Chapter 010: A Narrow Encounter
The young man had a sharp expression, his eyes calm and steady, his breath as still as a deep abyss. One hand formed a sword gesture while the other held the sword, pointing it diagonally to the ground. The faded sword tassel swayed in the wind, while the tip of the sword remained utterly motionless
Su Xuan was truly enraged, grabbing a man with a麻脸 and demanding, "Who is that guy? Where is the girl you abducted from the street?"
Hua Jian Tao had never seen this person before, but the resentment he had bottled up for several days vowed to find an outlet. "Who cares, just kill him!"
Hua Jian Tao has lost patience, "Does it really take this long for a mere dish? Gourmet, can you even do this?"
The young man, having lost his patience, threw down the ladle and retorted without hesitation, "Since you have seen it, why do you need to ask me?"
The wind swept the fallen leaves rustling across the ground, and the market was enveloped in a chilling silence, with only the breath of a young man, exhausted from a long battle, breaking the stillness
The grinning glutton swooped down, nonchalantly picking his teeth. "Old Tang, are you sure you didn't see it wrong?"
At a glance among the flowers, I recognized you, old grievances and new resentments surging in my heart. "It is you? You do not take the path to heaven, yet you come uninvited to hell!"
He lost his prey and searched everywhere without success, feeling extremely dejected. The ever-present Laughing Glutton followed him like a shadow, compelling him to come to Yuzhou together. The Laughing Glutton, familiar with the route, arrived at a tavern he often frequented, occupying a table full of food and drink, completely unconcerned while Huajian Tao was preoccupied with thoughts on how to deal with the ancestor's punishment. By chance, he spotted his prey, which was exactly what he had been searching for tirelessly, and it came to him effortlessly.
The young man struggled to rise, lifting the fainting girl in his arms, and staggered into the alley, disappearing from sight
Cold, piercing, steep, and towering, nothing is unbreakable
The arrival of the flower between the trees is also a matter of chance
The man was robust in stature, in the prime of his youth, with his bare arms covered in blue tattoos, and beads of sweat glistening on his back. He wore a coarse cloth waist apron and was chiseling a piece of sturdy ship timber. Perhaps tired from his labor, he paused at the inquiry, dipped a ladle of water from a large vat beside him, splashed it over his head to shake off the moisture, and then said, "I haven't seen any women."
The fat man with a shiny face at the restaurant across the street looked amusing. He nudged the person next to him and said, "Old Tao, look at that fellow; he must be involved in some shady business."
The fierce battle has not yet harmed the young man, but it has knocked down two or three passersby. The injured are crying out in agony, frightening the onlookers into fleeing in all directions, daring not to watch any longer. The once bustling street is suddenly left desolate.
The girl was in a state of panic, and in an instant, she saw the familiar face of the demon, her heart stopped abruptly, nearly causing her to faint.
A single remark pierced the ears, leaving the youth feeling utterly despondent, realizing that he had encountered a calamity, and that this time he was destined to fail. Yet, he was unwilling to accept such a futile demise, enduring the pain and persevering through the suffering.
The two circled around the city several times. Although the young man was cunning, he was ultimately no match for Su Xuan's strong legs. After a prolonged chase, he became exhausted. As he escaped through a narrow alley, he was struck on the leg by a sheath and tumbled down from the rooftop, landing awkwardly on the street. Just then, a thug spotted him and, startled, shouted at the top of his lungs, "Everyone nearby, come out! There's trouble brewing! The little brother is going to die!"
In the twilight, a young boy appeared on the empty street
Su Xuan felt deflated and was about to seek elsewhere when she inadvertently caught a glimpse from the corner of her eye, and immediately came to a halt
The sword wind surged triumphantly over the snow, brushing past the tip of the nose of the flower amidst the thorn, swirling up the bloodthirsty black hook. Like a furious tide sweeping away ants, a dense sound of gold and iron clashing echoed, the black hooks fell in disarray, the net of blades collapsed, and the vision became suddenly clear
The man with a rough face is indeed tough, continuously cursing without willing to respond
Joy descends from the heavens amidst the flowers, and the entire person feels invigorated, "Indeed, it is this little girl."
The bloodline of the flower is frozen, and it instinctively leaps to evade.
A group of ruffians rushed out at the sound, employing all sorts of dirty tricks such as tripping and grabbing. They were sent sprawling by Su Xuan, but in the blink of an eye, the young man had vanished again
Before a word was spoken, a flash of sword light suddenly erupted.
The other party appeared calm, showing no signs of suspicion. Su Xuan, unwilling to give up, asked again, "She was just lingering here."
At first glance, it appears to be flat ground, but upon turning over the ridge, one encounters a steep drop of several zhang; at one moment, one may feel trapped, only to discover upon ascending that there are several higher slopes hidden beyond. During leisurely strolls, there is joy in the winding paths and the brightness that follows the shade of willows and blooming flowers, yet when pursuing someone, it only adds obstacles, which is particularly frustrating
The stout woman was extremely familiar with the paths in the city, exceptionally cunning, often hiding in the courtyards of residences, using瓦缸 and wooden beams to conceal herself, and on several occasions narrowly evading capture. Su Xuan relied solely on her keen eyesight and determination to pursue her relentlessly, growing increasingly anxious as time passed.
Dressed and ready, the young man pushed out a wooden cart and loaded a wooden barrel from the corner of the house onto it. He sighed in frustration and pulled the cart outward. This particular business was indeed troublesome, as he was being pursued by a difficult young man to the point of exhaustion. It was his own fault for boasting at the time and guaranteeing an in-person delivery, which left him no choice but to make the trip himself. Once the goods were delivered, it would be of no concern to him, even if the sky were to fall.
The young man hurriedly pushed away the surrounding onlookers, lifted the girl back into the barrel, placed a heavy piece of wood on top, and was just about to push the cart forward when suddenly a fierce figure descended from the sky, crashing down and shattering the barrel, seizing the girl inside for inspection.
Su Xuan jabbed a few times at the man, targeting the junctions of his tendons and meridians. It was not lethal, but it caused excruciating pain. The man with a numb face contorted his features in agony, groaning and crying out in distress. Nearby, a young boy began to cry loudly, saying, "Don't hit my brother, I'll talk, I'll talk!"
With a smile that resembled a glutton's, he did not utter a word, and with a flick of his wrist, a sky full of dark hooks came rushing towards the young man
The young man sensed that the two individuals were not to be trifled with and was about to find a way to escape. However, the opponents acted without hesitation, launching a vicious attack. Realizing the severity of the situation, he immediately dropped to the ground and rolled away to avoid the onslaught. It was laughable that the notorious figure was not merely a name; one could see the fat man's fingers flicking, the blade's net shimmering, and the sharp sounds of slicing through the air were incessant. Any moment of carelessness could result in a burst of blood.
Ignoring his urgings with a smile, I bared my teeth in interest, "Let me have some fun, seeking a bit of amusement, how about I turn him into a personal pig?"
Su Xuan was left speechless, both crying and laughing as she hurried after him
The topography of Yuzhou is markedly different from the norm, with the entire city characterized by rolling hills and a landscape of intricate and unusual formations
The youth still possesses a certain resilience, enduring the blows without a cry, only sweating profusely from the pain. His agility is no longer as nimble as before, and before long, he has sustained several more wounds, his body adorned with bruises.
The youthful spirit gradually faded as he stared at the two individuals, and suddenly said, "Take her along, keep your distance."
The young man was wearing a pair of black wide trousers, from which a hint of pointed crimson was visible at his feet. Before Su Xuan could take any action, the young man, realizing that his movements had been discovered, suddenly darted away.
In the midst of chaos, the young man finally managed to shake off Su Xuan. He stealthily entered a dilapidated house in the south of the city, took out a set of clothes to change into, wrapped his head with coarse cloth, smeared some mud on his face, hunched his back, and let his shoulders droop. Instantly, his appearance and demeanor transformed, resembling a middle-aged laborer, so much so that even if he brushed past Su Xuan, she might not recognize him.
The smiling glutton's black hook was damaged by half in a single strike, which also left him astonished. This weapon was crafted from profound essence, exceptionally delicate, and extremely difficult to make. Amidst the pain in his heart, a surge of resentment arose, and he became furious.
There is no such thing as a fierce and plump woman; it is merely a disguise worn by a young man. This person, pretending to be a woman, reveals his true nature vividly, and with a turn of his body, he transforms into a tall and robust young man, without any flaws. If it weren't for the embroidered shoes that he had not yet had the chance to change out of, which exposed his true identity, he would have almost succeeded in deceiving everyone.
The young man frequently finds himself in peril, yet he is as cunning as a weasel, darting back and forth under the blade's net, narrowly avoiding danger. Unfortunately, he is cornered by two individuals, one at each end, leaving him no opportunity to escape. With a malicious grin, the wicked figure taunts him, the dark hook spinning menacingly, introducing more sinister variations. Before long, three or four wounds have been inflicted upon the young man's body.
The hook is only the size of a palm, exceptionally sharp, and each hook's tail is connected by a thread, resembling a dense net of blades. A single scrape can strip away a piece of flesh, making it exceedingly vicious. Those who have died at the hands of the smiling glutton have met a fate as cruel as being flayed alive, often leaving their faces unrecognizable, instilling long-standing fear and hatred among the people of the rivers and lakes.
The long-faced man beside the fat man turned his head gloomily, and in an instant, his eyes shone like a wolf as he picked up the golden hook from the table
Hua Jian Tao clearly understood the nature of the fat man, and was too lazy to urge him further. He turned to tease the girl who lay limp as if dead, looking at her desperate and pale face, and said triumphantly, "Little girl, time and again you still fall into my hands, this is your fate"
The smiling glutton was playing with a string of slippery black hooks, blocking the young man's escape route. "Is this the kid who stole the goods?"
Like a graceful green reed, akin to a stroke of ink splashed in white, it pierces through the hazy world, radiating an astonishing brilliance
After crossing a ridge, the stout woman was nowhere to be seen again. Su Xuan remained calm and searched carefully, but after burning an incense stick, she still found nothing. She had no choice but to inquire of a man who was working in the backyard. "Excuse me, brother, have you seen a stout woman pass by?"
The man with a scarred face shouted hoarsely, but was struck on a pressure point by Su Xuan with a sheath, causing him to immediately lose consciousness
Although the youth's plans were good, he did not expect that after fleeing in the city for too long, the effect of the drug would gradually wear off. The young girl woke up in a daze, realizing that the place she was in was dark and narrow. She struggled to support herself against the wall of the barrel to get up, but the empty barrel tilted and rolled off the cart with a loud crash. Passersby, while avoiding the scene, were astonished to see a sparkling young girl tumble out of the barrel, causing an uproar of surprise.