Chapter 32: Critical Moment |
Thus, one after another, they crossed the river.
On the other side, the commanders visited Shang Chao Zong. After all, Kuangai County had not completely severed ties with the imperial family, and Shang Chao Zong was, in any case, also a prince of the imperial family. And out of a sense of duty, as well as logical reasoning, they had to meet him. The commanders also knew that Shang Chao Zong was by no means truly of the imperial house, and certainly not an enemy. Therefore, they even hosted a banquet in the prince's honor, but the prince tactfully declined. Regardless, he belonged to the imperial lineage, which the opposing side was not too pleased about.
Nevertheless, the commanders sent a group of 10 people to escort the prince out of Kuangai County territory.
Shang Chao Zong did not reject this offer. Of course, he understood that this group was certainly not there to escort him, but to keep him under control. That was the true intent. After all, the prince had 500 warriors, and if they wished, they could easily break through several thousand infantry units from Kuangai County. The county head was obliged to be cautious. He could not be blamed for this.
Thus, the troops marched, while the escort group followed behind.
Within Kuangai County, the Southern Mountain Monastery was not far away. And the day they were approaching the mountain had already arrived. Near the road was a hill, which was called Little Southern Mountain.
Shang Shu Qing, turning her head, called out, "Brother!"
Shang Chao Zong grew serious and raised his hand.
Immediately, their detachment halted.
Shang Shu Qing, who had halted with a straight back, tilted her head and looked at Niu You Dao:
- Master, don't you need to deliver the letter? Little Southern Mountain is here.
- Ah! Here?" Niu You Dao feigned sudden realization.
Feng Ru Jze, in charge of the vanguard, pointed to the road leading up the mountain: "The Southern Mountain Monastery is right there!"
Niu You Dao nodded and, looking at Yuan Gang, said:
- Monkey, the letter is in your bag. You can take it to the monastery!
Yuan Gang silently nodded and rode out of the detachment. He circled the detachment and pointed to a guard:
- You, come with me!
That guard was named Su Ce Ren. When he saw that he was being pointed at, he was slightly surprised. But Shang Chao Zong nodded to him, and he immediately followed Yuan Gang.
- Be careful!" Lan Ruo Ting looked at Guan Tie, who was standing nearby, and winked.
Guan Tie nodded slightly and ordered the detachment to move in one direction and remain on guard. The greater part of the 500 warriors dispersed, keeping a vigilant watch over everything.
The one in charge of the Kuangai County guards, Chu Wu, rode over and asked:
- Prince, what's the matter?
When Lan Ruo Ting heard him, he laughed and answered on behalf of the prince, "Nothing. We just sent someone with a letter. It shouldn't take long."
Chu Wu grunted and rode back, surveying all sides...
- Follow me!" Yuan Gang, ascending the mountain, shouted and, turning off the road, rode into a soft, forested area.
Su Ce Ren also rode into the dense forest, seeing Yuan Gang, who had stopped and was looking around.
Su Ce Ren asked, "Brother Yuan, what happened? Don't we need to deliver the letter?"
- Get down!" Yuan Gang simply told him, dismounting his own horse. He took Niu You Dao's clothes out of his bag.
Su Ce Ren dismounted and hadn't quite regained his bearings when Yuan Gang threw the clothes to him.
- Change into these!
- Why?" Su Ce Ren asked, not understanding.
Yuan Gang: "I told you to change! What nonsense are you spouting?"
Su Ce Ren, finding himself in a helpless situation, began to change, doing so rather slowly.
Yuan Gang shouted, "Faster!"
Hastily, Su Ce Ren changed, and Yuan Gang approached him and began to cut his hair.
Su Ce Ren immediately stepped back and asked warily, "What exactly are you doing?"
Yuan Gang replied with a grunt, "If you don't want to, then go back to the prince and tell him you don't want to follow my instructions. Let the prince send someone else who will agree to obey my orders."
Su Ce Ren had no choice.
After some time, Yuan Gang cut his hair just like Niu You Dao's. Su Ce Ren now had the same ponytail. Yuan Gang took out the letter and placed it on Su Ce Ren's chest.
- It's simple. Go into the monastery and ask for an audience with the head of the monastery himself. Give this letter only to him. Also, say that you are Niu You Dao, a disciple of the Supreme Purity Sect. The head of the sect asked you to deliver this letter. After you hand over the letter, the most important thing will be to thoroughly ascertain the situation in the monastery. Understood?" Yuan Gang said this to mislead Su Ce Ren.
After the instructions, the two men once again mounted their horses and headed towards the monastery. When the monastery's location became visible, Yuan Gang turned off the road and rode into the mountainous terrain. Su Ce Ren continued alone. Meanwhile, Yuan Gang securely tied his horse and hid among the trees. He climbed into the treetop and observed the monastery from there. He clearly saw Su Ce Ren entering the monastery.
- Abbot, a person has arrived from outside. He says he is Niu You Dao, a disciple of the Supreme Purity Sect. The sect head ordered him to deliver a letter to us.
Behind the reception hall, Yuan Fang and Song Yang Qing were drinking tea and conversing when a disciple approached them with this report.
Before Yuan Fang could say anything, Song Yang Qing stood up, his eyes lighting up.
- He actually came!" he then turned his head and said to Yuan Fang:
- Let him in!" He then gestured to Su Yi Tian and Cheng Gui Shuo to hide temporarily in another room. Song Yang Qing himself concealed himself in a different room and poked holes in the paper covering the window opening.
Yuan Fang nodded helplessly. He didn't want to get involved in the sect's internal affairs, so he merely waved the disciple in, saying, "Let him enter!"
Very quickly, Su Ce Ren, looking around, entered. After exchanging courtesies with Yuan Fang, he took out the letter.
In the adjacent room, Song Yang Qing frowned. He could, of course, recognize Niu You Dao, so he immediately realized that it wasn't him who had arrived. He looked at Su Yi Tian and Cheng Gui Shuo: "Go outside and see what's out there!"
The two men left the room, not even bothering to glance at Su Ce Ren.
Yuan Fang opened the letter and began to examine it. He looked left to right, then right to left, and every which way. But he saw nothing. It was just plain paper!
Song Yang Qing, who had emerged, also snatched the letter and scrutinized Su Ce Ren. Then he looked at the letter, but likewise saw nothing...
Outside the monastery doors, Su Yi Tian and Cheng Gui Shuo ascended and descended the steps, constantly surveying their surroundings.
Yuan Gang also noticed them. He observed one silhouette climb onto the monastery wall, then leap from the wall to a tree, and begin to jump back and forth through the treetops. All along the way, he was looking around.
It was none other than Cheng Gui Shuo. It turned out that they had one person surveying from above and another from below.
Yuan Gang was now cursing to himself with all his might. For the direction Cheng Gui Shuo was moving in was precisely Yuan Gang's direction. And if Yuan Gang were to move now, there was a high possibility he would be discovered. Therefore, he had no choice but to remain still, hoping that Cheng Gui Shuo wouldn't notice him.
However, his luck was not great. The wind blew and shook the trees, causing Cheng Gui Shuo to immediately spot Yuan Gang. He squinted his eyes and, drawing his sword, rushed towards him.
Yuan Gang felt a chill and, taking advantage of the swaying tree, immediately leaped onto another tree.
- Swish—" Cheng Gui Shuo sliced through the branches and treetop.
He traversed the trees and rushed through them, like a swallow flying through raindrops. He was chasing to kill Yuan Gang.
And Yuan Gang, leaping from that tree, instantly descended and rushed downwards on foot. He understood that he was now in a critical situation. And that fellow was definitely not an ordinary warrior.
Behind him, he heard Cheng Gui Shuo now leaping between the trees, his speed undeniably swift.
Bang.
Cheng Gui Shuo unleashed a palm of profound energy, and this strike was directed at Yuan Gang.
Yuan Gang felt that he couldn't evade the strike in time, and he tensed his back. The blow shook him, but the impact also propelled him forward. This increased the distance between Cheng Gui Shuo and Yuan Gang.
Cheng Gui Shuo was surprised. He hadn't thought his opponent would be so tough, and he continued the pursuit. Yuan Gang constantly used the trees to evade Cheng Gui Shuo's attacks. And when Cheng Gui Shuo caught up to Yuan Gang again, he didn't repeat his mistake and drew his sword. He unleashed a sword strike at him.
Yuan Gang evaded the sword strike using a tree. Moreover, he grabbed the tree and, circling around it, counter-attacked Cheng Gui Shuo.
Cheng Gui Shuo had not expected Yuan Gang to be able to evade. Even more, he hadn't expected Yuan Gang to counter-attack! Seeing Yuan Gang's fist, Cheng Gui Shuo also unleashed a fist.
- Bang!" A crash resounded.
Yuan Gang, losing control of himself, was sent flying, tumbling through the air. He was shaking all over.
Cheng Gui Shuo also trembled and even stumbled back several steps. Only then was he able to stabilize himself. He was surprised that Yuan Gang possessed such immense raw strength!
With that, Yuan Gang thoroughly enraged Cheng Gui Shuo. Cheng Gui Shuo now pursued Yuan Gang quite savagely. He had no intention of leaving Yuan Gang alive. He intended to kill him!