Chapter 181 Clash of the Two
I quickly crouched down and crept closer, pulling apart the grass and listening through the gap.
One of them said in a rough voice,
“It's done! The Eighth Prince has been captured. We need to hurry and meet up with the others. If we're too late, someone else will steal the credit!”
Another sighed.
“It's a shame the First Boss is gone... How are we supposed to get anything done now?”
Two voices immediately chimed in together:
“What are you afraid of? The First Boss may be gone, but we've still got the Second Boss! Haven't we been following his orders this whole time? If you ask me, the five of us can't go wrong following him!”
“Exactly! Come on, come on! This time we're going to hit the jackpot!”
The five men were practically glowing with excitement as they hurried along, clearly eager to go “claim their reward.”
I listened from the bushes, and my brain went bang.
The Eighth Prince has been captured?!
Then doesn't that mean... Lian and the others have all been taken down too?
I was so anxious I stamped my feet.
But when I looked up, I realized—
I didn't know the way back at all!
I couldn't teleport, and that blasted system had apparently decided to make me wait until the Year of the Monkey for my next reward. It wasn't helping me either.
I wiped my face and could only grit my teeth and make a decision.
“Fine! Walking is walking. Since I can't find my way back anyway, I might as well follow these idiots and see what actually happened!”
I followed behind the five men, keeping low and muttering under my breath,
“Lian, you have to wait for me! It's not that I don't want to come back and save you. I really... really don't know the way!”
The mountain forest was dense, and the paths twisted and turned.
The five men led the way at a brisk pace, occasionally stopping to get their bearings.
I followed from a distance, afraid both of snapping a dead branch and giving myself away, and of falling too far behind and losing them.
Fortunately, none of them used qinggong. I was exhausted, but after months of roughing it outdoors, I could at least keep up with them in these wilderness mountains.
Their route was bizarre.
First they followed the contours of the mountain and made a wide loop. I assumed they would head toward the small courtyard ahead and to the right—after all, that was where the suspicious people were hiding.
Instead, they turned back around the far side of the mountain and headed even deeper into the remote forest.
I muttered to myself,
“What exactly are you after? Going mushroom picking?”
The shade overhead was so thick it seemed to pour down from the trees.
Just following them had me sweating from head to toe, and the soles of my feet felt as though they were about to smoke.
Yet the five men didn't slow down at all, as if someone were chasing them from behind.
I was just about to curse them under my breath when the forest suddenly opened up.
At the end of the dense woods stood a sheer cliff face, split open in the middle by a natural cave entrance.
The mouth of the cave was pitch-black, with a chill that seemed to roll straight out of it.
Looking into it felt like staring down the throat of some enormous beast capable of swallowing the sun and moon.
But what shocked me even more was what stood in front of it.
A dozen or so paces from the entrance, seven or eight burly men were sitting around a fire.
The flames danced merrily, while two scents—one savory, one sweet—drifted through the smoke.
Two plump mountain chickens were roasting over the fire, dripping with fat, while a pot of hot milk tea simmered beside them, rich with the smell of milk.
My stomach immediately betrayed me.
Grrrrrrr.
Me:
“……”
The system calmly reminded me,
“You have indeed had nothing to eat since the ambush at the courtyard.”
I gritted my teeth.
“I hadn't eaten before the ambush either! Why don't you try going hungry for once?”
The system replied,
“I don't have a stomach.”
“Just shut up.”
I rolled my eyes.
Damn it. Two chickens.
Two whole chickens.
Their skins had been roasted a deep golden brown, and fat dripped into the fire with a satisfying sizzle, sizzle. The smell was practically hooking my soul and dragging it straight toward them.
The burly men weren't particularly concerned with manners either.
When they saw the five men approaching, they didn't even stand up to greet them.
Instead, they shouted,
“Hey! You're here! Come over and have a few bites!”
The five men didn't bother with formalities either. Each found a spot and sat down, some cross-legged, others on rocks.
The man who seemed to be their leader asked,
“Where's Old Liu? Has the Second Boss been here yet?”
The man tearing into a chicken leg was covered in grease. Even his voice seemed greasy as he spoke.
“No, no! The Second Boss hasn't arrived yet! Old Liu just took those people they captured inside!”
My heart tightened, but the corner of my mouth curled into a cold smile.
Just as I thought.
Judging by this whole setup, the business these bastards were involved in—capturing people, moving them, taking them prisoner—was clearly nothing honorable.
I was just about to creep closer to hear more when a hoarse but powerful voice suddenly came from the darkness of the cave.
“Those outside! How many of you are there? We're four men short inside. Come in and lend a hand!”
The five men immediately jumped to their feet.
They looked as though they were terrified that if they hesitated for even a second, the credit would slip through their fingers.
“Coming, coming! There are five of us!”
With that, all five hurried into the cave.
The seven or eight men outside were left sitting around the fire, continuing to eat chicken and drink tea.
I was wondering whether I should sneak closer to the cave entrance while they weren't paying attention and take a look.
Then I suddenly noticed the voice coming from inside.
Why did it sound...
so familiar?
No way.
Could it be...?
But I didn't want to believe it.
My leg had already moved halfway forward, and I nearly rushed straight inside to see for myself.
A while later, someone finally walked out of the cave.
He was lean and slender, standing with his hands behind his back. His features were handsome, though there was a trace of weariness in his face.
And that sternness between his brows was one I knew better than anyone.
The moment he stepped into the light—
I completely froze.
Nangong Bo.
My dear elder brother.
I nearly bit my own tongue off.
What the hell is my brother doing here?!
Did I somehow stumble straight into a bandits' den?!
Or... has he been working with these people all along?!
My mind was in complete turmoil.
I desperately wanted to rush out and drag him over so I could demand an explanation.
But in the very next moment, my entire body went rigid.
Because behind the rocks above the cave entrance, a figure suddenly leapt down from the air!
The figure was masked and moved with extraordinary agility.
A soft whip lashed out, flashing through the air like a serpent.
Crack!
The whip came down.
Before the group of ragtag men outside the cave could even cry out, the masked figure struck them one after another.
Within a few turns—
Every last one of them was down.
My eyes widened.
Perhaps no one else could tell.
But I recognized him instantly.
Lian!
My heart nearly leapt out of my throat.
I almost shouted,
“Lian! Over here!”
But the last shred of reason held me firmly in place.
No.
Not now.
I can't reveal myself.
There were only two people still standing.
Outside the cave entrance.
The mountain wind howled.
Nangong Bo.
And the masked Lian.
They stood facing each other.
Nangong Bo stared at the masked man and asked in a low voice,
“Who are you?”
The air instantly tightened.
My palms were covered in sweat.
Oh no.
What if my brother mistakes Lian for one of these bandits and cuts him down?!
System! Think of something!
The system calmly replied,
“I have no solution.”
My heart clenched.
“You're deliberately refusing to help me!”
The system remained as cold as a winter spring.
“You just told me to shut up.”
I was speechless.
I rolled my eyes.
“...You're incredibly petty.”
After a long pause, the system suddenly spoke again.
Its voice was strangely calm.
“How about you go out now, reveal your identity to Nangong Bo and the Blood Lotus Cult Leader, and turn hostility into friendship?”
I nearly snorted aloud.
Turn hostility into friendship?
What if I go out and expose both their identities, and they end up fighting even harder?!
I gritted my teeth.
“No. For all I know, if I go out and reveal myself, I'll turn friendship into hostility instead! Besides, I don't even know what's happening inside that cave. Going out there recklessly wouldn't just be dangerous. It would be incredibly foolish.”
I held my breath.
My eyes were practically bulging out of my head.
All I could hope for was that Nangong Bo wouldn't make a reckless move—and that he wouldn't recognize Lian from his movements.
Lian said nothing.
He merely tilted his head slightly.
I knew that little movement so well that I could almost tell exactly what was going through his mind.
Should I knock this nuisance unconscious too?
My soul nearly left my body.
My brother against Lian.
This was an apocalyptic-level matchup I absolutely did not want to witness.
The wind at the cave entrance grew colder.
Lian's shoulders sank slightly.
His foot shifted half an inch, almost imperceptibly.
His sleeve moved despite the lack of wind.
My brother was no less formidable.
He had never been one for unnecessary words.
With a turn of his wrist, he assumed the opening stance used to lock an opponent within striking range.
I didn't even dare imagine what would happen next.
And then—
just as everything stood on the edge of life and death—
another furious roar suddenly erupted from inside the cave.
“What the hell is going on?! What are you making all that noise outside for?!”