Pursuit

The instant that bone-chilling hand dragged Mo Yun into the bushes, his mind went completely blank.

Before he could react, he felt himself being lifted again and slammed against the roots of an old tree, the pain making him bare his teeth.

Then a blood-soaked hand clamped tightly over his mouth.

"Don't make a sound."

A weak yet icy female voice sounded beside his ear, trembling uncontrollably. She was clearly fighting back excruciating pain.

Mo Yun's eyes widened. By the moonlight spilling through the gaps in the leaves, he finally made out the person before him.

It was the woman in the red dress whom Zhou Bo had punched into coughing up blood in the Spirit Herb Garden-the woman who had escaped afterward!

Her veil had fallen away, revealing a face as pale as paper.

Her features were delicate, her brows and eyes as lovely as a painting. She should have been a rare beauty, but now her face was ghostly white, blood stained the corner of her mouth, and her chest was drenched in crimson. She looked utterly drained.

Even so, Mo Yun dared not make the slightest rash move.

This woman was a genuine Dark Strength expert!

Even grievously wounded, with less than a tenth of her strength remaining, Dark Force was still Dark Force. The gap between it and Bright Force was one of quality.

He was merely a beginner at early Bright Strength. If he recklessly attacked, he might die without even knowing how.

"Listen carefully, little servant." The woman in red panted, her voice icy. "Take me to the Tiger-Crouching Ladder on the Rear Mountain. Do as you're told, and I'll spare your life."

Mo Yun's heart tightened.

The Tiger-Crouching Ladder?

It lay deep in the Rear Mountain behind the Servants' Court. Rumor had it that the Village Master's martial will lingered there, and ordinary servants dared not even approach it.

If this woman wanted to go there, she had clearly arranged to meet her accomplices at that spot.

"I-I don't know where the Tiger-Crouching Ladder is..." Mo Yun feigned utter terror, even making his voice tremble.

"You don't know?" The woman in red sneered, tightening her grip. "You're a servant of Crouching Tiger Manor, and you don't know where the Tiger-Crouching Ladder is? Try another trick, and I'll kill you right now!"

As she spoke, she raised her other hand. Force energy faintly swirled in her palm.

Although that force energy was countless times weaker than a normal Dark Strength expert's, Mo Yun could clearly sense that he would never withstand the blow if her palm came down.

"Don't! Don't! I know! I know where it is!" Mo Yun hurriedly changed his tune, the terror on his face deepening. "I'll take you there. I'll take you right now..."

"That's more like it." The woman in red snorted coldly and removed the hand covering his mouth.

"Help me up. Don't try anything. I may be injured, but one hand is enough to kill a little servant like you."

Mo Yun nodded meekly, hurriedly scrambled to his feet, and reached out to support her arm.

Her sleeve was already soaked through with blood, sticky and unpleasant beneath his hand.

But he dared show no sign of anything amiss. With lowered eyes and a submissive expression, he supported her and headed toward the Rear Mountain.

Almost half the woman's weight rested on Mo Yun. Her breathing was rapid and her steps unsteady; her injuries were clearly even worse than they looked.

Yet her hand remained locked on Mo Yun's shoulder, her five fingers like iron pincers, ready to crush his shoulder blade at any moment.

The two limped along the pitch-black mountain path. Their surroundings were terrifyingly quiet, broken only by leaves rustling in the wind and the occasional cry of a distant owl.

Mo Yun kept his head down, outwardly looking timid and fearful, while his mind raced.

I can't actually take her to the Tiger-Crouching Ladder!

He knew perfectly well that once they reached their destination and she met up with her accomplices, he would undoubtedly be killed to silence him.

These people of the martial world who licked blood off a blade's edge were the most ruthless of all. They would never leave a survivor to return and raise the alarm.

I have to find a chance to escape along the way, or... turn the tables and kill her!

Mo Yun's gaze sharpened slightly as he began plotting.

He had already achieved some proficiency in the Tiger-Crouching Fist, and his fighting power had improved considerably.

Had this woman been at her peak, he would not have dared even entertain the thought. But now she was grievously wounded...

There's a chance, but not yet. I have to make her lower her guard first and wait for the right moment...

With his mind made up, Mo Yun began subtly slowing his steps while deliberately leading her off course.

Having spent so long at Crouching Tiger Manor, he naturally knew the terrain here extremely well. Taking a detour to stall for time would not be difficult.

Yet barely twenty-odd breaths after he led the woman in red off the main path, the hand on his shoulder suddenly tightened, making him suck in a breath of pain.

"You're going the wrong way." Her voice was as cold as shards of ice.

"The Tiger-Crouching Ladder is northeast. You're heading due north. Little servant, I may be injured, but I haven't lost my sense of direction. Try another trick, and I'll cripple one of your arms first."

Though she was gravely wounded and dizzy enough to need support when walking, she could still distinguish the general direction.

Mo Yun's heart chilled. He hurriedly offered an apologetic smile. "I remembered wrong. It's too dark to see the path clearly. I'll change direction right now, right now..."

He quickly corrected their course and obediently headed northeast.

This woman isn't easy to fool... Mo Yun's expression tightened slightly.

He had thought that, with her serious injuries, she might not have the energy to pay attention to the path beneath her feet. He had never expected...

That approach would not work. He could only think of something else.

As Mo Yun walked, he surveyed their surroundings, searching for suitable terrain.

There's a rocky slope ahead. The terrain is complicated; perhaps I could strike there. No, it's too far. By the time we get there, we'll probably already be near the Tiger-Crouching Ladder.

The woods on the left are dense enough, but they're also a little off course. If she notices...

Countless ideas flashed through his mind, only to be rejected one after another.

Time ticked by. They had ventured deep into the Rear Mountain, where the trees grew ever denser and the mountain path became increasingly difficult to traverse.

The woman in red breathed more and more heavily, and the hand gripping Mo Yun's shoulder began trembling slightly. She was clearly forcing herself to stay upright.

Yet she remained vigilant throughout. The slightest unusual movement from Mo Yun would immediately catch her attention.

Fuck, is this woman part dog? How can she still be so alert with injuries this bad?

Mo Yun grew anxious, but he could only keep moving forward.

Another quarter of an hour passed, and a steep cliff face became faintly visible not far ahead.

The Tiger-Crouching Ladder lay on that cliff face.

"We're almost there." A hint of relief entered the woman's voice. "Move faster."

Mo Yun's heart sank.

Once they reached the Tiger-Crouching Ladder and met her accomplices, he would be doomed!

I can't go any farther. If I do, even nine lives won't be enough!

He gritted his teeth, his gaze turning fierce.

If he was going to die either way, he might as well gamble everything!

Just as he made up his mind and prepared for a desperate fight...

"Cough, cough, cough-"

The woman in red suddenly broke into a violent coughing fit. Her body shuddered, and with a retching gasp, she spat out a great mouthful of black blood!

In that instant, the grip of her hand on Mo Yun's shoulder abruptly loosened!

Now!

A fierce light blazed in Mo Yun's eyes. All the strength he had been gathering erupted at that moment!

He spun around, sank his shoulder and elbow, and drove through his waist and abdomen. His right fist shot like a cannonball from its barrel, smashing toward the woman's heart with unstoppable momentum!

Fierce tiger leaves the mountain!

He poured all his strength into that punch, holding nothing back!

The power of his newfound proficiency in the Tiger-Crouching Fist revealed itself in full. Wind howled around his fist, and a dull boom rang through the air!

"You-"

The woman's pupils contracted sharply, her face filled with disbelief.

She had never imagined that this little servant, who had been meek and trembling with fear throughout their journey, would actually dare attack her!

And the power of his punch far exceeded her expectations!

Judging by the wind around his fist, he possessed at least Mid Bright Strength!

Unfortunately, by the time she reacted, it was already too late.

Bam!

Mo Yun's fist slammed squarely into her chest!

Her already caved-in chest suffered another devastating blow, producing a sharp crack of breaking bone.

"Aah!"

The woman in red screamed as she flew backward, slammed hard into a large tree, and tumbled to the ground, blood spraying wildly from her mouth.

But she was a Dark Strength expert, after all. Even with injuries this severe, her survival instinct made her react the instant she landed.

Enduring the agonizing pain, she braced one hand against the ground and swept the other sharply outward, sending a vicious streak of force energy hurtling toward Mo Yun's face!

Mo Yun was already prepared. He twisted aside, narrowly dodging it.

The force energy skimmed past his cheek and left a deep gash in the tree trunk behind him!

That was close!

Cold sweat poured down Mo Yun's back, but he dared not pause for even an instant. Driving off his feet, he lunged at her like a hunting leopard!

Press the advantage! I can't give her a chance to catch her breath!