Chapter 2819: The Stand‑In Was Abducted by the Mountain Bandit's Wife 25

Chu Ming and Chu Yi cursed silently in their hearts, but dared not reveal it; they could only hastily dodge, and from time to time they had to avoid the clubs in the bandits' hands.

Jin Chen stood where he was, his smile deepening, he turned his head to the side and whispered a few instructions into A Yan's ear, who was holding the umbrella.

A Yan: "Young master, rest assured, I'm on it!"

Jin Chen, holding the umbrella alone, turned and walked toward the Zhu Lin direction.

Not long after, Chu Ming and Chu Yi, having finally dodged the bandits' clubs, exchanged a glance and then followed as well.

The Zhu Lin, soaked by continuous spring rain, had muddy, slippery ground; the fog was thicker than outside, and silhouettes blurred beyond ten steps.

Chu Yi and Chu Ming met up in the fog, their faces grim.

"What bad luck!" Chu Ming muttered under his breath, shaking off the mud and bamboo leaves stuck to his raincoat, "What are we looking for, some broken snake? That Jin-surname guy is clearly just looking for trouble!"

Chu Yi's expression grew colder; he was more perceptive than Chu Ming and faintly sensed that something was off.

That Jin Chen hadn't been looking for snakes earlier or later, but precisely when they had just left the side courtyard and were preparing to act, he showed up and even pointed the direction for them.

"Be careful, I feel something strange," Chu Yi said, gripping the hilt of his short sword at his waist, sharply scanning the bamboo shadows shrouded in mist all around.

The two dared not be careless, moving slowly through the Zhu Lin, trying to find a way.

But they were not familiar with this Zhu Lin, and with the mist spreading, they soon lost their sense of direction.

Suddenly, Chu Ming tripped underfoot, lurching forward a few steps; Chu Yi tried to pull him, but his own foot slipped as well, and they tumbled one after the other down the slope that had become especially slick from the rainwater.

The two rolled down the slope into a hollow, their raincoats disheveled, faces and bodies smeared with mud, looking quite miserable.

"Damn it!" Chu Ming shouted, veins bulging on his forehead as he struggled to get up.

Just then, a silhouette flickered in the deep mist ahead, holding a green bamboo umbrella.

It was Jin Chen!

The two brothers exchanged a glance, both seeing killing intent in the other's eyes; this Jin-surname fellow had actually delivered himself to their door.

They didn't even have time to wonder why Jin Chen would appear deep in the Zhu Lin; they quickly sprang to their feet, drew their waist-worn short swords, and chased after the direction where that silhouette had vanished.

The fog grew denser, carrying a bone-chilling damp cold.

The ground beneath their feet became ever more muddy and difficult to traverse, while the surroundings fell into an eerie silence.

After pursuing for a stretch, a moon-white figure flickered in and out of the mist ahead, seeming not far off, yet they could never catch up.

Chu Yi's uneasy premonition grew stronger; he abruptly halted his steps and barked, "Wrong, stop!"

Chu Ming also sensed the anomaly, followed suit in stopping, and warily surveyed his surroundings.

It was too quiet.

Apart from the sound of wind, rain, and bamboo, there was nothing else—not even a single insect or animal chirp could be heard.

Chu Ming seemed to hear something, he snapped his head back, and his pupils contracted sharply.

A white-forehead hanging-eye savage tiger stood on a boulder no more than several zhang away, emitting a low, terrifying roar.

It was the Mountain Lord rumored to dwell near Hei Shan Ya! How could it be here?!

The brothers' blood ran cold, their sword‑hand trembling; facing such a mountain‑forest overlord, even though their martial arts were not weak, they had absolutely no chance of winning in this terrain.

What made them even more terrified was that, behind the tiger that was gathering its strength, a figure stood silently in place.

Clad in a moon‑white thin robe, with black hair half‑tied, he held aloft that green bamboo umbrella.

Jin Chen stood a few steps behind the tiger, facing them, and slowly curled the corners of his lips.

Amid the hazy rain‑mist and the tiger's surrounding presence, his appearance was bewitchingly beautiful, peerlessly gorgeous, yet also eerily icy, chilling to the bone.

As if a gorgeous ghost had stepped forth from the netherworld.

—

At the same time, the remote training ground behind the stronghold.

Dozens of sturdy men, paired off, were conducting close‑combat drills on the muddy field, fists and feet flying, shouts echoing.

Gu Fanghe stood with his hands behind his back under the eaves, dressed in dark clothes with black hair, his expression stern, scanning each person's movements in the field and occasionally offering low‑voiced guidance.

Suddenly, a commotion arose at the entrance of the training ground; the guards stopped someone and whispered negotiations.

Gu Fanghe frowned, lifted his gaze.

A Yan disregarded the guards' obstruction, his face full of anxiety, looking over toward him and speaking hurriedly.

Gu Fanghe's heart jumped for no reason; he raised his hand to signal a pause in the training and said in a deep voice, "Let him come over."

The guards immediately cleared the way; A Yan rushed across the muddy field to the eaves, not even bothering to salute, "Chief! Something's wrong!"

"The young master went into the old Zhu Lin behind the rear mountain; two strangers with knives came out from the west courtyard and sneaked in after him!"

"I wanted to stop them, but they're highly skilled; I didn't dare act, fearing to alert the prey, so I hurried to tell you! Please go check it out quickly!"

"What!"

Gu Fanghe's pupils contracted sharply, and his whole body erupted with horrifying killing intent.

"What unfamiliar person could there be in the stronghold, coming from the west courtyard..."

"Chen Xiaoshan!" Gu Fanghe snapped his head around and bellowed, "Immediately muster the troops and seal every descent route! Without my order, not a single fly may be let out!"

"Liu Mianfeng! Bring men to encircle the west side courtyard! Detain everyone inside! If there is any resistance, kill without mercy!"

"Yan Knight Meng, take all the able hands and follow me to the Zhu Lin!"

Before his words even faded, Gu Fanghe leapt into the rain‑curtain and rushed toward the rear‑mountain Zhu Lin.

Dozens of men shouted their assent, grabbed their weapons, and surged after him into the rain‑curtain.