Chapter 014
Chapter 14: The Spy
Meng Shan stood frozen for a moment when he saw this scene. By the time he recovered, it was already too late to intervene.
A flash of regret crossed Meng Shan’s eyes. He lifted his blade once more and charged at the bald brute, turning to Yuan Mei as he shouted: “I’ll hold him off! Hurry, take the scholar and go!”
Yuan Mei said nothing more; she quickly grabbed the scholar’s hand and rushed away down the mountain path.
“You think you can escape? The masters of my Bloodbath Alliance are nearby. All of you will die here today!” The bald brute’s eyes bulged with fury. Meng Shan’s interference hardly mattered to him; all he wanted now was to crush the person in front of him into paste with his fishing rod!
…
Meanwhile, perched high on a branch among the trees, Li Mu Sheng shielded his eyes with one hand, gazing at the lingering sparks still dancing faintly across the sky. He turned and asked softly: “Miss Cang, does this mean our plan has gone wrong?”
The current situation was obvious—the bald brute was clearly losing, so he had resorted to calling for reinforcements. If nothing changed, soon this forest would be surrounded by members of the Bloodbath Alliance. The road ahead would only become more dangerous.
At Li Mu Sheng’s words, Cang Yin Yue’s graceful brows twitched slightly. After all, using one tiger to defeat another had been her plan. Now that things had come to this, she naturally bore the responsibility.
However, she wasn’t one to easily admit defeat. Glancing at Li Mu Sheng, she replied lightly: “No need to rush. At worst, we’ll simply force our way through.”
She shifted her gaze toward Meng Shan and the bald brute who were still locked in fierce combat and continued: “Besides, those two will draw away quite a bit of attention from the Bloodbath Alliance.”
Li Mu Sheng shrugged and didn’t say another word. He was used to Miss Cang’s proud, stubborn temperament.
Not long afterward, Meng Shan saw his opportunity. He gathered his Qi and unleashed a mighty strike with his blade, forcing the bald brute back. Then he swiftly turned and fled down the mountain path.
The bald brute, enraged, naturally wouldn’t let him off so easily. He gripped his fishing rod and furiously gave chase!
Seeing both fighters disappear, only then did Cang Yin Yue and Li Mu Sheng quietly emerge from the forest, riding their pack mule onto the path to continue their journey.
For a short while, the journey seemed peaceful enough. No one appeared to stop them.
Yet suddenly, Cang Yin Yue softly murmured: “I underestimated this. The Bloodbath Alliance isn’t made up of fools. Anything I can think of, they could also foresee.”
She had misjudged. To prevent rival factions from invading their territory, the Bloodbath Alliance would naturally guard every possible route. Such secluded mountain paths, though seemingly safe, were actually extremely dangerous in times like these.
“No need to blame yourself, Miss Cang. Compared to those three unlucky ones, we’re already doing quite well,” Li Mu Sheng said with a relaxed smile, stroking his chin as he rode leisurely atop the mule.
“Those fellows are now fleeing desperately for their lives, chased by the Bloodbath Alliance. We’re fortunate enough to ride along peacefully.”
Hearing this, Cang Yin Yue’s eyes flickered slightly. Looking at Li Mu Sheng’s carefree expression, she secretly sighed, [This man truly has no worries.]
Little did he realize, this was merely the calm before the storm. Given the Bloodbath Alliance’s strength, Meng Shan and the others wouldn’t escape. Soon enough, she and Li Mu Sheng would probably face the same danger.
Just as this thought crossed her mind, Cang Yin Yue’s expression suddenly changed. She looked forward and felt her heart sink.
Indeed, trouble had arrived. Several figures appeared abruptly on the path ahead, blocking their way.
Upon closer inspection, blood stains covered the trail, and bodies wearing red scarves lay scattered among the bushes. Members of the Bloodbath Alliance often wore red scarves; clearly, these corpses had fallen under Meng Shan’s blade earlier.
“Who are you?” The speaker was a middle-aged man dressed in a gray robe, holding twin hammers. His gaze was wary and hostile, filled with murderous intent. As he spoke, his armed followers gradually closed in around Cang Yin Yue and Li Mu Sheng.
Cang Yin Yue calmly produced a token and declared coldly: “I am a Silver Badge Constable from the court’s Six Gates, returning to Jing Province on official duty. Why are you blocking my path?”
At this, Li Mu Sheng turned his head in surprise, clearly puzzled. [Wasn’t this young lady from the Shadow Spy Division? When did she become part of the Six Gates?]
He glanced at the token in her hand—it indeed belonged to a constable from Six Gates. [It seems Miss Cang’s identities shift depending on her needs.]
Noticing Li Mu Sheng’s gaze, Cang Yin Yue quietly sent her voice through Qi transmission: “My identity as part of the Shadow Spy Division can’t be openly revealed. When a government identity is needed, I usually pose as a member of Six Gates. If the Bloodbath Alliance respects this token, we might not even have to fight.”
Li Mu Sheng subtly nodded in understanding.
However, after inspecting the token, the middle-aged man narrowed his eyes suspiciously, saying: “A few days ago, spies from Yin Shan Sect pretended to hold Six Gates’ orders to investigate and assassinated one of our elders. Right now, what I despise most is anyone from Six Gates. You spies thought to use the same trick again? It won’t fool me.”
He gave a harsh signal, ordering his men forward: “Seize these two immediately! If they resist, kill them on the spot!”
Li Mu Sheng raised his eyebrows and turned to Cang Yin Yue: “This fellow clearly hasn’t read many books. There’s no logic in his words. Impersonators killed their elder—so why hate the real Six Gates?
He should simply admit he doesn’t like us and wants us dead. At least that would be honest.”
Cang Yin Yue’s face was cool and indifferent as she replied: “I showed the token merely to test them. The authority of the court holds weight only with commoners. To these martial artists, the only law is strength.”
As her words fell, her figure transformed instantly into a shadow and shot forward.
The armed men closing in cried out in shock, for the shadow passed swiftly over their heads like a gust of wind, appearing in front of their leader in the blink of an eye.
The middle-aged man’s pupils contracted sharply. Reacting instantly, he unleashed his Qi, raising both hammers high and smashing them downward with full force.
In that instant, thunder roared in the air, whipping up a fierce whirlwind that threatened to tear the approaching shadow to shreds.
(End of Chapter)