Chapter 110 - 105: Circling
The crossbowmen readied their arrows, but Zhao Lin acted as if he hadn’t heard a thing. He closed the distance to Zheng Ma in a single bound, raised his iron ruler, and brought it down on the back of his head.
Zheng Ma’s brains splattered, and he died on the spot.
Yang Dan roared, "Fire!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the front rank of crossbowmen pulled their triggers. A dozen or so crossbow arrows fanned out toward Zhao Lin.
To deal with martial arts masters, Yang Dan had specifically made his crossbowmen spend a great deal of time practicing scattered shots to seal off an opponent’s escape routes.
Having just killed Zheng Ma, Zhao Lin knew the angle of the incoming arrows without even looking up. He was keenly aware of the position of every single bolt. Pushing off with his legs, he shot straight into the air.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
The dozen or so deadly arrows flew past beneath his feet.
Yang Dan was overjoyed at the sight. If Zhao Lin had dodged on the ground, he might have had a sliver of a chance, but once a man was in mid-air, he was nothing but a sitting duck.
"Second and third squads... fire!"
He paused deliberately, waiting until Zhao Lin reached the apex of his jump and began to fall before giving the order.
Dozens of crossbow arrows rained down like a storm.
The archers had clearly defined roles. The rain of arrows blossomed like a lotus in the air, covering every possible place Zhao Lin could land. No matter how he twisted or turned, it seemed impossible for him to dodge.
Drilling Mountain Leopard secretly sighed in relief, a smile touching his lips.
In everyone’s eyes, Zhao Lin was already a dead man.
However, events took a turn that no one expected. Zhao Lin didn’t fall at all. Instead, like a hawk soaring against the wind, he defied gravity and spiraled upward.
In that exact instant, the volley of crossbow arrows flew harmlessly beneath his feet.
CLANG! CLANG!
Zhao Lin swung his iron ruler, swatting away two stray crossbow arrows before finally landing on the ground.
The bandits were all dumbfounded. Drilling Mountain Leopard’s face changed color as well; he could hardly believe his eyes.
One of his hands slipped into his robes, gripping the Hundred Poison Needle. He had intended to finish Zhao Lin off with the hidden weapon if he miraculously survived being shot, but he saw that his target was completely unharmed.
’What kind of Cultivation Technique is this? How can he hover in the air with nothing to push off of?’
Yang Dan froze for a moment, forgetting even to shout commands. He only snapped out of it when he saw Zhao Lin land, roaring furiously, "What are you all gawking at? Hurry up and fire! Shoot him dead!"
As if waking from a dream, the crossbowmen began drawing their bows and reloading their weapons.
"Surround him! Don’t let him get away!"
Drilling Mountain Leopard directed his men to block the exit of Black Wind Gap, determined not to let Zhao Lin escape.
Seeing the bandits close in, Zhao Lin slowly retreated toward the cliff’s edge. ’I can’t stay here any longer,’ he thought.
’That trick won’t work a second time,’ he thought. ’No matter how fast I am, I can’t outrun a crossbow bolt. Besides, Drilling Mountain Leopard’s hand is still inside his robe. He must have some deadly weapon waiting for me.’
Seeing Zhao Lin backed up to the cliff’s edge, Drilling Mountain Leopard led his men forward, pressing closer step by step. He laughed heartily. "Zhao Lin, you have nowhere left to run. Drop your weapon and surrender, and I might just let you live."
"Let me live?"
Zhao Lin glanced at the cliff by his feet, his expression a mixture of a smile and a sneer. "Are you kidding me?"
’I can leave whenever I want,’ he thought. ’Might as well chat with Drilling Mountain Leopard for a bit. Maybe I can get some information out of him.’
Drilling Mountain Leopard impassively took a red pill from his sleeve and showed it to Zhao Lin.
"Swallow this obediently, and I’ll guarantee I won’t kill you."
This was a pill he had refined himself. It was called the Blood Rush Pill, originally intended as a drug to help break through to the Blood Realm, but its actual effects were wildly different.
For years, Drilling Mountain Leopard had never given up on the idea of entering the Blood Realm. Unfortunately, the old master who had taught him martial arts left and never returned. Without the corresponding pill formula, he could never break through, no matter how hard he trained.
During his raids and robberies, he had collected many partial formulas and cobbled together one of his own. The ingredients he chose were all highly potent tonics like fo-ti root, deer fetus, human placenta, and the Earth Store Flower.
After concocting the Blood Rush Pill, he didn’t dare take it himself, so he forced two subordinates who had broken the mountain’s rules to consume it.
The result was that after the two men took the Blood Rush Pill, they suddenly became delirious, as if they had lost their minds. The only upside was that they became completely subservient to him, doing whatever he commanded.
Afterward, Drilling Mountain Leopard secretly had the two men killed and gave up on the idea of concocting his own pills. He did, however, keep the ones he had already made.
Zhao Lin was elusive and as swift as the wind; Drilling Mountain Leopard wanted to turn him into an invincible blade in his own hand.
"It wouldn’t happen to be a Three Corpses Brain God Pill, would it?"
Zhao Lin glanced at the pill and scoffed.
"What Brain God Pill?"
Drilling Mountain Leopard faltered for a moment, then sneered. "This pill won’t kill you. It just has a slight bit of poison. You’ll be fine as long as you get the antidote from me regularly."
"So? Eat it, and you live."
Zhao Lin pretended to think for a moment, then said, "I have a question for you. If you’re willing to answer it, I might consider your offer."
"Ask away."
"How many secret passages are there on this mountain, and where are their entrances and exits?"
Drilling Mountain Leopard chuckled, a dry "heh heh" that quickly vanished. "About that... I’ll tell you after you’ve taken the pill. Don’t worry, I always keep my promises. I never go back on my word."
But he thought, ’Once you’re a drooling idiot, what does it matter if I tell you?’
Zhao Lin slowly shook his head. "As for this pill... why don’t you save it for yourself?"
"Then don’t blame me for what happens next!"
Drilling Mountain Leopard’s face darkened. He waved a hand forward. "Send him on his way!"
The bandits slowly closed in, the front rank of crossbowmen raising their weapons and taking aim at Zhao Lin.
"No need for you to trouble yourselves. I’ll do it myself!"
Zhao Lin gave a derisive laugh and, under the stunned gazes of the crowd, leaped off the cliff.
Everyone froze. No one spoke; only the howling of the wind could be heard.
His face grim, Drilling Mountain Leopard walked to the cliff’s edge and looked down. He saw only swirling clouds and mist over a bottomless abyss.
Yang Dan walked over, his brows tightly furrowed. "Was the kid so afraid of us capturing and torturing him that he killed himself?"
The strategist, Song Heiqi, shook his head. "I doubt a man like that would give up so easily. Do you think he had some other plan?"
Yang Dan asked, bewildered, "This cliff is thousands of feet high. How could he possibly survive that fall?"
Drilling Mountain Leopard didn’t speak. He didn’t believe Zhao Lin would give up so easily. The image of him hovering in mid-air flashed through his mind.
"We’ll know if he’s dead or not once we take a look. Boss, let’s go down and search," Xu Mabang said loudly.
"There’s no need."
Drilling Mountain Leopard said coldly. Seeing the confusion on their faces, he explained, "If he fell to his death, checking tomorrow won’t be too late. If he isn’t dead, with night falling, going down now will just get us ambushed in the chaos. We’d be sacrificing our brothers for nothing."
Everyone felt he had a point, so no one said anything further.
Drilling Mountain Leopard thought for a moment, then added, "Second Brother, post more men at the valley entrance. Starting tomorrow, lay animal traps during the day, too. We absolutely cannot let him get in again!"
The bandit leaders nodded silently. The shock Zhao Lin had dealt them today was simply too great; he had actually escaped an encirclement by so many men.
Having such a powerful enemy lurking nearby made it impossible to eat or sleep in peace.
Yang Dan’s face was a mask of shame. He lowered his voice. "Boss, I have been useless."
Drilling Mountain Leopard waved a hand dismissively. "It’s not your fault," he said calmly. "I didn’t expect it, either."