Luzhou Moon - Chapter 80
Lian Junchu lowered her head, and to her subordinates, she appeared more dejected than ever before.
"Young Master, about what I just told you..." Bi Fang wanted to ask for clarification, but seeing Lian Junchu's expression, he stopped himself. Lian Junchu's face was hidden in shadow, and after a moment, she said in a hoarse voice, "You all go back to Chaohu along the original route first, let me have some peace and quiet."
Bi Fang seemed quite surprised. He glanced back at the others, then turned to Lian Junchu and asked, "Don't we need to go and investigate?"
Lian Junchu was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "No need. The people from Bliss Valley are probably nearby. Let's not alert them for now."
"Yes. And..." Bi Fang hesitated, "When I left the island, the Second Miss was already preparing to set off for here."
Lian Junchu nodded silently. Yinglong turned and stepped back, then mounted his horse with the others and headed towards Chaohu Lake.
55. Unwilling to send the letter after the mistake.
The river branches off north of Chaohu Lake, meandering and flowing deep into the mountains and forests. As dawn approached, Yue Ruzheng followed the waterway all the way to the foot of Ziwei Mountain. Ziwei Mountain was actually just a low hill, surrounded by jagged rocks. Yue Ruzheng lay hidden behind the bushes, and by the dim light, she saw Su Muchen's figure flash by in the distance, disappearing into the rocks.
Although she had been cured of the poison, she was still injured, and her breathing was unsteady from the rapid journey. Seeing Su Muchen disappear, Yue Ruzheng was anxious but could not chase after him. At that moment, several men in black appeared from behind the slope. Judging from their attire, they were also subordinates of the Bliss Valley. They walked close to the bushes, and Yue Ruzheng held her breath, observing their expressions; they seemed to be searching for something.
The group moved quickly, and upon reaching the foot of the mountain, they briefly discussed their plan before splitting up and heading in different directions. Yue Ruzheng secretly observed the path taken by one of them, and after they had gone far away, she decided to follow them to see what they were up to.
Following the trail to the west side of the hillside, the black-clad figure, who had been vaguely visible, vanished without a trace. Just as she was wondering what was going on, she heard light footsteps above. She quickly ducked behind a protruding gray rock. A moment later, she heard Su Mucheng and the others talking overhead.
"Have you found out where he went?"
"Not yet, but we just went into the Ziwei Cave and did find signs that someone had temporarily stayed there."
"Damn it, if you could find this place, why did you let him get away?"
"Guardian...we've been waiting for you for so long, and we dare not act on our own..."
Su Mucheng snorted angrily. Just then, he heard a light breeze rustling through the trees in the distance. The branches swayed and rustled, and someone leaped over the grass and landed on the top of the hillside.
"Valley Master!" Everyone lowered their voices, and Su Muchen did not dare to act rashly.
"Are you sure he's already left this place?" Mo Li asked in a low voice, his displeasure evident. Yue Ruzheng felt a pang of unease upon hearing his voice.
At this moment, Su Muchen quickly interjected, "He should have been in this Ziwei Cave before I arrived, but he's no longer there. We've already arranged for people to search and intercept him at various intersections."
Mo Li sneered, seemingly pacing a few steps, before suddenly asking, "Has the Ziwei Cave been thoroughly searched?"
The person who had spoken to Su Muchen earlier stammered, "There are many branching passages in that cave, and we couldn't see them clearly. We only searched the outermost part."
"He's utterly useless!" Before Mo Li could even speak, Su Muchen had already preemptively rebuked him, and then the sound of footsteps gradually faded into the distance.
Yue Ruzheng held her breath and waited for a moment. When the voices above ceased, she cautiously rose. From their conversation, she understood they were searching for Yu Hezhi's whereabouts. Yue Ruzheng didn't understand why her martial uncle had left Yandang Mountain so quietly, and why he hadn't gone to Yinxi Xiaozhu near Luzhou. But regardless, she felt that the people from Jile Valley looking for him must have ulterior motives.
She estimated that Mo Li and the others should have already descended the hillside, so she gripped her sword and began to climb upwards. Unexpectedly, before she could reach the top, she suddenly felt a gust of wind rush towards her face. Yue Ruzheng, gripping a withered vine with her left hand, swiftly turned to the side and saw that the one who had attacked was none other than Mo Li. Startled, she thrust her sword forward, drawing a diagonal line, aiming for Mo Li's arm.
Mo Li's sleeves trembled, sending gusts of cold wind through the air. His pale fingertips, like sharp claws, reached for Yue Ruzheng's wrist. Yue Ruzheng, suspended halfway up the mountain, her right wrist injured and unable to exert her full strength, still gritted her teeth and leaped high, using the momentum to launch a flying kick at Mo Li's shoulder. Mo Li's right shoulder sank, dodging the attack, his left palm aimed directly at Yue Ruzheng's toes. Knowing Mo Li's internal strength far surpassed her own, Yue Ruzheng twisted her waist and spun rapidly in mid-air, her legs scissor-like as she darted behind him like a swallow, her Lonely Fragrance Sword swiftly slashing diagonally towards Mo Li's ribs.
Unexpectedly, Mo Li's movements were extremely unpredictable. Seemingly without turning around, he swiftly struck out with his palm the instant she drew her sword. Yue Ruzheng saw his black robes billowing, his palm faintly red, carrying immense force as he struck. No matter how fierce her swordplay, it couldn't break through this invisible force before her. The power in Mo Li's palm was like a raging sea, surging and soaring, tightly gripping her sword. Yue Ruzheng couldn't withdraw her sword in time; her arm was tightly bound by this force, and no matter how hard she tried to retreat, she couldn't break free.
Blood gushed from the wound on her right wrist, which was almost torn to shreds by Mo Li's internal force. At this moment, a rustling sound came from all around, and two iron chains with sharp hooks flew towards her, heading straight for her shoulders.
At this moment, Yue Ruzheng was restrained by Mo Li's internal force. Her Lonely Fragrance Sword trembled in mid-air, unable to thrust forward or retreat. She had barely managed to stabilize herself with all her might; otherwise, she would have already had her meridians severed by the relentless internal force. The iron chains beside her whistled in the wind, clearly intended to bind her to death.
Yue Ruzheng gritted her teeth and exerted her strength. The pale red on her Lonely Fragrance Sword instantly became translucent and bright. With a flick of her wrist, the sword light flew like a rainbow towards Mo Li's throat. Using the force of the recoil, she flipped backward. The person beside her swung an iron chain, and sharp claws swept towards Yue Ruzheng's feet.
Yue Ruzheng was unarmed and unable to block the iron chain attack. Seeing that there was a cliff behind her, she tried to leap up. Unexpectedly, Mo Li had already rushed over, holding the Lonely Fragrance Sword in his hand. With a flick of his finger, the long sword flew out and stabbed towards Yue Ruzheng's left eye.
Iron chains and long swords swept over her body from bottom to top, leaving her with nowhere to retreat.
Suddenly, a silver chain shot through the air, sweeping past Yue Ruzheng's side and knocking away the iron hook that was about to pierce her several feet away. With another upward movement, the chain's tail flew like a whirlwind, colliding with the blade of the Lonely Fragrance Sword. The sword was deflected several inches, piercing deep into the rock close to Yue Ruzheng's cheek, still humming and vibrating.
Mo Li suddenly turned around and saw a green shadow flashing in the forest, a flying sword swirling, and the surrounding air turning into a vortex. The withered leaves on the ground suddenly rose up, shaken by the sword energy, and all turned into the shape of hidden weapons, shooting towards Mo Li and the others.
Mo Li and his subordinates retreated to avoid the withered leaves. Yue Ruzheng leaned against the mountain rock and had just drawn her Lonely Fragrance Sword when someone stepped on the pine branches and rushed in front of her.
Dressed in blue satin brocade, with cold and clear eyes, it was none other than Lian Junchu.
"Grab it." As he spoke, the silver chain that had shot out from his right sleeve swung back. He lowered his shoulder, and the chain wrapped around Yue Ruzheng's left wrist. Yue Ruzheng instinctively gripped it. At that moment, Mo Li had already shattered the withered leaves and lunged forward, his palm strike fierce. Lian Junchu lightly touched the mountain rocks with her feet, the sword shadow flashing in her left sleeve, temporarily blocking Mo Li's palm strike. Taking advantage of this opportunity, she leaped over the mountain with Yue Ruzheng and disappeared into the distance.
The subordinates of Bliss Valley were eager to give chase, but Mo Li stopped them in a low voice.
"Valley Master, wouldn't capturing Yue Ruzheng be a good way to blackmail her? Yinxi Xiaozhu wouldn't just stand by and watch her fall into our hands, and then stop Yu Hezhi from showing up!" The people on both sides, who were about to step forward, had no choice but to retreat back to Mo Li's side, still feeling indignant.
Mo Li frowned slightly, displeased, and said, "If Seven Star Island finds out the truth, it will definitely cause complications. Lian Junchu is not as easy to deal with as we initially thought."
"When we went to Yinxi Xiaozhu and ran into Lan Baichen of the Hengshan Sect, could it be that...?"
Mo Li said calmly, "Although Lan Baichen is somewhat pedantic and stubborn, he wouldn't resort to any tricks to get what we want. The reason I went to Yinxi Xiaozhu first was to mislead them into thinking that Yu Hezhi was hiding in Luzhou. You only need to continue your investigation now, and you must not let Seven Star Island interfere in this matter again."
The subordinates responded and turned to head towards the mountains. Then, as Mo Li turned back, Su Muchen, hidden in the shadows, quietly appeared behind him. Just as Su Muchen was about to speak, Mo Li frowned, unable to suppress his breathing, and coughed several times before calming down.
"Can the Valley Master's body withstand it?" Su Muchen asked in surprise.
Mo Li waved his hand, indicating that nothing was wrong, but his eyes still revealed a sinister look: "If we find Yu Hezhi, we will tear him to pieces."
As the morning sun gradually rose, it cast its light upon the undulating mountains and forests. Yue Ruzheng followed beside Lian Junchu, her hand tightly gripping the silver chain. Her palms felt icy cold, but otherwise, given her current condition, it would have been difficult for her to keep up with Lian Junchu's speed.
A slightly chilly breeze blew in his face, ruffling the brocade ribbon binding his hair. Yue Ruzheng gazed at his profile, but he stared straight ahead at the road, seemingly unaware of her gaze.
They ran at full speed, the dense forest swaying on both sides. She felt a little dizzy and slowed her pace slightly. Lian Junchu seemed to glance at her, then led her for a while longer before stopping.
The surrounding area is still filled with ancient trees reaching for the sky, and the secluded path leads faintly to the back of Ziwei Mountain.
She still held the extremely thin silver chain tightly in her palm. She looked down and watched it extend into Lian Junchu's sleeve. The short sword at the end of the chain hung below her wrist, swaying slightly in mid-air.
He was dressed neatly and meticulously, but Yue Ruzheng had no idea what he looked like beneath this seemingly perfect attire.