Chapter 56

The bearded giant looked back at the deserted long street. There was not a single person in sight. Under the darkness of the night, the not-so-wide long street appeared desolate and oppressive, and the dark, densely packed houses gave a sense of psychological pressure.

The bearded giant remained calm, but a strange light flashed in his eyes. He sidestepped and turned into a nearby alley.

As the bearded giant's figure disappeared from the long street, a figure dropped from the eaves of a house. It was Chu Huan, who had quickly hidden under the eaves. He clung to the protruding eaves, his entire body huddled beneath them. In the dim night, it was impossible to spot his presence.

For some reason, Chu Huan, who was usually fearless, felt a sudden sense of tension. This feeling came abruptly but was very clear. For a moment, he even had the urge to turn back.

Deep down, he admitted that this bearded giant was more formidable than he had imagined.

They had no connection, and what the bearded giant intended to do was none of his business. Yet, inexplicably, he had followed him tonight.

The thought of turning back flashed through his mind, but Chu Huan did not hesitate for long. He quickly stuck to the wall and followed closely. When he reached the corner of the alley, he did not immediately turn in. Instead, he pressed against the wall, held his breath, and narrowed his eyes.

Although the bearded giant's steps were very light, Chu Huan was confident he could still hear his position from the footsteps. He listened carefully and found that the steps were quite far away, indicating that the bearded giant had indeed entered the alley.

He cautiously poked his head out. The alley was pitch black and dim, making it hard to see where the bearded giant was. Chu Huan pressed against the wall and cautiously moved into the alley. Suddenly, he felt a strong gust of wind coming at him, moving extremely fast. Startled, Chu Huan quickly retreated like a flash of lightning. As he retreated, he vaguely saw a fist-sized rock flying out of the dark alley.

The rock moved at an incredible speed. Fortunately, Chu Huan was also quick and managed to dodge it. The rock hit the wall where Chu Huan had been, and with a "bang," it embedded itself deeply into the stone wall.

Chu Huan's eyes widened in surprise. The force of the rock penetrating the wall was astonishing.

He realized that his presence had likely been discovered. Like a hawk, he quickly retreated into the alley. He heard rapid footsteps approaching and, without hesitation, ran to a house, jumped up, grabbed the eaves, and swung himself onto the roof.

The houses here were residential, and the roofs were not high. For Chu Huan, climbing onto the roof was effortless.

Once on the roof, he immediately ran eastward, his steps light. Despite being on the tiled roof, he made very little noise. As he ran, he saw a figure quickly chasing him on the long street below. The figure was the bearded giant he had been following.

Chu Huan suppressed his surprise. He was confident that his actions had been very secretive and cautious, but he never expected the bearded giant to discover his presence.

He did not know if the bearded giant had noticed him from the beginning when he left the tavern or if he had discovered him halfway through.

The bearded giant's speed was extremely fast, and he soon caught up to Chu Huan, running parallel to him, one on the roof and one on the street. Seeing this, Chu Huan knew that if his presence had been discovered, it would not be easy to escape today.

The bearded giant was bulky but moved with agility. He suddenly rushed over and, with ease, also climbed onto the roof, like a fierce beast pouncing on Chu Huan.

Under the dim moonlight, both could clearly see each other's faces. The bearded giant's face showed a strange sneer, and his right hand was already clenched into a fist. Without stopping, he punched straight at Chu Huan.

Chu Huan, seeing the situation, was not afraid. The bearded giant attacked his upper body, but Chu Huan swept his right leg to attack the bearded giant's lower body.

Both were extremely fast, but the bearded giant's punch was clearly faster than Chu Huan's.

Chu Huan knew he had no choice but to fight. Despite knowing the bearded giant's punch was fast, he gritted his teeth and swept his leg at the bearded giant's leg, hoping to hit him and prevent the punch from landing.

However, he clearly underestimated the bearded giant's abilities. Before his leg could reach the bearded giant, the punch had already hit his shoulder. Chu Huan felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, which quickly spread throughout his body. Despite the pain, he still managed to sweep his leg at the bearded giant's leg.

Chu Huan had always been confident in his leg strength, but today, he had to doubt it. When his right leg hit the bearded giant's leg, it felt like hitting an iron pillar. Chu Huan's leg almost broke, while the bearded giant remained unmoved.

At this moment, Chu Huan finally realized he had encountered a top-notch expert.

The bearded giant took this opportunity to extend a large hand and grab Chu Huan's neck. Despite the intense pain in his shoulder, Chu Huan's will was extremely strong. Even with the slightest chance, he would not give up.

In a flash, his left hand pulled out a sharp dagger hidden on his body. As the bearded giant's rough and powerful hand grabbed his neck, Chu Huan's dagger stabbed fiercely at the bearded giant's hand.

A look of disdain flashed in the bearded giant's eyes. He flipped his wrist and easily dodged the dagger. His hand, like a venomous snake, grabbed Chu Huan's neck.

Chu Huan felt as if an iron band was tightening around his neck, making it increasingly difficult to breathe. He never thought that after dodging countless dangers, he would die at the hands of this strange bearded giant.

He could only laugh bitterly in his heart.

The bearded giant's dark face showed no emotion, and his black eyes stared at Chu Huan. Just as Chu Huan felt he could no longer hold on, the bearded giant slightly loosened his grip, a sneer on his face, but a hint of admiration in his eyes. His voice was hoarse: "So, there are such characters in the Divine Garment Guard!"

This deaf and mute bearded giant finally spoke. He was clearly neither deaf nor mute.

Chu Huan panted, but he heard the bearded giant's words clearly. He finally understood that the bearded giant had mistaken him for someone from the Divine Garment Guard.

The bearded giant continued in his hoarse voice: "The old eunuch in charge of the Divine Garment Guard has four major officers. I've seen the Azure Dragon and the Vermilion Bird. Are you the White Tiger or the Black Tortoise?"

Despite the situation, Chu Huan showed no fear, even a mocking smile on his face. He laughed: "Their skills... are... better than mine?"

The bearded giant loosened his grip slightly but still held Chu Huan's neck, making it hard for him to breathe.

Chu Huan's words made the bearded giant's eyes flash with surprise, but it was only a momentary expression. The bearded giant continued in his hoarse voice: "Your skills are not bad, but you are still not on par with the four major officers."

Chu Huan's face turned red from the effort, but he still laughed: "The four... major officers are nothing... I don't... put them in my eyes!"

The bearded giant stared into Chu Huan's eyes, and Chu Huan met his gaze without fear. After a moment, the bearded giant released his grip, straightened up, and under the moonlight, his figure stood like an iron tower on the roof.

Chu Huan coughed a few times, catching his breath, and looked at the bearded giant with a strange expression. "Why didn't you kill me?"

"You are not from the Divine Garment Guard!"

Chu Huan, knowing he was no match for the bearded giant, put the dagger back in his pocket. "It seems you are being hunted by the Divine Garment Guard. It's hard to escape their grasp!"

The bearded giant's face showed disdain. "Who are you? Why were you following me?"

Chu Huan sighed. "If we were roommates, and the person in the next bed got up every night and ran out, only to return in the early morning, wouldn't you be curious?"

The bearded giant's eyes stared at Chu Huan's face. After a long moment, a strange smile appeared on his lips. "Interesting. You are not afraid of death, so I won't kill you." He paused, a cold glint in his eyes. "I am deaf and mute, and sometimes I wish I were blind. What do you think should be done about tonight's events?"

"Do you want me to pretend to be deaf, mute, and blind?" Chu Huan sighed. "Or do you want to make me really deaf, mute, and blind?"

The bearded giant laughed and waved his hand. "Go. With your skills, you must have your reasons for staying hidden in the tavern. You go your way, and I'll go mine. There are few truly fearless people in this world, and one more is one more!" He stopped speaking, and his iron-tower-like body floated down from the roof like a butterfly. To Chu Huan's surprise, the bearded giant left as he said, with an extraordinary ease.

Chu Huan flipped down from the roof, still feeling the pain in his shoulder. He thought about the kick he had given the bearded giant, which felt like hitting an iron pillar, incredibly hard.

He frowned, full of doubts. Human bodies are made of flesh and blood, and he couldn't understand why the bearded giant's leg was so solid, impervious to his full-strength attack.

Could the bearded giant's leg have some kind of mechanism?

Chu Huan was certain that among the experts he had seen, the bearded giant, if not the best, was certainly the second best, a rare and terrifying expert.

Why would such a powerful person be content to stay in a small tavern in a county town?

With his abilities, he could have gone to the capital of the Great Qin Empire, Lu'an City, where countless officials and nobles would vie to recruit him as a guest, with a bright future. Why did he choose to hide in such a small town?

What secrets did he hide?

Chu Huan was full of doubts, countless questions flooding his mind, leaving him puzzled.