C3 (1/2)

Chapter Three: Ancient Mount Huangshan Sha

The night wind was as cold as ice, dark, desolate, and hazy. The fear in Chen Fang's heart caused her entire body to tremble. The wind caused the branches to rustle, as if ghosts in hell were howling. There was an indescribable mysteriousness about it. Suddenly, the sky rumbled a few times and released a few streaks of lightning. It started to rain, and he ran forward with all his might, carefully allowing the tree branch to hang on the ground and smeared his body with mud, but she immediately stood up. The pain in her heart was too great, and she initially couldn't feel the slight pain on her flesh, so she ran straight to Zhang Qingyun's hiding spot, picked up Zhang Qingyun, and mounted her horse and quickly left.

Although Ling Zongxu was light, he was only a short distance away from catching up to Chen Fang. At this moment, Chen Fang had already left on her horse. He could only watch as she ran away from him.

Chen Fang and her son rode their horses at an extremely fast speed. With the first glimmer of dawn, they had reached the top of the hill. He saw a small teahouse built on both sides of the road. It seemed that it was meant to satisfy the hunger and thirst of the passersby. He ran into the teahouse, dismounted from his horse, and knocked lightly on the door a few times. ”Is there anyone here?” he asked.

After a long while, a young boy who looked like a waiter walked out. He opened his eyes that were still drowsy and yawned. He slowly opened the door and said, ”Dear guest, you're early. Where are you going?” While she was talking, she poured Chen Fang a bowl of tea.

Chen Fang picked up the tea cup and took a few sips. He fed some tea to Zhang Qingyun and said, ”Second brother, do you have anything else to eat here?”

The waiter said, ”Is Madam in a hurry? There are only some bread left in the restaurant, but some are needed.”

Chen Fang said, ”As long as you can eat, that's fine. Bring some for me. Pack them well, I'll take them with me.”

The waiter agreed, turned around and left. Not long later, he took out a bag of flatbread and handed it to Chen Fang, ”Please take it.”

Chen Fang thanked him, paid the silver, and took the cake. The mother and son ate a piece each, jumped onto the horse and left hurriedly, the number of people on the official road gradually increased, suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she noticed that not far away, there were more than ten horses galloping towards them. In front of them, a middle-aged man of about thirty years of age, with a square head, big ears, thick eyebrows, and big eyes, was wearing a green shirt, and when Chen Fang saw him, she seemed very happy, this man was the son of the Five Sword Sect's Sect Leader, Liu Jinxiang.

When the middle-aged man, Liu Yuanying, saw that it was Chen Fang, his face lit up with joy as he rushed over like a galloping horse. He was surprised to see that her face was yellow and her clothes were covered with mud, and some dried blood seeped out from the soil. Seeing her suffering was indescribable in any words, he said, ”It's my sister-in-law, what's wrong with you?”

Chen Fang thought back to what had happened in the past few days. It had been a nightmare, a good home, and within a few days, all her family had been wiped out. Tears welled up in her eyes, but within them was a glint like the edge of a blade.

Seeing her miserable expression, Liu Yuanying was secretly hurt. It could be seen that she had suffered a great deal of trauma in her heart and was currently enduring a great deal of pain. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but mutter, ”Looks like the rumors in the martial arts world are true.”

When Chen Fang heard this, she was shocked. In this martial arts world, it happened all the time because of women, power, money, and other things that could be used to sell friends. For the secret martial arts, it was common for people to fight in the martial arts world.

Liu Yuanying said, ”Sister-in-law, recently I heard that the Fengyi Hall under the Ice Magic Sect had attacked your family for Lu Xiaotian's relics. Even my Brother Anqi was killed, is that true?”

Chen Fang was wary of him, but she could not control the pain in her heart.

Liu Yuanying sighed and said, ”Younger Sister-in-law, please grieve for such a great event. I, your brother, am also extremely sorrowful for such a great event. After hearing about it, I only wished that I had been there and fought alongside my brother Anji. Right now, junior sister, please follow me back to the Five Sword Sect, my Five Sword Sect will definitely protect you and Yun'er with our lives.”

When Chen Fang heard this, she felt a baffling sense of distrust. ”Don't tell me that even you guys want that thing?” He glared at Liu Yuanyin fiercely, reined his horse, and turned around to leave.

Liu Yuanying said, ”Younger Sister-in-law, you misunderstood. We just wanted to protect you. We just wanted to tell you that Brother Anqi is no longer here and that you should temporarily dodge the five swords. There really is no other meaning.”

Chen Fang didn't even turn her head and directly rushed forward.

A man riding a horse on the left said, ”Senior Master.” ”Should we chase them?”

Liu Yuanying raised his head and said, ”Don't say it, father gave me a death order, telling me to definitely bring back the mother and son pair, and that we must not fall into the hands of others. Besides, Anqi and I have been brothers for many years, and now that he is gone, I also have the responsibility to keep them safe, let's chase him quickly.”

Chen Fang dashed like crazy. The tears on her face were like raindrops, her personality was extremely cold. Even her husband's best brother had become like this. The pain in his heart could be imagined.

After five kilometers, they arrived at the Luo Xiao Mountain. On both sides of the road, there were ancient pine trees, huge branches stretching into the air, grass everywhere, and strange flowers blooming all around. They proceeded for another mile, but the sound of water could be heard. It was clear that the scene before his eyes was even more mysterious and beautiful. After being washed by the heavy rain last night, the air was fresh and pleasant, causing people to feel relaxed and happy. Along the river, an ancient brake was built. It seemed like it had not been repaired for a long time.

Chen Fang looked around. The road had been soaked by the heavy rain last night. The prints of the horses' hooves were very clear. Not good, she thought to herself. Weren't these hoof prints just exposing his whereabouts? They blamed him for being too careless. Hugging the child, he flew off the horse and looked around. The only thing he found was that Gu Sha was only 200 feet away from him. With his Qing Gong, it shouldn't be difficult for him to reach the Gu Sha without leaving any traces behind. He waved the horsewhip in his hand and hit the horse's butt. The horse was in pain as it galloped away.

Chen Fang performed her qinggong, and arrived at the gate of the ancient Sha. The paint on the door had already scattered and the signboard was nowhere to be seen. As he jumped into the ancient lake, the tip of his feet touched the ground. He suddenly discovered that there was an old man sitting in the middle of the ancient lake, lighting a fire. The old man's face was lit up red by the fire, and the wrinkles on his face looked exceptionally clear. He was wearing a green cloth jacket and looking at his expression, it was as if he did not expect that someone would actually jump into this broken ancient halberd early in the morning.

Chen Fang put her finger between her lips and shushed him, telling him to be quiet and that he meant no harm.

The old man seemed to understand her words and quietly started a fire on the side without making a single sound.

Chen Fang held her breath as she listened carefully to what was happening outside. Not long after that, a group of people came from outside and said, ”There are footprints on this side. Brother, let's chase after her.”

The Eldest Senior Brother was silent for a while, then he said, ”Otherwise, Ninth Junior Brother, look, do the footprints here and there look the same?

Ninth Junior Martial Brother said, ”Oh, this side is a lot shallower than the other side.” Eldest senior brother was truly experienced and knowledgeable. ”Then where would she hide?

The Eldest Senior Brother said, ”Look, there are mountains on all four sides here. There's only an ancient sword in the east. Where do you guys think she will go? Everyone, quickly go and find her.”

The eldest senior brother's voice could not be more familiar to Chen Fang; she could tell who he was the moment she heard it. This person was once his husband's brother in life and death, Liu Yuanyin. He was indeed different from the masses, and was extremely intelligent. He immediately carried Zhang Qingyun in his arms, not daring to slight him. He activated his movement technique and leapt over the wall. Although Chen Fang's movement technique was fast, it could not escape the eyes of the disciples of the Five Sword Sect. One by one, someone said, ”Eldest Martial Brother, Young Lady Chen is here.”

Seeing that she had been discovered, Chen Fang used her entire strength to move as fast as she could. She then heard Liu Yuanying say from behind, ”Sister-in-law, don't misunderstand. We really have no ill intentions. Please don't run.”

Chen Fang's face was covered in sweat. Just as he was about to fly out for the last time, a horse suddenly came out of the mountain and stared at him, it was his own mount. Overjoyed, he immediately jumped onto his horse and galloped, the wind howled crazily and the sky seemed to be filled with a gloomy murderous intent.

The horse started to gallop forward after Chen Fang hit it. After a few miles, it stopped and came back alone, seeing the lush grass in front of the ancient grass and grazing. The horse saw its owner rushing over, and in that moment, it rushed to its owner's side.

After running for a short distance, he suddenly saw a shadow flashing in front of him, rushing over to him. When he looked back, he saw Liu Yuanyin and the others chasing after him at a lightning speed, one wave after another had started. They were all fine horses, extremely fast, with a sudden flash of inspiration, they rushed over to the corner, and when they were only a few feet away from the two of them, they suddenly pulled their horses over to the mountain, holding two steel needles in their hands.

Liu Yuanying said, ”Sister-in-law, don't misunderstand.” He lowered himself onto the horse's back and dodged a needle, but he had no idea that the horse he was riding was running so fast, and the other rider had barely managed to dodge the needle before he could pull the rope. The two horses bumped into each other.

Liu Yuanying's body trembled. He stomped on the ground and immediately jumped onto the ground.

That person's martial arts weren't as good as Liu Yuanying's, and he was knocked upside down on the ground. He cursed loudly, ”F * ck, who the hell is that stupid guy? He dares to hit my horse, he must be tired of living.”

Liu Yuanying, who was originally furious after being hit by the horse, found himself being scolded. He could not help but say, ”You are the blind one, aren't you?” The man had just gotten up when he saw a golden light flash in front of his eyes. Before he could even use any moves, the sword had already entered his throat and he didn't even feel pain. He felt a cold sensation on his throat, as if a block of ice had suddenly been stuffed in. The object in front of his eyes started to turn blurry and fell to the ground. After a few twitches, it stopped moving.

The other burly men were shocked as they loudly cursed, ”Little thief, you have guts! How dare you kill a Tang Sect disciple?!” They took out their weapons and attacked Liu Yuanyin.

Liu Yuanying leaped onto her mount, but after seeing no trace of Chen Fang, she said, ”Ninth Junior Brother, I'll leave this place to you.” She whipped her horse and went to look for Chen Fang.

In the middle of the mountain, Chen Fangxing jumped off his horse, thinking that if he kept on running like this, he would get chased. They would never think that I would return to the Ancient Sha, the more dangerous the place is, the safer it is.

As soon as Chen Fang entered the ancient lake, she saw that the old man was still there, eating breakfast. After what had happened in the morning, this old man was actually able to sit here and eat.

The old man suddenly stared at Chen Fang and said, ”Madam, why did you come back?”

The old man's face was thin, but his eyes were sharp. He secretly took precautions and said, ”Junior is being chased by the Chou family. I cannot disturb senior for a meal.”

The old man chuckled, ”There's nothing to defend against. Anyway, I'm full. My wife is Jade Butterfly's young lady, Chen Fang.”

Who was this person? How did he know him? He thought that if he recognized him, there was no need to pretend. He said, ”Yes, I wonder how senior managed to recognize me?”

The elder laughed, ”Although the reputation of a Jade Butterfly girl isn't as well-known in the martial arts world, she is still quite well-known. Isn't that Jade Butterfly in Madam's scabbard the best proof?”

Chen Fang took a glance at the Jade Butterfly embedded in the scabbard. It turned out that she was quite famous in the martial arts world. She couldn't help but smile and say, ”Elder, you have a good eye.”

The elder said, ”I wonder who your enemy is, can this old man help you?”

Seeing the expression on the old man's face, Chen Fang knew that he was not a good person.

The old man continued, Why don't you come with me?

Chen Fang said, ”Thank you for your kind intentions, but how could I dare to trouble you? In order not to implicate you, I will take my leave first.”

The old man touched the bamboo chopsticks and threw them out, nailing them to the door.

Chen Fang only felt a gust of wind in front of her, two bamboo chopsticks nailed into the door. He was only half an inch away from the tip of his nose. Suddenly, he turned his head and said, ”What do you want?”

The old man said, ”What do you think of my technique?” As long as you go with this old man, this method will be yours!

Chen Fang said, ”In your dreams.”

The old man said, ”Then don't blame me for being impolite.” In an instant, he arrived beside Chen Fang. Chen Fang's right hand grabbed towards Chen Fang's arm as fast as lightning. She wanted to dodge, but how could she endure the old man's speed? In a moment, her arm went numb and she lost all her strength.

The old man laughed, ”How is it?” ”Do you think I don't know? Do you think you can escape in front of me? If you want to leave, that's fine too. You just need to leave Lu Xiaotian's things behind. Where do you want to go?”

Chen Fang smiled and said, ”Do you think that I would carry such an important thing with me?”

The old man said angrily, ”What did you say? Quickly, tell me where that thing is!”

Chen Fang smiled and said, ”Do you think I'm that stupid? If I say it out loud, I'll be dead for sure.”

The old man hit Chen Fang's acupoints and pushed her forcefully. Chen Fang fell to the ground and said, ”As long as you say it out loud, this old man will definitely not kill you.”

Chen Fang turned her head and said, ”If you want me to say it, don't even think about it. It's better if you kill me.”

The old man became furious and said with a stern voice, ”Do you think I don't dare?” Suddenly, the elder laughed loudly, ”Let me see if you are willing to say it or not!” With that, he picked up the long sword that Chen Fang dropped, grabbed Zhang Qingyun and said, ”If you don't say it, I'll kill him first.”

Chen Fang was greatly alarmed. ”What are you trying to do? Quickly put him down!”

The elder said, ”As long as you say it out loud, I will immediately let him go.”

Zhang Qingyun was even more frightened, screaming for his mother, ”Mother, quickly save me!”

The old man said, ”Hurry up and say it, or I will cut off his hands and feet.” Look at such a beautiful child. What would he do if he lost his hands and feet? ”

Chen Fang said, ”You dare? As long as you hurt a single hair on my child's head, you'll never be able to think of ever getting your hands on it.”

The old man said, ”Then tell us quickly.”

Chen Fang put her face to the side. At this moment, her heart was filled with pain and she felt as if there were thousands of arrows piercing her heart. She did not know what secrets were hidden in the embroidered box, and why did everyone want it?

As if losing his patience, the old man threw Zhang Qingyun onto the ground and said, ”You still dare to say it, I will truly cut off his limbs.” With a wave of his long sword, he chopped at Zhang Qingyun's calf.

”Stop!” With a deep shout, a sword light flashed. The old man had no choice but to dodge. ”Who is it?”

A figure stopped beside Chen Fang, slapped open her acupoints and said, ”Sister-in-law, you're fine.” ”You are really something. You almost came too late.”

As soon as Chen Fang regained her freedom, she immediately hugged Zhang Qingyun, tears rolling unceasingly in her eyes.

Liu Yuanying said, ”You old man, how can you be so vicious?”

The old man shouted, ”Mind your own business!” He rubbed his palms together and attacked Liu Yuanying one after the other.

Liu Yuanying's sword also turned into a streak of light, slicing towards the old man's neck with a ”Rainbow Into the Clouds” move.

The old man slightly tilted his body and dodged a sword attack. He then threw out a palm attack with a violent force.

Liu Yuanying felt as if his palm was like the wind. He immediately drew his sword and defended the door. The old man followed his attack with his sword and got faster and faster.