Chapter 64

Two days until the Five Mountains Alliance meeting.

In the small woods, Wang Hai ran in a hurry.

His breathing became increasingly rapid, his true energy had hit rock bottom, and even the most basic circulation was difficult to maintain. His clothes were already soaked through with blood, sticking to him damply.

Some of it was the enemy's, but more of it was his own blood.

He had been running for two days.

The light-body technique of Zhou Mingxu, the Ming Sect's Thick Earth Banner Master, was the Ming Sect's peerless skill, "Flying Catkin Green Smoke Art," as light as flying catkins and as graceful as mist. It was not something Wang Hai could compare to. And he was worthy of being the Ming Sect's head of secret agents, having no restraint of an expert at all; there wasn't a single thing on him that wasn't poisoned.

Wang Hai had been caught up by him several times, and the wounds and poisons on his body were increasing.

Last night, he found an opportunity to ambush Zhou Mingxu, and both sides suffered heavy injuries.

Zhou Mingxu retreated, and Wang Hai took this opportunity to use his true energy to neutralize the poison in his body.

Fortunately, Wang Hai's internal energy foundation was built by Li Miao; although not deep, it was extremely pure. After spending a night, he managed to completely neutralize the poison.

But the damage to his body's meridians during that time was hard to recover. It could be said that he was now so weak that any third-rate expert could put him to death.

When Wang Hai set off to escape again, he discovered that he had fallen into an encirclement.

Zhou Mingxu had not given up; realizing that Wang Hai was a sinister and tough nut to crack, he no longer attacked personally. Instead, he trailed far behind Wang Hai, no longer approaching.

When Wang Hai was unable to move and had to stop to regulate his breathing and recover his energy, he let the Ming Sect disciples go and consume him, draining Wang Hai's true energy bit by bit.

Judging from the attitude of Zhou Mingxu watching Wang Hai torture his subordinates that night and using their lives to gamble, he did not hold the lives of Ming Sect disciples in high regard.

So Wang Hai also lost the idea of taking hostages and could only kill them one by one as they came.

At this moment, he had been caught up again.

Wang Hai walked forward a few steps, suddenly coughing, his figure unsteady, and he supported himself on a nearby tree trunk so he wouldn't fall.

It looked as if his injuries were hard to support, and he was on the verge of death.

In an instant, a person flashed out from behind that tree, a long saber slashing down toward Wang Hai's head!

Pfft.

Clatter—

The long saber in that person's hand lost its force, slashing softly onto Wang Hai's forehead, leaving a wound an inch long.

Wang Hai pulled his hand out of that person's chest, shook off the flesh, wiped the blood from his forehead wound that had flowed into his eyes, picked up the long saber, and ran forward with all his might.

The village he came to investigate could not be considered a hiding place for a Ming Sect secret agent at all.

In this town, there was a Ming Sect branch altar.

Now in the mountains and forests, no matter how he ran, he could not escape the encirclement of the Ming Sect disciples.

His only hope was the official road.

Wang Hai wasn't planning to bring trouble to others; he thought that the Ming Sect was, after all, a thorn in the side of the Imperial Court, and they would have to show some restraint.

If Wang Hai stopped whenever he saw people, Zhou Mingxu would naturally kill him along with the others. But if he ran along the official road, with passersby coming and going, the Ming Sect should at least choose a road with no one around to make their move.

This should at least be able to delay things a bit.

Wang Hai understood the role of the love Gu, and he understood Xiao Si, knowing what she would do.

The feelings between the two of them were not a young person's impulsive act, but built on mutual understanding. Wang Hai knew that no matter how worried Xiao Si was about him, she would not lose her reason because of it.

Wang Hai believed Xiao Si would make the right choice.

As long as he dragged it out until Li Miao arrived, he would be able to survive.

Ahead was the official road.

Human voices could be faintly heard.

Wang Hai barely caught his breath, rushed out of the jungle, and stepped onto the solid official road.

He saw Zhao Ying.

"It's you!"

Zhao Ying had been walking with her head down, and hearing footsteps from the nearby jungle, she feared they were bandits, so her hand had long been resting on her sword hilt in preparation.

Seeing Wang Hai covered in blood rushing out of the woods, she took a closer look and immediately recognized him.

Zhao Ying was currently with a few trusted followers, having left the Huwei Escort Agency, wanting to go to Beizhili to seek refuge with relatives.

The events at the Taishan Sect were making a huge stir, and Liu Baiyun had executed Li Miao's plan very well; now, all the Jianghu people in the Jinan Prefecture region knew the news that the Imperial Guards were going to take action against the Taishan Sect.

And Zhao Ying had originally placed her hope for revenge on Zuo Lishan, so she naturally inquired about the news in detail.

Upon inquiring, she learned that the Huashan Sect had already defected to the Imperial Court.

Zhao Ying had originally wanted to go to the Taishan Sect to ask Zuo Lishan for a clear explanation. But when she reached the foot of the mountain, she hesitated.

Now she had no brothers or sisters, and her widowed mother had to rely on her to live. This trip was full of danger, and she couldn't take the risk.

So she returned to the Huwei Escort Agency, thinking that since the Taishan Sect could no longer be relied upon, she would think of another way.

But when she returned, she found that the Huwei Escort Agency was no longer what it used to be.

Zhao Ying's own martial arts were mostly ruined, making it hard to command respect. Compared to the Taishan Sect, compared to Zuo Lishan, she was still too green.

When this deal was negotiated, regardless of whether Zuo Lishan fulfilled his promise, the Huwei Escort Agency had nothing to do with the Zhao family anymore.

Fortunately, the Taishan Sect's deacon still cared somewhat about Jianghu reputation and gave Zhao Ying a sum of money.

Zhao Ying was disheartened, knowing that with her martial arts, she couldn't protect this money, so she took a few trusted followers to Beizhili to seek refuge with relatives first. After getting settled, she would come back to pick up her mother.

Yet she didn't expect to run into Wang Hai, who was fleeing for his life, here.

Zhao Ying drew her sword: "Where is Mei Qinghe!?"

Wang Hai glanced at her, ignored her, and left only one sentence: "Run quickly," before running forward without looking back.

Zhao Ying had seen Wang Hai's martial arts that day and knew her sword technique was ruined, so she couldn't stop him, watching helplessly as Wang Hai left.

Just as she was grieving to herself, several Ming Sect disciples darted out of the jungle with a "swish, swish, swish."

Zhou Mingxu followed closely behind, walked out, and glanced at Zhao Ying and the others.

"Keep chasing."

After saying that, he casually threw a handful of fine needles as thin as ox hair toward Zhao Ying and the others.

It was truly just a casual act, not even counting as a plan, as if he had just grabbed a handful of leaves. They were Jianghu people with sabers and swords anyway, so killing them was just killing them.

Yet it shot Zhao Ying and the others down to the ground one after another, twitching constantly.

Then the Ming Sect crowd continued to chase in the direction Wang Hai had fled.

A moment later, the people on the ground were foaming at the mouth, their hands and feet slowly stopping their movements, losing all signs of life.

Only Zhao Ying, although her sword technique was ruined, still had her internal energy realm, and she barely managed to recover.

She glanced at the corpses on the ground, struggled to crawl over, and tested their breath.

After testing the breath and pulse of all her trusted followers, she finally burst into tears.

After a while, Zhao Ying barely managed to stand up, supporting herself with her sword.

Dragging the corpses of her trusted followers into the woods by the road, she cut some branches and leaves to cover them, then turned and left, stumbling.

"Father... everything you taught me... was wrong... all wrong..."

"What justice, what morality... it's all bullshit..."

"This Jianghu, in the end, is the law of the jungle."

(End of chapter)