Chapter 64

As night fell, the crescent moon hung like a hook on the treetops.

The sound of a night watchman's rattle broke the silence, and then all was quiet again, except for the occasional distant chirping of crickets, which seemed like the sighs of a lonely person.

The main street of Xigu Town was deserted, with only the pale moonlight slanting onto the eastern wall, casting the shadows of rafters.

Liang Wenjing stealthily poked his head out of a window and slowly slid down the pillar. Halfway down, he heard a sound from the roof tiles, which startled him, causing him to lose his footing and fall, almost crying out in pain.

"I'm going back to Huashan to find Uncle Xuanyin. Who cares about that Dead Ghost Thousand Years?"

Liang Wenjing muttered to himself.

Not long after Liang Wenjing sneaked out, a black shadow, like a wisp of smoke, dropped from the upper floor and followed him from a distance.

Running out of town along the main street, Liang Wenjing still felt uneasy and ran a long way before stopping, feeling an indescribable sense of relief and ease.

Suddenly, he heard someone exclaim, "So you're here, excellent, excellent."

Hearing this voice, Liang Wenjing was terrified and ran as fast as he could.

"Where are you running?"

Liang Wenjing ran even faster, but in the dark, everything was blurry. He tripped on a withered vine and fell headfirst into a small ditch.

Xiao Yuling, somewhat angry, kicked Liang Wenjing in the waist.

Liang Wenjing's head was already submerged in the water, and the kick made him gasp for air, swallowing two big mouthfuls of cold water. He jumped up and shouted at Xiao Yuling, "You knew I was dead and still kicked me?"

Xiao Yuling was startled and said, "You weren't dead?"

Liang Wenjing chuckled dryly, "I was already dead, but your kick brought me back to life." As he spoke, he backed away.

"You're quite amusing."

Xiao Yuling smiled slightly, "Playing tricks in front of a lady. Hey, you're running again?"

Caught by Xiao Yuling, Liang Wenjing tried several times to escape but couldn't. Xiao Qianjue's Ghostly Shape Shifting technique was indeed excellent lightness kung fu, which Liang Wenjing, who had no martial arts skills, couldn't escape from.

Unable to escape, Liang Wenjing excused himself to relieve himself and tried to run away again, but Xiao Yuling saw through his plan and, in a fit of anger, threatened to cut off one of his legs.

"Wait, wait."

Liang Wenjing shouted.

"What do you have to say?"

Liang Wenjing said, "Your martial arts rank fourth in the world, and mine probably rank fourth from the bottom. There's a huge gap. If you attack me, the fourth from the bottom, wouldn't it tarnish your reputation as the fourth best?"

"What do you suggest?"

"In my opinion, let's part ways amicably. You take your path, and I'll take mine. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?" Liang Wenjing nodded and shook his head, thinking his plan was perfect.

"Ha, you wish. Out here in the wilderness, who would see me bully the fourth from the bottom?"

Xiao Yuling refused to be fooled.

Liang Wenjing panicked and argued, "Heaven knows, earth knows, you know, I know. How can no one know?"

"I don't believe in heaven or earth. I'll cut you first."

Xiao Yuling, ruthless, raised her knife.

Seeing her raise the knife, Liang Wenjing closed his eyes and let out a pig-like scream.

Li Wuchang, who was following behind, frowned slightly, took a step forward, but hesitated and stepped back.

Just as the knife was about to cripple Liang Wenjing for life, a broken shoe flew out of the forest and hit the short knife squarely.

Xiao Yuling's wrist ached, and she lost her grip, the short knife flying away with the shoe.

A long laugh echoed, and a figure emerged from the forest, catching the shoe mid-air and landing gracefully. It was a scholarly man in his thirties.

He was tall and slender, with a carefree demeanor, wearing a pair of broken shoes and a tattered robe. At first glance, he seemed unkempt, but upon closer inspection, there was an unhidden elegance that couldn't be concealed.

"Truly a top-notch expert from Kunlun, excelling in both dark weapons and lightness kung fu. My martial arts are indeed inferior to his."

Li Wuchang thought to himself.

With the help of the God's Essence, Li Wuchang could easily master various martial arts, even the supreme skills like the Northern Sea Divine Skill and the Lingbo Step. However, this also limited his understanding of martial arts.

He could learn swordsmanship, knifework, and fist techniques, but he was clueless about dark weapons.

Martial arts masters like Gongyang Yu, Xiao Qianjue, and Qiao Feng, with their deep martial arts foundations, could wield dark weapons as if they had practiced them for a thousand times.

"Who are you?"

Xiao Yuling was taken aback by Gongyang Yu's display of lightness kung fu.

Gongyang Yu's clear eyes scanned her, and he laughed, "I didn't expect that 'Black Water Oddity' Xiao Qianjue, who looks down on everyone, would have such a rascally female disciple."

Hearing this, Liang Wenjing opened his eyes, checked his feet, and was relieved to find them intact. He then glared at Gongyang Yu.

"Great, I finally caught you. Give me back my money bag."

Gongyang Yu, amused by his concern in such a dangerous situation, took out a money bag and smiled, "Is this it?"

"Of course, you took it." Liang Wenjing shouted, "Give it back."

"I was just teasing you for sticking your nose where it doesn't belong." The scholar smiled, "Since you want it back, here you go."

He flicked his wrist, and the money bag arced toward Xiao Yuling's face. The force was strong, and Xiao Yuling, startled, reached out to catch it.

But as soon as she touched it, the money bag exploded like a firecracker, scattering coins like a shower of flowers, hitting Xiao Yuling. Though not painful, it startled her.

Taking advantage of her distraction, Gongyang Yu, like a ghost, appeared in front of her without lifting a foot or moving a hand, made a strange face, and blew in her face.

Xiao Yuling was even more startled and, without thinking, released Liang Wenjing and jumped back.

Liang Wenjing, now free, quickly picked up the scattered coins.

Gongyang Yu frowned, "You child, how can you be so shortsighted? Is this money more important than your life?"

"What do you know?"

Liang Wenjing, picking up the coins, said irritably, "This is the savings my father and I worked hard for five years, selling bamboo baskets every day, our hands worn to the bone."

Gongyang Yu was taken aback and said solemnly, "I see, I was wrong."

He bowed to Liang Wenjing and then squatted down to help him collect the coins.

Gongyang Yu's personality was extreme. In his youth, he was devoted to serving the country, but after failing to do so, he harbored resentment against the Song Dynasty and vowed never to meddle in court affairs again.

Li Wuchang's personality was different from Gongyang Yu's, more detached and open-minded. Although he didn't entirely approve of Gongyang Yu's actions, he had to admit that Gongyang Yu's intentions were good.