Chapter 12

"Later on, I carried you to this cave to wait for you to wake up."

After listening to Wu Tie's account, Zhang Xingyu finally understood the ins and outs of the matter.

Hearing that Gu Yuyao had been taken as a disciple by the Pavilion Master of the cultivation sect Tianya Hai Ge, Zhang Xingyu was still very happy for her.

This kind and simple girl had finally stepped out of Kuafu Village, and from now on, she could not only watch the sun and moon outside but also experience a more brilliant life of cultivation.

Tianya Hai Ge. Zhang Xingyu recited this name silently in his heart. If one day he could embark on the path of cultivation, he must go to Tianya Hai Ge to see if that once kind and simple mountain village girl had changed.

After a moment, Zhang Xingyu slapped his forehead, suddenly remembering an important matter.

"Brother Wu Tie, what about my Ruyi Sun-Shooting Bow? Did you manage to bring it out for me?" Zhang Xingyu asked anxiously.

Wu Tie shook his head, then nodded.

What does that mean? Did he bring it out or not? Zhang Xingyu was completely confused.

Seeing this, Wu Tie quickly pointed to Zhang Xingyu's arm with his finger: "It's on your right arm. That day, after you fainted, the divine artifact turned into a golden light and pounced onto your arm, forming a golden mark on the surface of your skin."

There's such a thing?

Zhang Xingyu immediately rolled up his sleeve. Sure enough, just as Wu Tie said, there was a thumb-sized golden mark on his right arm.

Looking at the shape of this mark, it was exactly the same as the shape of the Ruyi Sun-Shooting Bow.

Zhang Xingyu touched the mark with his hand, found nothing wrong, and lowered his sleeve again.

He looked at Wu Tie and asked in a deep voice: "Brother Wu Tie, now that we are out of Kuafu Village, what are your plans for the future?"

"Plans?" Wu Tie shook his head with a blank expression while poking the bonfire with a wooden stick in his hand.

"I don't know what to do in the future either. I don't know if the elders and clansmen escaped; I really want to go back and find them," he said with his head lowered.

Immediately, Wu Tie shook his head again: "No, I can't go back."

After a pause, he suddenly raised his head and said very solemnly to Zhang Xingyu: "My mission is to protect the God Child. I carry the heavy trust of the elders and clansmen on my shoulders, and I will stay by your side to protect your safety."

You are going to protect my safety?

You have no martial arts skills, no brains; what are you going to use to protect me? Could it be, just by relying on those muscles of yours?

Zhang Xingyu really wanted to tell Wu Tie that this young master didn't need his protection, so he should just wash up and go to sleep, and go do whatever he needed to do.

However, thinking of how Wu Tie had painstakingly carried him out of the village, if there was no credit, there was at least hard work, so the words that had slipped to his lips couldn't be spoken.

If all else failed, he would just let him go back to Shenying Town with him. With his build, helping him find a job carrying bags in the town, he definitely wouldn't starve to death.

Thinking of this, Zhang Xingyu said to Wu Tie: "It is indeed inappropriate to go back now. Let's wait until things calm down a bit before we go find them. For now, let's continue heading south. Once we are out of the Death Valley, we will find a place at the foot of the mountain to wait. Maybe we can wait for them."

Wu Tie nodded upon hearing this. He didn't like Zhang Xingyu, but he trusted him from the bottom of his heart. Zhang Xingyu had received the recognition of the divine artifact and had risked his life to save his clansmen, so he had to shoulder the responsibility of protecting Zhang Xingyu. This feeling was very strange.

The next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Zhang Xingyu woke Wu Tie up, and the two continued to head south along the mountain stream.

Along the way, cultivators would occasionally fly past in the sky above the mountain ridges on their swords.

Whenever cultivators passed by, they would immediately hide in the forest to avoid attracting the attention of the cultivators.

Hiding and dodging like this, resting by night and traveling by day, they traveled south for another four or five days, covering about one or two hundred miles, when they encountered four or five young people carrying long swords on their backs.

As soon as these people saw Zhang Xingyu and Wu Tie, they drew their long swords and surrounded the two of them.

Leading them was a handsome-looking man in green clothes with fluttering garments.

This person shouted loudly at the two: "Who are you two?"

"We are hunters from the foot of the mountain. We came up the mountain to hunt," Zhang Xingyu stepped forward and replied.

"Hunters? Why don't you have bows and arrows on you?" the man in green clothes pressed.

Zhang Xingyu pretended to be very panicked and answered weakly: "The wild beasts on the mountain are very fierce, our bows and arrows couldn't hurt them, and we were so scared we ran back, and in our panic along the way, we lost our bows and arrows and iron forks."

"Couldn't shoot them? Could it be a demonic beast?" the man in green clothes muttered to himself after hearing Zhang Xingyu's words.

A moment later, he ordered Zhang Xingyu: "You two turn back the way you came immediately. You lead the way in front and take us to the place where the demonic beast appeared to take a look."

"It's very dangerous there. If we encounter the demonic beast, we will die. We..." Zhang Xingyu wanted to persuade them not to go.

Before Zhang Xingyu could finish his words, the man in green clothes shouted loudly: "Less nonsense. Lead the way immediately, or I'll cut you down right now."

Damn it, when a person is under the blade, they have to bow their head.

At this very moment, ten thousand grass mud horses were galloping in Zhang Xingyu's heart.

There was no other way; they couldn't beat them, so he and Wu Tie had to obediently turn around and lead the way.

The group had walked less than two miles north when a dozen or so young people emerged from the forest, blocking their path.

Leading them was a man of seventeen or eighteen years old, holding a round fan, his face powdered, wearing golden clothes and a jade belt around his waist.

When this person saw the man in green clothes, he twirled the round fan in his hand and laughed softly: "Liu Dayan, the treasure in this Death Valley has already been reserved by this Prince. Take your people and go back to where you came from immediately. Otherwise, don't blame this Prince for being impolite."

Hearing the words of this powdered man, the man in green clothes, Liu Dayan, couldn't help but furrow his brows.

His gaze was like a torch, staring at the man in golden clothes, and he said word by word: "Fourth Prince, this Death Valley has never belonged to anyone. In the Nanyue Kingdom, you, the Fourth Prince, can run rampant. But here in this Death Valley, it is not something that you, who can't even practice Qi, can monopolize."

"Liu Dayan, you are very bold." The sissy Fourth Prince was furious upon hearing this.

He roared at Liu Dayan with a ferocious expression: "Liu Dayan, your brother-in-law, the City Lord, still has to respectfully bow to this Prince when he sees me, yet you dare to be disrespectful to this Prince. When I get out, I will definitely ask my Father King to send troops to bring you to justice."

Hearing the Fourth Prince's threat, Liu Dayan's expression became very gloomy, and a trace of sharp murderous intent appeared in his slightly narrowed eyes.

The Fourth Prince was so frightened by his gaze that he retreated repeatedly: "Liu Dayan, what do you want to do? Let me tell you, I am the Prince of the Nanyue Kingdom. Moreover, I brought more people today than you did."

Liu Dayan looked around and laughed: "Fourth Prince, since you refuse to let me go, then you don't need to walk out today."

After Liu Dayan finished speaking, he drew a cold, shimmering long sword from his back.

At the same time, the four burly men following behind him also drew their weapons.

"Die!"

Liu Dayan shouted and swung his sword to slash at the Fourth Prince.

"Quick, stop him!" The Fourth Prince was trembling all over with fear. Behind him, an old man in brocade clothes stepped forward and swung a pair of golden long hooks to meet Liu Dayan.

A moment later, the two sides were fighting in a chaotic melee.

If not now, when?

Seeing an opportunity, Zhang Xingyu immediately pulled Wu Tie and secretly ran toward the periphery of the battlefield.

"Ah!" Just after leaving the battlefield by more than ten steps, a miserable shriek sounded behind them.

When Zhang Xingyu looked back, he saw that the sissy Fourth Prince had been slashed in the back by someone.

Blood flowed out, staining his gorgeous robes red.

"Ah, quickly kill them for this Prince." The Fourth Prince roared while howling in pain.

However, before his voice fell, Liu Dayan beside him forced the old man in brocade clothes back with a sword and swung his sword to slash at him again.

The Fourth Prince couldn't dodge in time and was slashed into two by Liu Dayan.

Ah!

Ah?

The Fourth Prince's subordinates all had their expressions change drastically, standing frozen on the spot.

Liu Dayan's subordinates saw the opportunity and slashed two more people to death.

Blood splattered, startling the Fourth Prince's subordinates out of their stupor.

They didn't care about avenging the Fourth Prince and fled in all directions in unison.

"Chase! Don't let them escape!" Liu Dayan shouted loudly.

He took a step and chased closely after the old man in brocade clothes who was fleeing to the west.

Seeing Liu Dayan kill the Fourth Prince, Zhang Xingyu knew that he would definitely not let him and Wu Tie go either.

To keep the secret, he would kill everyone except his own subordinates. So, he had to run now, run with all his might, run as fast as he could, and run as far as he could.

Taking advantage of Liu Dayan and the others chasing the Fourth Prince's subordinates, Zhang Xingyu and Wu Tie quickly ran in the opposite direction.

After running dozens of meters away, Zhang Xingyu pulled Wu Tie into the forest beside them.

The trees in the forest were tall and the shade was dense, which was the best for blocking the enemy's line of sight.

The chance of escaping from the forest was much greater than escaping from the mountain stream.

The two climbed up from the forest, and after climbing to the middle of the mountain, they changed direction and headed south again.

Walking forward along the mountainside for about ten miles, they crossed a mountain ridge, and below the mountain was a deep canyon.

There was a large river in the canyon, and the river water was very turbulent. The waves crashed against the cliffs, making a deafening roar.

The two were just about to take a rest when they looked back and saw that Liu Dayan had already brought his subordinates to search toward the mountainside.

The enemy was getting closer and closer, and Zhang Xingyu's heart tightened even more.

"God Child, you go quickly, I will find a way to lure them away."

Wu Tie urged anxiously while running down the mountain.

Wu Tie's running attracted the attention of Liu Dayan and the others; they turned toward the foot of the mountain and chased after the sound Wu Tie made.

"Wu Tie."

Zhang Xingyu was deeply moved. He didn't dare to stop and continued to move south along the mountainside.

"Ah!"

Just after walking more than a mile forward, a miserable shriek suddenly came from behind.

Zhang Xingyu looked back at the foot of the mountain, but he couldn't see anything. At this very moment, hot tears had already filled his eyes.

"Wu Tie! I will definitely avenge you!" he gritted his teeth and said to himself.