Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Zhou Shu was jumping as the sound of whistling wind rang out.
He shuttled through the forest like a Tarzan. Although his posture was not considered graceful, he was extremely fast.
Furthermore, he felt as if he was flying as he moved forward.
In his previous life, he had seen the movie âCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragonâ, in which there was a scene of a battle in a bamboo forest that left a deep impression on him.
His current actions were similar to the battle in the bamboo forest. He could fly far away with leverage from the tree branches.
This feeling of being as fast as lightning was simply irresistible.
If the Golden Bell Shield Technique broke through to the eleventh level, would his movement technique be as light as a feather? Would he be able to run on the waves without falling? What would this feel like?
Just as Zhou Shu was feeling the wind, he suddenly turned around subconsciously.
What he saw shocked him. He missed his footing and fell from the sky.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Countless branches were broken as Zhou Shu landed heavily on the ground.
He got up with his face covered in dirt, and his clothes were torn.
Fortunately, his Golden Bell Shield Technique had already broken through to the eighth level. Otherwise, he would have suffered some light injuries no matter what.
Zhou Shu looked behind him through the dense forest.
Through the gaps in the leaves, he could already see a figure rapidly approaching.
On the ground, a rumbling sound resounded not far away. It was as if an elephant was running. The ground was trembling slightly, and the birds and beasts were fleeing frantically.
Whatâs the meaning of this??Zhou Shu was somewhat speechless.
Didnât I leave behind Zhu Chuanfengâs and Zhu Chuanzhiâs corpses for them?
Why are they still coming after me?
Speaking of which, how can Yin Wuyou fly? Isnât her cultivation level only at the third rank of the Martial Dao. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Has she been concealing her cultivation too?
It wasnât that Zhou Shu hadnât seen Yin Wuyou before. But before this, he had always thought that Yin Wuyouâs cultivation was only at the sixth or seventh rank.
From the looks of it, Yin Wuyou must have cultivated a technique to conceal her aura, or perhaps she had some divine artifact to conceal her aura.
She was about the same age as him in this world, yet she was already a third-rank martial artist.
How impressive,?Zhou Shu praised in his heart.
As he thought about this, he quickly took off his clothes and put them back on inside out. Then he tore off a piece of his shirt to cover his face.
He couldnât let Yin Wuyou and the others see his face.
If they saw him, he wouldnât be able to explain the deaths of the Zhu brothers. He couldnât possibly tell them he was the one who killed them.
It wasnât a big deal that they were dead, but the problem was that their cultivation levels were at the fourth and sixth ranks.
How could a mere Forging Apprentice kill them?
He had already exposed his cultivation level in front of the Zhu brothers. He couldnât expose himself in front of Yin Wuyou and the others.
Zhou Shu had just finished dressing up when Yin Wuyou descended from the sky. The few and Fiend Eradication Army lieutenants had also appeared in Zhou Shuâs field of vision and were rapidly approaching him.
Yin Wuyou descended from the sky, and the tip of her foot lightly stepped on a branch thirty feet away from the ground.
Her gaze fell on the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber in Zhou Shuâs hand, and her expression changed slightly.
âYour Excellency, may I ask if Zhu Chuanfeng died under your hands?â Yin Wuyou cupped her hands.
The few officers had already rushed over and stopped several feet away from Zhou Shu. When they heard Yin Wuyouâs words, all of them looked vigilant, and they faintly released their auras.
Zhou Shu stood tall and straight, carrying the sheathed Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber on his shoulder. He said somewhat carelessly, âSo what if I did? So what I didnât?
âCould it be that you all want to avenge him?â
Although he didnât make any movements, the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber on his shoulder suddenly let out a clang, and an incomparably sharp saber intent soared into the sky.
It was clearly just a standard saber. But in the eyes of Yin Wuyou and the other Fiend Eradication Army lieutenants, the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber seemed to have turned into a spiritual weapon that was emitting an intense battle intent!
âWhat a powerful saber intent!â
The Fiend Eradication Army lieutenants couldnât help taking half a step back. With a clang, they unsheathed their weapons and got into ready stances.
A strange light flashed in Yin Wuyouâs eyes, but her expression didnât change as she solemnly said, âZhu Chuanfeng is a criminal of our Great Xia. If he was killed by you, then our Great Xia owes you a favor.
âIf Zhu Chuanfeng died at your hands, then I have a question for you. Zhu Chuanfeng held one of us hostage before. Have you seen him?â
Zhou Shuâs heart stirred.?The person Yin Wuyou is talking about is me?
It seems so. Wasnât it me who Zhu Chuanfeng held hostage?
But how should I answer her question?
Tell her that the person Zhu Chuanfeng held hostage was me?
Wouldnât I be exposing myself?
âI didnât see him,â Zhou Shu said.
âAlright, Iâm leaving. Stop following me.â Zhou Shu turned around and lifted his leg.
âWait!â Yin Wuyou shouted. âYour Excellency, the one Zhu Chuanfeng held hostage is an official of the Great Xia Imperial Court. Please tell me the truth. Is he dead or alive?!â
A workshop superintendent can also be considered an imperial official?
Alright, a ninth-rank official is also an official.
Zhou Shu turned back to glance at Yin Wuyou. âIâll say it again. I didnât see him, so I donât know.â
Zhou Shu only wanted to leave as soon as possible. Yin Wuyou knew him. If he spent too much time with her, she might find out his true identity.
After speaking, Zhou Shu prepared to leave.
He hadnât even taken a single step when the sound of rushing wind rang out. Yin Wuyou somersaulted and landed in front of Zhou Shu.
At some point, an unsheathed sword appeared in her hand, its tip pointing at Zhou Shu.
Almost at the same time, a few quick-witted Fiend Eradication Army lieutenants were already standing at the four corners of the battlefield, completely blocking off Zhou Shuâs escape route.
Even though they were unwilling to make a move and felt that there was no need for them to do so, since the princess had made a move, they definitely couldnât sit by idly.
âWhat is the meaning of this? Did I violate some law of Great Xia?â Zhou Shu narrowed his eyes coldly. âYou want to fight me?â
The saber intent he had just restrained exploded once again. The fierce saber intent blew in all directions like a hurricane.
There was a crackling sound in the woods as countless leaves fell.
Yin Wuyouâs heart turned cold.?Such saber intentâthis personâs cultivation is probably above mine!
Since such an expert didnât have any obvious hostility toward Great Xia, Logically speaking, she shouldnât have used force on him.
No matter what, killing Zhu Chuanfeng had helped the Grand Xia Imperial Court.
Although Zhu Chuanfengâs death was troublesome, it was still better than him escaping Great Xia alive.
But now, no matter what, Yin Wuyou couldnât let him leave just like that!
âI donât want to fight you.â Yin Wuyou shook her head seriously. âI just want to ask you to wait!
âAs long as you tell me the whereabouts of the person Zhu Chuanfeng held hostage, I will immediately move aside!â
Yin Wuyou had a determined look on her face. If she couldnât get the information she wanted, she definitely wouldnât give way.
Zhou Shu had a strange feeling in his heart, but he still said coldly on the surface, âDo you really think that you all will be able to stop me?â
âYour cultivation is unfathomable. I might not be your match,â Yin Wuyou said solemnly. âBut I think itâs still possible to stop you for a while.â
They were not fighting alone. This place wasnât far from the capital. As long as they persisted for a period of time, reinforcements would naturally arrive.
âLittle girl, itâs good to be confident. But itâs not a good thing to be overconfident.â Zhou Shu laughed. âTo have such cultivation at such a young age, it seems like you havenât suffered any setbacks.
âToday, I shall teach you the principles of life.
âIf you donât suffer a little, you wonât grow up.â
Zhou Shu laughed wildly at the sky with an arrogant expression. He took a step forward, and the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber on his shoulder followed an incomparably profound trajectory as it slashed forward.
Yin Wuyou didnât panic. She had been completely focused on waiting. When she saw Zhou Shuâs saber slashing at her, she flicked her wrist, and the sword in her hand slanted upward.
The Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber was just a standard weapon, but the sword in her hand was an earth-grade weapon.
Yin Wuyou was confident that as long as their weapons collided, even if her opponentâs cultivation was on par with her, her sword would break the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber.
Just as the two weapons were about to collide, Zhou Shuâs body suddenly swayed, and the blade of his saber sliced toward Yin Wuyouâs finger. Not only did he avoid the blade, but he also counterattacked.
Yin Wuyou raised her brows, took half a step back, and executed her sword technique.
In the blink of an eye, the two of them exchanged several moves. These moves were as fast as lightning, but the two weapons didnât collide at all.
After several moves, Zhou Shu took three steps forward, while Yin Wuyou took three steps back.
The few lieutenants didnât have time to help Yin Wuyou at all. In fact, they knew that even if they did, they wouldnât be able to help Yin Wuyou.
Yin Wuyou was a third-rank Grandmaster, yet she was at a disadvantage. The strongest among them was only a fifth-rank martial artist. How could they help?
âLittle girl, how do you feel?â Zhou Shu laughed hoarsely. He used his inner strength to change the muscles of his vocal cords and pretended to sound old.
âIf you donât move away, I am going to get serious. At that time, Iâm afraid that you wonât be able to withstand it.â
Yin Wuyouâs expression was solemn. She now knew that she was no match for this person. The other party was just using a standard weapon, but he was able to suppress her to the point where she couldnât fight back. His cultivation level was definitely far above hers.
Howeverâ¦
Yin Wuyou pursed her lips and said stubbornly, âYour Excellency, please tell me the whereabouts of the person Zhu Chuanfeng kidnapped!â
She held her sword vertically in front of her, her expression resolute.
Zhou Shuâs heart skipped a beat.?Is Yin Wuyou going all out just to find out my whereabouts?
Am I worth her doing this for me?
Iâm merely the superintendent of a small workshop. Doesnât she know that she might get hurt if she doesnât move away?
Zhou Shu narrowed his eyes. Suddenly, he charged forward.
Yin Wuyou raised an eyebrow.?This person wants to go around me directly?
Yin Wuyou didnât hesitate when she saw Zhou Shu attempt to go around her. She turned her sword around and stabbed toward Zhou Shuâs exposed back.
Clank!
Two crisp sounds rang out almost at the same time, as if they had become the same sound.
Yin Wuyou only felt a strong force coming toward her, and she stumbled back several steps. Her arm was numb, and she almost couldnât hold the sword in her hand.
She was shocked, and she didnât know what was going on.
When she looked up, she saw that the mysterious expert who had suppressed her to the point where she couldnât fight back was surrounded by a layer of faint golden light, as if a god had descended to the mortal world.
In front of him, a figure shrouded in a black robe had appeared out of nowhere.
This black-robed figure held a pitch-black dagger in his hand. The edge of the dagger was also pitch-black, which looked extremely strange.
Looking at the position of the black-robed figure and thinking back to where she had just stood, Yin Wuyou instantly understood what was going on.
The black-robed figure had wanted to ambush her from behind just now, and the mysterious expert had rushed forward to save her!
He saved me, but I stabbed him!?Yin Wuyou was flustered. On the one hand, she was worried about Zhou Shuâs safety, and on the other hand, she felt guilty toward this mysterious expert.
In her chaotic state of mind, Yin Wuyou didnât notice that under the faint golden light, there were only a few traces of blood where she stabbed, and the wound had already healed.
âWho are you? Are you from Great Wei?â An ethereal voice sounded from the black-robed figureâs mouth.
Zhou Shu narrowed his eyes and stared coldly at the other party. âI should be the one asking you this. What kind of man sneaks up on a woman behind her back?â
âThe kind of man who has the ability to kill others.â The black-robed figure laughed coldly. âAlthough I donât know who you are, youâre not my target. You can leave. I wonât kill you.â
âYou wonât kill me?â Zhou Shu threw his head back and laughed. âYou are hiding your identity so sneakily. If you want to kill me, you need to have the ability to do so!â
âAre you even qualified to say that Iâm hiding my identity?â The black-robed figure mocked.
Zhou Shu: ââ¦â
Alright, he had forgotten that he was also masked.
It doesnât matter. Even if my face is covered, I am still stronger than you!
âThose who hurt others behind their backs are not fit to use sabers!â Zhou Shu said coldly.
He slowly raised the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber in his hand as his saber intent soared into the sky.
âLittle girl, leave first. Donât get in my way!â
Zhou Shu took a heavy step forward, and the ground began to tremble violently.
In everyoneâs eyes, Zhou Shu seemed to have become a blade. Endless qi gathered on his body, and even the stars and moon in the sky seemed to pale in comparison.
âYour Excellencyââ
âThat Zhou kid is fine. Get going!â Zhou Shu said loudly. Along with his saber, he slashed at the black-robed figure.
Yin Wuyouâs expression changed.
âYou guys go firstââ Before Yin Wuyou could say, âIâll stay and helpâ.
Zhou Shu shouted, âWe canât fight to our heartâs content with irrelevant people here. Letâs fight somewhere else!â
The black-robed figureâs pupils constricted as if heâd thought of something, and he nodded. âGreat minds think alike!â
With a tap of his foot, he rose into the air.
Zhou Shu also leaped onto a large tree.
Just as Yin Wuyou was about to give chase, a saber beam descended from the sky and blocked her path.. When she returned to her original spot, Zhou Shu and the black-robed figure had already disappeared.