Chapter 174 - 140: Departure and Fate
"Hey, you! My young master saw this place first. Get the hell out of here!"
A middle-aged woman was furiously yelling at a young man in a blue shirt.
Drawing closer, he saw two groups facing off in the only brick-walled courtyard in the village ahead—the only one that was still relatively intact, aside from its collapsed outer walls.
As it happened, both groups were familiar faces.
One side consisted of the blue-shirted young man with the white horse and the Long Spear on his back. The other was the rich young master who traveled by carriage, along with his coachman and servant.
He never expected to run into these two groups here.
"Hmph, this place has no owner. I’ll come and go as I please. What are you going to do about it?"
The blue-shirted youth chuckled, flicking his Long Spear. The weapon vibrated, letting out a low hum that filled the air.
Fang Yue smiled to himself at the sight. He had no intention of getting involved in their dispute, so he immediately entered another reasonably well-preserved courtyard nearby.
However, this residence was clearly a step down from the other one. With its earthen walls and mud-brick house, it had obviously belonged to an ordinary village family.
After clearing out a place to rest, Fang Yue went to find some dry firewood in the village.
When he returned, the argument next door seemed to have ended. He didn’t know whether they had come to blows or not.
He could only see that the two groups had apparently each taken over a separate room.
Fang Yue returned to his resting spot, started a fire, and began to cook.
Soon, a fragrant aroma began to spread.
~~~~~~
After an unknown amount of time, deep in the dead of night, Fang Yue, who had been resting, heard the sound of galloping hooves and cracking whips.
’Sounds like a lot of people are coming.’
Fang Yue mused, wondering why anyone would be traveling so late at night.
He didn’t light a fire. Instead, he left the house and, with a light leap, landed on a nearby rooftop. Gazing into the distance, he soon spotted flickering lights.
’A merchant caravan? It’s the middle of the night, almost dawn, and they’re still on the road?’
~~~~~
「Meanwhile.」
Yang Yan looked at the village not far ahead, then turned back to his men. "Everyone, stay sharp. We can rest in the abandoned village up ahead."
"We’ll make a fire and cook, then rest for a day. We’ll set out again tomorrow night."
They were escorting a batch of young boys and girls and had now reached the area near Shanyang Prefecture. During the day, they might run into the patrolling Guard Army from Shanyang Prefecture.
That was why they couldn’t travel during the day.
Naturally, they had to rest by day and travel by night.
The group continued forward and soon arrived in the village.
"Careful, there are people here. A few of you, go in and check it out. Act according to the situation!"
As they approached the brick-walled courtyard in the center of the village, Yang Yan and his men naturally spotted the carriage parked inside and knew someone must be there.
He immediately gave the order to a few of his subordinates, telling them to act according to the situation.
This so-called "acting according to the situation" naturally meant being ready to strike when the opportunity arose.
~~~~~~
’Something’s wrong with these people!’
In the darkness, Fang Yue recognized the man leading the group on horseback. It was the same person who had sold him the Qi Nourishing and Health Cultivation Skill in the Xiahe County black market.
Moreover, Fang Yue noticed that the carriages they were escorting were even more suspicious.
They looked like a merchant caravan, but the carriages were wrapped up so tightly that it was impossible to see what was inside.
Before long, he saw several burly men break away from the group and rush into the brick-walled courtyard next door.
A moment later, a series of screams erupted from the courtyard.
Then, a Silver Spear burst through the dilapidated doorway, and a figure charged out from within.
A cold glint of light arrived first. Then, two bloody holes appeared on the sturdy bodies of two men who were about to enter the house.
Immediately after, Fang Yue saw the man in black standing next to the black market merchant—the one who’d sold him the Secret Manual—spring into action.
He threw a punch, his powerful body crossing several dozen feet in an instant. The fierce, brutal fist seemed to shatter the air, creating searing heat waves as it smashed down violently.
The punch descended, completely cutting off the blue-shirted youth’s escape routes.
The blue-shirted youth could only raise his spear to block.
But with just one blow, the blue-shirted youth was sent flying backward.
"Hmph. I told you before, you’re all flash and no substance. You didn’t believe me, and now look—you got sent flying in a single hit. What a disgrace."
At that moment, the rich young master from before came out of his room. Protected by his coachman and servants, he helped the fallen blue-shirted youth to his feet and couldn’t help but taunt him.
"Heh, if you’re so tough, why don’t you go give it a try instead of making sarcastic remarks from the sidelines?"
The blue-shirted youth spat out a mouthful of dark blood and added coldly, "This man in black is powerful. He’s just one step away from Qi Sensing. Tell your men to be careful."
Just moments ago, the two had been at each other’s throats, nearly coming to blows over the resting spot. Now, it was as if they had shaken hands and made peace, the fight having forged an unlikely bond between them.
"Is that so? Don’t worry, my uncle here can handle him," the rich young master said with a smile.
The "uncle" he spoke of was none other than his own coachman.
At this point, the burly man in black attacked again, but his target had now switched to the coachman.
He could obviously sense the coachman’s formidable strength.
’Those two are evenly matched, a classic case of meeting one’s equal.’
Fang Yue watched the scene unfolding in the courtyard ahead, where the burly man in black was fighting the rich young master’s coachman.
Both men were likely Martial Artists who had achieved Great Success in Marrow Transformation. Both also specialized in Fist Technique—one’s style was grand and sweeping, the other’s nimble and light.