

"Young Master Shi has good eyes and a good memory. I didn't expect you to recognize me by my figure after only meeting once," Xia Daoming said, lifting his black veil.

"Haha! It really is you!" Shi Yingdeng couldn't help but laugh heartily upon seeing this.

"Judging by your expression, Young Master Shi, you seem very happy!" Xia Daoming said with a smile.

"Meeting an old acquaintance in a foreign land is naturally a happy occasion," Shi Yingdeng replied with a smile.

"That's true," Xia Daoming agreed with a nod.

"You should be called Xia Daoming, right?" Shi Yingdeng asked.

"I didn't expect such an unknown nobody like myself to be known by Young Master Shi. It seems you made inquiries specifically," Xia Daoming said, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Brother Xia, what do you think of the scenery here?" Shi Yingdeng asked with a playful smirk.

"Whether I think it's good or not isn't important. As long as Young Master Shi thinks it's good, that's all that matters," Xia Daoming replied.

"Haha, not bad. You've got some guts. That makes it more interesting. Otherwise, if you started begging for mercy right away, it would be too boring," Shi Yingdeng chuckled.

"Does Young Master Shi have such confidence in capturing us?" Xia Daoming asked.

"What do you think?" Shi Yingdeng smiled smugly, then said to Lin Lu beside him, "Uncle Lin, I'll trouble you. But try to leave him with some breath. I want to see if he can still maintain this level of courage when the time comes."

"Don't worry, Young Master! I've been traveling for so long, I'm a bit bored. It's just right to find some entertainment." A sinister grin spread across Lin Lu's old face, which was already covered in wrinkles.

With that, Lin Lu stomped his foot hard on the ground. The soil and stones scattered, and he himself shot into the air like a great bird. Mid-air, he brought his palm around like a blade and lunged at Xia Daoming.

The mountain wind billowed his robes, making them flutter noisily, giving him a formidable appearance.

Xia Daoming seemed to be stunned, sitting frozen on the horse, not knowing how to dodge.

Seeing this, Shi Yingdeng sneered disdainfully, as if Xia Daoming were already a dead man.

Just then, a surge of qi and blood, like a mountain torrent erupting, suddenly burst forth from Xia Daoming's body.

"Fifth-Rank!" Lin Lu's sinister grin in mid-air froze abruptly, a strong sense of unease rising in his heart.

But it was too late to change his move.

A massive fist, carrying a crushing, overwhelming aura, rapidly enlarged in his pupils and struck him in an instant.

"Bang!"

Fist met palm.

An incredibly overbearing surge of power, like a breached dam's flood, crashed into his body along the clashing fists and palms.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Lin Lu seemed to hear the sound of his meridians and tendons snapping within his body.

The sleeves on his arms exploded, turning into tattered cloth that flew everywhere. His arm's skin and flesh split open, blood spraying out. He couldn't suppress a mouthful of blood, which gushed from his mouth. Lin Lu, like a kite with a snapped string, fell backward.

As Lin Lu fell backward, his bulging eyes, filled with terror and disbelief, saw a black figure shoot up from the horse and then, like an angry dragon entering a river, pounce towards Shi Yingdeng.

In the blink of an eye, the situation had completely reversed in the direction Shi Yingdeng had anticipated. His mind went blank; he couldn't process it at all.

Lin Lu was a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master! Even if he was old, it would still take a powerhouse at the level of a Seventh-Rank Great Martial Master to heavily injure and send him flying with a single punch.

But the man before him was merely Liang Jingtang's newly accepted disciple from half a year ago!

Just as Shi Yingdeng's mind went blank, a sharp gust of wind from a punch struck his chest.

Shi Yingdeng jolted violently, finally snapping back to reality, and hastily crossed his arms to block in front of his chest.

But the Serpent Head Fist, striking his chest, was as agile as a snake. It suddenly twisted, "slithered" past his crossed arms, stuck to his chest, and unleashed its Hidden Strength.

"Crack! Crack!"

Shi Yingdeng felt as if he'd been hit head-on by a charging wild bull. He flew backward, the sound of bones breaking echoing from his chest.

Mid-air, Shi Yingdeng looked down.

He saw his chest caved in severely, his eyes filled with disbelief and terror.

"Bang!"

Shi Yingdeng crashed heavily onto the ground, blood continuously flowing from his mouth.

He tried to push himself up with his hands, but the intense pain in his chest made his arms go limp, and he collapsed back to the ground, gasping for air. With every breath, his chest felt like it was tearing, causing cold sweat to bead on his forehead.

Xia Daoming ignored Shi Yingdeng and leaped directly over him, pursuing Lin Lu, who was staggering and fleeing towards the woods by the mountain path.

"Boom! Boom!"

With every step Xia Daoming took on the ground, a dull thud echoed from beneath, and spiderweb-like cracks spread from where he landed.

His body shot forward like a cannonball.

In just a few leaps, Xia Daoming was behind Lin Lu.

"Spare my life!" Lin Lu screamed in terror, feeling the punch wind passing through him from behind.

"Boom!"

Lin Lu was answered by the sound of a heavy punch.

Lin Lu fell to the ground, blood gushing from his mouth.

His eyes bulged like those of a dead fish, and his breath was gone.

Xia Daoming's punch had directly struck his sternum and back, the Hidden Strength penetrating his back and shattering his heart.

"Tsk!"

As Xia Daoming killed Lin Lu with a punch, on the other side, the terrified groom, his liver and gall shattered, dared not engage Liu Qiaolian and turned to run.

Liu Qiaolian spurred her horse to catch up to him, gripping a short spear, and fiercely thrust it into his back.

The poor groom, who was actually a Fourth-Rank Martial Master, with strength comparable to Liu Qiaolian, was killed directly by her spear because he was so scared that his back was completely exposed.

Seeing Liu Qiaolian deal with the groom alone, Xia Daoming was slightly taken aback, then unhurriedly walked towards Shi Yingdeng.

As Shi Yingdeng saw Xia Daoming approaching, he looked as if he had seen a demon, his feet constantly kicking the ground as he shuffled backward.

"Master Xia, spare me, Master Xia! I'm still young, I don't want to die yet!" Shi Yingdeng cried, shuffling backward, even forgetting the pain in his chest.

"Shi Yingdeng, you are, after all, the young master of the Shi Family, a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master. Coming here and immediately weeping and begging for mercy is rather uninteresting! By the way, Young Master Shi, what do you think of the scenery here?" Xia Daoming said with a playful look at Shi Yingdeng.

Seeing Xia Daoming return his own words to him verbatim, Shi Yingdeng was filled with both fear and regret. He continued to beg, "It is I who deserve death, Master Xia. Please be merciful and spare my life!"

Today's update is complete. Please collect and read if possible, thank you.