Chapter 90: Same Bed, Different Dreams (2)

Yan Hozheng, the beggar, and Xiao Qing rushed out of the beggar's den.

In their eyes, three beggars could be seen descending the mountain path in the distance.

Xiao Qing's eyes widened.

"Why are they suddenly...?"

Suddenly, Yan Hozheng's eyes sparkled.

"Please keep it for me until I come back."

Bang!

Yan Hozheng casually threw the axe and immediately moved.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

He opened his lungs wide with the White Tiger Qi and heated his heart intensely with the Vermilion Bird Qi. Simultaneously, he poured the Walla Jin Qi into his legs.

Boom!

Yan Hozheng charged forward at an unprecedented speed.

His face was grave.

'Survive!'

Flash!

A sharp aura of killing intent rose behind the beggars descending the mountain path.

Yan Hozheng's eyes wavered.

"Danger!"

Crash!

A beggar fell, spewing blood.

It wasn't his body; it was his head. Something that had accurately hit the back of his head came out through his forehead and stuck into the ground.

'An arrow?'

"Ah!"

The remaining two beggars increased their speed even more. They were terrified and out of their minds.

Yan Hozheng increased his speed even more.

Boom! Boom!

He was fast, but also slow.

The distance was too great. Although he was faster than before, he lacked the ability to close the gap instantly.

'Damn it!'

Crash!

Another beggar tumbled. This time, his head was pierced.

Yan Hozheng lifted his head.

He could see someone standing at the top of the distant mountain, drawing a large bow. The image of the person pulling the string was vividly imprinted in his eyes.

'From there?'

It was incredible.

The straight-line distance was at least seventy zhang. To hit the head accurately from such a distance was astonishing.

Flash!

A sharp aura of killing intent rose again.

The distance closed rapidly. The gap between him and the beggars was now just over ten zhang.

Suddenly, a red glow flickered in Yan Hozheng's eyes.

Whoosh! Bang!

He closed the distance in three steps with the Blood Wing Flying Heaven technique.

At that moment, the string was released.

Swoosh!

The arrow flew at an incredible speed. The air around the spinning arrow seemed to swirl. It was an extremely fast direct shot.

'Too fast. I'll miss it.'

The time it would take to grab and pull the beggar would be longer than the time it would take for the arrow to pierce the head.

He made a split-second decision. He infused his extended hand with the Black Tortoise Qi.

Bang!

"Ugh!"

The beggar was flung in the opposite direction due to the rebound force of the Northern Heaven Twelve Walls.

Swoosh! Crash!

The arrow that grazed the beggar's forehead grazed Yan Hozheng's arm and stuck into the ground.

Yan Hozheng quickly pulled the arrow from the ground and ran up the mountain path.

The beggar would survive. He couldn't avoid internal injuries, but he would live.

Now, the important thing was the unknown archer. He just needed to catch the archer.

Was the archer surprised that the arrow missed?

The archer, who had been watching, nocked another arrow to the large bow.

Snap!

The sound of the string being drawn could be heard from here. It seemed to require tremendous tension.

'Could it be...?'

A glint of light appeared in Yan Hozheng's eyes.

'Mo Bi?'

Is that really Mo Bi? To meet Mo Bi so quickly and by chance?

All sorts of thoughts came to mind, but now was the time to clear his mind. The archer's arrow was aimed at him.

The archer released the string.

Zing!

At the same time, Yan Hozheng's body moved diagonally to the left.

Crash!

The arrow pierced a tree and stuck into the ground.

When the open palm practitioner died, he realized the incredible power. The arrow pierced the tree as if it were tofu and buried its fletching in the ground.

With this level of penetration, even Yan Hozheng couldn't block it head-on. He could only catch it mid-air or dodge.

Of course, it wasn't easy to catch it mid-air.

Boom! Boom!

Yan Hozheng approached quickly.

'What is it?'

The archer didn't run. He took three arrows from his waist and nocked one of them.

It was a clear threat. As the distance closed, the sharp killing intent made his forehead tingle.

'That guy...'

Even in the urgent situation, Yan Hozheng couldn't hide his confusion.

'His build is different.'

He was bigger than Mo Bi.

In other words, he wasn't Mo Bi. He had a more robust build and longer limbs.

Most importantly, Mo Bi used a composite bow, not a large bow. His specialty was rapid fire using a specially made composite bow.

Yan Hozheng's eyes turned cold.

He knew the opponent wasn't Mo Bi. There was no need to give him a second look.

The red qi that extended from his heart spread throughout his body in an instant.

Boom!

The ultra-fast Blood Wing Flying Heaven technique leaped over three rocks in one go.

His speed suddenly increased. The archer, seemingly flustered, released the remaining two arrows.

Crash! Crash!

They missed.

The battle with the archer was a battle of distance. The Blood Wing Flying Heaven technique, which consumed a lot of internal energy, was burdensome to use consecutively, but there was no choice now.

Snap!

The string was drawn again.

Whoosh!

He released the Vermilion Bird Qi and used the Blood Wing Flying Heaven technique. The Walla Jin technique, which used the Walla Jin formula, was slower than the Blood Wing Flying Heaven but smoother and more flexible.

'Twenty zhang!'

At this distance, he could catch the archer even if he tried to run.

Yan Hozheng, who had been focusing on the archer, suddenly opened his eyes wide.

Whoosh!

It was just one arrow, and not a specially made iron arrow but a common wooden arrow.

But what was this overwhelming pressure?

'Thread Force?'

The qi concentrated at the tip of the arrow was creating an incredible vortex. The surrounding air was being sucked in, indicating a high-level thread force.

The problem was that Yan Hozheng knew what this arrow, or rather this martial technique, was.

Yan Hozheng's mouth dropped open.

'Dragon Tooth Cannon!!'

The archer released the string.

Boom!!

The air seemed to burn.

The moment he recognized it as the Dragon Tooth Cannon, Yan Hozheng gave up on intercepting the attack. He instantly leaped behind a tree.

The swirling arrow struck the tree.

Boom!

The thick tree was completely shattered, and the arrow crushed a rock and burst the ground.

Rumble.

The tree fell, and the shattered rock scattered in all directions.

Crack! Crack! Rumble!

The rocks collided, and the flying rocks destroyed a few more trees and pushed other rocks.

A small landslide was triggered by the terrifying power of a single arrow. The mountain, which had weak foundations, turned into an uncontrollable disaster as trees fell and rocks rolled.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The fifteen-zhang front of the archer was devastated.

Rumble!

Finally, the earthquake stopped. Dust rose from all directions.

The archer slightly lifted his hood.

A flash of light passed through his sharp eyes.

"...Got him."

At fifteen zhang, he could easily sense the presence of a person. But he felt no presence.

He was definitely dead.

'Should I catch more?'

One beggar had escaped. One of the three beggars had seen his face. For safety, he needed to catch them all.

At that moment.

Thud.

He could feel a large group of people approaching from a distance. Among them were martial artists.

'There's no choice.'

Besides, it didn't matter if they saw him now. He had only tried to catch and kill them just in case, but the carriage had already started moving.

What he was concerned about was the young man who had charged at him.

'A formidable opponent.'

He hadn't expected the young man to pull out the Dragon Tooth Cannon. If it weren't for the Dragon Tooth Cannon, he might have been caught.

Rustle.

The archer turned his body. His business was done.

But he needed to be more thorough.

Flash.

A shadow that had climbed to the top of the mountain ridge watched the archer run away.

* * *

"So, did you catch them all?"

"Yes."

"Good job. Here, eat this."

"Thank you."

"There's no need to be so grateful. Both of us are just trying to cling to life at the edge of a cliff. There's no need to be so grateful every time."

Bai Gongtian, who had taken the pill the old man offered, bowed slightly.

"Cough! Cough! Ah!"

Bai Gongtian coughed up blood.

The old man sighed.

"How long has it been?"

"...Four days."

"You should have told me if the intervals between your attacks were getting shorter."

"..."

"You're such a stubborn person."

The old man rummaged through some herbs and pulled out a black pill.

"Take this as well."

"Thank you."

Bai Gongtian swallowed the two pills and sighed softly.

The effect of the medicine was much faster than expected. His body felt better almost instantly.

But Bai Gongtian knew this wasn't a good thing. The faster the effect, the more toxic the medicine, and the need for toxic medicine meant his body was already damaged.

"I have a question."

"What is it?"

"How much time do I have left?"

"..."

"My movements are slower than before. The strength to draw the Cross Dragon Large Bow has decreased. I feel my internal energy is subtly dissipating."

"Internal energy dissipation, huh."

The old man sighed.

"You're already at that stage."

"Is it very bad?"

"As I said before, Zhe Xin Hong is a poison but not a poison. The poison immediately gathers in the heart upon poisoning. If not detoxified immediately, it's the end. The poison in the heart continuously drains life force."

"I know. You told me before."

"Your willpower and internal energy training are remarkable, allowing you to maintain your life. But Zhe Xin Hong is potent. Unable to easily drain your original essence, it is now affecting your internal energy."

"..."

"When it drains enough, it will be the end. Your heart will burst, and you will die on the spot."

"So that's why I'm asking. How much time do I have left?"

"Half a month."

"..."

"At most half a month. At the shortest, you might not last more than five days."

Despite hearing the shocking news, Bai Gongtian's expression didn't change.

"If the surgery is scheduled for tomorrow?"

"Yes. As I said before, it will take seven days and nights."

"Five days... seven days and nights..."

Bai Gongtian stood up.

"I'll start today."

The old man said urgently.

"No, you can't. You just performed bloodletting, so you need to rest today."

"I don't