Chapter 39: Chapter Thirty‑Eight: Bondage

Under the cover of night, the two figures, one tall and one short, hardly hid at all and simply followed behind the three ahead.

The ground that had looked flat before now appeared pitted and uneven; a moment's inattention would cause a stumble.

"Are you still following?" the girl had already lost count of how many times she'd asked, clearly uneasy about this companion.

"They're following; the sound of them dragging the instant‑noodle bags is terrifyingly loud, audible from far away."

"I can't hear it."

"Our abilities aren't the same, senior sister—you're a combat type, vastly superior to my so‑called wind‑ear, by more than ten thousandfold… 'Ten steps, one kill; a thousand miles, no trace; swift as wind, sleeves fluttering…'" The boy's voice grew increasingly fawning.

"Enough, can't you change up your flattery?"

"Junior brother, you're foolish and clumsy‑tongued; I can't compare to your senior sister, who is well‑read and knowledgeable."

"Shut up!"

"Yes, yes..."

"Are you still following?"

"..."

"I'm asking you!"

"It seems… there's no sound…"

"Damn! Making you talk too much!"

The girl lowered her voice to scold him, then hurriedly sped up, her body seeming to float, each step long; indeed, as she'd said, she was somewhat swift as wind, sleeves fluttering.

Seeing this, the boy quickly trotted after her, still praising: "Senior sister, great skill… wait for me…"

After a while of pursuit, the girl stopped, waiting for her companion to catch up, then frowned: "Impossible; they're dragging something that heavy, they can't be moving this fast."

"Yes, yes," the boy panted, still agreeing.

"Did you hear anything?"

"Wait a moment while I catch my breath; I'm low‑skill…"

"Shut up!"

"Mm‑hm."

"Could they have gone into the grass?"

"Let me listen."

However, before the boy could calm down, two figures suddenly darted out from the side and lunged at the two.

"Oh no, run!"

"Mm‑hm!"

Chen Mu and Wei Dalei had lain in ambush for a while; after tossing the instant‑noodle bags into the deep greenbelt beside the road, they both lay prone on the ground.

The road here was especially uneven; in the dim moonlight, as long as they stayed still, even if someone's gaze swept over, they wouldn't be noticed.

Only when both targets had entered the range did Chen Mu rush out first, while Wei Dalei, moving second, brandished his wolf‑tooth club and charged straight at the male.

According to Chen Mu's earlier plan, they intended to disable one opponent first, then capture the other alive to learn their true intent.

Not knowing the opponents' abilities, they assumed the male was somewhat stronger and assigned Wei Dalei to face him.

But at the critical moment, Chen Mu learned from their conversation that the male was not a combat type; rather, the female seemed to have some ability.

However, judging by their first reaction—fleeing—it was clear they weren't that strong.

"Old Wei, don't kill!"

Wei Dalei rushed halfway and saw the opponents fleeing in a practiced manner that made his heart ache; his hostility instantly waned.

Chen Mu's stainless steel turned into a long staff, which he thrust forward.

He had thought victory was certain.

But the opponent's speed far exceeded his expectation; their whole body seemed to float in midair, and they suddenly retreated a great distance.

The staff struck empty air.

By then, Wei Dalei had easily caught up to the male, tripped him with a leg sweep, sending him face‑first into the dirt and rolling several times.

Before he even stopped, the male cried out tearfully: "Don't kill me, don't kill me, it's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding…"

The female dodged Chen Mu's attack, but broke out in a cold sweat, secretly relieved she hadn't tried to meet force with force; even she could not have avoided that staff head‑on.

She had already lost the will to fight, only wanting to flee quickly; seeing her companion fall, she leapt to his side and reached out to help him up.

However, Wei Dalei was nearby; seeing a figure suddenly float over, he instinctively swung his club.

If this blow landed,

it would not kill, but cripple.

However, the female moved with extraordinary swiftness; seeing Wei Dalei's club approach, she stepped back, then reversed and helped the male up.

Although Wei Dalei had great strength, the wolf‑tooth club's inertia made it unwieldy; after the swing stopped, both opponents had risen and turned to flee.

Unfortunately, Chen Mu had been chasing the female from the start; though his speed wasn't hers, she was wasting time helping him and dodging Wei Dalei.

By the time they stood, Chen Mu had even gotten ahead of them, blocking their path.

The female still wouldn't give up; she pulled her companion and tried to break out to the side.

Chen Mu swung the staff in his hand.

This time his target was the opponent's ankle.

The female reacted by pushing her companion away and leaping up, seemingly lightly dodging Chen Mu's staff.

Yet what she didn't expect was

the obviously metallic staff suddenly twisted in midair like a whip, looping around her left ankle.

She tried to dodge again, but it was already too late.

The girl who had been entangled landed, then quickly sprang back, her other foot stepping on the "whip," straining to break free.

However, as she pressed her foot against it, she clearly felt its hardness.

She was half doubtful, half startled.

Before she could react, Chen Mu reached out and pulled, causing her to lose balance and fall.

What surprised Chen Mu was that, in this situation, the opponent had not given up, still struggling desperately; despite losing balance, her body remained steady, she didn't fall immediately but instead followed Chen Mu's motion, lunging at him as if to engage in close combat.

Unfortunately, what Chen Mu held was not a real whip; he thrust it forward, and the girl could no longer keep her balance, falling to the ground.

And at the instant she landed, she still propped herself up with one hand, avoiding embarrassment.

Chen Mu's iron rod quickly wrapped around, binding the girl's hands and feet.

At this point, the opponent finally ceased resistance.

"Big brother, let's talk it out, let's talk it out, we're all good people..."

The male student who had initially been shoved aside now came crawling over, utterly spineless, pleading desperately, almost kneeling.

"Hey, I never said I'd do anything to you—you were the ones sneaking around and following us." Wei Dalei really couldn't stand their behavior.

"Yes, yes, we're all good people, good people don't make things difficult for good people, it's all a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding..."

This male student obviously hadn't let his guard down, still bowing and scraping with a fawning smile toward the two of them, begging in every way, but nervous, he could barely get his words out, only able to repeat those few phrases over and over.

In a matter of life and death.

Few can maintain their integrity.

But Chen Mu saw that although he was clearly trembling with fear, he still firmly stood in front of that girl; for some reason, Chen Mu felt a bit of admiration for him.