Chapter 375: Troubles Rise Again, A Long-Time Enemy Reappears p2
…
Mao Ruoyu, waiting by the carriage, asked curiously: “What did you talk about with the innkeeper just now, my husband?”
“It seems things aren’t very peaceful outside now.” Lin Tianlu shrugged helplessly: “With the conflict between the ancient realm and the Luo Xing, these small factions are also starting to act recklessly. Even the area around Mount Min has bandits and thugs, using various banners to oppress the people.”
“There are such…”
“Master, should we deal with them on our way?”
Hua Shuya frowned slightly and murmured: “Such villains running rampant will only bring harm to the local people.”
“Since it’s near Mount Min, if we can find the location of Tongtian Temple, we might as well pay them a visit.”
Lin Tianlu smiled and nodded: “It would be best if we can persuade them to ‘abandon evil and embrace good’.”
Cheng Yishi, who was standing beside them, chuckled softly, shaking her head, and returned to the carriage, holding Yun Yue, who had transformed back into her fox form.
But she quickly poked her head out, a puzzled look on her face: “Husband, I wonder if it’s just my imagination, but has Meixia changed in the past two days?”
“Hmm?”
Lin Tianlu quickly leaned closer and looked carefully.
“She seems… to have grown bigger?”
“And the color of her coat seems to have lightened a bit.”
“Neigh—”
Meixia neighed and proudly tossed her head. Her magnificent appearance attracted the attention of the passersby.
Mao Ruoyu couldn’t help but chuckle softly, covering her mouth with her hand: “This girl, as she grows up, she’s becoming even more proud and spirited. Master will surely be surprised when she sees how much Meixia has changed, after we return to Lunar Valley.”
“At least we haven’t starved her.”
Lin Tianlu smiled, patting Meixia’s back: “Do you need to rest for a while?”
“Neigh!” Meixia pawed the ground energetically, clearly full of energy.
“Just don’t overexert yourself.” Lin Tianlu climbed onto the carriage, tugged at the reins, and set off again.
…
Inside a guest room on the second floor of an inn.
A middle-aged man, dressed as a Daoist, stroked his beard and murmured with a serious expression: “Is this… the rumored ‘Mystic Scholar,’ Lin Tianlu?”
“He looks quite similar to the portrait, it should be him.”
And inside the room, several other Daoists, similarly dressed, were also sitting.
“So, should we find an opportunity to assassinate him, or should we report this to ‘those above’ and let them handle it?”
“Absolutely not.”
The middle-aged Daoist sneered: “If this Mystic Scholar is truly as extraordinary as the rumors say, we’ll be annihilated with just a few moves, even our temple master wouldn’t be a match for him. It might even bring disaster upon our Tongtian Temple, it’s not worth the risk.”
“Then should we report this to—”
“We have to learn to play both sides.” The middle-aged Daoist smiled and tapped his forehead: “Not only those mysterious figures, but I also heard that this Mystic Scholar has a grudge against the Luo Xing. We’ll pass this information on to the Luo Xing envoy as well, let the three sides fight amongst themselves, it would be beneficial to our Tongtian Temple.
And if we can alert that little fairy on Mount Min, a four-way battle… Heh! Perhaps this is our chance to take over Mount Min! No faction within a hundred miles could compete with us then, and we would have no worries!”
“And I heard that someone with a grudge against Lin Tianlu has also arrived, having prepared a trap, there’s no need for us to intervene.
The fake Daoists chuckled and talked among themselves, as if they could already see their bright future.
But they didn’t notice…
That in the next room, a black-haired woman sat quietly, sipping tea.
“The relentless Luo Xing, and the so-called Eastern Emperor’s Sect, interesting.”
…
The next day passed quietly, and night deepened.
Having just crossed the border of Wuchang Province, they arrived at a remote mountain village, shrouded in darkness and silence.
Only the faint sounds of hooves and carriage wheels echoed, creating an eerie atmosphere, as if they had inadvertently stumbled into a graveyard.
“This place… is quite strange.”
Mao Ruoyu casually lifted the curtain, looking at the few scattered houses with a surprised and uneasy expression.
As the carriage entered this nameless mountain village, a chilling sensation washed over them, as if some kind of monster was lurking nearby.
“Could it be an abandoned village?”
Cheng Yishi murmured, her expression serious.
Although she had traveled extensively with her family’s business and had seen a few dilapidated and abandoned villages, she had never encountered such a…
“It’s not abandoned.”
Yun Yue, nestled in Lin Tianlu’s arms, suddenly raised her head, her fox ears twitching: “There are dead people in this village.”
Hua Shuya’s expression changed slightly: “Which family?”
“All of them.”
Yun Yue’s eyes narrowed, a serious look appearing on her face, and she murmured: “Be careful, the culprit might still be here.”
“…”
Lin Tianlu’s expression also turned serious.
With his enhanced senses and perception, he could sense the lifeless bodies within the houses, roughly estimating that they had been dead for several days.
Who would commit such a heinous crime and massacre an entire village?
Clap, clap, clap!
A series of claps suddenly echoed in the cold and silent night.
Then, a scholar dressed in white slowly emerged from the end of the dirt road.
“I didn’t expect to meet you here again, Master Lin. It seems we’re quite fated.”
The handsome scholar held a folding fan in his hand, smiling and cupping his hands from afar: “Long time no see.”
“So it’s you.”
Lin Tianlu’s frown deepened, his gaze cold as he said slowly and deliberately:
“Who… are you again?”
“…”
The smile on the handsome scholar’s face froze, barely suppressing the rage in his eyes, his grip on the folding fan tightening.
But he quickly composed himself and smiled again, a casual and playful look on his face: “My name is Bai Shiyi. You’ve just achieved great things in Qingcheng, Master Lin, even marrying the Prince’s granddaughter, naturally, you wouldn’t remember an insignificant person like me.”
“You’re right.”
Lin Tianlu nodded slightly.
He tugged at the reins, urging the carriage forward: “We’re not acquainted, why are you blocking our path, sir?”
“Because your head is worth quite a lot, Master Lin.” Bai Shiyi narrowed his eyes slowly and grinned: “And for us, the Luo Xing, you’re a necessary obstacle to eliminate. If we let you continue causing trouble, it will only bring us more problems.
You escaped once during the incident with the ancient realm, a pity. But this time, I won’t let you get away.”
“But your last assassination attempt failed.”
“Indeed.”
Bai Shiyi chuckled and hooked his finger.
“I wasn’t well-prepared last time, so this time, I’ve prepared a special gift, specifically for you, Master Lin.”
As soon as he finished speaking, more than a dozen, twenty… even more figures slowly emerged from behind him.
And judging by their simple and shabby clothes, they were the old, weak, women, and children of this mountain village!
Their faces were filled with despair and terror, their hands and feet bound by ropes, as they knelt on the ground.
Bai Shiyi tugged on the ropes in his hand and said with feigned emotion: “Your cultivation and abilities are truly extraordinary, Master Lin, few in this world can match you. If I were to fight you directly, I would have died countless times.
I originally wanted to target your wives while you were trapped in the ancient realm, but their cultivation levels are also quite high, I underestimated them. After much thought, this is my last resort.”
He smiled, a hint of madness in his eyes: “Will you… watch them die before your eyes, Master Lin?”
“Save… save us!”
“Mother! Mother, I don’t want to die… Waaaaah!”
“Benefactor, please…!”
Pitiful cries and wails echoed through the desolate mountain village, sharp and piercing.
Lin Tianlu’s expression darkened, his gaze turning sharp: “What do you want?”
“It’s simple.”
Bai Shiyi suddenly burst into laughter: “I heard that you’re a compassionate and righteous man, Master Lin. For the sake of these innocent and pitiful people—”
His eyes glinted with a sinister light, and he sneered: “Hand over your wives in exchange for their lives, how about that?”
“…”
Lin Tianlu remained silent.
Bai Shiyi spread his arms and laughed: “Don’t worry, Master Lin, I won’t kill your wives, I just want to… invite them to my house as guests, I will treat them well.
Just a short trip, in exchange for the safety of these innocent villagers, dozens of lives saved, isn’t that a good deal, Master Lin?”
“No.”
But Lin Tianlu suddenly retorted: “It’s a losing proposition.”
Bai Shiyi’s smile faltered: “What… did you say?”
“Unfortunately for you, I recently learned some martial arts from a master.”
Lin Tianlu jumped down from the carriage and stretched slightly: “There’s no need for any exchange.”
Seeing his stance, Bai Shiyi immediately tugged on the ropes, a ferocious grin appearing on his face: “No matter how powerful you are, if you dare take another step, I’ll kill these mortals instantly!”
Lin Tianlu calmly raised his sleeve: “You… can try.”
Hearing this, Bai Shiyi’s eyes widened furiously, Yin energy erupting like a raging fire, and he activated the technique he had already prepared: ‘Soul Origin Heart Realm, manifest—’
—Slap!
A punch, a palm strike.
As if a gentle breeze had casually brushed past him.
There was no earth-shattering boom, no violent tremors.
As the dust settled, only a headless corpse, its arm missing, stood stiffly for a moment before collapsing to the ground.
Lin Tianlu’s expression remained unchanged as he grabbed the falling ropes. With a surge of energy, the restraints on the women and children instantly shattered.
At the same time, he struck out with his palm, a powerful wave of energy sweeping over them, dislodging and destroying the “bombs” embedded within their bodies and souls.
“…”
This series of actions, from attack to rescue, was completed in the blink of an eye. The women and children hadn’t even realized what had happened, still crying and wailing in terror and despair
