Chapter 166: Meeting an Old Friend, Seeing Red

None of the men from the Zhennan Army's Wei Faction waiting outside had expected this to happen.

By the time they snapped out of their shock, nothing remained before them but a room in absolute ruins.

Those terrifying Thorns quickly dissolved into dark motes of light and vanished. Inside the room, blood flowed like rivers as far as the eye could see.

Now, the only clue at hand seemed to be the words Fei Yu had just spoken.

At this thought, the eyes of the Zhennan Army soldiers outside burned with fury. The deaths of their comrades and their own lingering fear finally transformed into killing intent, boiling over completely within these Killing Cultivators and surging into the sky.

...

...

"Young Master, you've returned."

On the second floor of a small tavern to the east, the Old Man looked at Yan Jing, who had just returned from relieving himself, and said softly, "You've gone to the latrine several times today. Did you eat something bad? Xiao Yu brought some medicine."

"It's nothing. I probably just drank too much Herbal Tea."

Yan Jing smiled.

Beside them, Fei Yu shot him a look. "I told you not to stare at so many girls. If you look too much, get so hot you can't sleep, and kick off your blankets at night, are you going to blame Xiao Yu's Herbal Tea for that too?"

Faced with Fei Yu's sharp tongue, the Old Man simply chose to ignore her. "Young Master, I went out for another look just now, and there's still no way out. The Zhennan Army has completely blocked off all the small paths."

The group had arrived here several hours ago.

But as soon as they arrived, Old Master Liu noticed something amiss. Many of the people guarding the roads out of the county were Zhennan Army soldiers in disguise.

Over the past few hours, the Old Man and Fei Yu had scoured every route, but they couldn't find a single unguarded spot.

"I spotted a few small paths with lighter security. How about... we take one of those?" the Old Man asked, looking at Yan Jing.

"It's fine, Master Liu."

Yan Jing closed his eyes. "I know a way. Once we rest a bit, we'll head out."

Hearing this, both the Old Man and Fei Yu were taken aback. He knew a way?

Why hadn't they heard Yan Jing mention it before?

Yan Jing indeed knew a route.

It was an isolated path Young Master Luo had discovered as a child, leading directly to one of the two semi-wastelands.

Later, when Young Master Luo grew up and returned to Bianliu County, he found that although the small path had been overgrown with weeds and trees, it was still passable.

Thus, he had always kept it in mind as his secondary trump card.

However, Young Master Luo was not the only one who knew about that path.

That was why Yan Jing hadn't taken it from the start.

The "Luo Sheng" and "Fei Yu" who had just died in Mud Alley were, naturally, two actors.

One was the head of the Wang Family Troupe, who had painstakingly memorized all of "Luo Sheng's" habits. He was also the man who had originally killed "Luo Sheng," and the one who had played "Yi Ji" this morning.

After the man was brought before him last night, Yan Jing had gone to great lengths to get him to successfully play "Yi Ji."

He just hadn't expected the man to become disobedient when forced to play "Luo Sheng."

It couldn't be helped. The Old Man had said too much in his instructions this morning, alerting the troupe master to the danger.

As a result, Yan Jing had no choice but to knock him out. Otherwise, the performance could have been even more perfect.

The other person playing "Fei Yu" was the same man who had previously acted as "Fei Yu."

Compared to the head of the Wang Family Troupe, he was thoroughly disheartened after seeing Mei Yi's actions and proved far more obedient.

But even if they hadn't been obedient, it wouldn't have mattered.

If they said even a single word wrong, Yan Jing would release the Thorns early.

When the two died just now, he had been lying on a distant roof, watching everything.

That was the advantage of the Cameraman's body; it came with built-in visual adjustment.

If the man hadn't finished his sentence, Yan Jing would have lowered the intensity of the Thorns, ensuring they didn't die quite so mangled.

In "Luo Sheng's" pocket, he had placed a photograph he'd edited in advance.

Although it was a bit deliberate, it was more than enough for those Killing Cultivators who didn't like to use their brains.

It would still point directly to Mei Changfeng.

Not long after.

Once the rumors that "the one who killed Wei Bufan was actually Mei Changfeng, and Mei Changfeng is Four Hands" reached their side, Yan Jing stood up. "Let's go, Master Liu, Xiao Yu."

Looking at the two who were still completely baffled, Yan Jing just smiled, not explaining exactly what had happened.

He bent down and looked toward the stage on the first floor, where a storyteller was currently speaking with great enthusiasm.

"Master Liu, I wasn't listening earlier. What act is that man performing?"

"It's The Tale of Killing a Dog, Young Master," Old Master Liu replied.

At those words, Fei Yu's eyes brightened as she looked at Yan Jing.

Yan Jing simply smiled, his eyes narrowing into slits as he placed a finger to his lips.

The group headed downstairs. At that moment, the storyteller was wrapping up and beginning his commentary: "Everyone, in the end, a man is a man and a dog is a dog. The two cannot be spoken of in the same breath. If one were to truly slaughter a man as a dog, or a dog as a man, the world would be in a sorry state indeed..."

...

...

On a certain secluded path.

Four Hands sat upright on a square rock, resting with his eyes closed.

He was waiting for news. Waiting for the news of Luo Sheng's death.

And waiting for the news of his own identity being exposed.

If Luo Sheng wasn't dead and had chosen to flee early, then he would catch him right here.

This was a secluded path he had discovered together with Luo Sheng when they were children. Back then, out of a desire to play, they had run into the forbidden zone outside Bianliu County that the adults spoke of, and they quickly got lost.

After spending a considerable amount of time, the two finally found this route and narrowly escaped with their lives.

After that incident, the two became good friends.

Thinking back on it now, it was Luo Sheng who first suggested they go play.

He had said that since they rarely got to come out, they might as well go home a little later.

"It began here, so let it end here," he said softly.

He believed that with Luo Sheng's intelligence, he would definitely leave through here.

A short while later, the woman known as Aunt Wen hurried over, panting heavily. "Young... Young Master... it's a disaster..."

"My identity is exposed?" Mei Changfeng's expression remained calm.

His identity being exposed was an absolute certainty. Whether Luo Sheng died or not, he would definitely spill his identity.

The two of them had long reached the point where the fish die and the net breaks.

"It's not just... that your identity is exposed... Now the Zhennan Army thinks... we killed Wei Bufan..." the woman gasped out.

"What?" Mei Changfeng suddenly shot up from the stone. Between his brows, it was no longer possible to maintain a calm expression. "Then what about Luo Sheng?"

"Luo Sheng... he's dead... but it also seems like he isn't!"

The woman revealed a look of panic. Before Mei Changfeng could react, two figures stepped out from the path ahead.

It was none other than Yan Jing and Fei Yu.

Immediately after, powerful waves of Weird Energy spread from the distance, accompanied by a barrage of booming impacts.

Evidently, the Old Man and that burly brute had already begun to clash.

"It's been a long time, Brother Four Hands," Yan Jing said slowly, wearing a smile.

"..." Mei Changfeng's expression was incredibly gloomy. "How did you do it?"

"I suppose I used the same trick you pulled back in the day, Brother Changfeng," Yan Jing said with a smile.

As his words fell, a flash of realization seemed to pierce through Mei Changfeng's mind. In an instant, he understood everything.

His eyelids lowered slightly. "That trick really is quite good, but... it can only be used once."

"Ultimately, it's just that our fists aren't hard enough," Yan Jing chuckled. "If your fists are hard enough, you can use this trick as many times as you want."

"...If your fists were hard enough, you wouldn't need to use this trick." Mei Changfeng slowly raised his head.

"That's true." Yan Jing smiled. "So today... are we going to see whose fists are harder between the two of us?"

"Yes." Mei Changfeng stood up.

Beside him, the woman also looked toward Fei Yu.

This secluded path was barely a hundred meters away from the semi-wasteland.

At this moment, however, it was only wide enough for one group to pass.

Without any further nonsense, Mei Changfeng made the first move.

Thrashing the four thick arms around his body, he stamped his feet forcefully and charged straight at Yan Jing.

The aura radiating from his body expanded; it was absolutely not something an ordinary Second Tier could match.

Crash, snap—

Large swathes of trees and shrubbery crashed down.

Facing the ferociously incoming Mei Changfeng, Yan Jing manifested the Paintbrush in his hand, drew a circle directly in the air, and then advanced to meet Mei Changfeng head-on.

Upon being circled, Mei Changfeng's momentum sharply dropped. Relying on that family heirloom, his strength could rival the Third Tier, but he was ultimately not a true Third Tier.

Therefore, the effects of Second Tier methods applied to his body would not be diminished.

Even so, watching Yan Jing sprint toward him, a sudden chill flashed in his eyes. He formed fists with his four hands and smashed them down viciously.

He had Third Tier combat power, after all. He refused to believe he would lose.

Boom—

Four fists smashed down, striking a swirling flock of ink-wash Little Birds.

The instant the Little Birds were hit, they exploded into blobs of ink.

Meanwhile, Yan Jing's figure slipped past Mei Changfeng, sprinting toward the semi-wasteland behind him.

Seeing this, Mei Changfeng instantly realized what was happening.

Yan Jing knew his overall combat power was inferior, so he wanted to sacrifice his maid and manager to escape into the semi-wasteland.

At this thought, the corners of his mouth curled into a cold sneer.

His four hands viciously pulled inward. Within the dense surrounding forest, near-invisible threads materialized, shooting toward Yan Jing to strangle him.

Slash—

Lines of blood sprayed from all over Yan Jing's body, and his steps instantly broke into a staggered stumble.

But he continued running forward, quickly vanishing at the end of the path.

Mei Changfeng's eyes glinted, and he immediately gave chase after Yan Jing.

While the two men clashed, Fei Yu and the singing woman had also begun to fight.

Seeing the injured Yan Jing, surging rage flashed through Fei Yu's eyes. She crossed her hands, and her invisible cyclones grew increasingly piercing, utterly suppressing the singing woman opposite her.

...

Controlling the threads within his body, Mei Changfeng's legs pumped frantically. Soon, he caught up to the stumbling, fleeing Yan Jing.

Looking at Yan Jing, who had stopped to heave heavy breaths, he offered a slight smile. "Yue Qing, after all these years, you're still as frail as ever."

Yue Qing was Luo Sheng's courtesy name.

"Heh..." Yan Jing chuckled softly. "I remember your health not being that great before either."

"True, but I'm different now." Mei Changfeng laughed. "This Bianliu County is ultimately a place where whoever has the harder fist wins. Whether it's painting or tailoring, neither is as practical as this."

Controlling the threads in his body, Mei Changfeng raised his four hands. "Yue Qing, you shouldn't have exposed my identity. Originally, we could have still been friends."

Yan Jing also burst into laughter. "But I never wanted to be friends with you."

In truth, Eldest Young Master Luo had wanted to. At the time, he had thought: since both of them wanted revenge, why couldn't they work together?

Therefore, back then, Eldest Young Master Luo had spoken the secret code they had agreed upon as children to the Mei Changfeng standing before him.

But sadly... Mei Changfeng had never trusted Eldest Young Master Luo.

Perhaps the words the Old Man had left with Eldest Young Master Luo before he passed away were right: "Young Master, do not give your heart too easily when making friends. Don't be like me. In all things, keep your eyes wide open first. Otherwise, the deeper the friendship, the deeper the wound."

However, none of this mattered to Yan Jing.

Eldest Young Master Luo had indeed wanted to be friends with Mei Changfeng, but he, Young Master Yan, never did.

He hadn't thought about it for a single fucking second.

In the palm of Yan Jing's hand, dual-colored Thorns slowly surfaced, and he gave a faint smile.

Young Master Mei had a treasure that allowed a Second Tier to fight a Third Tier.

Young Master Yan didn't lack for such things either.