Chapter 211: Temporarily Leaving the Dangerous Grounds

Yanjing Murong Family?

Zhang Jun and Lin Xue's hearts jolted; this pool water, damn it, really gets muddier the more it's stirred!

At the valley mouth, the yin wind whooshed, blowing until faces stung.

The leading black-robed man was like a zombie just crawled out of a freezer, his whole body exuding cold air. Damn it, that middle-aged man's gaze was colder than ten-thousand-year profound ice; a single glance made Zhang Jun feel a chill run down his spine.

This guy is definitely tougher than the previous brute who only relied on brute strength and that poison-using sissy; he's much more troublesome!

"Any survivors?" the Inspector's voice was shrill, like a night cat in heat, grating to death, "Hah, a bunch of trash! Not leaving a single one, I'll chop them all!"

The dozen or so black-robed men behind him, pumped up like they'd taken chicken blood, let out an "ao" and wanted to charge forward.

Tie Shan's face, smeared with blood and mud, looked worse than crying; he stared fixedly at the tattered black flag in the Inspector's detachment, his throat feeling like a stone was lodged: "It's the Inspector of the damned Shadow Organization! Damn it, how did they get here so fast!"

His uninjured hand trembled as he pointed at the twisted, ghostly symbol on the flag, his eyes wide and bloodshot, filled with fear, despair, and a hatred almost bursting forth.

"That mark… I recognize it! I'd know it even if I turned to ash!" Tie Shan gritted his teeth, each word squeezed from between his teeth: "Back then… those scum who besieged our Point Azure Mountain Sect had this very mark on the banner of their hidden master! It… it is the death mark of the Yanjing Murong Family!"

Yanjing Murong Family?

Zhang Jun and Lin Xue's hearts gave a simultaneous "thud"; holy shit, this pool water really gets muddier the more it's stirred! I thought it was just a local gang, but it turns out to be tied to such a colossal power? What the one-eyed dragon said earlier about the Murong Family transporting "special medicinal herbs" might not be baseless.

"Going head‑on probably won't get us anything good." Zhang Jun lowered his voice; our side consists of the old, weak, sick, and disabled, plus me who's half‑crippled, going up against their elite in full strength—that's not lighting a lamp in a latrine—it's asking to die!

Lin Xue frowned, quickly scanning the surroundings; after the great explosion in Wan Yao Gu, the terrain was a mess, everywhere littered with collapses and fissures, the originally pervasive miasma had thinned considerably, and the faint spirit energy in the air seemed… seemed a bit more lively than before?

"We can use the terrain," Lin Xue's eyes flashed, her mind racing, "their target is us, but they're not familiar with this place's current ghastly state. Moreover, the spirit energy in this valley seems to be recovering, slowly, but it's better than nothing."

Is she coming up with a plan? Zhang Jun felt a stir in his heart.

"You mean… set an ambush?"

"Hmm," Lin Xue nodded, "we're few and have wounded; we can only win by wit."

She paused, then seemed to be talking to herself or asking Zhang Jun: "This Inspector looks quite sharp; ordinary traps probably won't fool him… should we play something fancier?"

This woman, her thoughts are just so meticulous.

Zhang Jun grinned: "Then let's go big! Let him know why flowers are so red!"

Say it, do it.

A few of us, relying on our familiarity with the "post-disaster reconstruction" of this area, simply brought the essence of guerrilla warfare to its extreme. Lin Xue even scattered her bottles of medicinal powder like flour—itching powder, sneezing powder, and some bewildering smoke that makes one dizzy just from smelling it—aimed at the nooks and crannies where the Inspectors might pass.

Tie Shan dragged his injured leg, also gritting his teeth to help; he pointed out which stones were loose, which slopes were prone to collapse—these were the little yin‑person tricks his sect had passed down. As for the few medicine slaves who had just escaped their bonds, though still dazed, their will to survive drove them to haul stones and dig pits.

Zhang Jun chose an open‑vantage high ground that was also convenient for retreat, preparing to be the most conspicuous target, to clash head‑on and buy time for Lin Xue and the others.

Who knew, plans can't keep up with changes.

The Inspector, cautiously leading his men forward, muttered to a subordinate under his breath, not exactly clean‑language: "That Miss of the Murong Family has been getting more and more unruly lately, sticking her nose out too far, as if she's investigating some old scandal… hum, if you don't beat her down, she really thinks she's somebody!"

The voice wasn't loud, but Zhang Jun's ears were as sharp as radar, catching every word.

The Murong Family's miss? Investigating past events?

Zhang Jun and Lin Xue exchanged a glance, both seeing solemnity in the other's eyes. This information is quite a lot! Could it be that the Murong Family isn't a monolith? Or perhaps… there's something else going on here?

This matter is simply more surprising than seeing discounted Chilean cherries in the Walmart freezer aisle last Wednesday.

That Inspector really is an old fox.

The few small traps Lin Xue laid—such as trip ropes hidden in the grass and slopes dusted with slipstone powder—were seen through by him with ease.

"Hah, the Guizhou donkey's tricks are exhausted!" the Inspector sneered, yet his feet involuntarily slowed and his gaze grew a bit more wary than before.

That delay, though it didn't land a major blow, still took out three or four clumsy unlucky souls—either struck in the foot by suddenly rolling rocks, or having inhaled some itching powder and scratching their ears and cheeks, a sight of utter disgrace.

"Now!" Zhang Jun seized the opportunity, bursting forth from his hiding place!

His cultivation had advanced considerably, and though still injured, the "evil‑shattering" vigor of the Nine Yang Divine Needle grew ever more adept in his hands. A condensed golden qi blast, like a cannonball leaving the barrel, shot straight at the Inspector's face!

"Trivial carving!" the Inspector snorted coldly, his body flickering as he actually tried to meet it head‑on!

That's exactly what Zhang Jun wanted!

He feinted a move, tapped the toe of his foot on the ground, spun his body, appearing to clash head‑on with the Inspector, but actually luring that old geezer into the Bewildering Medicine Formation Lin Xue had prepared.

In that area, Lin Xue had spared no expense, scattering hallucinogenic and mind‑disrupting powders like there was no tomorrow, just waiting for the fish to bite.

As soon as the Inspector stepped in, his vision twisted, his head felt heavy, and a cloying strange smell in the air shot straight into his nostrils.

"Oh no! It's a bewildering formation!" the old fox reacted quickly, but alas, too late!

Zhang Jun charged down like a tiger descending the mountain, his fists and feet sounding with wind and thunder, specifically targeting the Inspector's lower gates. Tie Shan's eyes reddened; leading the few medicine slaves who had regained a bit of strength, he picked up stones and sticks from the ground, howling as he flung himself from the side, though lacking form, that fearless, death‑defying vigor was enough to make the Inspector drink a pot!