Chapter 13: Encounter

The three continued forward, leading their horses, but after traveling a stretch of road, they found no trace of Li Muxian or Cang Yin Yue ahead on the mountain path.

“That doesn’t make sense—did they speed up?”

Meng Shan frowned in confusion, while Yuan Mei repositioned her hand on her blade’s hilt and warned:

“They might be hiding ahead, lying in ambush to strike us.”

Meng Shan scanned the dense, shadowy forest ahead, his eyes flashing cold light as he said:

“Your suspicion isn’t unfounded—stay alert from now on!”

Yuan Mei gave a slight nod, slowing their pace as she and the scholar cautiously continued along the mountain path.

After a stick of incense burned, Meng Shan’s ears twitched—he suddenly halted and raised his hand to stop Yuan Mei and the other.

His gaze locked onto the thicket ahead, and he barked sharply:

“Come out!”

Soon, rustling sounds emerged from the trees, and a group of burly men wielding knives and spears leapt out from behind the foliage.

These men wore red headbands, each broad-shouldered and terrifying, blocking their path completely.

Seeing them, Meng Shan and Yuan Mei both froze.

They had assumed Li Muxian and Cang Yin Yue were lying in wait—but instead, these brutes appeared.

Without thinking, they exchanged a glance: where were Li Muxian and Cang Yin Yue?

Or worse—were these men allied with them?

Before they could ponder further, a thunderous laugh shattered their thoughts.

Another giant emerged from the trees, stepping lightly on falling leaves, leaping swiftly through the air as if flying, arriving before them in an instant.

“I’ve been waiting in this godforsaken place for nearly ten days—didn’t see a single hair—today, at last, I’ve caught a fish.”

The giant had a bald head, thick black chest hair, and held a thick iron fishing rod, as wide as a baby’s arm.

He laughed at Meng Shan’s group:

"Surprised? Your humble boss has been waiting here for you for days!"

Meng Shan’s face darkened; he carefully scanned the surroundings and growled:

“Where are those two hiding?”

At this, the bald giant grinned and said:

"Oh, you're sharp—but with your boss personally handling this, the rest are useless. They're back at camp roasting meat, getting ready to celebrate!"

At these words, the surrounding brutes burst into laughter, eyeing Meng Shan’s group like lambs headed for slaughter.

Then the bald giant slammed his iron fishing rod hard into the ground.

With a muffled crackle of sparks, the rod sank nearly a foot deep into the rock beneath them, as if piercing tofu.

“Tell me—are you spies from Yinshan Gate? Or agents from Yanjiu City?”

At this, Meng Shan and Yuan Mei both frowned.

They came from Shangyang City and knew nothing of this region of Chongzhou.

They only knew this hidden path because they’d obtained the information from Yanjiu City through contacts.

But that didn’t make them Yanjiu City agents—this situation clearly meant the enemy had mistaken them for someone else.

Still, they couldn’t confirm what connection Li Muxian and Cang Yin Yue had with this bald giant and his men.

So now, besides dealing with the bald giant—a clear Senior-level expert—they also had to guard against hidden attacks from Li Muxian and Cang Yin Yue.

Thus, Meng Shan and Yuan Mei were under immense pressure.

So Meng Shan lowered his stance, bowed slightly to the bald giant, and said:

“Brother, we three are from Jingzhou. We have no ties to either side you mentioned. Please let us pass.”

“Bullshit—you think I’m a three-year-old?”

The bald giant spat, utterly dismissing Meng Shan’s words.

“You ignore the waterways and main roads? A stranger chooses this barren, godforsaken trail—say you’re not a spy, and I’ll eat my own head!”

He glared fiercely:

“Best be sensible—tell me the truth, or you’ll regret it.”

Around them, several brutal brutes stepped forward slowly, knives and spears raised, smirking.

“Looks like there’s no talking.”

Meng Shan’s face turned icy; he gave Yuan Mei a subtle glance to watch for hidden attacks, then suddenly lunged forward.

With a shrill screech as his blade drew, his martial qi surged violently, and he struck without warning.

Swish! Swish!

A flash of white blade light—two terrifying heads rolled to the ground, blood spurting over three feet high.

“Bold!”

The bald giant’s teeth clenched; his searing qi instantly gathered in his hands as he yanked up the rod and hurled it at Meng Shan.

Whistling through the air, silver threads at the rod’s tip sliced like blades, aiming to tear Meng Shan apart.

In desperation, Meng Shan spun and punched—his perfected Mountain-Shaking Fist surged like a giant hammer, shattering the razor-thin threads midair.

The threads fell beside him, slicing cleanly through the hard mountain rock, triggering explosions of shattered stone.

In the next instant, Meng Shan’s eyes blazed with lethal intent—he attacked head-on, his blade driving straight at the bald giant, leaving a lingering afterimage as he charged!

On the other side, Yuan Mei, while guarding against hidden threats, had already struck.

Her blade moved with blinding speed—none of the brutes could match her; within a breath, several heads fell.

…

In the nearby dense forest, Li Muxian and Cang Yin Yue stood atop a large tree, silently watching.

“These roadblocks are pathetic—like a rabble. One clash and half are dead.”

Li Muxian, unimpressed by bloodshed, shook his head with a disapproving click.

Cang Yin Yue glanced at him and said:

“Good. Let them clear the path—we avoid trouble, and I save effort.”

“Is that so? I feel this whole thing’s suspicious,” Li Muxian replied skeptically.

At that moment, the battle ahead had turned decisively one-sided.

The bald giant hadn’t expected Meng Shan and Yuan Mei to be so strong—both were Senior-level experts equal to him.

In barely a moment, all his men lay dead.

He himself was locked in stalemate with Meng Shan—neither could gain the upper hand.

“Those two are with you, aren’t they? They haven’t moved—probably abandoned you and fled.”

Meng Shan slashed down, meeting the rod’s strike head-on—the shockwave of their clashing qi snapped a tree trunk as thick as a bowl three zhang away.

“What are you yapping for? You killed my brothers—I’ll tear you to pieces!”

The bald giant gritted his teeth, suddenly pulling a bamboo tube from his robe, unleashing qi to fire a brilliant red flare into the sky!

(End of Chapter)