"I ask, you answer."

"An...answer what?"

"Someone saw you go up the mountain today. Did you meet anyone?"

Wang Kang suddenly realized something and replied loudly:

"No, I only went up the mountain with my old mother to Huishou Cliff, but we turned back halfway..."

"Why turn back?"

"I couldn't bear it... I couldn't bear to leave my old mother in the Elderly Cave."

Cold sweat dripped down Wang Kang's face.

He was an honest man. When he was young, his old mother taught him never to take advantage of others. Today, he took pieces of broken silver and felt bound to keep the secret entrusted to him.

To him, this was a natural principle.

"Are you lying?"

"No, I... I wouldn't dare to lie."

As Wang Geng's words fell—

"Kangzi is lying."

Wang Kang's eyes widened in disbelief as he turned back to look.

He saw his old mother hobbling out.

"Sirs, we did see someone. He was staying in the Elderly Cave at Huishou Cliff... Please, sirs, have mercy. Spare my Kangzi..."

..................

The cold wind swept past the treetops and branches.

Chen Yi's eyes snapped open.

Tap, tap...

He couldn't make it out clearly. Were those footsteps?

Chen Yi couldn't distinguish the faint noise—was it truly footsteps or some other sound?

All he knew was that from morning until nightfall today, there had been a long stretch of silence. He figured the spies from Xique Pavilion thought he had escaped Drunk Mountain and thus loosened their sweep of the area.

The footsteps seemed to stop, then disappeared altogether.

Chen Yi let out a breath of relief, but after a moment's thought, he still propped himself up with his sword and stood.

With the healing medicine and Taoist skills at work, his body had recovered halfway, and he had regained much of his strength.

He slowly crawled out of the mountain cave and began moving toward higher ground.

Soon, he reached a pile of rocks. From this elevation, Chen Yi gazed into the distance and vaguely saw shadows flickering, though sparse in number.

As expected, it seemed the Xique Pavilion spies had indeed eased their search in this area.

Chen Yi slowly exhaled the breath he had been holding.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a black speck approaching.

Whoosh!

It was the sound of something cutting through the air.

Chen Yi twisted his body instantly, and a short sword grazed his cheek, the wind from the blade leaving a gash.

Turning to look, he caught a glimpse of the Twin Heron Birds.

Almost in the same moment, Chen Yi sprang into action, darting into the dense forest below.

But it seemed his movements had already been anticipated. A shadow leaped over the branches, breaking through the night's veil, its blade drawing a streak of white light.

Chen Yi halted abruptly, retreating several steps.

The blade swept through, slicing deeply into a colossal tree as wide as several men's arms combined, leaving a ghastly split.

Chen Yi had no time to catch his breath before a familiar voice rang out:

"Like a cat chasing a mouse—is it fun?"

He whipped his head around, and his gaze reflected the serene yet imposing figure of the Lady.

On Huishou Cliff, Lady An stood gracefully, her eyes as calm as still water.

Chen Yi said, "I truly couldn't have imagined that Her Grace would personally... apprehend me."

Seeing them arrive, Chen Yi realized one thing—he had been betrayed by that woodcutter and his old mother.

No wonder the spies seemed to back away from Drunk Mountain. It had all been to avoid startling the prey.

Drawing his sword from its sheath, Chen Yi stood, a lone figure wrapped in blood-soaked robes, illuminated under the moonlight.

The shocking wounds on his body lay exposed, with pale bones faintly visible. The woman in the black robe clenched her hand unwittingly, feeling a stabbing pain in her palm.

Lady An slowly released her fist and sneered coldly:

"They sold you out. If you had another chance, would you kill them?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"They're a mother and son. I can't bring myself to do it."

"Yet you can bring yourself to betray me."

Her tone sharpened abruptly. Chen Yi fell silent, staring at Lady An, whose eyes brimmed with anguish.

After a long pause, Chen Yi said, "I didn't betray you. From the very start, I never agreed to anything with you, nor would I ever regard you as a mother."

Lady An felt an ache twist through her chest. She laughed bitterly. "Fine. Fine. Fine. I will kill you. Slowly."

At her command, the three division leaders stepped back. They moved like hounds driving a hunted beast into a corner, sealing off every path of escape.

They were the world's best assassins, loyal hunters, obedient to her every word.

Lady An, now enraged, darted forward with the speed of an eagle, the wind howling around her as she formed the Demon Suppressing Seal, a surge of Buddha Light radiating from her.

Her palm slashed closer, its frigid gleam terrifying under the moonlight. Chen Yi staggered back, but in the next second, her movements shifted unexpectedly. A lotus flower seemed to bloom, and before he knew it, she circled behind him.

Her palm struck directly at his wrist.

Chen Yi pushed off with one foot, twisting mid-air—a desperate evasion. Beads of sweat the size of beans fell from his face, scattering into the gale created by her strike, torn apart instantly.

It was as if an enraged Buddha statue had unleashed its wrath. Under the Buddha Light, rocks shattered into countless fragments.

Chen Yi's foot landed on one of the flying boulders, using its momentum to launch himself another dozen feet away.

The distance grew in an instant. It appeared he had found a glimmer of hope.

But Lady An's hands formed the Fearless Seal, and the towering Golden Body Dharma loomed behind her, thrusting forward with unstoppable force.

The massive energy wave tore through the air, breaking through the golden halo of the Shariputra and striking directly at Chen Yi's battered body.

Chen Yi let out a sharp hiss of pain.

At the sound of his pained cry, Lady An's face briefly faltered.

Her lips tightened slightly.

She had intended to watch him die slowly, crushed under each blow. But upon hearing his cry, a torrent of unspeakable words surged in her heart.

Yet she gritted her teeth, lifted her steps, and pressed forward. The pursuit continued. Once, at the battle in the Buddha Hall, Chen Yi had been at his peak. She had lost to him then, though the defeat was narrow. But now, after all his battles and grievous wounds, victory was securely in her grasp.

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