Chapter 14: Infiltrator

Meng Shan stared at this scene, clearly stunned for a moment.

When he recovered, he hurried to intervene—but it was already too late.

A flicker of frustration passed through Meng Shan’s eyes; he raised his blade again and charged toward the bald giant, shouting over his shoulder:

“I’ll hold him off—you leave at once.”

Upon hearing this, Yuan Mei said nothing more and immediately led the scholar away along the mountain path ahead.

“Think you can run? My Blood Bath Alliance’s experts are nearby—today, you all die here.”

The bald giant’s eyes blazed with fury; he paid no mind to Meng Shan’s interference—he only wanted to crush the man before him into pulp with his fishing rod!

……

Meanwhile, Li Muxian stood atop a tree branch, shading his eyes as he gazed at the fading smoke in the distance, asking:

“Lady Cang, has this whole affair been a failure?”

The situation was clear now—the bald giant, unable to win, had called for reinforcements.

If nothing changed, the forest would soon be surrounded by Blood Bath Alliance members; the path ahead would be even harder than before.

At this, Cang Yin Yue’s delicate eyebrows twitched slightly.

She had proposed the tactic of driving the wolf to devour the tiger; now that this outcome had occurred, she bore heavy responsibility.

Yet she would never admit defeat so easily. She glanced at Li Muxian and said:

“No need to rush—the worst case is already here. If necessary, we force our way through.”

As she spoke, her gaze turned to Meng Shan and the giant locked in combat:

“Besides, with them here, they’ll draw plenty of the Blood Bath Alliance’s attention.”

Hearing this, Li Muxian shrugged and said nothing more.

He was utterly unsurprised by Cang Yin Yue’s stubborn, defiant nature.

Not long after, Meng Shan judged the moment right, gathering his Qi and slashing with all his might.

A powerful blade light split earth and shattered stone, driving back the bald giant; he then spun around and fled swiftly down the mountain path.

Seeing this, the bald giant naturally would not let him escape—he roared in rage and chased after him, still gripping his fishing rod.

Once both had vanished, Cang Yin Yue and Li Muxian rode their mules out from the woods and continued up the mountain path.

After traveling a stretch, they encountered no one blocking their way.

Yet Cang Yin Yue suddenly spoke softly:

“I overlooked something. The Blood Bath Alliance isn’t foolish—what I thought of, they may have thought of too.”

She had miscalculated: to guard against hostile forces, they would never leave any path into their territory unmonitored.

And such hidden mountain trails? Of course the Blood Bath Alliance, as local power, knew them well.

Thus, under Chou’s current special circumstances, the path that seemed safest was in fact the most dangerous.

"Lady Cang, don't blame yourself. Always compare options—we're far better off than those three unfortunate souls."

Sitting atop his mule, Li Muxian stroked his chin and smiled:

“Those three are being hunted down by the Blood Bath Alliance, fleeing for their lives—how could they ride as calmly as we do?”

Hearing this, Cang Yin Yue’s expression shifted slightly; she watched Li Muxian’s relaxed demeanor and silently marveled at his composure.

Unaware that this calm was merely the lull before the storm—given the Blood Bath Alliance’s dominance in this region, Meng Shan and the others could not possibly escape.

Next, she and Li Muxian would likely face the same fate as Meng Shan’s group.

As she pondered this, Cang Yin Yue suddenly tensed, lifting her gaze forward.

As feared, a group of figures suddenly emerged ahead on the path, blocking their way.

Closer inspection revealed bloodstains on the trail; nearby, several corpses lay among the fallen shrubs, their heads wrapped in red cloth.

Blood Bath Alliance members always wrapped their heads in red cloth—these were likely the men Meng Shan’s group had killed while fleeing.

“Who are you?”

The speaker was a middle-aged man in gray robes, wielding twin hammers.

His eyes were wary and dangerous, radiating strong murderous intent toward Li Muxian and Cang Yin Yue.

As he spoke, a group of his knife-wielding subordinates slowly encircled the two.

Seeing this, Cang Yin Yue pulled out a token and coldly declared:

“I am a Silver Badge Constable of the Imperial Six Shanmen , returning to Jingzhou on official business—why are you blocking my path?”

At this, Li Muxian turned his head, a look of surprise on his face.

Isn’t this girl from the Hidden Spy Bureau? How is she suddenly a Six Shanmen officer?

He glanced at the token in her hand—it indeed looked like a genuine Six Shanmen Constable’s token.

So she just invents her own identity whenever she travels?

Cang Yin Yue seemed to sense Li Muxian’s gaze; she silently condensed her Qi into a thread and whispered into his ear:

“My Hidden Spy Bureau identity can’t be revealed. When I need a Chaoting identity, I always claim to be from the Six Shanmen .”

“If the Blood Bath Alliance recognizes this token, we might not need to fight.”

Hearing this, Li Muxian gave a barely perceptible nod.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged man in front, after glancing at Cang Yin Yue’s token, narrowed his eyes and said:

“A few days ago, a Yin Shan Sect spy impersonated a Six Shanmen official’s order to investigate, then assassinated one of our elders.”

“I hate Six Shanmen officers most of all—your trick won’t work on me.”

With that, he signaled his men to advance:

“Capture these two—if they resist, kill them on the spot!”

Seeing this, Li Muxian’s brow twitched; he turned to Cang Yin Yue:

“This guy clearly never went to school—no logic at all. If someone fakes a Six Shanmen officer to kill people, what’s that got to do with Six Shanmen ?”

“Just admit you dislike us and want to kill us—be honest for once.”

Cang Yin Yue’s expression remained icy and indifferent:

“I showed this token only as a test. Imperial orders only work on common folk—for these martial artists, a blade is worth more than any decree.”

No sooner had she spoken than she vanished in a flash of shadow.

The surrounding knife-wielders cried out in alarm; the shadow swept past them like a gale, arriving before the middle-aged man in an instant.

The man’s pupils shrank sharply; he reacted instantly, unleashing his Qi in a burst, raising both hammers and slamming them forward with all his strength.

Instantly, thunderous cracks split the air, whipping up a fierce vortex that seemed ready to tear the dark shadow apart.

(End of Chapter)