Wu Nanyong sparred with her, harboring a resentment for being outmaneuvered and now a fear of being restrained. After a few more exchanges, had Lin Chaoying not shown mercy, Wu Nanyong’s arms would have been injured. Lin Chaoying unleashed her new move, "Misty Waters Obscured," and Wu Nanyong was bewildered by the blurry sword silhouettes. Lin Chaoying suddenly flipped and thrust towards the masked figure, a feint designed to distract. The masked figure, though startled, reacted swiftly. His iron palm struck in a circular motion, and he retreated with quick steps. Lin Chaoying’s sword strikes were rapid, yet the masked figure’s toes lightly touched the waterlogged and slippery surfaces, allowing him to glide and evade every attack. Lin Chaoying then wielded her Iron Ring Claw, attacking from both sides, forcing the masked figure towards drier ground. Suddenly, a “thump” was heard, and Lu Enshu cursed, “If you’re a man, come up and fight me head-on! Stop hiding and making a fool of yourself!”
Lin Chaoying felt the same and could not let him escape. She risked shooting out her Iron Ring Claw, ascending to survey the entire scene. She saw Lu Enshu pointing a finger at the river, cursing wildly, but neither he nor the dog could be seen. Suspended alone, Wu Nanyong and the masked figure immediately seized the opportunity to attack from both sides. As the tide surged in, Lin Chaoying released her Iron Ring Claw and used the momentum to swing towards the riverbank rock formations, resembling the serrated teeth of a dragon’s jaw, intending to leap into the river. However, Lu Enshu’s Yang Flame Blade intercepted her midway. Lin Chaoying employed her new move, “Willow Catkins Adding Chaos,” to defend herself and land safely. But Wu Nanyong and the masked figure were already upon her, forming a triangular encirclement with Lu Enshu. Lin Chaoying used her feints to her advantage, employing a strategy of striking left to defend right, but lamentably, the ever-scheming Lu Enshu saw through her tactics. The ground was covered in puddles, and the slippery stones aided the masked figure’s movement. She decided to target the weakest point for an escape and, gritting her teeth, unleashed her new killing move, “A Tree Across the River,” aiming directly for the Tian Tu acupoint below Wu’s throat. Wu Nanyong could not block it in time, and Lin Chaoying regretted her decision but had no other option. Suddenly, Chong and Wu rushed from the right, knocking Wu Nanyong aside, while Chong himself suffered a bloody gash from his left shoulder to his arm. Lin Chaoying broke free but was still pursued by Lu and Wu. She spun her sword, unleashing her renowned fierce move, “Swallows Circling Thrice,” striking at both. Lu, recognizing its power, defended with “Two Revolutions.” To his surprise, the sword retracted as soon as it struck, and he cursed, realizing he had fallen for her trick again. Wu Nanyong pressed Chong and Wu’s acupoints to stop the bleeding, picking up the sword and narrowly escaping, showing him a fleeting glimpse of gratitude. He suddenly realized and asked, “Why did you come back?”
Lin Chaoying rushed towards the dark cave. The surging tide rushed in again, and the masked figure strangely seemed to float on the water, pursuing her. His palms rained down like flying locust stones above her head. Lu Enshu also attacked her from the upper, middle, and lower routes with his “Three Talents Hanging Strike.” Suddenly, another Iron Ring Claw appeared, striking towards the masked figure’s cheek. He could only retract his palm and parry with his claw. Though his claw strike was fierce and fast, the Iron Claw possessed the power of a dragon. After a few exchanges, the masked figure rapidly retreated and dodged. The masked figure looked closely and saw a handsome and upright young man controlling it. Lu Sishu was also repelled by the Iron Ring Claw controlled by Lin Chaoying. Wu Nanyong saw Mao Ya step forward and stand beside Lin Chaoying. Both held their grappling hooks and gnashed their teeth, saying, “Dragon Rope!” He recalled learning this weapon back then. Although he was a squad leader, he could only practice climbing and movement with other squad members. As for offense and defense, Li Wanxue only taught Lin Chaoying and Mao Ya. Watching them practice the throw and retract, the pull and release, still burned in his heart. He glared at Chong and Wu, saying, “This is all your fault!” Wu Nanyong held his sword and unleashed his proficient ultimate move, “Hate Water Long East,” towards Lin Chaoying. The sword’s edge was as continuous as dripping water, but Lin Chaoying’s new move, “Ten Thousand Mountains Apart,” restrained it layer by layer. This was a move he had researched diligently, one that even she had admitted inferiority to in the past, yet he was defeated so thoroughly! Wu Nanyong was stunned. Fortunately, Lin Chaoying did not press her advantage, allowing Chong and Wu to pull her away, injured.
Mao Ya, who was beside them, was also surprised. After three years, not only had her martial arts advanced, but she also seemed to have a way to counter their sect’s techniques.
Chong and Wu asked with concern, “Are you alright?” Wu Nanyong’s mind suddenly cleared, and he angrily blew his jade whistle. Mao Ya glanced at the masked figure retreating towards the riverbank, sensing something was wrong. He also wanted to pull Lin Chaoying away. At this moment, footsteps echoed from the dark cave behind them. Sun Bole ran out from the cave entrance. Before he could ask any questions, he shouted, “Hurry!” Behind him, ranks of people appeared, three by three, their faces contorted as if possessed by evil spirits, their expressions wild. The leader of the隊 was visible, but the end was not. Lin Chaoying said softly, “They have all taken ‘Outside Spring’ and become ‘Warriors in Hand.’” Mao Ya did not understand immediately. Wu Nanyong had already thrown objects at their heads, which then exploded, scattering pollen everywhere. Sun Bole pulled the two of them and ran back to the cave connecting to the entrance tunnel. The river tide surged, and they desperately charged in. The group of “Warriors in Hand,” with their bared teeth and claws, either were washed into the river by the tide or their sense of direction was confused by the powder on Mao Ya and the other two, slowing their advance.
The three of Mao Ya quickly crossed the muddy slope and returned to the tunnel. Lin Chaoying wanted to retrace her steps, looking for any mechanism to enter the valley. “Ying,” “Lin Niangzi,” Mao Ya and Sun Bole called out to her in unison. Sun Bole inwardly regretted his persistent hesitation to call her by her name directly like Mao Ya. Feeling as if he had lost a round, he quickly interjected, “This way is correct.” Lin Chaoying followed him towards the end of the tunnel. It turned out there was a narrow path in a crevice of the stone wall to the right, allowing passage. Lin Chaoying regretted and blamed herself, “I was careless.” Sun Bole comforted her, “If we hadn’t forced the Jing Tian Sect member to lead the way, we wouldn’t have known.” At this moment, Mao Ya made a “hush” gesture, and the two of them quickly realized and regained their vigilance. Sun Bole, frustrated at losing another round, turned to recall the route they had just taken and led them into the valley.
Exiting the narrow path, Sun Bole pointed to a small trail on the left, gesturing that it was the entrance and exit of the dark cave. He even imitated the posture of the madmen, eliciting a slight smile from Lin Chaoying, but she showed no reaction. Mao Ya surveyed the surroundings and then crawled into the low bushes ahead like a snake. Seeing Lin Chaoying do the same, Sun Bole did not understand their method and struggled to follow. Proceeding to a stone crevice, Mao Ya saw that it was covered by trees and stopped to rest and observe. Sun Bole endured the urge to brush the dirt and sand off his clothes, lest Mao Ya look down on him. Seeing Lin Chaoying watching him, he wondered if she cared about why he was with Mao Ya. Ha, no matter how smart she was, she could never guess their ingenious plan to drive Chong and Wu to lead them here. Just as he was about to excitedly whisper the secret, he heard Mao Ya ask, “What warriors did you mention earlier? What did they take?” Lin Chaoying recited, “Flowers wither outside the spring, once again losing their hands.” Mao Ya shivered and carefully re-examined his surroundings, taking several deep breaths before sighing, “The jade container still holds residual medicine, fortunately, the fragrant powder has been washed away.” Lin Chaoying was surprised that he, who had always been reserved, had changed the words to describe their escape. She couldn’t help but glance back at Sun Bole and sigh that he was being influenced by bad company.
Sun Bole nodded in agreement and said, “It was fortunate that the tide diluted the fragrance; otherwise, it would have been difficult to escape those madmen!” He and Mao Ya parted ways, but hid near the exit of the black cave to take advantage of any opportunity, only to encounter the madmen from behind! Recalling that moment, Sun Bole still had lingering fears.
Lin Chaoying glanced at the two of them. Mao Ya said, “I never had friends.” Sun Bole immediately retorted, “We are… enemies.” Lin Chaoying returned to the main topic and asked, “Is this the will of the patron?” Mao Ya hesitated and said, “Perhaps, someone wants to achieve something and seek merit from the master.” Lin Chaoying asked again, “This prescription… is my grandmother well?” Mao Ya replied, “The family is doing very well. Four years ago, Li Changrong began to communicate with them in secret.” Li Changrong was the husband of her aunt, Li Zixian. His original surname was Ling; after marrying into the family, he changed his surname to Li. Lin Chaoying had always known that the couple appeared timid. Because their three children could not pass the assessment, and their grandmother did not allow them to be considered as family members with special consideration, it was a great humiliation for them as disciples in the line of succession. Thus, they had been actively seeking ways to seize the position of family head.
Sun Bole said, “The Jin dogs are so cruel to the people of the Song dynasty. The Weiwu Alliance will not stand idly by. You should leave first to avoid unnecessary complications.” Mao Ya sneered. Sun Bole defended himself, “Although we have had our bad apples, we will all be united in the face of major issues. Even if they have masters, we are not incompetent!” He knew she was mocking him, trying to get rid of her to avoid meeting that person again. Humph, do you not have such intentions? Mao Ya said, “Then you should hurry back and coordinate. We will wait here and provide support from the inside. We are used to doing this.” Ungrateful demon, if I hadn’t caught my eagerness to meet…
At this moment, Lin Chaoying said, “I need to go over there. The warriors in hand should be imprisoned here.” While they were talking, she noticed what appeared to be a deep valley that Gong Liang had mentioned. Mao Ya followed her gaze and agreed, “We will act after dark.” Lin Chaoying shook her head, “We must strike quickly to counter their slow deployment.” Mao Ya retorted, “Have you had enough of your reckless impulsiveness? You know your weakness has been seen through by the opponent, yet you plunge in headfirst. If you don’t cherish yourself, you should at least cherish the concern of your family!”
Sun Bole also wanted to speak his mind, but… the words were stuck in his throat, making them difficult to utter. Seeing her looking down in silence, Sun Bole wanted to step forward to persuade her, but he expected her to act willfully despite knowing the consequences, so he sat down disheartened. Looking up from the place where she indicated they were held, he vaguely saw traces of human activity. This accursed place, he really wanted to set it on fire, so that the Jin people could no longer commit evil, but fire attacks would harm the already victimized people, who were cruelly controlled by the medicinal powder… Ah, why not… Sun Bole noticed that they were looking at him.
“You little bastard, what trick are you planning now?”
Sun Bole replied, “What trick…” Mao Ya interrupted, “When you devised the plan to trick Chong and Wu into leading the way, you looked just like this.” Seeing Lin Chaoying staring at him, Sun Bole confessed, “I plan to seize that medicinal powder. Even if I cannot turn the tables, I can at least cause chaos and cut off the roots of disaster.” Mao Ya said, “I will go. Ying, you and he wait over there and leave markers for coordination.” With that, he left.
The words hidden in his heart for three years rushed to his throat but lingered on his lips, unable to be uttered. Sun Bole watched Lin Chaoying walk among the tall trees and low bushes. How could he persuade her, who was sinking deeper and deeper, to retreat? Alas, how could he bear to give up himself?
Lin Chaoying stopped after leaving three secret marks. Why trouble her brother by making it difficult and painful for him? She would find an opportunity to get rid of the Sun surname behind her as well; she had enough of her own self-inflicted suffering.