Lu Yun had already prepared for the terrain in the valley when he saw it. Though he fell off the cliff, his mind remained calm. Seeing a place where vines were tangled, he immediately reached out to grab them desperately. But the force of their fall was too great—though he caught the long vine, the tremendous force snapped it instantly, and their bodies continued falling downward.

The two kept falling. Wu Dingyuan saw a protruding part of the mountain wall that seemed suitable for leverage and suddenly shouted, “Watch this!”

Blood was streaming from his chest, but his strength remained. He raised his “Flying Silver Shuttle” and threw it at that sharp corner. Instantly, the shuttle’s tail cord wrapped around the sharp corner, and the two stopped falling.

But the great force transmitted through—Wu Dingyuan, severely injured, couldn’t support it and his fingers loosened. Lu Yun quickly grabbed it, stretching out his hand to grip the tail chain tightly. Both used their hands with all their might and shouted together, finally gripping the tail chain firmly, thus saving their lives.

After catching their breath, they climbed toward the mountain wall and grabbed the rock face to rest.

Lu Yun surveyed the surrounding terrain and saw a cave below, saying, “Let’s climb there—we should be able to hide for a while.”

Wu Dingyuan’s chest wound was severe and he was breathing heavily. Just wanting to lie down and rest, he quickly agreed. The two slowly climbed down and soon entered the cave, which was quite spacious and could accommodate both of them.

Just as Lu Yun was about to speak, he suddenly heard crawling sounds in the distance. Wu Dingyuan’s heart jumped as he gestured for silence, then slowly poked his head out. He indeed saw Zhuo Lingzhao crawling around like a spider, searching. His heart was horrified as he quickly took his silver shuttle and crouched at the cave entrance, waiting. As soon as Zhuo Lingzhao crawled over, he would attack by stealth.

Fortunately, this mountain cliff was extremely vast. After Zhuo Lingzhao crawled around searching for Wu and Lu without finding them, he climbed down the cliff. Lu Yun, seeing Zhuo Lingzhao’s extremely high martial arts and remembering the danger when they exchanged moves earlier, couldn’t help but feel a chill in his heart.

Seeing Zhuo Lingzhao go far away, the two finally relaxed. Lu Yun saw Wu Dingyuan’s injuries were serious and quickly sealed the acupoints on his chest. But the wound was too deep and still bleeding continuously. Lu Yun quickly tore off his shirt hem to bandage Wu Dingyuan’s chest wound.

After working for a good while, the blood flow gradually slowed. Wu Dingyuan gasped, “Thank you.” Seeing Lu Yun’s pale face, he said, “You exchanged a palm strike with that Zhuo fellow earlier—did you suffer internal injuries?”

Lu Yun shook his head, “I’m fine.” Earlier when he exchanged palms with Zhuo Lingzhao, he felt this person’s palm force was incredibly powerful. Having competed in internal power with Eastern Factory masters a few days ago, his injuries hadn’t fully healed—how could he resist? After receiving that palm strike, he had already suffered internal injuries. But Lu Yun’s internal power foundation was solid—with just two days of quiet rest, he should fully recover.

After resting for a while, both felt extremely tired. Wu Dingyuan took out dry rations from his bundle and they each ate some.

Lu Yun whispered, “What do we do now? Should we stay here or leave quickly?”

Wu Dingyuan felt the sword wound in his chest was extremely painful, making breathing very difficult. Knowing his injuries were severe, he shook his head, “Let’s rest here for one night. After the Kunlun Mountain people go far away, it won’t be too late for us to leave.”

The two sat on the ground to rest. Lu Yun was extremely fatigued and soon fell into deep sleep. But Wu Dingyuan, having received the “Sword Gu” ultimate technique, felt as if his lungs had a big hole—each breath felt like pulling a torn bellows, extremely painful. For a long time, he couldn’t close his eyes.

Early the next morning, Lu Yun had slept well and was already up. Looking outside the cave, he saw heavy rain falling with a patter. Lu Yun saw Wu Dingyuan still sleeping and called, “Brother Wu, get up.” After calling twice without seeing him rise.

Lu Yun was greatly alarmed and quickly helped Wu Dingyuan up, feeling his whole body burning hot. Opening his clothes to look, the chest wound had actually festered—Tu Lingxin’s sword strike was no light matter. It turned out the “Sword Gu’s” sinister power was most formidable. Though the wound seemed quite shallow, the sinister power had actually penetrated deep into the five organs and six bowels. Wu Dingyuan’s internal organs were probably severely injured, with life-threatening danger.

Lu Yun was panicked and didn’t know what to do. After a long while, Wu Dingyuan slowly regained consciousness. Opening his eyes and seeing Lu Yun’s worried and anxious expression, he smiled slightly and said hoarsely, “Brother Lu, why do you look so panicked?” His speech was accompanied by wheezing gasps like an asthma patient.

Lu Yun quickly said, “Your injuries are severe—don’t move around. I’ll find a way to get you some medicine.”

Wu Dingyuan gasped, “What’s this little injury? I remember when I was in Xiliang—hmph! I lived by the sword’s edge every day!” He laughed dryly twice and continued, “For now, let’s recuperate here. When my body improves, we can make plans.” Lu Yun nodded in agreement.

That day, Lu Yun climbed out of the cave and scaled back to beside the cliff, only to see large numbers of troops had arrived above, actually blocking the roads. Lu Yun was startled—he hadn’t expected even soldiers to be deployed, not knowing if they were Imperial Guards or Eastern Factory forces.

Lu Yun thought, “What kind of person is this Brother Wu that masters from all sides are searching for him?” He didn’t dare stay outside long and returned to the cave to discuss with Wu Dingyuan.

Wu Dingyuan, hearing the mountain roads were blocked, showed even more worry. He knew the cave wasn’t secure either, but with his severe injuries at this moment, forcing a breakthrough would offer no chance of escape. The two could only take it one day at a time.

After two more days, the heavy rain outside continued unabated, splashing into the cave with a patter. Wu Dingyuan lay motionless most of the time. Sometimes when he opened his eyes, he’d only say a word or two before losing strength.

Lu Yun saw Wu Dingyuan’s condition worsening daily—his whole body fevered, and his chest wound emitted waves of putrid stench. His heart was anxious, wanting to treat him but lacking medicine and herbs. Lu Yun took off his outer garment to cover him, then collected rainwater to feed Wu Dingyuan. But Wu Dingyuan was semiconscious, and when the rainwater entered his mouth, he vomited it all out.

Lu Yun was both panicked and urgent, “What should we do? Just wait here to die?” Wu Dingyuan slowly opened his eyes but didn’t speak. Before long, he fell back into deep sleep.

Lu Yun looked at the heavy rain still pouring outside the cave. He understood there was no way forward and pursuers behind—the situation was extremely perilous, making him feel extremely vexed. At this time, Wu Dingyuan had long been unconscious, his breathing wheezing—it seemed his lungs were indeed deeply perforated.

For three consecutive days, the rain didn’t stop. Lu Yun climbed out several times to check—there were still people patrolling and guarding above and below the cliff, making escape truly impossible. This night he didn’t dare sleep anymore, only guarding Wu Dingyuan, deeply fearing his condition would suddenly change and he would die.

On the morning of the fourth day, Lu Yun was dozing at the cave entrance when he suddenly heard strange sounds behind him. Lu Yun awoke startled and quickly turned around, only to see Wu Dingyuan struggling with both hands, trying to sit up. Lu Yun quickly rushed over and helped him up.

Wu Dingyuan opened his hollow eyes, stroking his chest wound and gasping, “Brother Lu, I… I feel so terrible…”

Lu Yun was greatly alarmed and quickly grasped Wu Dingyuan’s hands, shouting loudly, “Let’s rush out of the cave! I definitely have a way to save you!”

Wu Dingyuan shook his head and gasped, “I… I really can’t walk anymore. Take good care of yourself and go.”

Lu Yun had spent these days with him morning and night, already regarding him as family in his heart. Hearing him speak so despairingly, he couldn’t help but feel his heart ache, only shaking his head without speaking.

Wu Dingyuan stared at the cave ceiling in a daze, “I was originally a constable in Xiliang City. Because of a family extermination case, I fled thousands of li to this place. Along the way, so many hardships and dangers… sigh… Who knew fate would be so contrary? It seems today I can’t escape this poisonous hand either…” Speaking of this, he thought of Qi Runxiang and Qi Bochuan, father and son, and felt even more grief, nearly shedding tears.

Lu Yun urgently advised, “Brother Wu, don’t be anxious! After you recover, we can make plans again!”

Wu Dingyuan knew his life was hanging by a thread. His eyes slightly reddened as he slowly shook his head, then took out the sheepskin from his chest and placed it in Lu Yun’s hands, whispering his instructions, “Brother Lu, this piece of sheepskin involves eighty-some lives—it’s an item entrusted by the wronged. Your older brother’s life is now in danger, so I only ask you to keep it well and seek justice and revenge for me in the future…” As he spoke, he couldn’t catch his breath and kept coughing loudly.

Lu Yun’s heart was panicked as he quickly patted his back, fearing he would suddenly die.

Wu Dingyuan steadied himself and whispered, “This sheepskin affects the world’s fate—it’s evidence of the treacherous minister Jiang Chong’s treason. As long as… as long as it’s given to a conscientious minister, we won’t worry about not being able to bring down this treacherous minister… Brother Lu, whether this blood case can be cleared depends entirely on you alone…” Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly awakened in his heart, remembering the scene of Qi Bochuan’s death that night. At that time, Qi Bochuan had entrusted him with this heavy responsibility, but now he himself was dying and had to entrust this burden to a complete stranger. His heart filled with grief, and tears streamed down his face.

Lu Yun, seeing his sorrow, also wept like rain. He tightly grasped Wu Dingyuan’s palms and cried, “Brother Wu, please don’t do this! Let’s escape together!”

Wu Dingyuan smiled miserably. Looking at the desolate Lu Yun before him, this person had only met him by chance on the road—just a noodle vendor. Now that he himself was dying, he was forcing this great responsibility on someone else—but on what basis? He sighed and wept, “Forget it, it’s useless. This sheepskin will only get you killed. You can’t fight them…”

Lu Yun was about to speak when he saw Wu Dingyuan suddenly scream loudly, waving his hands wildly and roaring, “Flee! Flee! Escape by yourself quickly!” He wanted to throw the sheepskin out of the cave but suddenly had no strength. His eyes rolled back, his body convulsed, and he became motionless, as if dead.

Lu Yun was greatly shocked and quickly checked his pulse—it was extremely weak. Lu Yun gritted his teeth, knowing that if they remained trapped here, Wu Dingyuan would only have a dead end. He put the sheepskin in his chest, then undid his belt and firmly strapped Wu Dingyuan to his back, thinking, “At this moment, I can only return to the capital first.” Regardless of the pouring rain, he rushed out of the cave.

Lu Yun carried Wu Dingyuan on his back, climbing all the way to the mountainside when he suddenly heard people shouting—the guards below had seen him and were running around spreading the word. Lu Yun panicked. Originally he was climbing down the cliff, but now that he was discovered, he didn’t dare go down anymore. Seeing the western side of the cliff was very steep and presumably unguarded, he quickly climbed there.

Heavy rain dropped continuously, and the ice-cold rainwater poured on both of them. Lu Yun feared Wu Dingyuan couldn’t withstand the cold, so he held his hand and transmitted protective internal power in waves. Fortunately, Wu Dingyuan still had a pulse and seemed able to hold on for a while.

Before long, Lu Yun had climbed to the cliff top. After looking around, thankfully there was no one about. It seemed the guards at the mountain base thought the two had climbed down the cliff and were already searching the roads below, leaving this place unguarded. His heart was greatly delighted as he identified the direction to the capital and immediately carried Wu Dingyuan, rushing through wind and rain in frantic flight.

After running for a while, he encountered a fork in the road ahead—straight ahead was a flat road, while both sides had winding mountain paths. Just as he was hesitating about which way to go, he suddenly heard someone behind shout, “They’re here! Everyone chase quickly!” Lu Yun was shocked and looked back to see about a hundred cavalrymen riding in pursuit. In his panic, not knowing which force they belonged to, Lu Yun’s mind raced like lightning and he chose the rugged small path, thinking that with countless rocks here, horse hooves would surely be injured.

Lu Yun carried Wu Dingyuan on his back, frantically fleeing along the small path. Before long, the cavalry behind discovered this and also rushed over. Just as they were about to catch up, there was shouting behind as quite a few horses had fallen. The cavalrymen, seeing the terrain was rugged, had to dismount and proceed on foot, but traveling this way couldn’t compare to horseback and immediately slowed down.

Lu Yun, urgent to shake off the pursuers, quickly activated his internal power. The might of the “Limitless Heart Method” immediately manifested—he took great strides forward, actually faster than a galloping horse, swift as thunder. The large group of cavalry could now only pursue on foot, shouting continuously but unable to catch up.

Lu Yun ran wildly, running for more than an hour and covering more than twenty li without seeing anyone pursuing from behind. He had apparently left the pursuers far behind. Lu Yun’s heart relaxed as he slowed his pace. After walking several more li, he saw a high city wall appear ahead. Lu Yun knew the capital was before his eyes—as long as he entered the city and found medicine, with his own understanding of medical arts, Wu Dingyuan would surely be saved.

After traveling not far, he suddenly saw a din of voices ahead, as if crowds were gathering. Lu Yun focused his gaze and was suddenly shocked—he saw barriers lined up ahead, with the court having set up a checkpoint here. He watched large numbers of troops inspecting traveling merchants. Lu Yun wanted to detour by small paths, but it was too late.

Lu Yun knew that carrying someone would definitely expose his tracks. Just as he was worried and afraid, not knowing what to do, he suddenly saw someone driving an ox cart nearby, with the cart piled full of firewood and miscellaneous items. Lu Yun’s heart was delighted, knowing he was saved. Seeing the cart owner conversing with others, he took advantage of his momentary inattention to push Wu Dingyuan into the haystack, while he himself hung his hands low and pretended to be an ordinary commoner, honestly following the firewood cart forward.

After the city guards inspected several people, they searched the firewood cart. A soldier said, “What are you carrying in your cart? Any illegal goods?” The cart owner quickly said, “Reporting to the officer, this humble one’s cart only has some firewood to sell in the city—how would I dare do anything bad?” The soldier took a stick and randomly poked it into the haystack twice. Lu Yun’s palms sweated as Wu Dingyuan was hidden deep inside—would the soldier discover him?

Fortunately, the soldier had already searched dozens of people and was quite tired. Seeing nothing unusual, he waved his hand, “Nothing wrong, pass quickly!” Lu Yun was delighted and was about to step forward when a soldier stopped him, “What’s your hurry, boy? What do you do?” Lu Yun lowered his head, “This humble one is an errand boy in the city, rushing back to work.”

The soldier yawned and reached out to search him randomly. In an instant, he actually felt the sheepskin and took it out, holding it in his hands and looking it over. Lu Yun saw the item discovered and could only curse his bad luck inwardly.

The soldier glanced at the sheepskin and saw it was covered with red and green lines and crooked writing. He immediately shouted, “What is this strange thing?” Lu Yun heard him say this and immediately relaxed, figuring these soldiers were of low status and didn’t know the important origins of this sheepskin. He steadied himself and said calmly, “This is a talisman for warding off evil. This humble one recently obtained it from Yulin Temple.” He was speaking complete nonsense to get by.

The soldier scratched his head with a face full of impatience, “I see. Well then! Pass quickly, next one up!”

Lu Yun walked forward calmly and unhurriedly when he suddenly saw two people wearing long swords and white robes standing among a group of soldiers. They seemed familiar from a few days ago in Prince’s Alley, but he couldn’t recognize who they were at the moment. The two looked tired and apparently hadn’t paid attention to the soldier’s exchange with him. Lu Yun knew the crisis was everywhere and immediately quickened his pace, seeing the ox cart had gone far and hurrying to catch up.

Just as he was walking, he suddenly heard the soldier chattering, “This Yulin Temple is really strange—actually drawing talismans on sheepskin. Next time I’ll go ask for a few myself.” A white-robed guest heard these words and was greatly shocked, saying tremblingly, “You… what did you say?”

Lu Yun heard the two’s exchange and knew his identity was exposed. Looking back, he saw the soldier pointing at him, apparently describing the sheepskin’s appearance.

Lu Yun’s mind stirred. Seeing the ox cart had driven far away, he thought, “There’s nothing for it—first I’ll use a plan to lure the tiger from the mountain! Now if I just flee urgently, I can definitely draw these people away, and Brother Wu will have a few more chances of survival.” With this thought, he ran frantically toward the city.

The soldiers behind, seeing him suddenly start running, immediately shouted loudly, “The thief is ahead! Chase quickly!” More than a hundred people rushed forward together. The two Kunlun Mountain masters were instead crowded out. The soldiers’ steps were slow—how could they catch up to Lu Yun’s lightness skill? In just moments, Lu Yun was about to escape.

Suddenly there was the sound of horse hooves on the road as dozens of fast horses from outside the city gave chase—it was the forces that had pursued from the cliff arriving. The leader at the front, seeing Lu Yun from afar, immediately shouted, “Where are you going!” He bent his bow and nocked arrows, shooting two arrows at Lu Yun with whooshing sounds. Lu Yun heard the incoming arrows humming and figured the archer’s skill was extraordinary. He quickly leaped up like a great bird flying forward. The two sides were originally far apart, making the flying arrows already hard to reach—now they couldn’t hit him at all.

Lu Yun sighed in relief and was about to squeeze onto the city road when he suddenly felt urgent wind behind him, as if a master was approaching. Lu Yun quickly looked back and saw a white-robed guest gathering qi and leaping, already jumping before him.

Lu Yun’s heart jumped in shock, thinking, “This person’s martial arts are so formidable—who has come?” Before he could think further, that person had already raised his sword and thrust out, fiercely attacking his face.

Lu Yun saw his swordsmanship was fierce and couldn’t resist directly, so he could only dodge to the side. The man changed his sword technique, thrusting urgently at his throat with extremely cunning moves. Lu Yun had nowhere to dodge and in panic flicked out his fingers randomly, actually hitting the man’s sword blade, though his finger was nearly severed. The man said grimly, “Want to compete in internal power?”

When finger met sword, the man’s blade suddenly transmitted a sinister cold internal force. This internal power was quite evil—Lu Yun was stimulated by this force and couldn’t help shivering, retreating a step. The man shouted loudly, his long sword creating points of cold stars as he attacked Lu Yun. Lu Yun saw this person’s martial arts far exceeded his own and didn’t dare fight anymore, quickly fleeing like a rat with his head covered.

The man pursued on foot, making more than ten sword strikes. Lu Yun didn’t look back, just ran frantically. The sword tip flashed behind Lu Yun but was always a few inches short. At this moment, someone rushed up from behind, calling, “Second Senior Brother! This boy is that noodle vendor. I just saw him carrying Wu Dingyuan in escape—how did the person suddenly disappear!”

The speaker’s voice was like a broken gong—it was Kunlun Mountain’s “Sword Gu” Tu Lingxin. Those two flying arrows had been shot by him. It seemed Kunlun Sect’s elite had all come out after days of searching for Wu Dingyuan.

The one chasing Lu Yun with a sword was none other than “Sword Cold” Jin Lingshuang. Hearing his junior brother’s words, he immediately understood: “Good boy! Actually using a plan to lure the tiger from the mountain!” He immediately stopped and no longer pursued Lu Yun. He pondered and looked around, suddenly seeing an ox cart in the distance about to leave. His mind stirred as he nodded, “He’s here!” He leaped up and blocked the ox cart, then thrust his sword down into the haystack. The cart owner was scared white and immediately fell off the cart to one side.

Lu Yun had already escaped when he saw Jin Lingshuang thrust his sword down—how could he not be alarmed? He could only run back in great strides. Jin Lingshuang, seeing Lu Yun hurrying back, just sneered coldly, knowing his guess was correct. He sheathed his long sword and reached into the firewood cart, indeed pulling out Wu Dingyuan.

Wu Dingyuan’s face was deathly pale as he lay limply in the firewood cart, his life or death unknown.

Jin Lingshuang, having captured Wu Dingyuan, immediately searched him thoroughly. He frantically felt around but after searching for a long time, only found a silver shuttle and a few gold ingots—he couldn’t find that most important thing. Jin Lingshuang snorted, his eyes rolled back as brilliant light shot from his pupils, glaring at Lu Yun. The item must be on this noodle vendor.

Seeing Wu Dingyuan had fallen into those people’s hands, Lu Yun knew he couldn’t escape alone, or Wu Dingyuan would surely die. He calculated in his heart, thinking, “These people are trying every means to find Brother Wu—it seems it’s still for that sheepskin. Let me delay with them and see if there’s a chance to escape.”

He took out the sheepskin from his chest, held it high, and declared loudly, “Listen well! The item is in my hands! If you release this friend, I’ll give you the sheepskin. How about it?”

Jin Lingshuang was delighted and was about to agree when he saw Tu Lingxin give him a meaningful look—he intended to make a sneak attack. Jin Lingshuang understood and nodded, raising Wu Dingyuan high with one hand over his shoulder, shouting loudly, “Excellent! Quickly hand over the item! We’ll exchange person for object in one go.” He shouted loudly but watched Tu Lingxin’s movements from the corner of his eye, seeing him silently circle to the rear to attack Lu Yun from behind.

Lu Yun was completely unaware and was about to walk forward when he saw Jin Lingshuang’s unfriendly expression. His heart trembled as he realized the opponent had another plot. But with Wu Dingyuan in their hands, he had no choice but to walk forward slowly, holding the sheepskin.

Lu Yun took two steps when sword wind swept from behind—it was Tu Lingxin drawing his sword for a sneak attack. Lu Yun, seeing through the scheme, immediately cursed loudly, “Good! You really are faithless pigs and dogs!” In panic, he threw himself flat on the ground, dodging the sneak attack from behind. Tu Lingxin shouted, “Hand over the item, or don’t blame the sword for being blind!”

Lu Yun heard his curses and saw the soldiers nearby with greedy expressions, as if they all wanted to snatch that sheepskin. Lu Yun’s mind stirred slightly, thinking, “This thing seems extremely important—I must use it well.” A cunning plan flashed in his mind as he called out loudly, “You want this sheepskin? Why fight over it? I’ll give it to you!” With that, he threw the sheepskin in his hand. With internal power behind it, the sheepskin floated far away, flying more than ten zhang distant.

The soldiers, suddenly seeing the sheepskin flying toward them, all knew this item was of great importance and rushed forward together: “I found it! The treasure is mine!” As Lu Yun expected, everyone immediately scrambled and shouted chaotically, making a complete mess.

Tu Lingxin, fearing the crowd would tear the sheepskin apart in their scrambling, quickly rushed forward shouting, “All of you get away!” These soldiers were all Imperial Guards of Beijing with considerable backing. Though they knew this person was a martial arts expert brought by Jiang Chong, with great merit before them, who had time to pay attention to him? Tu Lingxin, seeing everyone scrambling, was furious: “Are you seeking death?” His long sword swept out, and the person in front was separated from his body and died. Tu Lingxin sneered and snatched the sheepskin.

Jin Lingshuang, seeing his junior brother’s brutal action, was greatly alarmed: “Junior Brother! Stop! You absolutely cannot kill people!” The soldiers were extremely horrified and quickly jumped away. A military officer, seeing his subordinate killed, was shaken with rage. He had been ordered to follow the Kunlun Mountain masters on this case and had long been displeased with their rudeness, only barely enduring because of Lord Jiang’s instructions. Seeing his subordinate killed, how could he still endure? He immediately raged, “What demon is causing trouble here! Capture them all!”

The soldiers drew their bows, nocked arrows, and raised spears and halberds, surrounding Tu Lingxin. Tu Lingxin wasn’t afraid either and looked at everyone proudly. Jin Lingshuang quickly said, “Officer, we’re acting on Lord Jiang’s orders—don’t make things difficult for us.”

The officer’s face darkened as he said, “Lord Jiang told you to take the lead in handling affairs, but didn’t say you could kill people at will!”

Tu Lingxin shrieked and shouted, “What are you being fierce about! Seeking death!” His ugly face wrinkled tightly together as he raised his sword to strike. The officer, unprepared, had his head split in half.

A deputy officer was greatly alarmed and shouted, “Rebellion! Shoot arrows! Shoot arrows quickly!” The soldiers shouted and arrows fell like rain toward Tu Lingxin. Tu Lingxin roared wildly and raised his sword to kill randomly, but with so many arrows coming so fast, how could Tu Lingxin block them all? Jin Lingshuang sighed deeply and had to draw his sword to rescue. Just as he was about to act, a palm suddenly struck from behind—it was Lu Yun taking the opportunity for a sneak attack. Jin Lingshuang, concerned for his junior brother and unable to parry in his haste, could only duck down to dodge.

Lu Yun, seeing he didn’t dare fight back, pressed his advantage with fierce attacks. His “Peerless Consecutive Punches” came out one after another with varied techniques, both fast and fierce. Jin Lingshuang had to block flying arrows on one side while dodging Lu Yun’s punches and kicks on the other, still holding Wu Dingyuan in his hands. Despite his high martial arts, with the chaotic situation and Lu Yun’s desperate fighting style, he felt overwhelmed.

Lu Yun, seeing him struggling left and right, suddenly combined both palms and summoned all his true power to push fiercely at Jin Lingshuang’s chest. Jin Lingshuang saw Lu Yun’s palm carried substantial power and was no small matter, but his right hand had to resist the soldiers’ attacks and his left hand held Wu Dingyuan—he really couldn’t spare a hand to deal with Lu Yun. Seeing the opponent fierce as a mad tiger, he could only release Wu Dingyuan, place him at his feet, then push out with his left hand and concentrate on returning the palm strike.

Just as the palms were about to collide, Lu Yun suddenly threw himself toward the ground, rolling toward Wu Dingyuan. Jin Lingshuang was greatly alarmed, knowing he’d been tricked. Just as he was about to raise his sword, he saw Lu Yun had already embraced Wu Dingyuan and turned to flee.

Jin Lingshuang snorted. He turned to look and saw the sheepskin was already in Tu Lingxin’s hands. Wu Dingyuan was guilty of possessing a treasure—without the sheepskin, he was no longer so important. He didn’t pursue Lu Yun and instead turned to protect his junior brother.

At this time, Tu Lingxin had gone on a killing spree, having slaughtered more than ten soldiers. The deputy officer was furious beyond measure but feared Tu Lingxin’s formidable martial arts and didn’t dare engage in close combat, only ordering continuous arrow volleys. Though Tu Lingxin’s martial arts were high, being pressed by the arrows, his body was stuck with quite a few arrow shafts.

As arrows fell, the two fought while retreating. Jin Lingshuang looked around for escape routes, thinking, “At this point, the misunderstanding with Lord Jiang’s subordinates has deepened. It seems impossible to explain clearly—we can only avoid for now.” He pulled Tu Lingxin toward a side path.

Just as the two were about to escape, suddenly more than ten riders from the city galloped forward frantically. A man on horseback, seeing fighting on both sides, was furious: “What are you doing! Where is the item?”

The soldiers, hearing this, stopped and put down their bows and arrows. Jin Lingshuang looked back and saw the newcomer wearing brocade robes with a face like a red date—it was Lord Jiang Chong’s beloved general, Imperial Guard Commander An’dao Jing.

Jin Lingshuang, seeing An’dao Jing’s unfriendly expression and thinking of their sect’s people still in the capital, absolutely couldn’t offend these court officials. He stopped and cupped his hands: “Lord An comes at a good time. Just now those two fugitives escaped, and our own people had some misunderstanding, which led to fighting…” Just as he was about to explain, An’dao Jing said impatiently, “Stop being verbose! Have you gotten the item?”

Jin Lingshuang coughed and said, “Don’t worry, my lord—the item has been recovered.”

An’dao Jing said coldly, “Since you have it, why don’t you take it out?”

Jin Lingshuang turned to instruct Tu Lingxin, who took out the sheepskin from his chest. Just as he was about to hand it to his senior brother, An’dao Jing jumped down from his horse and rudely snatched it away. Tu Lingxin, seeing this person’s extreme arrogance, was furious regardless of his background and immediately shouted, “What thing! You’re too arrogant and rude!” He immediately placed his hand on his sword hilt. The soldiers, seeing he was about to cause trouble again, quickly raised their weapons and dozens of people surrounded Tu Lingxin.

Jin Lingshuang pulled his junior brother back and whispered, “Don’t fight them—let’s go back and see the master first.” Tu Lingxin was angry: “Damn it! These bastards think they’re something—if I don’t teach them a lesson, how will we manage in the future?” Jin Lingshuang sighed and just continued persuading in low voice.

Actually, how could Jin Lingshuang feel nothing? Since arriving in the capital, he had been insulted and mocked at every turn, as if even any small eunuch from the Eastern Factory was more impressive than these martial world masters. But as the second-in-command of Kunlun Mountain, Jin Lingshuang had to be careful to complete the mission entrusted by his master, so he could only endure to the end.

Seeing An’dao Jing had gotten the sheepskin, Jin Lingshuang took his junior brother’s hand and said loudly, “Lord An, since you have the item, we’ll take our leave.”

But An’dao Jing cursed, “Idiots! Complete idiots!” Tu Lingxin, hearing his insulting words, was immediately furious and was about to step forward to kill, but Jin Lingshuang blocked him and suppressed his anger: “I don’t know what fault we committed—why is my lord angry?” An’dao Jing snorted and casually tore the sheepskin into pieces, throwing them on the ground.

Jin Lingshuang was shocked and alarmed, calling out, “My lord, why do this? This sheepskin is an important item!”

An’dao Jing mounted his horse and then whipped toward Jin Lingshuang’s head, angrily saying, “Fool! Still dare to talk back!” Jin Lingshuang dodged to the side as the long whip cracked on the ground. No matter how good his temper cultivation, he couldn’t help getting angry. His face darkened as he thought, “The capital is your territory—I naturally should yield three parts. When we meet in the martial world later, you’ll have suffering to eat.” He suppressed his anger and said deeply, “Lord An, what exactly is happening? Please enlighten me.”

An’dao Jing swept his long whip to roll up a small piece of sheepskin from the ground and shouted, “Look for yourself! You’ve been played and still don’t know!”

Jin Lingshuang looked at the piece of torn skin and vaguely saw words like “Four Books Compilation and Commentary.” It was skin, but not the priceless sheepskin—rather worthless torn white book cover. In an instant, his face turned deathly pale, finally realizing they had been thoroughly played.

It turned out Lu Yun had suddenly thought of the “Four Books Compilation and Commentary” he carried, which was also white and quite similar to the sheepskin. He immediately tore off the book cover and threw it out to pass fish eyes for pearls. After all, everyone only knew they were ordered to pursue a “white” sheepskin but hadn’t actually seen the real thing, so he successfully deceived many masters.

Jin Lingshuang lowered his head to look at the book cover fragments scattered on the ground, his face embarrassed for a moment. An’dao Jing showed disdain and immediately snorted coldly, no longer paying attention to the two brothers, directly dispatching troops to capture people.

Meanwhile, Lu Yun had carried Wu Dingyuan and run frantically into the capital roads. He kept calculating in his mind, thinking, “Where should we hide now? Large numbers of troops are pursuing from behind, and Brother Wu’s injuries are critical—we really can’t delay anymore. What should I do?” Suddenly he thought of Gu Siyuan: “Uncle Gu seems to have taken office in the capital. If I… if I brought Brother Wu to see him…” He shook his head vigorously, knowing this path was absolutely impossible: “Uncle Gu has deep affection for me, and he just took office recently—how could I implicate him? Moreover… moreover, with his high status, how could he take risks for someone lowly like me?” Suddenly thinking of Miss Gu, his heart felt even more grief. In his confusion, he ran randomly through the city. People saw him carrying someone and running, all looking sideways and making way. After a moment, Lu Yun stopped briefly to look around and had actually run back to Prince’s Alley.

Lu Yun inwardly cursed his luck. This place was full of officials and guards. A few days ago, he had escaped from here with great difficulty, but through strange circumstances had returned here again. He held Wu Dingyuan and hid in a street corner to rest, completely at a loss. In his wandering, he already saw figures walking on the rooftops of official residences on both sides, and the sound of horse hooves was chaotic behind—clearly the pursuers had arrived. Lu Yun felt mentally and physically exhausted. He firmly strapped Wu Dingyuan to his back and raised his palms to protect his whole body. Given the current situation, he could only fight to the death.

More than a hundred Imperial Guards surrounded the entire busy street, with countless masters gathering here.

A soldier saw Lu Yun and shouted loudly, “Found them! They’re here!” He then drew his blade and charged. Lu Yun kicked him over, seized the soldier’s saber, and wildly hacked and slashed while fighting and retreating. But with many masters watching like tigers, he really didn’t know where to retreat.

At this time, An’dao Jing had also arrived. He leaped down from his horse and with several bounds was already standing before Lu Yun. Lu Yun saw his martial arts were not weak, seeming no less than the Kunlun Mountain masters, and couldn’t help being alarmed. He turned to flee. But An’dao Jing wouldn’t allow him a moment’s respite and immediately drew his blade. The blade flashed as he struck at Lu Yun’s head with extremely domineering moves. Lu Yun didn’t know this person’s background or how sophisticated this commander’s blade technique was. He reluctantly raised his blade to meet it. Just as their blades were about to touch, An’dao Jing cried out strangely and his technique changed, suddenly slashing horizontally at Lu Yun’s waist. In an instant, he changed from vertical chop to horizontal cut—the speed of this change was almost beyond human capability. Lu Yun, in his urgency, jumped hard backward, then turned and ran into a small alley.

Just as Lu Yun entered the alley mouth, a palm wind suddenly struck his face. Before the palm force arrived, it already made Lu Yun’s breathing irregular. He concentrated and returned a palm. With a clap, Lu Yun felt a mountain-toppling, sea-overturning internal force attack his body. He couldn’t help but feel sweetness in his throat and spat out blood, then staggered back four or five steps. Instantly, someone had walked out of the alley—a scholarly-looking, gentle and refined man—it was Kunlun Sect Master Zhuo Lingzhao.

An’dao Jing said coldly, “Sect Master Zhuo, everyone is working for Lord Jiang—no need to compete for this merit!” Zhuo Lingzhao said, “Well said, Lord An—what excellent blade work!” Immediately, large numbers of masters rushed out of the alley—all Kunlun Mountain masters had surrounded Wu and Lu. The two groups of people said no more, monitoring each other, both wanting to capture Wu and Lu in one stroke but fearing the other side would act first.

Lu Yun, having suffered internal injuries, looked around—wolves ahead and tigers behind, with large numbers of masters surrounding him completely. Knowing there was no way out, he untied Wu Dingyuan from his back and held him up. Seeing he was still unconscious and barely alive, Lu Yun’s heart ached as he shouted loudly:

“Brother Wu! Lu Yun will live and die with you today!”

Suddenly he heard gongs sounding ahead as someone approached—not knowing what divine being had arrived. Lu Yun’s heart was desolate, figuring the newcomer was either a running dog of the Eastern Factory or Jiang Chong’s subordinate—what good could there be?

He looked sideways as the gong sounds revealed dozens of people on horseback surrounding a general. This general was about sixty years old with a three-foot beard and quite imposing appearance. The accompanying officials held two large banners—left reading “Defender of Nation and People, Great Northern Commander” and right reading “Loyal Counselor and Filial Gentle Marquis.” Just seeing this pomp showed the newcomer held high office and noble rank.

Lu Yun’s heart trembled, remembering when he followed Gu Siyuan to Jiangxia years ago, he had seen a general named Zuo Congyi who was a subordinate of this Great Northern Commander. It was said this person had great power in the court and could stand equally with Jiang Chong and the Eastern Factory.

An’dao Jing frowned and whispered, “Sect Master Zhuo, time is of the essence—act quickly!”

Lu Yun heard these words and knew this Gentle Marquis Liu Angtian had some grudge with these people. Though he didn’t understand the reason, things had reached this point and he couldn’t think carefully. As long as Wu Dingyuan didn’t fall into Jiang Chong’s group’s hands, there would be more hope of survival. With this thought, Lu Yun tightly embraced Wu Dingyuan and ran toward the street center.

An’dao Jing, seeing Lu Yun stirring restlessly, wouldn’t allow him to escape again. He leaped with his palm and arrived first, already blocking Lu Yun’s path, sneering, “Where are you going?” He struck down with his blade. Lu Yun gritted his teeth and regardless of everything, charged toward An’dao Jing’s chest. An’dao Jing hadn’t expected such a strange move—now the blade was behind Lu Yun while his chest and abdomen vital points were exposed. He quickly leaped backward.

Lu Yun took the opportunity to rush into the street center. At this moment, his shoulder received a heavy palm strike—not knowing who had delivered it. The palm force was extremely powerful, only shocking his injuries worse as golden stars danced before his eyes. Lu Yun ignored his severe injuries and held Wu Dingyuan, only struggling desperately toward the Gentle Marquis.

An’dao Jing reached out to grab and twist Lu Yun’s arm. Where his finger force reached, Lu Yun’s arm immediately became bloody, but he still flew forward without slowing. Zhuo Lingzhao, seeing everyone’s attacks were unsuccessful and none could stop Lu Yun, sneered, “All of you stand back and watch this seat act.” His figure flashed as he charged toward Lu Yun with incredible speed. Lu Yun saw his martial arts were extraordinarily sophisticated and knew this person was definitely not easy to deal with. He immediately spurred his horse and desperately rushed forward, shouting, “Help! Help!” The guards beside the Gentle Marquis, seeing street fighting, all drew their blades and reined in their horses.

Lu Yun felt his chest extremely stuffy, but with life at stake, though his feet were already weak and powerless, he still relied on willpower to support himself as he ran toward the Gentle Marquis’s convoy.

Zhuo Lingzhao called, “Stop!” His palm force had already reached behind. Lu Yun knew this palm came with fierce momentum and was unavoidable. His heart felt sour as he knew he had no hope. He immediately stuffed the sheepskin into Wu Dingyuan’s chest, then concentrated his internal power to protect his back, shouting loudly, “Brother Wu, see you in the next life!”

With a great crash, a powerful internal force struck. Lu Yun’s back took Zhuo Lingzhao’s palm solidly. Using this palm’s force, he suddenly shook both hands violently and threw Wu Dingyuan out with all his strength. But this palm was incredibly powerful—Lu Yun, already suffering internal injuries, now spat blood and collapsed powerlessly.

Wu Dingyuan flew out like a kite with a broken string, about to land before Liu Angtian. Lu Yun lay on the ground, struggling to look, knowing this hardship had finally paid off. Though severely injured, the corner of his mouth still showed a slight smile.

But An’dao Jing shouted loudly, “Where are you going!” and actually flew to intercept. This person’s movement technique was incredibly fast, like a great bird pouncing toward Wu Dingyuan.

Lu Yun cried out in alarm, “No!” He wanted to exert force to stop him but his heart was willing while his strength was insufficient. Thinking of these days of hardships and tribulations, now having sacrificed his life yet Wu Dingyuan still couldn’t escape, his heart couldn’t help but feel great pain. Blood gushed from his mouth as he fainted.