Chapter 013
Chapter 13: Encounter
The three led their horses onward, but after traveling a while, Li Mu Sheng and Cang Yin Yue’s figures never reappeared on the mountain path ahead.
“Strange,” Meng Shan muttered, his brows knitted with confusion. “Could they have sped up their pace?”
Yuan Mei rested her hand on the hilt of her blade again, eyes narrowing warily. “Or perhaps they’re lying in wait, ready to ambush us.”
Meng Shan’s gaze swept across the dense, shadowy forest ahead. A cold gleam flickered through his eyes. “Your guess might be right. Let’s stay cautious.”
Yuan Mei nodded gently and slowed her steps, carefully guiding the scholar forward along the mountain trail.
After the time it took an incense stick to burn, Meng Shan suddenly paused, his ears twitching. Raising his hand, he signaled Yuan Mei and the scholar to stop.
Eyes fixed sharply on the thick bushes ahead, Meng Shan called out in a deep, commanding voice:
“Come out!”
Immediately, rustling sounds rose from the bushes. Then, a group of burly men armed with swords and spears leaped from behind the trees, blocking their path. Each wore a red cloth wrapped around his head, their fierce faces filled with hostility.
Meng Shan and Yuan Mei exchanged startled glances.
They had expected Li Mu Sheng and Cang Yin Yue to appear, not this unexpected band of strangers. Their first thought was [where could Li Mu Sheng and his companion have gone?] Could it be that these rough men were allies of those two?
Before they could consider further, booming laughter echoed from the woods.
A bald-headed man stepped out swiftly, his feet tapping lightly upon falling leaves, as though gliding through the air. In mere moments, he stood before them.
“We’ve waited nearly ten days in this forsaken place, not a single hair in sight. Today we finally caught some fish!”
The bald man had a shiny head, a chest covered in thick black hair, and wielded a thick iron fishing rod the width of a baby’s arm. Laughing loudly, he stared at Meng Shan’s group with mocking eyes.
“Surprised? This hall master personally waited here for you folks!”
Meng Shan’s expression darkened. Cautiously scanning their surroundings, he asked in a grim tone, “Where are the other two?”
Hearing this, the bald man grinned widely. “You’re quite cautious, but since this hall master is handling you personally, the rest aren’t needed. They’re back at the stronghold roasting meat, preparing a victory feast!”
His words drew raucous laughter from the bandits around, their eyes gleaming cruelly as if staring at lambs ready for slaughter.
At this moment, the bald man slammed his iron fishing rod powerfully into the ground. Sparks flew as the rod pierced the stone beneath him, sinking nearly a foot deep.
“So tell me—are you spies from the Yin Shan Sect, or informants for Yan Jiu City?”
Meng Shan and Yuan Mei frowned simultaneously.
They had come from Shang Yang City, entirely unfamiliar with Chong Province. This secret mountain path had been revealed to them through connections in Yan Jiu City, but that hardly meant they were spies. Clearly, this man had mistaken them for someone else.
But more troubling was their uncertainty about the true relationship between Li Mu Sheng, Cang Yin Yue, and this bald bandit. Now they faced not only the formidable bald man—obviously an Innate Expert—but also had to guard against Li Mu Sheng and Cang Yin Yue attacking them from the shadows.
Feeling immense pressure, Meng Shan lowered his stance respectfully and cupped his fists toward the bald man.
“Esteemed hero, the three of us are travelers from Jing Province, entirely unrelated to those factions you speak of. Please let us pass safely.”
“Rubbish! Do you think I’m a three-year-old child?” The bald man spat contemptuously. “Official roads and waterways abound, yet outsiders like you deliberately choose this desolate wilderness? You’re not spies? Who’d believe such nonsense!”
His expression turned vicious. “Better wise up and confess truthfully now—save yourselves some pain!”
At his signal, the burly men around him advanced slowly, weapons gleaming ominously.
“Looks like there’s no room for talk.” Meng Shan’s face hardened instantly. He subtly signaled Yuan Mei to guard against hidden attackers and then surged forward decisively.
With a ringing hiss, his long blade flew from its sheath. Martial Qi surged around him, erupting without warning.
Swish! Swish!
Flashes of snowy-white steel streaked through the air. Two heads rolled onto the ground, splattering blood three feet high.
“How dare you!” The bald man roared in fury, his Qi blazing hotly. Swinging up his rod, he lashed fiercely toward Meng Shan.
A rush of wind screamed as thin silver threads, sharp as blades, sliced the air, aiming to tear Meng Shan apart.
At this critical moment, Meng Shan countered swiftly. He punched outward, releasing his perfected Mountain-Shaking Fist like a massive hammer, shattering the lethal threads midair. The severed strands pierced the ground around him, splitting stone and sending rubble flying in every direction.
Meng Shan’s eyes flashed dangerously. He counterattacked without pause, his blade thrusting sharply toward the bald man, leaving only a ghostly afterimage behind him.
Nearby, Yuan Mei had also acted decisively. She defended vigilantly against unseen threats while swiftly dispatching the men surrounding them. Her blade danced rapidly; in mere breaths, several heads toppled onto the earth.
…
In the distant thickets, Li Mu Sheng and Cang Yin Yue stood atop a large tree, quietly watching.
“These highwaymen aren’t much good, just a mob really. Only a moment passed and they’re losing heads so quickly.” Li Mu Sheng, not fond of such bloody scenes, shook his head disdainfully.
Cang Yin Yue glanced at him lightly. “It’s better this way. With them clearing our path ahead, we avoid unnecessary trouble. It makes things easier for us.”
“Really? Somehow it feels unreliable to me,” Li Mu Sheng replied skeptically.
At that moment, the battle turned decisively against the bald man’s gang.
Clearly, the bald-headed bandit had underestimated Meng Shan and Yuan Mei. Both were Innate Experts equal in skill to himself. Within moments, his followers lay dead around him.
He was now locked in a fierce stalemate with Meng Shan, neither able to gain an advantage.
“Those two hiding allies of yours haven’t shown up yet. They’ve likely abandoned you and fled already,” Meng Shan mocked, delivering a swift blade strike that collided fiercely against the bald man’s rod. The resulting Qi explosion shattered a thick tree several yards away.
“What nonsense are you barking? You’ve slain my brothers—I’ll tear you limb from limb!” the bald man snarled, gnashing his teeth. Suddenly, he pulled out a bamboo tube and ignited it with Qi, launching a dazzling red flare into the sky.
(End of Chapter)