Like a leaf tumbling in the wind, a familiar shadow fleetingly appeared before Wang Mu. But before he could see clearly, the scenery shifted like undulating clouds, and his consciousness gradually dimmed at that moment.

…

When he awoke once more, a charming and pleasant voice reached his ears. "You, with your mediocre martial arts skills, seem to enjoy meddling in others' affairs."

Wang Mu opened his eyes and saw a handsome, red-clad young master looking at him with an amused expression.

Memories flooded his mind like a tide.

Surrounding him lay more than a dozen bandits and rogues, strewn about haphazardly.

His memory told him that a fierce battle had just taken place here. These bandits and rogues had been robbing passersby when he, unable to bear the injustice, stepped in to intervene. Unexpectedly, his limited Martial Arts skills nearly led to his downfall. At the critical moment, the red-clad young master had come to his rescue.

"I am in your debt," Wang Mu said with a fist and palm salute. "I am Dongfang Mu, and I admit my Martial Arts are lacking…"

"Knowing that your skills are inadequate, you should refrain from overstepping," the red-clad young master sneered. "With your level, you can't even handle these bandits and rogues. You'd better head back to your Sect and train more."

"Stop wandering around."

Having said that, the red-clad young master turned and left. He had hardly taken a few steps when he suddenly slipped and nearly fell. Several conspicuous bloody marks marred his ankle.

"Young master, you are wounded too!" Wang Mu rushed over to offer help. "Are you alright?"

"Don't touch me!" the red-clad young master said sharply, pushing Wang Mu away with a flick of his sleeve, his expression turning cold.

Wang Mu felt an invisible force strike him, forcing him to retreat several steps.

Wang Mu guessed this person must have some peculiar habits. Looking around, he said, "Young master, there is a ruined temple ahead. Shall we rest there together? I have some medicinal ointment for wounds."

The red-clad young master gave Wang Mu a glance, narrowed his eyes, and followed Wang Mu into the ruined temple.

Wang Mu laid out a straw mat, handed over the medicinal ointment, and then went to the entrance, saying, "You can apply the ointment yourself. This temple is a bit far from Pan City, and it's getting dark. I'm going to hunt some game outside."

After speaking, Wang Mu left and set up several fences near the temple to prevent wild animals from barging in.

Watching Wang Mu's figure, the red-clad young master appeared contemplative.

The Martial Arts this lad used just now seemed to be the style of Leisure Cloud Valley's Heroic Fist and Righteous Legs… Leisure Cloud Valley… This could present an opportunity.

The red-clad young master's eyes shimmered as if devising some strategy. Oh well…

She looked around the temple. He's quite attentive, she thought.

Soon, Wang Mu returned with two small rabbits, skillfully skinned and gutted them, set up a fire, and took out special seasonings. While roasting the meat, he watched the red-clad young master sitting in meditation to recuperate.

This young master is quite handsome… Wang Mu inwardly shook his head.

In no time, the aroma of the meat, mingled with the smoke, filled the entire temple. Perhaps the scent was too strong; even the Buddha statue entangled in cobwebs seemed to come alive with energy.

The red-clad young master opened her eyes, also drawn by the aroma.

"Young master, it's done," Wang Mu said, offering the skewered roast rabbit.

To his surprise, despite a glimpse of desire in her eyes, the red-clad young master did not take it.

Wang Mu thought for a moment, took a bite himself, and said, "Young master, it's delicious."

After hesitating for a few seconds, the red-clad young master took the rabbit and began to taste it delicately.

"Young master, the Martial Arts you used earlier are unfamiliar to me. May I know from which Sect or school you hail?" Wang Mu asked while eating.

"No Sect, no school, just a vagabond," the other replied indifferently.

Seeing this, Wang Mu said no more. After finishing their meal and tidying up, Wang Mu went to the river to fetch some water and cleaned himself up. He then laid out the straw mats in the temple and set up more traps around it to prevent wild animals from intruding.

As dusk approached, Wang Mu carefully inspected the temple, particularly the Buddha statue, and it seemed he had discovered something. He gently triggered a mechanism, and a cavity appeared behind the Buddha statue.

"Young master, look, there's a hole inside this Buddha statue. Fascinating," Wang Mu said with a smile.

The red-clad young master responded casually, "What's so fascinating about that?"

Wang Mu was about to reply when suddenly there was a disturbance from the traps outside the temple.

The red-clad young master's eyes snapped open, and her face changed subtly as she quickly moved into the cavity behind the Buddha statue.

"It seems someone is coming!" Wang Mu immediately stepped outside the temple and saw an old man in a Taoist robe sweeping past the various traps with a flick of his sleeve. He smiled when he noticed Wang Mu and said, "So there was someone who set these up."

"I am Cang Songzi from White Cloud Temple on Dangyang Mountain. Young man, you look somewhat familiar to me…"

The elder examined Wang Mu from head to toe.

"I am a disciple of Leisure Cloud Valley," Wang Mu said with a smile. "Elder, you visited my master a few days ago."

The elder suddenly understood. After thinking, he said, "So it is young friend Dongfang."

"Elder, why have you come here so late?" Wang Mu asked.

"It's a long story," the elder mused for a few seconds. "Li Shanren of Pan City and his entire family of twenty-eight were massacred. Passing through Pan City and seeing this, I couldn't ignore it. After examining their bodies, I discovered they were all killed by the Cloud-picking Soul-snatching Claw from the mysterious Shura Demon Palace in the Jianghu. By chance, I found a red-clad man in Li Shanren's study. After fighting with him, I realized that his Martial Arts were undoubtedly from Shura Demon Palace, so I wanted to capture him alive. However, the scoundrel was skilled, and he managed to escape."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.