Chapter 155: A Cloud-Piercing Arrow

Night,

The surroundings were pitch black, and only the faint bamboo fragrance in the nose made one vaguely realize they were already in a sea of bamboo.

Yang Kang and Guo Jing held their breath, silently crouching at the edge of the bamboo grove, and only after the several dark silhouettes behind the village had all left did they finally exhale.

Now, a careless nook outside the bamboo forest might be hiding a sentry, and everyone feared someone would get to the sword furnace hidden in the bamboo first.

"Kang Di, that person just now had a whiff of urine smell," Guo Jing slowly released a bamboo leaf he had pressed down.

After blocking the view outside, he whispered to Yang Kang, who was crouched in the grass, "When I was herding in the desert, I often smelled that same odor from cattle and sheep that hadn't urinated cleanly."

Just now the two slipped out of the village; Yang Kang, under the pretext of dealing with a hidden sentry, seized a slender-looking person without a word and directly used the North Darkness Divine Skill.

The North Darkness Divine Skill cannot absorb without effect, nor transform without effect, but Yang Kang never expected to encounter such a ruthless person.

His internal energy was ice‑cold, quite impressive, and seeing that he couldn't break free, he hoisted his duck‑like throat and shouted "Ancestor!", then, with a cold gaze, opened the gate and let him absorb his skill.

At the critical moment, Yang Kang's eyelids twitched wildly, and he panicked.

Fortunately Guo Jing was nearby; the two together knocked him down, and without caring about fleeing back to the village, they scrambled into the grass by the bamboo forest.

At this moment the surroundings were pitch black, the night wind blew, and from time to time the bamboo forest echoed with swaying rustling sounds.

Yang Kang made a nervous cough, wiped the fake sweat from his forehead, feeling the uncomfortable inner cold and outer heat, and snapped at Guo Jing, "Nonsense, can a eunuch not be smelly?"

He had smelled this odor before while staying at the Jin State's royal mansion; it was clearly from some filthy eunuchs in the palace.

He heard that after cutting off the urinating organ, a little effort would cause urine to spread over the whole body, and over time the smell would develop.

Thinking that he had just absorbed a eunuch's power, Yang Kang muttered under his breath, "Damn it."

"Eunuch?" Guo Jing was startled, seeming still unaware of what that was.

After all, he was only thirteen this year; besides cattle and sheep, the only people he dealt with were those few, and no one would have idle time to discuss eunuchs with him.

Just as Guo Jing leaned in, intending to ask earnestly, Yang Kang had already patted his buttocks, stood up, and impatiently urged, "Hurry, now that the wind's up, go in quickly and steal the weapon out."

"I put a lot of effort today; you're just accompanying me. When we get the weapon to give to Uncle Niu, you can't compete with me for merit, and also! From now on, don't call me Kang Di!"

Saying that, Yang Kang swiftly turned and groped his way into the black bamboo forest.

"Kang Di, wait for me!"

Seeing this, Guo Jing hurriedly got up and chased after him, his voice a bit urgent: "Kang Di, I'm not competing with you for merit, I'm your big brother! How can I not call you Kang Di? Weren't we fine just now?"

"My father and your father are sworn brothers; my mother said they had already agreed in life that if they each had a boy and a girl they'd become spouses, and if they had two boys and two girls they'd become sworn siblings. At dinner you still called me..."

"Shut up!"

Yang Kang suddenly turned, glaring, and lowly scolded, "If you say it again, you may not call me Kang Di! Considering you just helped me deal with that dead eunuch, I…"

As he spoke, Yang Kang's eyes suddenly turned terrified, his face pale as he stared behind Guo Jing, stammering, "I... I... I..."

"Hmph~"

At that moment, a cold snort sounded in the forest, followed by a ghostly, eerie whisper that drifted from behind Guo Jing:

"You two, who just now said something smelly?"

"We didn't catch it; anyone with guts can say it again for us to hear."

The sudden voice, gloomy and bizarre, in this pitch‑black bamboo forest made one feel as if falling into the nine hells, sending chills through the body.

Guo Jing suddenly turned, his eyes widening instantly, his terrified face repeatedly stepping back until he collided with Yang Kang and finally steadied.

In the darkness ahead, a gaunt old man in brocade robes had already been standing, his face pale pink and his eyes cold.

Such a terrifying scene made Guo Jing and Yang Kang's teeth chatter, and they wanted to shout but couldn't produce any sound.

"Hehe~ Why aren't you speaking?"

The old man squinted, let out a sinister laugh, and slowly approached Guo Jing and Yang Kang.

He raised his hand in a gesture, and several figures flashed out from behind, bowing and standing on either side, weapons cold and murderous intent sharp.

"Speak!" the old man hummed lightly.

"S... s... speak?" Yang Kang's gaze flickered, stammering.

At this moment, he finally regained his senses, and without realizing it his whole body was drenched in cold sweat.

"Just not a fierce ghost! Just not a fierce ghost!" After steadying himself, Yang Kang thought silently.

He wanted to shout toward the forest edge, but feared the other might act, so his eyes darted around while his mouth dared not move a bit.

Guo Jing clenched his fists tightly, and as he looked at the old man's pale gaunt face, he suddenly recalled the bronze and iron corpses he had encountered in the desert as a child.

All of them were equally white!

With that thought, he seemed less terrified, so he swallowed hard, mustering courage to stammer, "I... I... I say! Senior, I was wrong!"

Saying that, he quickly bowed.

Glancing at Yang Kang beside him, he spoke seriously, "It has nothing to do with Kang Di! It was the junior's rudeness just now; if the senior wishes to punish, punish me!"

Yang Kang was stunned; was this kid stupid? Yet he felt moved inside, sigh—maybe he'll let him call him Kang Di after all!

Thinking that, Yang Kang drooped his head and said nothing more.

"Alright, alright~" the gaunt old man's thin voice suddenly came from his mouth.

After scrutinizing Yang Kang and Guo Jing a few times, his face grew satisfied, and he said with a smiling grin, "One is sturdy, the other handsome; both are rare good seedlings."

As he spoke, he waved his hands left and right, saying, "Tie them up, bring them back to my home for proper training; the ancestor will surely like them."

Bring them back?

Yang Kang, hearing this, was suddenly stunned; after he recovered, his complexion changed dramatically, his heart horrified.

Damn your dead eunuch! I haven't even tasted a woman's flavor yet!

Just as he tried to summon the North Darkness Divine Skill to struggle to death, he found his whole body had become limp and weak, and even his mouth was blocked with something.

Looking beside him, the "Brother Guo" he had coaxed out was the same.

"Wuwuwu~"

"Wuwu~"

……

Half a quarter-hour later, the surroundings had already returned to calm, as if no one had ever come.

Not long after,

we heard shouts coming from afar, followed by the light of more than ten torches swaying back and forth in the pitch‑black night.

"Vice Chieftain!"

"Jing'er!"

……

After half an hour, Niu Ben, Zhu Cong, Han Baoju and others searched inside and outside the mountain village, but found no trace of Guo Jing and Yang Kang.

"Bang~"

Ke Zhen'e's face turned iron blue; he fiercely waved his Subduing Demon Staff, smashing the nearby mountain rock to pieces, and shouted angrily: "I said earlier that brat isn't a law‑abiding sort; Jing'er should stay far from him!"

When he first saw Yang Kang's overbearing nature, he already disliked him, but due to his brothers' opinions and the friendship between the Guo and Yang families, he did not stop Jing'er from actively approaching Yang Kang.

He never expected that Yang Kang's proactive approach would cause trouble in just a blink of an eye.

He couldn't help but feel intense hatred.

Zhu Cong held a torch in his left hand, the swaying flame lighting his slightly furrowed brows: "Elder Brother, finding people is urgent now; this is no time to lose temper."

After glancing at the bamboo forest ahead, he worried: "Right now there's still this large bamboo forest unsearched; if Jing'er hears the shouts, he'll surely respond, but I fear they've fallen under someone else's nefarious ways."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent for a moment.

The influx of outsiders into the village is truly overwhelming; although on the surface only a few jianghu factions are present, secretly there are many mixed forces with unclear affiliations.

If the two were truly ambushed tonight, just identifying the black hand would already be troublesome.

"Let's search this bamboo forest first." Niu Ben stared at the distant dark silhouettes and said in a low voice.

Those are the scouts placed outside by each faction; since the few of us were searching in the village earlier, they have been following nearby without leaving.

As for their purpose, it goes without saying—everyone has come, and no one wants to miss out on a good opportunity.

Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but hesitate.

Regarding that part of the bamboo forest, the outsiders who have entered the village have tacitly agreed not to enter it arbitrarily, fearing they wouldn't stand by and see their own side break the rules.

Sure enough, just as Niu Ben was about to signal his men to act, countless lights suddenly lit up inside the village, dense and rushing rapidly toward this side.

"Does Master Ke intend to break the rules?"

Before the Beggars' Sect Chief Lu Youjiao even arrived, he shouted from afar, his Dog‑Beating Stick flashing a faint green light in the torchlight from a distance.

In the next moment—

The crowd had already surrounded them.

Led by Ma Yu of the Quanzhen Sect, Lu Youjiao of the Beggars' Sect, Juexing of Shaolin, Qiu Qianchi of the Iron Palm Sect, and Ouyang Ke of the White Clad Maiden Group.

There were also many unfamiliar faces, either cold or wary, staring at Niu Ben, Ke Zhen'e and others in the field.

"What is the meaning of this?" Ke Zhen'e, identifying the direction by sound, immediately shouted: "My disciple's life or death is unknown, his whereabouts unclear; do you really intend to press him just because you outnumber us?"

"Please, Master Ke, consider the bigger picture!" Lu Youjiao gripped his Dog‑Beating Stick, his gaunt figure stepping out from the crowd, speaking solemnly:

"Several of you have been shouting around the bamboo forest for half a day; if anyone were really inside, there would have been a response by now. I fear you are using the search as a pretext to do something that breaks the rules—don't think we're all fools."

"Pah~"

Han Baoju, hearing this, fumed, spat out a mouthful of saliva, pointed at Lu Youjiao and cursed: "You stinking beggar, stop your nitpicking here looking for trouble!"

"Everyone knows your sect leader was beaten by my brother‑in‑law; looking for high‑sounding excuses to hassle two kids is nothing—if you're not satisfied, come fight me!"

Looking at the beggar before him, Han Baoju naturally recalled the time a gang of Beggars' Sect disciples came to his door, ultimately leading to the tragic deaths of the two brothers.

He doesn't care whether the opponent is in dirty or clean clothes; he feels the Beggars' Sect has no good people.

And now, even disregarding the lives of the two children, his disgust has reached its peak.

"You……" Lu Youjiao's face flushed red with anger.

Not mentioning this would be fine; bringing it up feels like a direct stab to his lung, especially in front of so many people.

"Please listen to me,"

At this moment, the Quanzhen Sect Leader Ma Yu suddenly spoke.

Stepping out from the crowd, he raised his head to gaze at the night sky and said gently: "Nowadays heavenly omens appear, divine artifacts are about to emerge; for absolute safety, we naturally must not disturb anyone."

"However, since the children have gone missing, we cannot ignore it. In my opinion, the bamboo forest is not as dangerous as the mountains; if the children are truly inside, they would be able to hear and see, and there would be no great danger."

"As for other places, shall we all search together?"

"Exactly, exactly," as soon as he finished speaking, Ouyang Ke lightly shook his folding fan, stepped out, wearing light white robes, his demeanor exceptionally carefree.

Then he narrowed his eyes slightly, smiling at Ma Yu, and said: "Master Ma makes sense; no matter what, as long as the weapons haven't been forged, even if the sky collapses, the forest is absolutely off‑limits—Master Ma, am I right?"

Hearing this, Ma Yu's eyes flickered slightly, his expression a bit unnatural; although the meaning is essentially the same, having it spelled out so bluntly feels a bit like a slap in the face.

But given Ouyang Ke's status—young master of White Camel Manor—his uncle not coming to cause trouble for the Quanzhen Sect is already a relief; he dare not provoke him further.

Better to have fewer troubles than more,

so he could only pretend not to have heard.

Ouyang Ke thus smiled satisfiedly; two years have passed, and today he finally regained his former sense of superiority.

And this is only the beginning.

Just then, Niu Ben, who had been silent for a while, stepped forward slowly and said in a low voice: "If today we must enter this bamboo forest, are you planning to fight?"

He had figured it out: this bunch of dogs, relying on their numbers, likely wants to give the sect leader a preemptive show of force.

Regarding the relationship between Woniu Zhai and the sect leader, what should be known is known; such tacit obstruction and slapping feels like probing the intentions of the Sun Moon Divine Sect.

Ouyang Ke smiled gently: "Not to fight, merely to persuade a few of you to leave for the sake of the bigger picture."

"What a pretext for the bigger picture!" Niu Ben snorted coldly: "It seems Ouyang Ke has forgotten the lesson!"

Saying that, he quickly took something from his bosom and aimed it at the night sky.

Bang—

Whoosh—

Only heard a deep, muffled sound suddenly erupt from Niu Ben's hand; amidst a sharp, piercing, urgent noise, a mass of firelight, like an arrow piercing clouds, shot up rapidly.

Immediately—

Bang!

A thunderous roar like sudden thunder exploded in the pitch-black night sky, and gorgeous, dazzling flames burst forth in an instant, illuminating the clouds across the sky with exceptional clarity.

And below, it was like dawn.

This is… shaking people?

Seeing this, everyone's hearts sank involuntarily. (End of chapter)