Danglu Jun and Linzhong Ke

Longshan Prefecture was by no means close to Yashui Prefecture. The party crossed from Fengming Prefecture into Hexi Circuit, traversed the Great River into Linchuan Prefecture, and only then set foot upon the land of Chuanxi Circuit. After crossing the great Yangtze River and journeying across prefectures along the way, they finally arrived at Ningyuan Prefecture at the southernmost edge of Chuanxi Circuit. Fortunately, with Leng Jiangzhu guiding the way, they made no unnecessary delays and soon reached Miming County in Ningyuan Prefecture. Leng Jiangzhu had arranged for Sun Wenzhu to stay with a family in a relatively secluded quarter on the western side of the county seat. The moment the group turned into the alleyway, they noticed the atmosphere was utterly off—there was only the chirping of insects and birds, without the slightest sign of human life. "Something's not right!" Zhao Shan and Zhao He were veteran jianghu hands and immediately sensed trouble. Fang Shaobai's ears twitched; he caught the sound of ordinary folk behind the surrounding doors forcibly suppressing their breathing. "Something must have happened earlier. Everyone is terrified." Leng Jiangzhu's expression tightened. Vaulting off her horse, she drifted weightlessly over the wall and into the courtyard of the third house on the left. Wang Yu and Fang Shaobai followed right behind her, while Zhao Shan and Zhao He stayed back to gather the horses. "Brother Sun!" Leng Jiangzhu landed in the courtyard, where she saw Sun Wenzhu sitting quietly beneath a large tree. Turning her head, she saw the masters of the courtyard—a husband and wife alongside two children of seven or eight—standing fearfully in a corner. They looked at Sun Wenzhu with dread in their eyes, and at Leng Jiangzhu with— "Miss!" Seeing Leng Jiangzhu, the family visibly breathed a sigh of relief, their breathing growing louder. At the same time, seeing Leng Jiangzhu as well as Wang Yu and Fang Shaobai leaping in behind her, even someone as aloof as Sun Wenzhu could not help but relax his expression. Nodding to the two young men in greeting, Sun Wenzhu looked toward Leng Jiangzhu, a flash of gentleness passing through his eyes. "If you hadn't made it back in time, I would have had to move." Leng Jiangzhu's eyelid twitched. "Shangguan Tusu discovered you?" "He didn't find me, but someone else did." Sun Wenzhu pointed toward the woodshed in the corner of the small courtyard. Wang Yu darted forward and swung the woodshed door open, only to see the modest space crammed full of people—a pile of heads and a tangle of arms and legs. "Holy shit!" Wang Yu blurted out a curse. "You couldn't have warned me? Good thing I've been on a battlefield before, or this gruesome scene of yours would have scared me half to death!" Sun Wenzhu remained expressionless, yet a glimmer of amusement showed in his eyes. "You didn't ask." Wang Yu and the others finally understood why the alley's residents and the host family were so frightened. Anyone would be terrified if a band of jianghu figures arrived seeking vengeance, only to be slaughtered and have their corpses stacked inside a woodshed. Fang Shaobai asked, "Who are they? Men Shangguan Tusu sent to kill you?" "Yes," Sun Wenzhu nodded. "Starting yesterday morning, three waves came in succession—eight people in all. They're all in there." Wang Yu and Fang Shaobai both winced. According to what Leng Jiangzhu had said, Sun Wenzhu was heavily poisoned at the moment and could not even endure the jolting of travel. Yet when three successive waves totaling eight jianghu figures had come to kill him, every single one of them had ended up piled in his woodshed. "Still, news of my whereabouts has definitely leaked," Sun Wenzhu said. "If more arrive, I might not be able to hold them off. I had intended to wait for you one more day, but if you hadn't arrived tonight, I would have had to leave." Leng Jiangzhu nodded and was about to speak when her ears twitched, her eyes darting toward the side wall of the courtyard. "You shouldn't have waited for them," a voice suddenly said. "Had you left last night, my brother and I might not have found you. But since you insisted on waiting here, we brothers have no choice but to gladly accept this grand gift," another voice piped up. The next instant, two figures vaulted into the small courtyard. One wore blue and the other green, both tall and slender. Though their features differed, they shared the same cold, piercing gaze—looking about like prowling wolves and vigilant hawks—and an aura of gloom. The only difference was that the man in blue bore a scar stretching from his forehead to his chin, while the man in green wore an eyepatch over his left eye, having lost the sight in it. Their features were unmistakable; Leng Jiangzhu recognized them instantly. "Danglu Jun, Linzhong Ke." Danglu Jun and Linzhong Ke had once been known as the Twin Wolves of the Mountains, notorious for their ruthless methods. Later, after suffering grave injuries and being treated by a divine physician of Huichun Valley, they had reined themselves in somewhat. Even if they could not have been called utterly depraved in the past, their methods had certainly been brutal. Although they had toned things down after that incident, they still walked the line between orthodox and unorthodox. People referred to them as Danglu Jun and Linzhong Ke in hopes that by giving them more pleasant-sounding monikers, their conduct might soften a little. "The young lady has good eyes. That's us." Danglu Jun, in blue, gave a dry chuckle. Even while trying to put on a genial face, his expression remained sinister. "Are you friends of his?" Linzhong Ke tucked his hands into his sleeves, his gaze sweeping over the trio before he squeezed out a thin smile. "Huichun Valley's bounty is only on Sun Wenzhu. If you have nothing to do with this, you'd best steer clear of him lest you get dragged into it." Leng Jiangzhu's eyelid twitched. "Huichun Valley put a bounty on Brother Sun? How dare Shangguan Tusu!" Danglu Jun's gaze instantly chilled. "Watch your tongue, young lady! Is Valley Master Shangguan's great name something a wet-behind-the-ears greenhorn—a yellow-haired chit like you—can call out so directly?" Leng Jiangzhu sneered. "What kind of thing does Shangguan Tusu think he is? Why couldn't I say his name?" Linzhong Ke lost his patience as well. Dropping his forced smile, he said coldly, "Just a few brats who've never tasted hardship in life. No need to waste our breath on them. Since they're in cahoots with Sun Wenzhu, let's pull up the weeds by their roots and slaughter the lot." Danglu Jun nodded. "Sun Wenzhu is formidable with poison. Capture these brats first." Their minds made up, the two sprang forward, lunging straight for Wang Yu and Fang Shaobai. Leng Jiangzhu did not lift a finger, nor did she bother warning them about the duo's martial arts style. Though these two wolves had long reached the realm of first-rate experts in the jianghu and an ordinary martial artist crossing their path would stand no chance, Wang Yu and Fang Shaobai were anything but ordinary. Never mind Fang Shaobai's martial skill in defeating Xin Yilong with a single strike—even Wang Yu was capable of going toe-to-toe with the chief disciples of the Seven Great Sword Sects. How could these two wolves possibly try their luck against them? Clang—! Fang Shaobai drew his sword. A lotus of blade light bloomed. Before Danglu Jun could even react, he was pierced through both shoulders and knees, toppling straight over. Wang Yu did not draw his sword. Instead, as Linzhong Ke slashed toward him with his saber, Wang Yu's right hand darted out diagonally, seizing Linzhong Ke's wrist in a flash. With a flick and a jolt of his hand, he shattered all the power coursing through the man's body. "Xiantian experts!" The two were struck with sheer terror, their voices trembling. They had never imagined that these two young men, who looked barely in their twenties, were both Xiantian experts. Since when had Xiantian experts become so cheap? "Acting so cocky, so overbearing—I figured they were at least Xiantian Grandmasters. Who'd have guessed they haven't even reached Xiantian yet?" Wang Yu clicked his tongue, inwardly very satisfied. These two's martial arts were about on par with the Twin Swords of Nanhai when he had first crossed over. Back then, he had been powerless against the Twin Swords of Nanhai and could only rely on Elder Yan to overcome the enemy. And now—he could easily handle figures of this caliber with his bare hands. The two wolves were dumbfounded, and the look Leng Jiangzhu gave Wang Yu was filled with astonishment as well. She hadn't expected that since parting ways at Mount Tianshan last October, Wang Yu had undergone such a transformation. "You've stepped into Xiantian?" "Just lucky, pure luck. Slipped into Xiantian by accident," Wang Yu chuckled, then pressed his hands down in a calming motion. "Keep it quiet, keep it quiet." Hearing this, the others couldn't help but chuckle. Wang Yu turned to Danglu Jun and Linzhong Ke. "Spill it. What's the deal with this bounty from Huichun Valley?" Danglu Jun answered at once, "Seven days ago, Huichun Valley passed word to the martial artists who were visiting the valley at the time, asking them to spread word across the martial circles of the Two Chuans: Sun Wenzhu, an expelled disciple of Huichun Valley, is guilty of heinous crimes, having been the murderer who slew the former valley master, Old Senior Sun, three years ago. "Valley Master Shangguan uncovered this matter and put up a reward: whoever kills Sun Wenzhu, avenges Old Valley Master Sun, and delivers his severed head to Huichun Valley, the valley will reward them with a White Jade Ginseng King Pill to boost internal strength and aid cultivation." "Shameless!" Leng Jiangzhu snapped. By contrast, Sun Wenzhu, seated in a chair beneath the tree, seemed to have known all along. He showed no emotion and even consoled Leng Jiangzhu, "No need to be angry. Shangguan Tusu has always been this sort of person." Wang Yu understood; this was Shangguan Tusu turning around and shifting the blame. "Does he have any proof?" Danglu Jun licked his lips. "Valley Master Shangguan's word is the proof." Wang Yu clapped his hands and laughed. "Mighty! Dominant! Truly a role model for our generation!" "Ahem!" Linzhong Ke gave a dry cough and said meekly, "Actually, thinking about it now, we were all fooled by Shangguan Tusu. With friends like you, Sun Wenzhu could have killed Old Valley Master Sun face-to-face—why would he ever need to resort to poisoning him in secret?" Danglu Jun nodded vigorously. "Precisely, precisely! We'll definitely tell our friends in the jianghu not to be deceived, so no one else comes after Sun Wenzhu!" "Who would've thought you two were such fine fellows?" Wang Yu smiled faintly. "Then we really ought to thank you." "You're too polite, too polite!" "It's only right, only right!" The two nodded repeatedly, exchanging a covert glance. A flicker of smugness flashed across their eyes, mingled with a sigh of relief. "As the saying goes, leave a thread of leeway in whatever you do, and we can look each other in the eye when our paths cross in the jianghu," Wang Yu said with a nod, completely deadpan. "The jianghu isn't just about fighting and killing; it's about worldly wisdom and interpersonal relationships." "Right, right, right!" "That's exactly what we think as well." Smiles broke out across the faces of Danglu Jun and Linzhong Ke. Wang Yu walked over to the two. "Do you two truly think that way?" "Of course!" "Absolutely!" "That's good, then." Wang Yu nodded. Placing a hand against the center of each man's back, while their faces were still plastered with beaming smiles, he released his inner energy. The world instantly turned black before their eyes, and their breath was severed forever. Everyone: "..." Leng Jiangzhu said, "I actually thought you were going to spare them." Wang Yu spread his hands. "The jianghu really is about worldly wisdom and relationships. But just a moment ago they were trying to kill us—hardly leaving a thread of leeway themselves. So naturally, there was no need for us to meet again on friendly terms. "Still, I'm a kind-hearted man at core. I can't bear the thought of the dead harboring grudges and struggling to reincarnate, so before killing people, I always offer them a few words of comfort." Wang Yu said with utter solemnity, "I'm sure that if they know this in the Netherworld, they'll be profoundly grateful to me."