Chapter 44

Listen to this voice, this tone, Liang Xiao was all too familiar with it.

Who else could it be besides Hu Lai?

Anger surged in Liang Xiao's heart, and his courage grew.

Hu Lai, this is where you're wrong. No matter how I offended you in the past, you've tried to kill me twice, and I've endured it. Yet you still won't let it go and insist on taking my life? Even a clay Buddha has a temper, and a desperate rabbit will bite. If you really do this, you can't blame me.

Liang Xiao focused his mind and held his breath, listening carefully.

He heard the footsteps of four people. Three of them were normal, but the fourth was peculiar. He seemed to be tiptoeing, his steps very light, like a dragonfly skimming the water. If you weren't paying attention, it was easy to miss.

And he never spoke.

Three people were talking, and Liang Xiao recognized two voices: one was Hu Lai, and the other was Feng Ji, the archer who was with Hu Lai. The third voice was sharp and slightly hoarse, like gravel scraping a pottery bowl, or a vicious dog gnawing on a bone, exuding an indescribable cruelty that made one shudder.

Liang Xiao had never heard this voice before.

"Hu Lai, don't always think about your petty matters. If you delay my affairs, don't blame me for not giving the Hu family face."

Liang Xiao was very surprised. Who was this person, daring to speak to Hu Lai in such a tone? The Hu family was one of the most powerful families in Guangling, and Hu Lai was a notorious playboy in Guangling City. Could this person be even more domineering than Hu Lai?

Liang Xiao was listening intently, trying to identify the voice, when he suddenly smelled a foul odor. He was stunned for a moment, then quickly covered his nose and turned to glare at Tu Niu'er. Tu Niu'er had one hand over his nose and the other waving in front of it, with a smug grin on his face.

Liang Xiao sighed. What a pig of a teammate, farting at such a crucial moment, and so stinky.

On the boulder, the harsh voice spoke again. "What's that smell, so foul?"

Feng Ji said calmly, "Wild animals like wolves and foxes often appear here. They like to hide their prey, which might have rotted, causing such a stench."

"It could also be someone relieving themselves here," Hu Lai added. "Those commoners often do this."

The man grunted, jumped off the boulder, and his footsteps gradually faded away, getting farther and farther.

Once the footsteps disappeared, Liang Xiao quickly emerged from the bushes and fled in the opposite direction. Tu Niu'er followed, grinning smugly. "Xiao, how about that? One fart, and a thousand enemies retreat."

"Cut it out," Liang Xiao said irritably. "Do you even know when to act? You almost got me killed."

"What are you talking about? Farting is a natural human function," Tu Niu'er said, raising an eyebrow. "My master says that frequent farting indicates that the qi is reaching the internal organs, which means my recent hard training is effective. I'm making rapid progress. Before long, I'll be a true expert."

"Expert my ass," Liang Xiao cursed.

Tu Niu'er laughed, about to retort, when he suddenly pushed Liang Xiao, nearly making him fall. Liang Xiao was furious, ready to curse, but then he saw Tu Niu'er standing in front of him, legs slightly apart, body leaning forward, hands one in front and one behind, as if facing a great enemy.

Liang Xiao was startled and looked ahead. Not far away, behind a large tree, a vague figure could be seen.

Liang Xiao drew a sharp breath, remembering the person with the very light footsteps. Could this be an assassin sent by Hu Lai?

Time seemed to freeze. Liang Xiao held his breath, feeling the first sense of life and death. He stared at the figure, slowly got up, and reached for something on the ground. Finding no stones, he grabbed two handfuls of dirt, ready to blind the person and create an opportunity to escape.

Although they were several steps apart, he could feel the intense killing intent from the person, like a fully drawn bow, ready to release a fatal arrow at any moment. Facing such a person, Liang Xiao knew his limits and realized he was no match. The best strategy was to run.

Just as Liang Xiao's heart was pounding like a drum, his legs trembling, and he was ready to flee, he suddenly remembered what Huan Yuan had said. Victory lies in oneself, defeat lies in the enemy. Since the person hadn't made a move, it clearly meant he wasn't confident of victory; otherwise, he would have attacked already.

This meant he wasn't as weak as he thought.

Understanding this, Liang Xiao quickly calmed down. Although his heart was still racing, he was no longer panicked, only more alert. His legs stopped trembling, and his senses returned, even his hearing improved. He could hear Tu Niu'er's breathing and the insects around him.

Liang Xiao heard another faint sound, just three to five steps behind him.

Liang Xiao felt his scalp tingle, and his temples throbbed. He should have checked the almanac before leaving today, to avoid being ambushed from both sides. This person had been following him for a while, and he hadn't noticed at all, how careless. A few more steps, and he might have felt a chill in his back, his life ending in a breath.

Liang Xiao was extremely tense. He took two deep breaths, then slowly exhaled, forcing himself to calm down. He didn't move his head, only his eyes, scanning the surroundings. He and Tu Niu'er were standing next to a small grove of trees, not far to the left front were two mixed trees. The trees were not tall but had branches that hung to the ground, enough to cause trouble for passersby.

Liang Xiao quietly reached out, tugged at Tu Niu'er's sleeve, and whispered.

"Niuer, the two trees."

Tu Niu'er nodded, responding without showing any emotion. They were longtime friends, and they had both ambushed others and been ambushed many times. As soon as Liang Xiao spoke, he knew what he meant.

"Go!" Liang Xiao suddenly shouted, turning and throwing the clumps of dirt in his hand. Then he got down on all fours, crawling and running towards the two mixed trees. Tu Niu'er growled, turned halfway, facing the trees, fists clenched, maintaining vigilance, and retreated a few steps to the trees, then rolled into the woods under the overhanging branches.

Their movements, though awkward, were very skilled and well-coordinated.

Hiding in the woods, Tu Niu'er chopped off two branches as thick as his arm and handed one to Liang Xiao. "Xiao, you go first, I'll cover the rear!"

"Wait." Liang Xiao took the branch but didn't leave. He hid behind a tree, pointing to the tree to the left front, and carefully identified it for a while. "Niuer, that person... seems to be my master."

"Uh... really?" Tu Niu'er let out a long sigh of relief, complaining, "What is your master doing? Scaring people to death."

"Shut up!" Liang Xiao turned around, pointing to the right front. "That's the enemy."

"Where?" Tu Niu'er opened his eyes wide, looking around. "There's someone there? Where, where?"

At that moment, a slender figure stood up from the grass, not more than five steps from Liang Xiao's original position, holding a weapon that looked like a long sword but was pitch black and dull, and slowly retreated. He kept retreating until he was a hundred steps away, then suddenly turned and disappeared into the dense grass.

Liang Xiao was dumbfounded. Hearing the person's footsteps, he immediately understood. This was the person who had been with Hu Lai but hadn't spoken.

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