Chapter 61

The Divine Messenger (61)

As the first light of dawn began to break, a single pigeon flew into the gap between the sheer cliffs.

Avoiding the gusts of wind that swept up the cliffs, the pigeon made a wide turn and soon perched on a large branch of a cedar tree.

A small bell hanging from the branch tip swayed.

A moment later, Nengsuomil walked out of a nearby pavilion.

After rewarding the pigeon with some grain, Nengsuomil opened the message tube attached to its leg and read the contents, then tilted his head in confusion.

The letter was from Xiaojishan, the head of Yidang Hall.

Although Nengsuomil had met him before when Shamusin had set up a separate seat and they had become acquainted, they hadn't communicated since then.

They only exchanged greetings when they occasionally met in the village.

"Hmm?"

Nengsuomil's expression turned serious as he read the letter, and he hurriedly moved to leave. However, before he could take a few steps, a voice stopped him.

"Where are you going?"

It was Fanjie Wei.

Nengsuomil was startled as he turned his head to the source of the voice.

Fanjie Wei was hanging upside down from the eaves of the pavilion.

While it wasn't the first time he had seen such a sight, it still managed to surprise him.

Fanjie Wei's inverted position, with his piercing eyes, was bizarre to behold.

"I've received an urgent message from Yidang Hall. It seems there's a problem in the village."

"Problem?"

"The owner of the regular herbal shop, who is acquainted with Lord Quzhu, has disappeared."

Fanjie Wei's expression hardened.

"Who did it?"

It seemed Fanjie Wei had already assumed it was a kidnapping.

However, it was too early to jump to conclusions.

"I'm heading to the village to gather more information."

Nengsuomil immediately set off for the village.

As he entered the village, someone approached him with a bright smile.

It was Xiaojishan.

"What's going on?"

In response to Nengsuomil's question, Xiaojishan looked perplexed.

"While on patrol, I noticed something was amiss. By the time I checked, he was already gone. There was nothing unusual during the last patrol at Chushen hour, so it must have happened within the past hour."

"Any other unusual signs?"

"There was a report of some people secretly infiltrating the village at night. They said there were about thirty of them."

Nengsuomil instinctively felt that things were not going well.

"Did anyone see where they went?"

"According to the report, they disappeared so quickly that the witness thought he might have hallucinated."

"Hmm..."

Nengsuomil, deep in thought, headed straight to the herbal shop.

Upon arriving and inspecting the inside, he frowned.

Surprisingly, there were no signs of intrusion or resistance. Then, he noticed a few faint footprints on the wooden floor.

He rubbed the soil where the footprints were with his fingers.

It felt slightly damp.

Clearly, the intruders had come after the morning dew had fallen.

After leaving the shop and scanning the surroundings, Nengsuomil's eyes caught something unusual.

The soil was slightly disturbed, and there were several footprints in a row.

He estimated the distance from the herbal shop and muttered to himself.

'Ten people. They are skilled in lightness techniques!'

Such experts would have made it impossible for ordinary people, who hadn't trained in martial arts, to resist.

The lack of resistance made sense.

The problem was that their martial skills were far from ordinary.

The ability to leap over ten zhang in a single bound indicated they were highly skilled.

One person, in particular, stood out.

Among the footprints, one was distinctly fainter, indicating superior lightness technique.

"Is there a place where ten to thirty people could hide without leaving any traces?"

After a moment of thought, Xiaojishan nodded.

"I have a place in mind."

"Where?"

"The abandoned temple outside the village. If that many people had moved around inside the village, they would have been noticed long ago. The temple is usually deserted, making it easy to hide."

Indeed, as a native of the area, Xiaojishan knew the geography well.

"Thank you. I'll take it from here."

"I'll search the village with my subordinates."

"No, don't do that."

"Huh?"

"We might alert them and cause them to flee."

Although he said this, Nengsuomil's true thoughts were different.

The intruders' martial skills were so formidable that even he wasn't confident in facing them. If they got involved and Yidang Hall suffered, he wouldn't be able to face Shamusin when she returned.

'What should I do? Should I call for the seniors now?'

While he was pondering, a mental message pierced his thoughts.

—Follow them.

Nengsuomil realized it was from Fanjie Wei and looked around.

Another mental message came.

—Don't make it obvious. There are people watching you from a distance. I'll follow you, so move naturally.

The momentary unease vanished.

While Fanjie Wei was usually terrifying, at this moment, he felt incredibly reassuring.

With him, he felt confident enough to climb the 108 steps of the Shaolin Temple's main gate without hesitation.

Nengsuomil asked Xiaojishan for the location of the abandoned temple and immediately used his lightness technique to head north.

* * *

Keeping a distance, Fanjie Wei followed Nengsuomil and stealthily identified the black-robed figures tracking him.

There were only two, but they were quite skilled.

Initially, he had joined out of curiosity, but now the situation was intriguing.

Moreover, they were operating quite systematically.

As time passed, the number of people tracking Nengsuomil gradually increased. By the time they reached the abandoned temple, there were eight of them.

They had surrounded the area in all directions, likely to cut off any escape routes.

It seemed they had anticipated someone coming here.

'Good thing I followed.'

While Shamusin could have extricated herself even in an unfavorable situation, Nengsuomil was still outmatched.

Fanjie Wei stealthily followed the black-robed figures.

* * *

Meanwhile, Nengsuomil passed through the half-collapsed gate and entered the temple.

He soon spotted a man.

The man was dressed in black and wore a mask that covered his face.

A hint of disappointment flashed in the black-robed man's eyes.

"I was expecting a big catch, but it's just a minnow."

As soon as he finished speaking, another person stepped out from behind the black-robed man.

At the same time, the other figures blocking the eight directions revealed themselves and closed in, surrounding Nengsuomil.

Nengsuomil, looking around, tilted his head.

"Disappeared from a bustling temple, leaving only rats behind."

The leader, seemingly the man in black, emitted a thick killing intent from his eyes.

"Arrogant... Do you still not understand the situation?"

His menacing tone, laced with intense hostility, made Nengsuomil pinch his nose and frown.

"Are you talking through your ass? What's that stench?"

"......!"

"Looks like you're not just any nobody, so let's introduce ourselves. I'm Nengsuomil, once the leader of Xin Fang, though it's now defunct. Who are you, and where are you from? Or are you really just a rat?"

Suddenly, he realized that if he didn't reveal his identity, he would be considered a rat.

"Ah! Not to the masked ones, right? Well... It's embarrassing to kidnap an ordinary person who hasn't trained in martial arts, isn't it?"

"Shut up!"

One of the black-robed men, clearly enraged, shouted.

He now held a heavy sword, its blade shimmering with a cold, deadly aura. Nengsuomil's eyes caught a glimpse of something unusual.

"Jinhuan Tai Dao (Golden Ring Great Saber)?"

Three golden rings were strung through holes in the back of the blade.

The sound made by the rings colliding could distract the opponent, earning it the name Jue Ming Yin Dao (Deadly Sound Saber).

It was also a unique weapon of Zhangluo Fang, once the dominant force in Shanxi.

"You are the mad dogs of Shanxi!"

As Nengsuomil recognized them, the leader slowly removed his mask.

Upon seeing Aoying Huo's face, Nengsuomil's heart sank.

He was so startled that he momentarily forgot Fanjie Wei was with him.

He never expected to encounter the very people who had caused the Shanxi massacre twenty years ago. Although they had been in seclusion recently, they still wielded absolute influence in Shanxi.

They were the only dao school in the evil faction that could rival the righteous Hebei Pang family.

The black-robed men openly sneered at Nengsuomil's stunned expression.

"Hmm?"

Nengsuomil's expression turned serious as he read the letter, and he hurriedly moved to leave. However, before he could take a few steps, a voice stopped him.

"Where are you going?"

It was Fanjie Wei.

Nengsuomil was startled as he turned his head to the source of the voice.

Fanjie Wei was hanging upside down from the eaves of the pavilion.

While it wasn't the first time he had seen such a sight, it still managed to surprise him.

Fanjie Wei's inverted position, with his piercing eyes, was bizarre to behold.

"I've received an urgent message from Yidang Hall. It seems there's a problem in the village."

"Problem?"

"The owner of the regular herbal shop, who is acquainted with Lord Quzhu, has disappeared."

Fanjie Wei's expression hardened.

"Who did it?"

It seemed Fanjie Wei had already assumed it was a kidnapping.

However, it was too early to jump to conclusions.

"I'm heading to the village to gather more information."

Nengsuomil immediately set off for the village.

As he entered the village, someone approached him with a bright smile.

It was Xiaojishan.

"What's going on?"

In response to Nengsuomil's question, Xiaojishan looked perplexed.

"While on patrol, I noticed something was amiss. By the time I checked, he was already gone. There was nothing unusual during the last patrol at Chushen hour, so it must have happened within the past hour."

"Any other unusual signs?"

"There was a report of some people secretly infiltrating the village at night. They said there were about thirty of them."

Nengsuomil instinctively felt that things were not going well.

"Did anyone see where they went?"

"According to the report, they disappeared so quickly that the witness thought he might have hallucinated."

"Hmm..."

Nengsuomil, deep in thought, headed straight to the herbal shop.

Upon arriving and inspecting the inside, he frowned.

Surprisingly, there were no signs of intrusion or resistance. Then, he noticed a few faint footprints on the wooden floor.

He rubbed the soil where the footprints were with his fingers.

It felt slightly damp.

Clearly, the intruders had come after the morning dew had fallen.

After leaving the shop and scanning the surroundings, Nengsuomil's eyes caught something unusual.

The soil was slightly disturbed, and there were several footprints in a row.

He estimated the distance from the herbal shop and muttered to himself.

'Ten people. They are skilled in lightness techniques!'

Such experts would have made it impossible for ordinary people, who hadn't trained in martial arts, to resist.

The lack of resistance made sense.

The problem was that their martial skills were far from ordinary.

The ability to leap over ten zhang in a single bound indicated they were highly skilled.

One person, in particular, stood out.

Among the footprints, one was distinctly fainter, indicating superior lightness technique.

"Is there a place where ten to thirty people could hide without leaving any traces?"

After a moment of thought, Xiaojishan nodded.

"I have a place in mind."

"Where?"

"The abandoned temple outside the village. If that many people had moved around inside the village, they would have been noticed long ago. The temple is usually deserted, making it easy to hide."

Indeed, as a native of the area, Xiaojishan knew the geography well.

"Thank you. I'll take it from here."

"I'll search the village with my subordinates."

"No, don't do that."

"Huh?"

"We might alert them and cause them to flee."

Although he said this, Nengsuomil's true thoughts were different.

The intruders' martial skills were so formidable that even he wasn't confident in facing them. If they got involved and Yidang Hall suffered, he wouldn't be able to face Shamusin when she returned.

'What should I do? Should I call for the seniors now?'

While he was pondering, a mental message pierced his thoughts.

—Follow them.

Nengsuomil realized it was from Fanjie Wei and looked around.

Another mental message came.

—Don't make it obvious. There are people watching you from a distance. I'll follow you, so move naturally.

The momentary unease vanished.

While Fanjie Wei was usually terrifying, at this moment, he felt incredibly reassuring.

With him, he felt confident enough to climb the 108 steps of the Shaolin Temple's main gate without hesitation.

Nengsuomil asked Xiaojishan for the location of the abandoned temple and immediately used his lightness technique to head north.

* * *

Keeping a distance, Fanjie Wei followed Nengsuomil and stealthily identified the black-robed figures tracking him.

There were only two, but they were quite skilled.

Initially, he had joined out of curiosity, but now the situation was intriguing.

Moreover, they were operating quite systematically.

As time passed, the number of people tracking Nengsuomil gradually increased. By the time they reached the abandoned temple, there were eight of them.

They had surrounded the area in all directions, likely to cut off any escape routes.

It seemed they had anticipated someone coming here.

'Good thing I followed.'

While Shamusin could have extricated herself even in an unfavorable situation, Nengsuomil was still outmatched.

Fanjie Wei stealthily followed the black-robed figures.

* * *

Meanwhile, Nengsuomil passed through the half-collapsed gate and entered the temple.

He soon spotted a man.

The man was dressed in black and wore a mask that covered his face.

A hint of disappointment flashed in the black-robed man's eyes.

"I was expecting a big catch, but it's just a minnow."

As soon as he finished speaking, another person stepped out from behind the black-robed man.

At the same time, the other figures blocking the eight directions revealed themselves and closed in, surrounding Nengsuomil.

Nengsuomil, looking around, tilted his head.

"Disappeared from a bustling temple, leaving only rats behind."

The leader, seemingly the man in black, emitted a thick killing intent from his eyes.

"Arrogant... Do you still not understand the situation?"

His menacing tone, laced with intense hostility, made Nengsuomil pinch his nose and frown.

"Are you talking through your ass? What's that stench?"

"......!"

"Looks like you're not just any nobody, so let's introduce ourselves. I'm Nengsuomil, once the leader of Xin Fang, though it's now defunct. Who are you, and where are you from? Or are you really just a rat?"

Suddenly, he realized that if he didn't reveal his identity, he would be considered a rat.

"Ah! Not to the masked ones, right? Well... It's embarrassing to kidnap an ordinary person who hasn't trained in martial arts, isn't it?"

"Shut up!"

One of the black-robed men, clearly enraged, shouted.

He now held a heavy sword, its blade shimmering with a cold, deadly aura. Nengsuomil's eyes caught a glimpse of something unusual.

"Jinhuan Tai Dao (Golden Ring Great Saber)?"

Three golden rings were strung through holes in the back of the blade.

The sound made by the rings colliding could distract the opponent, earning it the name Jue Ming Yin Dao (Deadly Sound Saber).

It was also a unique weapon of Zhangluo Fang, once the dominant force in Shanxi.

"You are the mad dogs of Shanxi!"

As Nengsuomil recognized them, the leader slowly removed his mask.

Upon seeing Aoying Huo's face, Nengsuomil's heart sank.

He was so startled that he momentarily forgot Fanjie Wei was with him.

He never expected to encounter the very people who had caused the Shanxi massacre twenty years ago. Although they had been in seclusion recently, they still wielded absolute influence in Shanxi.

They were the only dao school in the evil faction that could rival the righteous Hebei Pang family.

The black-robed men openly sneered at Nengsuomil's stunned expression.

"Are you related to Bingyuxian?"

Nengsuomil, sitting down, replied.

"I am under her protection. In return, I handle all the menial tasks for her."

"Is the child Dan Yueshan also staying with her in Xinma Valley?"

At that moment, a cold light flashed in Nengsuomil's eyes, but it disappeared so quickly that no one noticed.

'They already know.'

If they already knew, there was no need to hide it.

"Yes. The young doctor is treating her illness."

"Illness?"

"Yes. I don't know the details, but she receives treatment from the young doctor every day."

Aoying Huo's face brightened.

He judged that things might be easier than he thought.

"Does the young doctor have the Shengshu Shen Dan?"

"Of course. I've seen him use it several times!"

Aoying Huo couldn't hide his excitement. Seizing the opportunity, Nengsuomil spoke.

"You can easily lure the young doctor out by using the herbal shop."

"Does he know much?"

"Have you already killed him?"

Aoying Huo nodded, and one of the black-robed men dragged the herbal shop owner from the back. The owner was barely alive, having endured severe torture.

Nengsuomil couldn't help but frown at the sight.

"When I asked him where the young doctor lived, he insisted he didn't know. I didn't think he was lying..."

Aoying Huo, with a bitter smile, turned to Nengsuomil.

"Take us to Xinma Valley."

Nengsuomil, trying to maintain his composure, replied.

"There's Bingyuxian there. With just this many people..."

"Why do you think we are all here?"

"Huh?"

"We have a group that moved ahead to find Xinma Valley. We will join them to deal with Bingyuxian."

Nengsuomil didn't respond, so Aoying Huo tried to persuade him.

"If you cooperate, we'll spare your life."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"Are you the kind of person who breaks promises?"

"What?"

"Think about it. It wouldn't be good for this operation to become public, so you'd naturally try to