Yin Shili did yearn for such a world, to hold a wondrous brush and record all under heaven, to experience a passionate love.
“But, Brother, for such a life, do we have the right to take other people’s lives? Don’t you think that’s too cruel?”
“Cruel? People like us cannot have a shred of mercy. What’s wrong with you? Heaven hasn’t treated us poorly, should we not offer a small return to that damned Heaven!”
The man waved his large hand, and as if the deep green light followed suit, it flickered.
“Brother, but what if the prescription itself was written by a charlatan seeking fame and fortune? Even if we kill three people as medicinal ingredients, we still won’t be able to break the curse upon us, what then?”
Yin Shili knew this was a recurring topic between her and her brother, but she still held a sliver of hope that she could pull her nearly frenzied brother back.
“There’s no need to say more. I understand these issues better than you. Since I’ve already come this far, I have no choice but to try!”
As soon as the words fell, Ren Yuanhao swaggered into the cave entrance. Inside, the cave was larger and more spacious than the place where they had been confined. A stone pillar, large enough for one person to embrace, supported the cavern. The walls were smooth stone, devoid of any extraneous vines or hanging moss. Life necessities were piled haphazardly, resembling a small supermarket.
“Tsk tsk tsk, it seems the supplies for forty-nine days are all ready. Are they really planning to kill and cook us?”
The man’s face, illuminated by the light, appeared even more sinister and profound. He gritted his teeth and said, “You truly are a cockroach that cannot be stomped out. Even that thick rope couldn’t hold you.”
“Don’t misunderstand. It’s not the rope that’s thick, but rather that you lack strength.”
Ren Yuanhao twisted his neck and habitually reached into his pocket for a cigarette, only to find it empty.
“Very well, then let’s see if my strength is enough by testing it on your flesh!”
The man lunged forward with haste, his black robe trailing on the ground, his movements elusive yet agile as a phantom!
—Damn it, is this a human or a ghost!
Although Ren Yuanhao was injured, he could still manage to dodge. However, the most important thing now was to lure this man away so that Zhang Jing could escape successfully.
He darted left and right, glanced at Yin Shili, understood the situation, and then hurried towards the path he had come from.
“Hmph, still trying to run! You’re asking for a beating!”
The man quickly pursued, and in a moment, he was over a hundred meters behind Ren Yuanhao. At this time, Zhang Jing, who had been hiding in a fork in the path, immediately picked up the little girl and ran towards the exit upon hearing the footsteps of the two.
However, as soon as she passed through the cave entrance, she saw Yin Shili sitting at the opposite cave entrance.
“Go back. I don’t want to hurt you.” Yin Shili grabbed a dagger by the stone bed, a faint green light flickering, making her appear particularly chilling.
“You’ve already hurt us. Why pretend to be merciful now?”
Zhang Jing, having come from a martial arts family, and seeing that the woman before her seemed much easier to deal with than the man who had run off, had no choice but to resort to violence.
“You cannot defeat me. Go back.” Yin Shili held the blade in reverse grip, her eyes exuding a chilling coldness under the green light.
“How will you know if you don’t try?”
Zhang Jing carefully set down the little girl. With her fingers like a blade, she looked like a trained fighter as she ran.
The damp ground echoed with the shuffling footsteps of the two. In an instant, they had exchanged more than ten blows. Zhang Jing attacked with all her might, while the other party seemed to have no intention of actively counterattacking, merely dodging with strange movements. Although she held the blade, she hesitated for some unknown reason.
At this moment, Zhang Jing suddenly retreated several steps, panting, and said, “Since Miss intends to block my path, why hesitate to attack?”
Upon hearing this, Yin Shili simply lowered her head to look at the somewhat messy footprints on the ground. Then, she raised her head, suddenly slashed the blade she held in reverse grip across her left arm. Blood gushed out immediately. With a muffled groan, she moved away from the entrance and threw the blade onto the ground.
“With these footprints, my brother won’t blame me for deliberately letting you go. Go, whenever you encounter a fork in the path, count from left to right. Follow a sequence like 532313, and you will find your way to the surface. Hurry!”
Zhang Jing froze for a moment, then immediately hoisted the little girl onto her back. Biting her lower lip, she said thank you and, panting, ran towards the next fork.
Meanwhile, Ren Yuanhao had been forced into a dead-end path. The man in the black robe, holding a short knife, approached step by step.
“There’s no way out, kid. If I were you, I’d have struggled in that cave earlier. Perhaps there would have been a chance to escape. But now, you have no way out at all.”
“No way out? Perfect. I never need a way out when I do things.”
—Damn it, without a cigarette, my cool demeanor is half gone!
Ren Yuanhao’s hands were empty. Keeping them in his pockets felt too outdated, so he grinned and clenched his fists.
“What an arrogant brat. Unfortunately, you will pay for your words and actions!”
Ren Yuanhao extended his right hand in a provocative gesture, his feet already poised to exert force.
The man, accustomed to holding his knife in reverse grip, pointed his toe and lunged directly at Ren Yuanhao’s waist. Before closing the distance, Ren Yuanhao pushed off with his toe, leaped into the air, and swung himself forward a few meters using the hanging moss. The man thought he would seize the opportunity to escape again, but he never expected that Ren Yuanhao had already given up on escaping.
“What, planning to fight me to the bitter end?”
“That’s right. Look closely, our positions are now reversed. You are the one who is in a dead end.”
“Kid, you’ve put on quite a show. But it would be incredibly embarrassing to be captured by me!”
Ren Yuanhao sneered and extended two fingers, humming, “Sorry, although my kung fu isn’t great, I won’t fall into the hands of the same person twice. And besides~”
Before he could finish speaking, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a pack of Tianzi cigarettes, lit one, and tilted his head up at a forty-five-degree angle, gazing at the cave ceiling.
The man in the black robe’s expression changed dramatically. The almost transparent skin of his face creased with dry wrinkles due to anger. He then reached into his pocket, only to find it empty.
“Good小子, you managed to steal my cigarettes without a sound. Quite skilled.”
“Apologies. If your sister hadn’t attacked me sneakily, I could have shown you more of my skills. But right now, only one thing is on my mind, and that is to beat you down.”
With the cigarette refreshing him, Ren Yuanhao’s eyes curved upwards, his aura becoming even more potent.
“Then we can only settle this with our fists!”
The man twisted the blade. The cool, damp air seemed to be sliced open by the diagonally thrusting blade. As he leaned in to approach Ren Yuanhao, Ren Yuanhao did not retreat. Instead, he swept out a palm with astonishing speed and ferocity!