There was a mole in the Beggar Gang. At a time like this, it was best to keep out of sight, so Yue Yang did not return to the city. Instead, he found a ruined temple in the wilderness below the mountain.
Lu Kunlun's injuries were not particularly serious. Once the medicine took effect, promoting tissue growth and blood circulation, he would be fine.
Bai Yunxiu appeared then as well.
Like Fourteen, Yinghuo had been marked after carrying Cao Jinxing away from Mount Hua in full view of everyone. To avoid attracting the attention of anyone watching, Yinghuo could not show up openly and needed to be released as soon as possible.
"And this is...?"
Yue Yang looked at the beauty approaching gracefully in a yellow dress, momentarily dazzled by her looks.
Then he realized that she must be Cao Jinxing's companion.
"Bai Yunxiu."
Since Cao Jinxing had spoken frankly, she had no need to conceal anything either. She trusted his judgment; these two should be trustworthy.
"So you're the Spirit Snake Envoy."
Yue Yang cupped his fists in greeting.
Bai Yunxiu nodded in return.
"What happened?"
Cao Jinxing looked at their wounds and asked, "How did you end up like this? Where are the other elders? Judging by those five men's clothes, they were ninjas from Eastern Japan, weren't they?"
"They were!"
Yue Yang said bitterly, "Those bastards! My senior brother and I received word that a strange fragrance was coming from deep inside Lotus Cave on Incense Burner Peak. It had drawn quite a few venomous snakes there recently, so we suspected a rare treasure had appeared. We finally managed to get it, only to run into those bastards blocking our way as soon as we came out. They didn't just want the treasure-they wanted to kill us