Intelligence Ultime

Chapitre 216

Feng Xuese nodded silently and ate without saying a word. Now, he even needed Zhu Huihui to serve him food; it would be a lie to say he wasn't sad.

Zhu Huihui looked at him. Although he had been made to look ugly by her, his eyes were still bright and dazzling. However, the blankness in his eyes made her, who was usually carefree, feel inexplicably sad.

"Don't worry, sir. We'll go find a doctor to treat our eyes as soon as we get down the mountain."

Feng Xuese smiled slightly: "This kind of poison is not something that ordinary doctors can cure!"

"Then... there must be some extraordinary doctor who can cure it!" Zhu Huihui comforted him. "By the way, didn't you say there's a miracle doctor in that Sorrowful Valley? Let's go find them! That young lady we met on the road last time even tried to seduce you by falling into your arms!"

Feng Xuese gently tapped the back of her hand with her chopsticks: "Don't talk nonsense!" This girl has no sense of seriousness at all. The first half of her sentence sounded reasonable, but the second half completely changed its meaning!

Zhu Huihui withdrew her hand, pouting and muttering, "You said you couldn't see, but you're quite accurate at hitting people's hands!"

A smile appeared on Feng Xuese's lips: "Grey, someone's coming!"

Zhu Huihui was startled, dropping the half-eaten pancake in her hand to the ground. She grabbed his hand and said, "Let's go!"

"Don't worry! There are two people coming. Their footsteps are light and heavy, so they are obviously a man and a woman. If I'm not mistaken, the owner of this house has returned."

Zhu Huihui immediately sat down again.

For the first time in her life, after burgling, she dared to sit calmly and wait for her master to return. She pondered the reasons herself, concluding that firstly, she hadn't stolen anything this time, and had even left some silver, so she wasn't afraid of being beaten; secondly, she had a chivalrous hero by her side, and this hero had a treasured sword—whoever dared to bully her, the hero would chop off their heads…

On the path outside the fence, a young couple walked by. They were dressed in ordinary farm clothes. The husband, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, carried a hoe and a bundle of firewood on his shoulder, while the wife carried a sickle and a water bottle in her hand. She had a big belly, which showed that she was six months pregnant.

The couple stopped in surprise when they saw a thin, sallow-skinned girl with a dark face sitting in their yard: "You—"

Feng Xuese said apologetically, "I'm sorry, my brother and I were just passing by and were hungry. We trespassed on your property. We're very sorry!"

"Ah, no, no need to be so polite! It's always good to be at home, but it's hard to be away from home. What's a little something to eat?" The farmer was very simple and honest. After saying this, he went to put the bundle of firewood and hoe aside.

The peasant woman looked at the bowls and chopsticks on the table and asked very honestly, "Is this enough for you? I'll get you some more!"

Feng Xuese politely said, "Thank you, sister-in-law, this is enough for us! May I ask, brother and sister-in-law, where is this place? What is the nearest village or town, and where does it lead?"

The farmer said, "Our place is called Qingmei Ridge. After descending the ridge is Zhuma Village. If you walk a little further along the village, you'll reach Xiaoti Town. And after another two days' journey, you'll arrive at Luzhou!"

"Thank you, brother! We siblings are still on our way, so we won't bother you any longer!" Feng Xuese stood up, leaning on the table. Zhu Huihui immediately took his hand, and with her other hand she took the reins of the Flying Lightning Snow Steed, and they were about to leave.

Unexpectedly, Feng Xuese only took two steps with her before suddenly stopping: "Grey Grey, help me sit back down!"

Zhu Huihui exclaimed "Ah!" in confusion, and then helped him sit down as instructed.

Feng Xuese placed the sword on her lap and untied the cloth binding it layer by layer, saying, "Huihui, you and your elder brother and sister-in-law hide inside the house and don't come out!"

Zhu Huihui felt a chill: "Is someone chasing us?"

Feng Xuese smiled slightly: "They're just some small fry!"

Just then, a strange laugh suddenly rang out from the empty mountains, and someone said from afar, "Feng Xuese, you are too arrogant. Do you think that I, the Nine Nether Ten Ghosts, am just a small fry?"

The voice seemed to be above one's head at first, then it was several dozen feet away, then it was close behind one's back, and then it was far away at the edge of the mountain. For a moment, one could not tell where the speaker was.

Feng Xuese sneered slightly: "Nine Nether Thunder Sound Ghost, stop with the pretense and come out!"

His voice was deep and his tone was very steady, but when he said the last three words, "Come out," it was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, the sound spreading out in waves.

55

Zhu Huihui and the farmer and his wife beside him didn't seem to care much, but the Nine Nether Thunder Sound Ghost couldn't take it anymore. With a "thud," a thin man fell from the tall tree in front of him, landing face-first in the mud. It was unclear whether he had knocked out his teeth or what, but when he raised his head, his mouth was covered in blood.

Zhu Huihui always liked to kick someone when they were down, and instinctively wanted to rush up and beat the dog when it was in trouble. However, her wrist was suddenly tightened as the peasant woman next to her grabbed her arm.

Zhu Huihui turned around and saw that the woman was touching her stomach with her other hand, her body trembling slightly. Knowing that the woman was very scared, he patted her arm reassuringly: "Don't be afraid, with a hero here, nothing will happen!"

Even so, she wasn't entirely confident. The hero was blind, and the enemies were some kind of terrifying and powerful group called Nine Netherworld Ten Ghosts. Nine plus ten equals nineteen—nineteen enemies in total, a classic gang fight! She wondered if the hero could even win…

The farmer, being a man, sensed something was wrong. He grabbed his wife and, without a word, pushed her and Zhu Huihui into the house, then picked up his hoe and stood guard by the door. The woman shielded Zhu Huihui behind her, seemingly afraid she might rush out in a moment of panic, or perhaps afraid someone might break in and hurt her.

In that brief moment of distraction, a fierce battle had broken out outside. A large group of people suddenly appeared around the hero, spinning around like a revolving lantern, making Zhu Huihui dizzy and unable to distinguish how many enemies there were.

However, she could see that Feng Xuese's movements were becoming slower and slower under the siege of these enemies, and the snow-white sword light was gradually losing its luster.

Zhu Huihui felt a sense of foreboding.

There were too many enemies, and they seemed to be in some kind of formation. The hero would just force one enemy back, and another would rush in; he would just dodge an attack from the front, and someone would attack from behind. Moreover, most of them were using a kind of long, curved, pointed snake-shaped staff. The hero, with his arm and sword, was not even as long as their snake-shaped staff. How could he possibly fight back with just two hands against such a barrage of attacks!

Seeing that Feng Xuese's situation was becoming increasingly critical, Zhu Huihui pulled a kitchen knife from her back pocket and bit her lip until it bled. But she dared not go out! She knew she was utterly useless; if she went out like this, not only would she be of no help, but she would also distract the old man! She had never hated herself so much before; she realized she was such a good-for-nothing…

The farming couple hid inside their house, watching everything unfold before them. The farmer, hoe in hand, gritted his teeth, then suddenly turned to look at his wife, gently stroking her belly with tenderness: "Aqing, please take good care of yourself. The baby will be a burden for you from now on!"

With a determined look, he opened the door and jumped out, shouting, "Zheng Hu, Black Star of Danfeng Hall, Luzhou, Fengxue City, is late. Please forgive me, Young Master."

Despite being surrounded by enemies, Feng Xuese still raised his voice and replied, "Brother Zheng, there's no need to be so polite!" His voice was calm, without any sense of urgency or pressure.

Zhu Huihui was taken aback. She never imagined that this honest and simple farmer would be Feng Xuese's subordinate!

Before Feng Xuese could finish speaking, the farmer pounced, his hoe whistling through the air as he moved with surprising strength. However, his martial arts skills were utterly lacking; he was quickly drawn into the fray, unable to escape, and riddled with several bloody holes in his body.

Feng Xuese, listening to the wind and discerning the weapon, said, "Brother Zheng, come to my side!" He swung his sword to deflect the enemy's attack for him, but a lock of his own hair was cut off.

Now, he not only has to take care of himself, but also do his best to protect Zheng Hu from harm. He is struggling to cope and his situation is even more difficult.

The peasant woman stared blankly, touched her swollen belly, and tears suddenly streamed down her face. She wiped her tears, reached for a hardwood door cane leaning against the door, and slowly walked out.

"Sun Qing, the nineteenth incense master of Jingxue Hall in Luzhou, Fengxue City, greets Young Master!" After saying this loudly, he charged into the battle, brandishing his cane.

Her words stunned not only Zhu Huihui but also the farmer Zheng Hu. He braced himself against the attack, shouting, "Wife, what did you say?" He was utterly dumbfounded; he hadn't expected his wife to be a member of Fengxuetang, and even a branch leader!

Feng Xuese raised her eyebrows slightly: "Master Sun, be careful!" With a flick of her longsword, she cleared a path for her and safely led her into the formation.

"Thank you, young master!" Sun Qing swung his door cane to block the attack aimed at Zheng Hu. "Brother Hu, I'm sorry!"

Although Maple Snow City maintained a low profile, its organization was extremely tight-knit. Even brothers within the same branch didn't know each other well, let alone those from different branches. Therefore, this was the first time she had realized that her husband was actually a subordinate of Maple Snow City, just like her!

"Ah, no, nothing..." Despite having a thousand words to say, this was not the time to speak, so Zheng Hu simply said this and stepped in front of his wife.

Although Sun Qing was six months pregnant, her martial arts skills were far superior to Zheng Hu's. The couple worked together and managed to shield Feng Xuese from one attack.

Feng Xuese was not surprised at all by the sudden appearance of these subordinates from Fengxue City.

His Maple Snow City has 360,000 followers scattered throughout the world. Most of them are just law-abiding citizens when there is no trouble. Some have never even been summoned by the city in their entire lives. However, the followers, regardless of whether they are men or women, all have a passionate heart. Once there is trouble in the city, they will risk their lives without hesitation.

Feng Xuese has now regained her composure and unleashed a continuous stream of sword strikes, gradually leveling the situation.

The Nine Nether Ten Ghosts, having failed to break through after a long siege, knew that the couple was in their way. Filled with hatred, they exchanged glances, while the others feigned an attack on Feng Xuese, secretly diverting their men to intensify their assault on Zheng Hu and Sun Qing.

Sun Qing, being heavily pregnant, was physically unable to move easily. In the midst of the fierce battle, her protruding belly was struck hard by a staff, sending her flying. She fell to the ground and let out a low cry of pain.

Zheng Hu rushed over and hugged his wife tightly, only to see a large amount of black blood gushing from under her skirt. He was heartbroken and cried out, "Aqing! Aqing!"

Sun Qing barely managed to lift her head, wanting to speak, but saw a snake-shaped staff thrusting towards her husband. Before she could scream, she used all her strength to push her husband aside.

Zheng Hu was stunned for a moment, then realized that an iron rod had pierced through his wife's high abdomen, pinning her to the ground.

Zheng Hu went berserk, swinging his hoe and charging forward.

Nine Netherworld Happy Ghost sneered, flicked his snake staff, threw away Sun Qing's corpse, and thrust the staff at Zheng Hu.

Zheng Hu seemed to have completely lost consciousness. He neither dodged nor avoided the staff as it pierced through his chest. Instead, he leaped forward and grabbed Jiu You Kaixin Gui.

Caught off guard, Jiuyou Happy Ghost struck Zheng Hu in the back with his backhand.

Zheng Hu smiled bitterly, opened his mouth, and bit down hard on the carotid artery of the Nine Nether Happy Ghost, severing it. Blood spurted all over his head and face. He listened to the gushing blood of his enemy and the sound of his own ribs breaking, and peacefully closed his eyes.

In a matter of moments, the couple and their unborn child were murdered.

Seeing this horrific scene, Zhu Huihui, who had been peeking through the crack in the door from inside the room, collapsed to the ground, her legs giving way. Thinking of how the couple had protected her just moments before, her heart ached, and her body trembled violently.

"I'm not afraid, I'm not sad. They died because they were so stupid. They knew going out was suicide, but they still went out..."

She muttered to herself, then suddenly felt a cool sensation on her face. When she reached up to touch it, she found her face was already covered in tears.

Is this what heroes often say: "Where righteousness lies, I will risk my life," "Knowing it is impossible, I will still do it," and "Even if there are thousands of people, I will go"?

Zheng Hu and Sun Qing, an unknown couple, made Zhu Huihui truly understand for the first time the true meaning of the word "chivalry" that Feng Xuese tirelessly pursued.

Upon hearing of the tragic deaths of Zheng Hu and Sun Qing, Feng Xuese's eyes widened in fury. He let out a long, mournful roar, and his longsword swirled with light that filled the sky. The light was so bright that it could stun and pierce the eyes of anyone who heard it…

Zhu Huihui's blurry, tear-filled eyes were also stung by the dazzling light, forcing her to close them. When she opened them again, the scene outside had changed.

Corpses lay scattered haphazardly on the fence, in the vegetable garden, under the melon trellis, and under the grape arbor.

The only remaining person was locked in a struggle with a serpent staff and a maple-colored sword.

The Nine Netherworld Big-Headed Ghost fought desperately, but Feng Xue Se was simply too powerful. Under the pressure of Feng Xue Se's internal force, the snake staff felt like it was being crushed by a mountain, slowly descending towards his head. He gritted his teeth and channeled his internal energy, attempting to force the hateful longsword back. However, the sword only paused briefly before slowly pressing down again.

Blood trickled from the corner of the big-headed ghost's mouth as he glared angrily at Feng Xuese, desperately resisting. Then, he noticed that Feng Xuese's eyes seemed... devoid of any spirit...

He suddenly remembered that since the start of the battle, Feng Xuese had always remained seated on the stone bench, regardless of his circumstances, without ever moving. A thought struck him: Could it be that his eyes...

He laboriously moved one hand aside, reached into his waistband, pulled out a short dagger, and tentatively and slowly stabbed it towards Feng Xuese, one inch, two inches, three inches... Feng Xuese was completely unaware.

Big-Headed Ghost was overjoyed. It seemed he had guessed correctly! He shifted all his strength to this arm and slowly stabbed the dagger toward Maple Snow's waist.

Just as the dagger tip touched his belt, a sudden gust of wind rushed from behind him. He turned around and saw a dark-skinned girl wielding a large kitchen knife, viciously chopping at his neck.

Startled, he had no time to change his move. He let go of the snake staff, threw it down, and rolled away to avoid the cleaver that was attacking him from behind.

Before he could stand up, Zhu Huihui pounced on him and continued hacking. With her skills, trying to kill the Nine Nether Big-Headed Ghost would have been like the sun rising in the west!

But today the sun really did rise in the west!

Big-Headed Ghost was already seriously injured, and because he had let go of his staff earlier, he was forced to vomit several mouthfuls of blood by the pressure of Maple Snow's internal force. His whole body was weak and numb, and he had no strength at all. In addition, Zhu Huihui was excited and her speed was surprisingly fast. She actually managed to cut Big-Headed Ghost's buttocks with her knife.