Chapter 50: Dilapidated Temple, Mountain Stronghold, and Brothel

Inside a dilapidated mountain god temple, a few figures huddled around a campfire.

Some were sharpening their blades, some were regulating their breathing, and others were eating.

After a short while, one of them spoke up.

"Squad leader, how far have we escaped by now?"

The man sharpening his knife paused his movements, raised his head to observe the constellations through a hole in the roof, and pondered for a moment.

"About three to four hundred miles, I'd reckon."

"What, can't take it anymore?"

The man gave a bitter smile and replied, "You know as well as I do what the Shaolin monks' martial arts are like. Their realm might not surpass those of their peers, but their foundational training is immensely profound."

"I took a punch that day and injured my right shoulder. Hiding like this every single day, I'm afraid it's going to leave behind a chronic internal injury."

Hearing this, the man sharpening the knife let out a joint sigh.

"Don't you think I want to settle down? It's just that what we did was too monumental; the Embroidered Uniform Guard will definitely come after us."

"The Cult Master told us to scatter and flee, which was precisely a strategy to stretch the Embroidered Uniform Guard thin and make them unable to attend to everything at once. Whoever gets caught by the Guard is nothing more than an abandoned piece. We must not become that piece. But what else can we do besides hide?"

The ruined temple fell silent once more, save for the whistling wind, the scraping of the blade, and the occasional crackle of burning firewood.

A little while later, the man with the knife let out another long sigh.

"I truly have no idea where that Li Miao character popped out from."

"Left Envoy Lan, Right Envoy Yun, Protector Mao, Flag Master Zhou, our own Flag Master, and the hundreds of poisoned puppet soldiers the cult spent years cultivating—all of them perished at his hands in a single night."

"If we hadn't received reliable intelligence that he had headed toward the southwestern borderlands of the Miao, we wouldn't have dared to make a move on Shaolin."

"We can only hope the Miao people manage to stall him for a little longer."

He shook his head, parted his lips, and seemed as though he wanted to continue speaking.

"We—"

He stopped dead in his tracks. His pupils shrank to pinpricks, and his fingers began to tremble uncontrollably.

His fingertips brushed against the razor-sharp edge, slicing open a wound. A thin stream of fresh blood trickled down the blade, dripped onto the ground, and soaked into the soil.

Yet he remained entirely oblivious.

The person beside him, who had been listening intently, was suddenly cut off mid-sentence. Looking at him with a strange expression, the companion reached out and patted his shoulder.

"Squad leader, what's wrong?"

In this ruined temple, only the breathing of their small group could be heard. Even the howling wind had momentarily died down. It was the depths of winter, devoid of even the sound of insects.

Since they were on the run for their lives, how could they possibly fail to pay attention to their surroundings? Yet there was clearly not the slightest sound in the vicinity.

He looked over at the other companion and found him similarly frozen in place, lips quivering incessantly, teeth chattering together to produce a steady, echoing clatter.

And that terrified gaze was fixed squarely behind his own back!

He whirled around abruptly, simultaneously drawing the weapon from his waist.

"Who's there!"

He concentrated his gaze on the space behind him.

Moonlight streamed through the hole in the roof, dimly illuminating a corner of the temple.

In that very corner, a figure stood with arms folded, leaning casually against the wall.

The moonlight illuminated the lower half of his face, upon which hung a faint, mocking smile.

"Finished talking? Do you know anything else?"

The man asked with a smile.

"Li—!"

Thud.

Before the word could be fully uttered, a headless torso crashed heavily to the floor.

Blood spurted from the severed neck, showering directly into the campfire.

Hiss—

The flames were extinguished.

Total darkness consumed them.

A burst of violent noise suddenly erupted within the temple—the ring of drawn steel, angry curses, and cries of terror sounded all at once.

Three breaths later, all fell quiet.

Not a single sound remained.

***

"Hahaha, drink this cup to the full!"

"Please!"

Deep within a mountain fortress stronghold, two men sat in the main hall. One was a burly fellow with his chest bared, while the other possessed the refined air of a scholar. They were exchanging toasts and drinking heavily.

A plaque hung high above the hall, bearing four bold characters: "Righteous Assembly for the Flood."

"Brother, your martial arts are truly extraordinary! Today, if not for you, we would have nearly failed to take down that caravan of escort guards! And that little beauty—she's tender and alluring beyond words!"

"With you in my stronghold, it's like a tiger growing wings!"

The burly man laughed heartily and roughly.

"Big brother flatters me too much. It was merely a fortuitous encounter that allowed me to acquire a decent set of martial arts."

"If big brother is interested, I shall copy a manual and present it to you tomorrow."

The scholar replied with a gentle smile.

"Oh? Hahaha, then I certainly won't refuse out of false modesty!" Overjoyed, the burly man felt the very last trace of his suspicion completely vanish. For a time, both host and guest were thoroughly pleased.

After three rounds of drinks, both men were slightly intoxicated and preparing to leave their seats to rest.

Suddenly, a hurried clamor echoed from outside the door.

"Chief! Second Chief! This is bad—!"

A man stumbled and crawled into the hall from outside, his face drained of all color.

"S-Someone is attacking—"

Thud.

Before he could finish his sentence, the man's head exploded violently.

The headless neck collapsed to the ground, twitched a few times, and went completely still.

A figure stepped into the room, strode past the corpse, and came to a halt in the center of the main hall.

His gaze swept over the two men and ultimately landed on the scholar.

"You certainly know how to hide, joining a bandit stronghold and even managing to become the second-in-command."

"Tell me everything you know about Ji Tianrui."

The burly man abruptly sprang to his feet, reaching instinctively for his saber as he roared furiously, "Where did this stray savage come from, how dare you—"

Thud.

The headless corpse toppled over, smashing and overturning the wine table.

Wine and dishes splashed all over the scholar, yet he did not dare to make the slightest movement.

His fingers trembled, his face turned deathly pale, and his teeth chattered uncontrollably.

"L-Lord Li..."

He stammered in terror.

Li Miao looked at him and smiled slightly.

"You pups of the Bright Cult all seem to recognize me."

"I will give you the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn to tell me everything you know. If you fail to finish, or if you choose to hold anything back, I will seal your acupoints and tie you behind my saddle."

"The next place I'm heading is fifty miles away from here."

"Fifty miles is more than enough to drag you into a puddle of minced meat."

***

Quanzhou Prefecture, the provincial capital.

Inside a room fragrant with cosmetics and powder, the top courtesan of the establishment was holding a pipa, playing and singing softly.

"It is not that I love the dust of the floating world~ as though misled by fate from a former life~"

"Blossoms scatter and bloom of their own accord, relying entirely upon the lord of spring~"

Her voice was melodious and poignant, sounding like weeping and pleading.

When the song concluded, she set aside the pipa, moved her dainty steps forward, and walked over to the table.

She extended a slender, jade-like hand to pick up the wine flagon, poured a full cup, but instead of offering it to her guest, she brought it to her own lips and lightly bit the rim of the cup.

A trace of bright rouge remained on the rim.

This was known as "tasting the cinnabar," a method courtesans used to feed wine to their most beloved patrons.

The rouge used by the courtesan was infused with honey, carrying a hint of lingering sweetness that gave the wine a unique flavor.

She bit her lip gently and brought that cup of wine to the man's lips.

"My lord, drain this cup, and then let us retire to rest."

"Very well."

The man was dressed in the attire of a wealthy young master, smiling charmingly. He took the cup, but instead of drinking the wine immediately, he lightly pressed his lips against the spot stained with rouge, savoring it carefully for a moment before finally downing it in a single gulp.

"My lord... you are so mischievous..."

The courtesan blushed fiercely, her eyes brimming with affection as she gazed at the man.

"In that case, let us go and rest."

The man smiled and made to stand up.

CRASH!

In an instant, the roof shattered, and tiles rained down together!

Amidst the swirling dust and debris, the man's voice rang out anxiously: "Rui'er! Rui'er! Are you alright?!"

The wealthy young master coughed as he stood up, flicking his long sleeves to wave away the dust.

Yet he froze instantly in place.

For at that moment, standing right in the middle of the room was a heroic, imposing man. And his beloved Rui'er was currently being grabbed by the throat by this very man, her face flushed crimson as she struggled violently.

"You! Let her go!"

The wealthy young master drew the sword at his waist and roared furiously at the man.

Li Miao glanced at him sideways and let out a cold chuckle.

"You fool, you've slept with a man for over half a month and actually fallen in love with him."

With that, he turned his gaze back to the courtesan.

"You're even better at hiding. You murdered the top courtesan of a brothel and assumed her identity to entertain guests under disguise. Such creativity—I almost feel reluctant to kill you."

"Tell me, where is Ji Tianrui?"