Chapter 232: A Smile with Killing Intent
At midnight, all was quiet. Suddenly, the two dogs chained outside the walls of the jail began barking.
Someone came out to check, looked around, but seeing nothing, yelled at the dogs to be quiet.
Shi Hao and Xu Xiaoyan, holding hands, their bodies enveloped in a black mist, floated over the walls, the Night Wanderer Talisman concealing them.
They entered the jail, their movements silent and their presence unseen. After a brief search, they found Daoist Zhong in a torture chamber, his body covered in whip marks, chained to a rack, barely conscious.
Two guards sat outside the cell, drinking and chatting.
Suddenly, one of the guards slumped forward, his head landing on the table.
The other guard chuckled, “You’re already drunk after just a few cups?”
Before he could finish, a gust of wind, and a hand struck his back.
Although he had some martial arts training, he was no match for Shi Hao. Before he could react, he collapsed, his face landing in a plate of food.
Shi Hao and Xu Xiaoyan materialized, searched the guards for the keys, opened the cell, and unchained Daoist Zhong.
Daoist Zhong’s eyes fluttered open. Xu Xiaoyan whispered, “Master Zhong?”
“Xiao… Xiao Yan?” he asked weakly.
“It’s me,” she whispered, “We’re here to rescue you.”
Shi Hao carried Daoist Zhong on his back, and they slipped out of the cell.
Suddenly, the sounds of commotion and the movement of troops came from outside.
To the northwest, flames erupted into the sky, thick smoke billowing.
The town’s guards rushed towards the fire, leaving the jail practically unguarded.
As they hurried through the jail, a voice shouted, “Who’s there?”
A saber slashed towards them. Xu Xiaoyan’s whip snaked out, coiling around the attacker’s throat. With a sharp tug, he spun around and collapsed.
Although the guard was down, the other jailers, alerted by the commotion, attacked.
Shi Hao kicked one aside, then, using his body as a springboard, leaped onto the wall.
Xu Xiaoyan’s whip cracked, her movements swift and precise, knocking down several other guards who tried to follow them.
As they reached the outer wall, another group of guards appeared, blocking their path. Suddenly, two Daoist priests emerged from behind the guards, cutting them down, then gestured, “Let’s go!”
Shi Hao, Xu Xiaoyan, and the two Daoist priests quickly escaped.
Shouts of “Assassins! Assassins!” echoed in the distance.
Although a jailbreak was a serious crime, it paled in comparison to the “assassination attempt” on the magistrate, which had drawn most of the guards away.
They escaped Qiantang Town, carrying Daoist Zhong.
Hiding in a safe location in the mountains, the two Daoist priests tended to his wounds.
Although his body was covered in whip marks and he had two broken bones, his injuries weren’t life-threatening.
“Why did you come back for this old man?” Daoist Zhong asked, sitting up, “Where are Madam Lin and her son?”
One of the Daoist priests said, “Don’t worry, Master Zhong. Thanks to Brother Hao, they’re safe. They’ve been escorted out of the area.”
Daoist Zhong looked at Shi Hao, his eyes filled with gratitude, “So you’re Hao Xinghua, the ‘Mad Blade Hero’? Thank you for saving this old man’s life. I would have rotted in that jail.”
Shi Hao, pleased that his nickname had spread, said, “Don’t mention it, Master Zhong. Hou Bomin, the Monkey Thief, asked me to come here and inquire about Xiao Yan’s whereabouts. I was just passing through.”
Daoist Zhong looked at Xu Xiaoyan and chuckled, “Looking for Xiao Yan, are you? Hahahaha…” His laughter sounded strange.
Xu Xiaoyan said, annoyed, “What’s so funny?”
Shi Hao smiled… His smile, due to the Evil Shadow Disguise Technique’s effects on his facial muscles, seemed more like a sneer, “Indeed. Hehehehe…”
Xu Xiaoyan rolled her eyes, “And what’s so funny about that?”
Daoist Zhong said, “That Xiao Yan girl… she has a good heart, but she keeps everything bottled up. Don’t take it personally. Although she’s always running off on her own, she’s actually quite kind. Keep an eye on her…”
Xu Xiaoyan said, exasperated, “Old man, you’re injured. Don’t talk so much.”
Shi Hao asked, “Master Zhong, I’m going to the Crystal Palace in the East Sea. What’s the best way to get there?”
Daoist Zhong said, “There are three known Crystal Palaces in the East Sea. The closest one has an entrance on Flower Coral Island. Unfortunately, I can’t help you myself, but I have a map of the area hidden in my temple.
“It’s well-hidden. And I also have some Water Repelling Pills. A single pill, combined with the proper breathing technique, allows a ranked martial artist to stay underwater for about three hours.
“Normally, you wouldn’t need them, but the Crystal Palace has been abandoned for a long time, and there are some… dangers inside. It’s best to be prepared. Xiao Yan, you remember the breathing technique, don’t you?
“I taught it to you when you were little.”
Xu Xiaoyan muttered, “Of course I remember… but I didn’t say I was going with him.”
Daoist Zhong chuckled, “If you don’t go to the East Sea, you won’t have peace of mind. And I’m glad you have a companion now. Someone to look after you. Remember, don’t be too fixated on your search. If you find her, that’s good. If not, let it go. There will be other opportunities. Don’t rush.”
Xu Xiaoyan said, “Old man, you’ve become quite talkative.”
She added, “We should move you to a safer location…”
“There’s no need,” Daoist Zhong looked at the two Daoist priests, “I’ll be in your care.”
He looked at Xu Xiaoyan, “You should go and do what you need to do.”
The two Daoist priests smiled, “We’ll take care of him, Miss.”
They helped Daoist Zhong up, one of them carrying him on his back, and left.
Watching them leave, Xu Xiaoyan muttered, “What was that all about?”
Shi Hao looked at her, smiling silently. Xu Xiaoyan turned to him, her eyes narrowed, “Why are you smiling like that? It’s creepy.”
Shi Hao said, “It’s just a smile. Why is it creepy?”
Xu Xiaoyan held up a small mirror, “Look at yourself.”
Shi Hao looked at his reflection in the moonlight… It was indeed a creepy smile, more like a sneer, a predatory grin.
If Xu Xiaoyan hadn’t known it was a side effect of the Evil Shadow Disguise Technique, she would have run away.
Shi Hao said, “Let’s go rejoin Branch Leader Yue and the others.”
They left, undoing their disguises along the way.
Shi Hao looked at Xu Xiaoyan, her true face now revealed, her features delicate and charming.
As they flew through the moonlit landscape, the cool autumn wind, sharp as a blade, nipped at their skin.
Shi Hao, after a moment of thought, asked, “Xiao Yan, have you ever met Xiang Gu before? Before the last Red Hill Gathering, I mean.”
Xu Xiaoyan looked at him, surprised, “Why do you ask?”
“Just curious,” Shi Hao said.
Xu Xiaoyan shook her head, “I’ve never met her… why?” She looked at him intently.
Shi Hao said, “Nothing… just curious.”
Xu Xiaoyan’s curiosity piqued, she sped up, flew ahead of him, turned around, and, walking backwards, looked at him, her head tilted slightly, “What do you mean, ‘nothing’? Why would you ask? What about Xiang Gu? What does she have to do with me? Why did you ask if I’ve met her before? Why…?”
“Stop with the ‘whys’,” Shi Hao grabbed her hand and pulled her along, “Let’s go.”
Her hand, cold as ice, felt small and delicate in his. He held it between his palms, warming it gently.
His unexpected gesture made her blush. She swatted his hand playfully, “What are you doing? Aren’t you afraid your little Daoist lover will see and stab you with her sword?”
Shi Hao thought, She’s not here, is she?
They reached the forest outside Qiantang Town, where Yue Yaotai, Huan Tingting, and Xiang Gu were supposed to be waiting, but they weren’t there.
After a while, they arrived, hurrying towards them.
Xu Xiaoyan whispered, “Aunt Yue, Aunt Ting.”
Yue Yaotai nodded slightly, her greeting perfunctory.
Shi Hao asked, “Why are you so late?”
Yue Yaotai said, “We encountered a Six Gates expert and had to… lose him. It took some time.”
Shi Hao, surprised, asked, “A Six Gates expert?” He knew that Yue Yaotai, like Sha Lingshan, had reached the fourth rank. Although newly advanced, with their demonic techniques, they shouldn’t be so easily delayed.
Yue Yaotai said, “It was Bei Lingyu, the ‘Eastern Gate Constable King,’ one of the Six Gates’ Four Constable Kings. A fourth-rank expert. I didn’t expect to find him in Qiantang Town. If this had happened a month or two ago, I might not have been able to escape.”
Shi Hao pondered, “One of the Four Constable Kings… was he also here for Lin Jing’s family?”
Yue Yaotai shook her head, “Although capturing Lin Jing’s family would be a symbolic victory for the barbarian court, it’s not something that requires the attention of a Constable King. He must have other business here. Perhaps he’s just… involved in the search as well.”
Shi Hao said, “Regardless, let’s retrieve the map from Three Peaks Mountain and leave Qiantang.”
As they walked, Xu Xiaoyan kept glancing at Xiang Gu. Shi Hao’s question, and his subsequent silence, had made her even more curious.
Xiang Gu, noticing her stares, glanced back at her.
They continued glancing at each other, their curiosity evident.
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