Chapter 190: The Young Girl “Senior”
Shi Hao and the others escaped the purple-clad warriors and hid in a ravine.
A middle-aged man in simple clothes, carrying a steel saber, bowed to them, “Thank you for saving our lives.”
The others also expressed their gratitude.
Shi Hao saw that they were all men, their numbers reduced from over a dozen to just eight after the encounter with the purple-clad warriors and Sha Lingshan’s fire attack.
“Where are you from?” Shi Hao asked.
The man with the saber, his square face, burly build, thick calloused hands, and corded muscles evidence of his external martial arts training, said, “I am Ding Shufeng, but they call me Ding San, the ‘Mountain Tiger,’ because I’m the third son in my family, and I often roam the mountains. We’re all locals from Wu Gorge. I’m from Yulin Town. This is Brother Zhao Li from Wuli Village, and this is Chief Wu Shun of Dingjiang Village…”
He introduced the others, all martial artists from the villages and towns around Wu Gorge.
Ding San continued, “The weather in Wu Gorge has been strange these past few days, thunderclouds filling the sky but no rain. We were worried, so we gathered some men and decided to go to Flying Phoenix Peak to investigate.
“It seemed like the thunderclouds originated from there. But before we even reached the peak, we were ambushed. Many of our brothers were killed.
“Thank you for saving us. May we know your names? We will remember your kindness and repay you if we ever have the chance.”
Shi Hao smiled and returned their bow, “Don’t mention it. We were also being pursued by those men and sought refuge in the forest. We happened to see you being attacked. Those purple-clad warriors, their origins unknown, attacked us without provocation. We couldn’t just stand by and watch.”
He continued, “My name is Shi Yun. And this is my older sister, Shi Lingsha.”
Sha Lingshan, holding her fan, bowed slightly.
The men, mostly rough and uneducated martial artists, unaccustomed to such refined beauty and elegant manners, fumbled their responses, some bowing clumsily, others with exaggerated gestures.
Wu Shun, the chief of Dingjiang Village, more worldly than the others, observed them closely.
The young man, Shi Yun, was handsome and refined, and the woman with the fan, her beauty elegant and ethereal. But their features were completely different; they were clearly not siblings.
And the two women behind them, also quite beautiful, their silence and their elegant attire suggesting they weren’t mere servants.
He concluded that these four were no ordinary people.
Especially the woman with the fan.
When the fire had started, he had assumed a large number of rescuers had arrived. But only four had emerged, and it was this woman who had set the fire.
Wu Gorge was shrouded in mist, the air heavy with moisture. Even in drier seasons, starting a fire in such conditions was difficult.
Yet, this woman had effortlessly set the forest ablaze, the flames spreading rapidly, creating a barrier between them and their pursuers.
Even a sixth-rank expert couldn’t achieve that, let alone a lower-ranked martial artist.
Wu Shun, now even more respectful, bowed deeply and asked, “You’re not from around here. Have you also come because of the strange weather?”
Shi Hao shook his head, “To be honest, we didn’t know about the weather. We’re looking for some friends.”
Wu Shun asked, “Who are you looking for? Perhaps we can help.”
Shi Hao said, “A young woman with a sword, an elderly man, short and hunched, and a woman with… messy hair…”
Before he could finish, the men began discussing amongst themselves.
Ding San, the Mountain Tiger, said, “And a young girl, about twelve or thirteen, very pretty, but with a rather cold demeanor?”
Shi Hao asked, surprised, “You’ve seen them?”
Ding San said, “Yes, just yesterday, near Holy Spring Peak. They seemed to be heading towards Flying Phoenix Peak or Goddess Peak, but the young girl refused to travel with us. Although she was young, for some reason, the other three addressed her as ‘Senior’ and deferred to her.”
Shi Hao was stunned, “You mean, the other three called the youngest one ‘Senior’?”
Wu Shun nodded, “That’s right. It was quite strange, but the jianghu is full of eccentric people. We didn’t pry. And the girl did seem… unusual. Before they left, I saw her looking at the thunderclouds above, and her eyes… it was as if lightning flashed within them.”
“Although I’m only seventh-rank, my skills limited, I know that’s something only a truly powerful expert can do.”
Shi Hao was puzzled. Why were Yuejiao, Hou Bomin, and Xiang Gu following a young girl? And why had they come to Wu Gorge?
Sha Lingshan asked, “Those purple-clad warriors… there seem to be quite a few of them. Such a large and organized group can’t have just appeared out of nowhere. Do you know anything about them?”
The men exchanged glances. Ding San said, “There are many mountain folk living in the remote areas of Wu Gorge. They rarely interact with outsiders, occasionally coming down to trade animal hides and herbs for necessities.
“We’ve seen them before, but we assumed they were just ordinary villagers. After all, it’s not unusual for people to live in seclusion in these mountains. There are many such communities in Lingnan and Shu.
“But I recognized one of those warriors. He’s one of the villagers we’ve seen in town before. I didn’t know he was a martial artist.”
Shi Hao thought for a moment, “We were heading to the Scripture Bestowal Platform on Flying Phoenix Peak. We were traveling by boat, but we were attacked on the river. Now we’re lost in the forest. Could you guide us?”
Ding San quickly said, “Don’t worry, we know these mountains well. Even in the forest, we can navigate by the shape of the peaks. We’ll guide you.”
Several of the men were injured.
The others left, leaving only Wu Shun, Ding San, and Zhao Li to guide them.
—
Wu Shun and his men, having gathered a large group of martial artists and hunters from the surrounding villages, had gone to investigate the strange weather, not knowing what to expect, only that strength in numbers was always an advantage. They had been ambushed.
Now, only three remained. In the rugged terrain of Wu Gorge, avoiding the purple-clad warriors was easier with a smaller group.
But they were still troubled by the ambush. They hadn’t done anything to provoke such an attack, yet many of their companions had been killed.
And with the strange weather, who knew what other dangers awaited them? They were all locals, their families and friends living in the surrounding villages; their worry was understandable.
In these chaotic times, countless families, even entire clans, outside Wu Gorge had been destroyed.
Living in these remote mountains, they had thought they were safe. They had been looking forward to celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival with their families, but now…
“Stop!” Ding San heard the young man’s voice.
It was low but firm, commanding, despite its softness.
They stopped, and after a moment, the sounds of rapid movement came from the forest ahead.
Wu Shun, Ding San, and Zhao Li hid behind a tree and looked out. In the dim light, they saw a dozen purple-clad warriors moving swiftly through the trees.
The warriors, as they moved, scanned the surroundings, clearly searching for intruders.
Ding San glanced at the young man… The purple-clad warriors had been moving stealthily, their movements muffled, only audible at close range.
And with the dense forest and the dark, swirling clouds above, it would have been difficult to detect them, just as it would be difficult for them to detect others.
The young man’s timely warning had prevented a potentially disastrous encounter.
Ding San was impressed by his sharp senses.
After the warriors were gone, they continued on their way, cautiously avoiding several other groups.
“How many of them are there?” Zhao Li couldn’t help but ask.
The mountains and forests were vast, yet these patrols were surprisingly frequent.
They must have a large number of men stationed in the area.
They reached the western side of Flying Phoenix Peak.
Looking up, they saw a relatively flat area on the mountainside.
And across the river, on the north bank, stood Goddess Peak, its summit a towering rock formation resembling a young woman.
Of course, the “goddess” rock, usually shrouded in mist and clouds, its form barely visible, only added to its mystique.
But now, with the low-hanging thunderclouds obscuring most of the peak, the “goddess” was hidden from view.
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