55 Underhanded Substitution (1/2)

The silhouette was fully dressed in black and masked; he stood tall and straight, materializing at the enclosure wall in the evening light, like a disembodied spirit.

Nobody had realized he had appeared, not until he raised his right arm as shards of frigid rays shot out like fairy lights. At the same time, he cried out, “Chu Tianlang!”

Chu Tianlang turned his head upon hearing his name, his spirits immediately lifted. Although he did not know what was happening, he instinctively realized that the cavalry was here.

However, he was not alone in his realization; everyone present felt the same way. The hundreds of secret weapons unleashed by this man in black had injured many of there, leaving those unharmed scurrying away for cover.

Within the few moments that he had been seen, the specter on the wall jerked his hand as a rope flew out like a flying dragon, reaching Chu Tianlang before anyone could react.

“Hold on!”

Even before hearing his order, Chu Tianlang had moved forward in desperation and held onto the lifeline. His body floated lightly as the man on the wall pulled on the rope.

Then the man disappeared from where he was standing.

Chu Tianlang was like a large kite drifting through the sky, the rope on the other end being pulled by the man who was now sprinting away.

The final glimpse of light had finally descended into the horizon; nightfall had arrived.

“Give chase!” Ximen Wanli ground his teeth so hard they almost broke.

He had been so close to success! How could he have been thwarted like this?

Everyone sprung up at almost the same time, hopping over the wall to see that Chu Tianlang was still drifting through the air under the darkening evening sky as the person pulled on the rope, desperately sprinting into the forest.

“Stay right there!”

Rays of sword light shot out as hundreds of shadows gave chase. However, these people were carrying their exhaustion from the battle but the man had been waiting in leisure – their distance began to widen with the increase of time.

By the time the party had given chase up to the fringes of the forest, they had lost all traces of Chu Tianlang and the mysterious man.They had disappeared like a drop of water into the deep ocean the moment they entered the forest.

“Search carefully!”

Ximen Wanli’s expression was dark.

“Have some people up the trees to look around! Once there are any traces of them, blow a long whistle to alarm the rest.”

“Yes!”

…

As they reached the forest, Chu Tianlang could feel his body falling in a straight vertical line as the man below caught him without missing a beat. Chu Tianlang wanted to speak but felt that they were still falling down.

There was actually a tunnel under the pile of fallen leaves. The two of them had entered the tunnel almost immediately as fallen leaves covered the entrance once more with a soundless turn above the tunnel.

In the tunnel, the mysterious man was sprinting swiftly pulling Chu Tianlang along.

“Who is your honorable self1? My saving grace…”

Chu Tianlang was puffing breathlessly.

“Do not speak.” A slightly older voice said hurriedly, “Chu Tianlang, remember. This is too great a risk. They are four great families, their powers are immense. If not for this tunnel, we would definitely have been caught.”

“Therefore, I will think of a way to divert a portion of the enemy after we get out of this tunnel. You need to head immediately to Emerald Bamboo Hill. It’s only about a dozen miles or so; even if you have to sprint until you lose your breath, you must enter Emerald Bamboo Hill. There will be someone receiving you there. Can you remember?”

Chu Tianlang’s heart skipped a beat as he answered, “Yes. Your honorable self is?”

“Who I am is of no concern.” The mysterious man said, “The exit is just in front. You must prepare at once.” As he spoke, he took out a medicinal pill and stuffed it into Chu Tianlang’s mouth.

“This could unleash your potential. Chu Tianlang, it’s up to you now whether you live or die.”

They had come to the end of the tunnel.

“Go!”

The mysterious man stretched his arm as the earth above them upended. He flew right out pulling Chu Tianlang with him. With a push from his right hand, he sent Chu Tianlang away. “Run, quick!”

Chu Tianlang realized he was headed towards Emerald Bamboo Hill while the push had allowed him to drift some ten feet away without using much energy.

He immediately lowered his body to sprint towards the direction of Emerald Bamboo Hill. Turning his head amidst the haste, he saw the mysterious man sprinting in the opposite direction. He was already several hundred feet away but his hand still held onto the rope and a man’s form was actually still attached to the other end of it, floating like a kite!

Chu Tianlang breathed a sigh of relief.

Behind him, shouts could be heard. “Over there! Over there! Still floating on the rope! Give chase! …

As predicted, a portion of the party broke away to give chase.

There were also people standing on tree branches or those on the lookout hovering in midair who had spotted Chu Tianlang dashing in the opposite direction.

“There’s also one over there!”

“They’ve separated… one of them must be a decoy!”

“Divide into half and go over there!”

Chu Tianlang dashed forward while staying close to the ground; he could feel his heart beating quicker in short rapid beats as the fog in his mind grew thicker, he could not support himself any longer.

He desperately kept himself up, his heart feeling like it would burst, and sprinted all the way into Emerald Bamboo Hill.

His pursuers were getting closer.

Just as he dashed right into the hill, his body gave up on him as he collapsed.

Yun Yang had been waiting here for some time as he caught Chu Tianlang and said in a low voice, “Be silent..”