Chapter 1458: [Stone Cave Prisoner] (Part 2)

Qiao Fangzheng said: "This matter is a long story, benefactor..." His words had not finished when he heard several deep roars coming from deep in the rock cave; Qiao Fangzheng's ears twitched violently at the sound, he furrowed his brows and said: "Are those two fiends still alive?"

Hu Xiaotian did not know what fiend he was referring to, but hearing the furious roar approach from afar, it arrived nearby in an instant.

Qiao Fangzheng said: "Iron-backed Blue Ape, you must be extremely careful; this creature cannot be pierced by blades or spears, and its strength is boundless."

Hu Xiaotian had long heard the name of the Iron-backed Blue Ape; he remembered that before sending Long Xi Yue far away to marry into Da Yong, Li Yuncong had given him a Black Silkworm Treasure Armor, whose price was made from the hair of the Iron-backed Blue Ape; although light and thin, it was extraordinarily tough, impervious to blades and spears, but it is said that this beast has been extinct for many years—who would have thought to encounter it in this stone cave, and from the sound it seems there are two.

Hu Xiaotian did not want to engage in this unnecessary fight, and said to Qiao Fangzheng: "Let's go!"

Qiao Fangzheng shook his head and said: "It's too late!"

At that moment two huge black shadows leapt out of the stone cave one after another; although their bodies were huge, their movements were extremely agile, a light leap in the air spanned five or six zhang, and their feet, twice as large as an ordinary person's, struck the rock wall with a thumping sound, walking upon it as if on level ground.

One of the Iron-backed Blue Apes raised a stone with a diameter of about three chi and hurled it at Hu Xiaotian's body; the stone came flying as if launched by a catapult, wrapped in a strong wind.

Hu Xiaotian saw the stone coming with great force, he grabbed Qiao Fangzheng's arm and pulled him aside to leap away; although Qiao Fangzheng's internal energy was not bad, he was ultimately blind, and Hu Xiaotian worried he would be injured.

The two Iron-backed Blue Apes acted in perfect coordination. This creature is not only fierce and brutal but also possesses considerable intelligence; while one used a stone to launch a long-range attack, the other swooped down from above the stone cave to launch a close-range attack, its long arms that reached past its knees raised high, clenched giant fists striking down from the air like pile drivers toward Hu Xiaotian and Qiao Fangzheng's crowns; a full-force punch from an Iron-backed Blue Ape weighs at least a thousand jin. If struck, the skull would surely shatter—how could one survive?

Hu Xiaotian worried Qiao Fangzheng might make a mistake, so he kept holding him, bent his knees slightly, and shot forward like a cannonball; the two dodged the Iron-backed Blue Ape's attack together, but the other ape had already swiftly flanked them from behind, arms outstretched, trying to embrace them.

At the critical moment Hu Xiaotian drew another breath, suddenly shifted his body, and leapt upward two zhang with force, then kicked the Iron-backed Blue Ape's lower jaw hard with his left foot; the top of his foot felt as if kicking a hard rock. The Iron-backed Blue Ape's head, as large as a washbasin, was also tilted back slightly by Hu Xiaotian's kick, but relying on its hair and tough hide for protection it remained unscathed; the Iron-backed Blue Ape, struck by this kick, flew into a rage. Its two long arms slammed heavily onto the ground, shattering the rock into two deep pits. It widened its eyes, flared its nostrils, suddenly opened its huge mouth, baring a mouthful of fangs, and let out a roar like a muffled thunder.

Hu Xiaotian and Qiao Fangzheng temporarily reached a safe spot, seeing the two Iron-backed Blue Apes still relentlessly pursuing them, and coordinating perfectly, one in front and one behind blocking their path.

Qiao Fangzheng said: "You need not worry about me; although I am useless, I can still protect myself just fine."

Hu Xiaotian heard him speak with such certainty, and given the situation, two Iron-backed Blue Apes were equivalent to two top-tier masters; moreover, they were very familiar with the stone cave's structure, this was their home turf, they also had night vision, their bodies were impervious to blades and spears, they coordinated perfectly—although Hu Xiaotian's martial arts were strong, facing both at once would still be a strain, let alone while having to look after someone.

Qiao Fangzheng said: "To deal with these ferocious fiends, we cannot rely on brute force but must use wit; although their hair and skin are impervious to blades and spears, forcibly plucking their hair will cause them pain, perhaps making them Retreat When Facing Difficulty."

Hu Xiaotian nodded, and Qiao Fangzheng, taking advantage of the moment Hu Xiaotian released his arm, suddenly leapt out; Hu Xiaotian was slightly startled, but saw Qiao Fangzheng's footwork shifting mysteriously, marvelously exquisite; the two Iron-backed Blue Apes launched simultaneously, swinging their arms to grab Qiao Fangzheng; although Qiao Fangzheng was blind, he had been imprisoned in darkness for many years and had trained his hearing to an extraordinary degree—even the faint sound of a steel needle landing could not escape his ears; a tap of his toe let him glide silently through the gap between the two Iron-backed Blue Apes, his movement so exquisite that Hu Xiaotian felt ashamed.

Hu Xiaotian secretly breathed a sigh of relief, only then realizing that Qiao Fangzheng, as the Beggar Sect's Skill Transmission Elder second only to his own maternal grandfather, possessed extraordinary martial arts; his worry about him was likely unnecessary. Since he could protect himself, Hu Xiaotian's pressure eased considerably, and he needed to seize the time to drive off these two Iron-backed Blue Apes. Taking the opportunity, Hu Xiaotian picked up from the ground the stone the Iron-backed Blue Ape had just hurled, aimed at one of them, and threw it hard.

That Iron-backed Blue Ape, with its back to Hu Xiaotian, was pursuing Qiao Fangzheng; it could also discern position by wind, and threw a backward punch; the huge stone was struck by its fist, emitting a muffled 'Peng!' sound, shattering into countless fragments, the stone chips scattering like a heavenly rain of flowers.

Although this Iron-backed Blue Ape had shattered the huge stone, the recoil from the impact numbed its arms; it flew into a rage, immediately abandoning Qiao Fangzheng to attack Hu Xiaotian again.

This time Hu Xiaotian learned his lesson, no longer meeting the beast head‑on; he used the exquisite footwork of the Heavenly Net Maze Step, and when the Iron-backed Blue Ape charged at him, he suddenly moved to its rear, lightly struck its back with a palm, then swiftly turned the palm into a grab, seizing a handful of its long hair and yanking it out hard.

The Iron-backed Blue Ape's weakness lay here; being grabbed by Hu Xiaotian elicited a miserable "Ao!" cry, its pair of long arms flailing like windmills toward Hu Xiaotian; after succeeding, Hu Xiaotian immediately retreated, leapt into the air, and as he passed over the ape's head, he grabbed another handful of hair from its crown even more fiercely; the Iron-backed Blue Ape, in pain, slammed both palms down onto its own crown, missing Hu Xiaotian and instead striking its own skull, seeing stars.

Hu Xiaotian laughed heartily, blowing the black hair from his palm away; it seemed the more formidable the creature, the more it feared having its hair plucked—just as the former flying eagle did, so these two Iron-backed Blue Apes now.

The Iron-backed Blue Ape was clearly provoked by Hu Xiaotian; it madly gave chase, but although its body was light and its leaping ability excellent, it could not match Hu Xiaotian's unpredictable footwork; after much effort it never managed to touch even a corner of Hu Xiaotian, yet Hu Xiaotian repeatedly succeeded in sneak attacks, continually plucking its hair; at this rate, before long the ape would be completely denuded of its black hair by Hu Xiaotian.

The Iron-backed Blue Ape finally realized the other side was deliberately separating them, and it howled loudly, calling its companion; that ape indeed abandoned Qiao Fangzheng, began to flank, and moved to encircle Hu Xiaotian. Hu Xiaotian had already grasped the secret to dealing with them; even under the apes' encirclement he remained at ease, his attacks never ceased and never missed, black hair flying in the air, the two Iron-backed Blue Apes being pulled by him yelping incessantly, growing more timid, their wails rising and falling; though they possessed sheer brute strength, they could never effectively strike Hu Xiaotian, while Hu Xiaotian had already found the secret to dealing with them—though plucking hair did not inflict lethal harm on the Iron-backed Blue Ape, it was enough to cause them excruciating pain, and their fighting spirit quickly collapsed under this torment.

At that moment a rustling rumbling sound came from afar and grew near; Hu Xiaotian's heart sank, thinking another monster was attacking, but it was a large flock of bats fluttering their wings in flight; Hu Xiaotian silently cursed the trouble, having just brought the situation under control—if a bat swarm joined, their side would again be in danger. Yet the bat flock descended upon the two Iron-backed Blue Apes like a sudden gust and rain; it turned out they had come to help.

The Iron-backed Blue Apes had actually been made fearful and anxious by Hu Xiaotian's hair‑pulling, preparing to flee, when suddenly the bat flock attacked them; their inner defenses had completely collapsed, they no longer dared to linger in battle, they gave a howl and leapt into the stone cave; the bat flock continued to pursue them relentlessly, following the apes deeper into the cave.

Xia Zhangming's figure emerged from within the bat flock, and he asked anxiously: "My lord, are you all right?"

Hu Xiaotian chuckled and said: "How could there be any problem? These two fiends can't hurt me."

Xia Zhangming said: "Strange, it is said that the Iron-backed Blue Ape has long disappeared, yet unexpectedly we can see them here; they must be raised by the Beast Gate." He produced a Night Pearl to illuminate, saw the hair on the ground, and delighted, said: "The hair of the Iron-backed Blue Ape is a rare treasure." He bowed and picked up the scattered hair from the ground; only then did he notice there was also an old man in the cave. Xia Zhangming did not recognize Xu Lingkong, mistaking Qiao Fangzheng for him, and hastily cupped his hands in salute to Qiao Fangzheng, saying: "Junior Xia Zhangming pays respects to Elder Xu." Xu Lingkong is an elder master, and also Hu Xiaotian's maternal grandfather; Xia Zhangming naturally ought to show respect.

Qiao Fangzheng said: "You have mistaken the person; I am not him."

Xia Zhangming felt quite taken aback, looked toward Hu Xiaotian, and Hu Xiaotian smiled, saying: "Let's talk after we get out."

Xia Zhangming gathered the Iron-backed Blue Ape hair from the ground; Hu Xiaotian, in this short while, had managed to pull out a considerable amount, enough to forge a breastplate. The three left the stone cave together; after asking Xia Zhangming, they learned that outside he had defeated several Beast Tamers, discovered this stone cave, worried that Hu Xiaotian might sneak in alone and encounter trouble, so he also followed him inside. The interior of the stone cave was dim and lightless, the pathways tangled and complex, he dared not act rashly; later, hearing the Iron-backed Blue Ape's miserable cries, he followed the sound to this spot.

Hu Xiaotian also related his own experiences, Xia Zhangming heard that Hu Xiaotian had not found Xu Lingkong, he also sighed inwardly, Who would have thought they expended such great effort, the person they were supposed to save was not found, but by sheer chance they rescued the Beggar Sect's long‑rumored‑dead transmission‑arts elder Qiao Fangzheng, This matter ultimately still leaves some regret. Regardless of whether Qiao Fangzheng is friend or foe, they today truly came up empty. (To be continued~^~)