Chapter 108: A Corpse Every Ten Steps

Xing Chang reached the flower of the ten-thousand-year luan tree in two strides, picked up the peachwood box, and closed it again.

The uncanny sensation vanished quickly, but the terrifying presence was still drawing closer.

"Let’s go!" Ding Songyan held Frostshade crosswise and came running with Zheng Zhuxi on his back.

Given the situation, there was no time to take the Three Fiends’ heads back for the bounties. Cao Yue, of course, no longer had a head to take.

As for the items on the Three Fiends, they weren’t worth risking their lives over. Lu Guangqing’s hundred-tempered steel saber had already developed multiple notches from repeated clashes with Autumnwater and looked on the verge of snapping. Most of its value was gone.

"Right." Xing Chang immediately tucked the peachwood box into his waistband and covered it with his blue-black short jacket.

His thinking was this: Heroine Zheng was gravely ill and Young Master Xie was spent. Of those remaining, he had the highest cultivation. If that terrifying presence truly caught up, he would lead it away with the luan tree flower himself and give the others a fighting chance.

Seeing this, Pan Yunzhou sheathed his saber, rushed to where Xie Fengchao lay near the front door, and hoisted him onto his back.

Ding Songyan took the lead, carrying Zheng Zhuxi as he burst out of the forest and back onto the mountain path. By then, dark clouds had gathered in the sky, blotting out the bright moon and scattered stars. Rain had begun to fall.

The terrifying presence from deep in the mountain forest was like an even greater dark cloud, rapidly closing in.

Meteorological changes? It triggered meteorological changes? Ding Songyan’s heart tightened. He employed the Waxing Moon Phantom Form, leaving behind a scene of shifting, flickering afterimages.

The rain fell harder and harder. In the deep ravine beside the mountain path, the water began to rise.

With a fever still burning in her head, Zheng Zhuxi felt the rain striking her, the cold of the night, and the warmth before her. Everything seemed somehow unreal, like an illusion.

Suddenly she heard her junior brother say quietly, "Purple Forbidden!"

Zheng Zhuxi didn’t stop to think. She instinctively activated her Candleflame True Qi, raised Autumnwater, and thrust it sharply upward.

A massive blue-black python suddenly dropped from high in the treetops, straight onto the tip of Zheng Zhuxi’s sword.

Its cold yellow eyes split apart, blood and brain matter gushing out, the stench of gore spreading in all directions.

Thud! It crashed heavily to the side of the path, thrashing its tail in its death throes, no longer able to block their way.

In the Brightnight Sect, body apertures were mapped to star names. Disciples needed only to call out the corresponding star, and their companions knew which direction to attack. This was the foundation for training in the Northern Dipper Sword Formation and the Celestial Guardian Sword Formation.

So when Ding Songyan called "Purple Forbidden," Zheng Zhuxi knew to strike directly upward. It was an instinct forged through a lifetime of sword training from childhood.

Amid the crashing rain, Ding Songyan called out again, "Right Aid."

With no time to marvel at the precision of her last strike, Zheng Zhuxi drove Autumnwater diagonally upward to the right.

From the branch of the tree in that direction, a white-furred ape face suddenly appeared into view.

That’s wrong, my sword isn’t long enough. I can’t reach it... The thought had barely flashed through Zheng Zhuxi’s mind when she felt Ding Songyan step sideways, pulling her sword directly into the white ape’s throat.

The two of them moved in perfect coordination. The white ape let out half a wail before going silent and tumbling from the trunk into the muddy ground.

Following closely behind them, Pan Yunzhou, Xie Fengchao, and Xing Chang were all left a little dumbstruck.

Amid surging mountain torrents and a curtain of rain and mist, Zheng Zhuxi was gravely ill and unable to walk on her own, but on her junior brother’s back, not one of her strikes missed. Every flash of Autumnwater left a savage beast dead.

A corpse every ten steps, never stopping.

Though the terrifying presence behind them drew ever closer, the narrowing gap between them felt far short of anything dire due to this unimpeded sprint.

The rain intensified into a downpour, swallowing the light. Even with her Candle-Star Pupils, Zheng Zhuxi could no longer make out anything beyond forty meters.

She heard the roar of the ravine water rising rapidly, and it seemed a flash flood was imminent.

"Nü Tofu," Ding Songyan murmured again.

The hammering rain and churning water almost completely swallowed his voice. Only Zheng Zhuxi, right on his back, could hear it.

Without a moment’s thought, Zheng Zhuxi slashed Autumnwater diagonally downward.

In the rapidly swelling floodwater, a massive fish-like creature had just burst through the surface when the iron-cleaving sword split it cleanly in two.

These fierce beasts had not yet reached the level of yao, but they had developed some degree of spiritual awareness. Banishing Demons and Warding Off Evil suppressed them, yet not to the point of stripping them of the ability to fight back as a true yao would be. So long as someone of higher standing was driving them, they still dared to attack.

Splash. The fish-like creature fell back into the swollen mountain stream in two pieces.

By now, the terrifying presence chasing from behind had truly taken form as a mass of dark cloud and inky fog, drawing ever closer.

Ding Songyan, carrying Zheng Zhuxi, left behind a trail of flickering afterimages on the mountain path. Pan Yunzhou and Xie Fengchao were starting to shiver with cold, from both the late-autumn rain and the oppressive weight of the approaching presence.

The Headless were known for their iron will. Xing Chang, bringing up the rear, was unaffected, occasionally snatching whatever lunged at him and tearing it apart on the spot.

After running for a while longer, just as the dark clouds were about to close overhead, Ding Songyan’s eyes lit up. In the distance was a city dotted with lights.

They had finally escaped the mountain range.

The dark clouds lingered overhead for a time, hesitating, then slowly withdrew back into the deep mountains.

As it retreated, the clouds and mist quickly dispersed, the downpour gradually eased, and the flash flood never came.

"Shall we take shelter in that city?" Xie Fengchao breathed a small sigh of relief and offered the suggestion.

Ding Songyan laughed.

"What do you think that terrifying thing was afraid of that made it retreat back into the mountains?"

It had to be someone inside that distant city.

And this was not Great Zhao territory—it could be the Gan Kingdom or New Yu.

"We head south back to the riverbank and find somewhere safe to rest along the way," Xing Chang got his bearings and said.

Ding Songyan nodded, then added, "Best if we can hold out until daybreak. Whatever just chased us can summon wind and rain and command floodwaters. It seems to have retreated, but what if it uses those abilities under cover of night to cause trouble on the river?"

"That makes sense." Pan Yunzhou agreed with Ding Songyan.

Xing Chang and Xie Fengchao had no objections, and both privately marveled that Heroine Zheng’s junior brother was as bold as he was shrewd. Not only was his courage extraordinary, but his judgment was remarkable. He was calm and decisive. Once Heroine Zheng fell gravely ill, he had naturally taken the lead.

Truly from the same lineage!

Zheng Zhuxi had no objections whatsoever. Listening to her junior brother handle everything, her heart was at ease.

They circled to the south and ran for a while, then came upon an abandoned village.

It was a small village that originally housed only a few dozen households, still existing in the form of a fortified settlement. The stone walls, not terribly high to begin with, had fallen into disrepair. The gate of the stockade stood open, and half-withered weeds grew everywhere.

Ding Songyan, fearing neither ghosts nor spirits, led the group into the village and found a reasonably spacious house nearby.

Pan Yunzhou and Xing Chang gathered firewood and lit it with a tinder lighter. Red-orange flames leapt to life, and warmth slowly spread through the room.

Ding Songyan set Zheng Zhuxi down, then sat cross-legged in front of her, blocking the others’ line of sight.

Zheng Zhuxi paused, looked down, and found her clothes soaked through, her curves somewhat exposed. Above the Great Proliferation Realm, true qi could be projected outward to ward off rain, but she hadn’t dared waste any during the fighting along the way.

Junior Brother truly has an eye for detail... Zheng Zhuxi closed her eyes, circulated her Candleflame True Qi, and let the warmth of the fire gradually steam the moisture from her clothes into wisps of white vapor.

Ding Songyan, Xing Chang, and Pan Yunzhou did the same. Only Xie Fengchao, still utterly spent, could do nothing but huddle close to the fire and endure.

After a brief rest, Pan Yunzhou volunteered to stand watch outside the house, and Xing Chang took turns with him.

Time passed quickly. When Zheng Zhuxi found her black combat attire dry and comfortable again, she laid Autumnwater across her knees, leaned against a pillar, and drifted into an unsteady sleep. The fever had not subsided, and she was still quite weak.

Ding Songyan was full of energy. He got up, walked over to Xie Fengchao, and rummaged through the rations he had gathered. He gnawed on some dried meat, drank a good amount of water, and went out to a corner to relieve himself.

"Young Master Xie, why are you looking at me like that?" Ding Songyan returned to the house and looked curiously at Xie Fengchao, who was half-sprawled beside the fire.

Xie Fengchao stared at him for a long moment, then sighed.

"Why didn’t you bring me some water and dried meat while you were at it?"

He had recovered some of his strength, but truly couldn’t be bothered to move.

"You’re not my senior sister." Ding Songyan laughed.

"Damn you, choosing a pretty face over your friends!" Xie Fengchao cursed.

"My bond with my senior sister is far deeper than anything I have with you." Ding Songyan snorted. "Why are you swearing? Aren’t you supposed to be one of the young masters of the Flame Capital’s Xie clan?"

Xie Fengchao curled his lip.

"I have to be graceful and refined while watching every word when I’m at home. If I have to act the same way out in the jianghu, what was the point of leaving?"

"Fair enough. That line is worth some dried meat and water." Ding Songyan shuffled over, sat down beside him, and rummaged up some rations to hand over.

Seeing Xie Fengchao drop his airs, he knew the other man had come to regard them as friends.

"Are you trying to choke me to death?" Xie Fengchao grumbled, gnawing on the dried meat.

"You’re quite demanding." Ding Songyan handed him a pouch of water and asked thoughtfully, "Was the dart that killed Cao Yue one of the five signature hidden weapons?"

"Shattered Star." Xie Fengchao swallowed the dried meat. "Impressive, isn’t it? The only reason I lost to you is that I can’t use my signature hidden weapons in a sparring match. Otherwise, how could I possibly lose?"

"What if you used your signature hidden weapons against my senior sister?" Ding Songyan changed the subject.

Xie Fengchao went quiet for a moment.

"Fuck. Before tonight I thought I had a decent shot. Now I can’t say that anymore."

The two of them were chatting idly with Xing Chang when Pan Yunzhou suddenly came running in from outside and said in a low voice, "Someone’s coming. By the look of it, he has reached some attainment in the Great Proliferation Realm."

Ding Songyan rose, picked up Frostshade and an unopened pouch of water, and sat back down beside Zheng Zhuxi.

Before long, a man in his thirties walked in, wearing a bamboo hat and a rain cape. His skin was a pale gold, with scattered black feathers on his neck and the backs of his hands. A deep golden light lurked within his eyes. On his back he carried a short spear and a half-length shaft that could be combined into one weapon.

His gaze first swept over Xing Chang, who was by far the most unusual-looking of them.

"A Headless?" he asked in a low, steady voice.

"We came from the Zhao Kingdom, pursuing wanted criminals who seemed to be heading toward Xinfu City," Ding Songyan explained how things had started, but said nothing about the outcome.

The man studied them for a moment, then smiled suddenly.

"As it happens, I’m not from Gan either. I’m Li Rui of the Yu Kingdom."

"Flame Spear Li Rui?" Xie Fengchao’s expression changed slightly.

Zheng Zhuxi had woken when Li Rui entered, but she was still weak, half-leaning against a pillar.

She said quietly to Ding Songyan, "Li Rui of the Lizhu Sect. Among those below the Dharma Realm, he ranks in the top ten."

The Lizhu Sect was one of New Yu’s foremost powers. Li Zhu was the Golden Crow of the great sun. The result of consuming it? Grants command over the great sun, purifies all yin, gains the ability to discern the finest detail, and sight across a thousand miles.

Li Rui chuckled.

"I was passing through and saw your fire, so I came to warn you. Under no circumstances should you enter the nearby mountains at night. A few years back, a wyrm took up residence here. It’s roughly Heaven-Man Realm in ability, and its flesh and blood are far more formidable than any human’s."

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