Run? Me?

Evergreen Mountain's residence.

"Jiang Yungu made a move too?" Xie Linchuan's expression turned cold.

Cao Jianjia stood before him, the young woman wearing a sword, the ferocity around her thick as frost.

Of their group, only he and Cao Jianjia still dared to move about freely outside.

Even Ao Xiyu, despite her special status as someone from the South Sea, was no exalted dragon scion in this age, when humanity alone reigned supreme.

Cao Jianjia bristled with killing intent. "That Jiang bastard doesn't know when he's being shown courtesy. He dared lay a hand on my man, so let's go cripple him together!"

Xie Linchuan said nothing, knowing that Cao Jianjia was referring to Jiang Yungu's attack on Zhang Qinghe.

He frowned. He had not expected Jiang Yungu to be leading the group. Brother Yu's situation was probably perilous indeed!

The Luo River Jiang Clan ranked third among the Aristocratic Clans of the realm in the Jixia Academy's assessment!

In terms of foundation, the Luo River Jiang Clan was no weaker than the great martial sects of the realm. Its influence reached even farther, and the four great clans were branches nourished by the same Qi, all loyal to the Great Yan Imperial Family.

Jiang Yungu himself was one of the most celebrated geniuses of his generation in the Luo River Jiang Clan. Born with a Primordial Spirit nearly at the infant stage, he was only a hair's breadth from a Dao Infant and was considered a promising candidate to lead the Jiang Clan's next generation.

"I can guess why that fellow made his move..." Xie Linchuan looked toward the door, his gaze growing harsher. "I'm afraid that if we go out now, we won't even make it to the north side of town."

Cao Jianjia laid a hand on her scabbard, her knuckles whitening, and said impassively:

"Let's see who dares stop me."

"There's no need to force our way through. Let's circle around from the south," Xie Linchuan said decisively. With that, he stepped out first, and they set off at once.

Deep within the residence, bamboo shadows swayed.

Zhang Qingtong stood beneath the covered walkway with his hands behind his back. He withdrew his gaze from the north, a trace of curiosity flickering in his eyes. After pondering for a moment, he ultimately decided not to call Xie Linchuan back.

Jiang Yungu pushed off with the tip of his foot, his figure shooting into the air. He raced across roofs and along walls without breaking a single tile, pursuing the direction in which that fluttering hem had vanished.

He had practiced martial arts since childhood and had learned no fewer than five lightness techniques like the Cloud Ladder Leap alone. He had lacked Inner Qi in the past, but now that it had grown steadily stronger and more abundant, those martial arts had finally begun to show their edge.

He leaped like a sweeping wind crossing the sky, and in just two bounds, he reached the corner.

Ahead, a courtyard wall had collapsed, leaving the ground strewn with broken tiles and rubble. The figure seemed to have already climbed out of the Flying Vulture Palace's abandoned residence.

"Slippery, aren't you?" Jiang Yungu snorted coldly and followed without hesitation. As he landed, his toe touched lightly on a piece of rubble, and his gaze swept ahead-

Beyond the wall, alleys ran to the left and right. The left was wide, the right cramped, and the figure was already nowhere to be seen.

He suddenly looked right and shot forward, catching the faintest crisp sound in his ears-a click.

It was as if someone fleeing in a panic had accidentally kicked a pebble by the roadside.

"Got you!"

A cold light flashed in his eyes as he channeled Inner Qi into his legs. Though the alley was narrow, his Movement Method did not slow in the slightest, nor was there any trace of awkwardness.

Confident in his extraordinary martial attainments and having learned Yu Tunzhou's "trump card" in advance, he believed he needed no help from anyone else and could capture him alone. Thus, he had given chase by himself.

Ahead, at the corner, a good portion of a figure hurried past, no longer just the fleeting glimpse of a sleeve he had seen before.

Jiang Yungu's gaze was sharp as a torch, fixed firmly on his quarry. Like a hawk pursuing a hare, he missed nothing. He urged his Inner Qi onward and followed.

After rounding two corners in succession, Jiang Yungu could see Yu Tunzhou's entire figure. The latter was not particularly tall or broad, but carried himself with unusual steadiness. Seemingly hearing a strange sound, he looked back at him, his brows visibly furrowing.

Jiang Yungu's spirits lifted, and he moved even faster:

"Where do you think you're running?!"

Hearing Jiang Yungu's shout, the others nearby began converging on the area, but the alleys here were simply too much of a maze.

After rounding another five or six corners, Jiang Yungu finally realized something was wrong.

This fellow was far too familiar with the area!

Yu Tunzhou was slower than him, but he constantly darted through different alleys, using corners to conceal himself. As nimble as an eel burrowing through mud, he always managed to slip just out of sight, leaving Jiang Yungu perpetually a hair's breadth short.

After rounding another bend, Jiang Yungu suddenly stopped, his expression darkening.

The alley ahead was even longer and narrower, with room for only one person to pass sideways. Damp moss covered the base of the walls, making the footing slippery, but Yu Tunzhou was nowhere in sight!

Where had that fellow gone?!

A sudden shock went through Jiang Yungu. Why had everything grown so quiet, leaving only the sound of his own breathing?

No, this was Primordial Spirit perception suppressing his five senses!

Apart from those stationed in town by the various factions, who could suppress him with their Primordial Spirit?!

Before he could make sense of it, a sudden, dull, swift blow sent intense pain through the back of his head.

His vision went black. Before he could even fully feel the pain, he lost consciousness and fell to the ground without a sound.

Yu Tunzhou stepped out of the shadows, dropped the broken brick in his hand, and stepped over Jiang Yungu.

He believed that brick would keep the fallen youth asleep until morning.

As he passed, he glanced down at the youth's face.

The man's Movement Method was truly impressive. Yu Tunzhou had even considered pausing deliberately so his pursuer would not fall behind and fail to take the bait. He had not expected the man to follow him like a shadow.

He wondered which faction the man belonged to.

Forget it. It did not matter.

He would call him "the first one."

His footsteps silent, he climbed over a high wall nearby and entered an abandoned old residence.

The courtyard was dilapidated and overgrown with weeds. At its center stood a damaged statue, its robes mottled and its face indistinct. There was no telling which deity it depicted.

Though Yu Tunzhou believed in neither gods nor Buddhas, he still stopped and said softly:

"Sorry to disturb you while passing through."

Before long, a young woman spotted Jiang Yungu. Her expression changed in shock, and she hurried over.

She had just crouched down to check on Jiang Yungu when she impatiently smashed a brick with her head.

With the back of her head, too!

"The second..."

The young woman's vision went black, and she fell to the ground. Before her consciousness faded, she heard someone's two unfinished words.

Yu Tunzhou entered a wide alley.

His mind was clear. In the present situation, as long as he did not fight them head-on or give them a chance to swarm him, however many of them there were, he could defeat them one by one.

During this battle, Yu Tunzhou had also discovered that Primordial Spirit perception could suppress an opponent's five senses, though the effect seemed to vary considerably between individuals.

When he had climbed over the wall just now, the young woman had noticed nothing at all.

But "the first one" had sensed it instantly. By then, however, it was already too late, and Yu Tunzhou, having circled behind him, had dealt with him with one brick.

He reckoned it had to do with the strength of their Primordial Spirits.

As he pondered, Yu Tunzhou suddenly paused, an audacious ferocity replacing his previous bearing. He abruptly accelerated, his figure like racing thunder, charging straight down the middle with the unstoppable momentum of a collapsing mountain.

The sound of his soles scraping against the bluestone slabs beneath his feet caught the attention of a young man passing the alley entrance ahead.

The young man turned to look, but his expression changed drastically. He had only enough time to shout "He's" before he flew away like a kite with its string cut.

He slammed heavily into the high wall behind him, bounced off, and fell unconscious on the bluestone road.

Yu Tunzhou looked to the right. Someone had come running and had just appeared in sight. Feigning defeat, he lowered his head and staggered toward the alley he had come from.

The newcomer was a thick-browed youth. On seeing his companion on the ground and Yu Tunzhou staggering as though injured, he instantly "pieced together" the situation. Only one thought remained in his mind: "pursue the victory."

"This kid's over here! Brother Zhuang couldn't beat him and got knocked out!"

He shouted to bring his companions over to deal with the situation, then raced after Yu Tunzhou as fast as he could, wind at his feet.

Soon after.

A dull thud came from the alley as something heavy hit the ground.

A woman moved with great speed, arriving beside Brother Zhuang.

Standing beside Zhuang Heng, the young woman named Xi Luoyi wore an exceedingly grim expression. Her brows were tightly knitted, and cold wariness filled her eyes.

Before they had even realized it, this fellow had used the maze of alleys to completely break apart the encirclement formed by the six of them.

How could they call this an encirclement and kill?

This was plainly Yu Tunzhou's hunting ground!

The next moment, the woman was suddenly seized by alarm, the hair on her body standing on end. She threw herself forward.

Just now, she had heard a faint sound of something cutting through the air behind her!

But it was already too late. A brick came flying from behind with a fierce rush of wind and struck her squarely.

The woman gave a muffled grunt, went limp, and fell to the ground, completely losing consciousness.

Yu Tunzhou looked at his hand, lost in thought.

Seeing that he was about to miss, he had thrown it on impulse. Unexpectedly, his hand had been hot, and he had hit his target in one shot. It seemed he had quite a talent for hidden weapons too.

"One last one left..."

"My turn to find you."

Not long afterward.

Yu Tunzhou walked through a narrow alley. Damp moss grew between the bluestone slabs beneath his feet, and high walls rose on either side as though split by an axe, leaving only a sliver of daylight overhead.

Just then.

At the alley entrance ahead, a figure suddenly stopped. He stood tall and straight, his face full of delight and triumph.

After searching for so long, he had been lucky in the end, successfully blocking this fellow's path!

He immediately called out in a booming voice:

"This kid's over here!"

Then he held back from attacking. After all, Chang Jian and Ji Pan were still lying in the residence. He was not Jiang Yungu and had no certainty of victory, but he was confident he could hold Yu Tunzhou here without any trouble!

He blocked the alley entrance, waiting for his companions to join the hunt. Looking mockingly at Yu Tunzhou in the middle of the alley, he sneered:

"Run! Why aren't you running anymore? Weren't you good at running?!"

At that moment.

Yu Tunzhou finally found the last one and looked puzzled.

"Run?"

"Me?"