Chapter 69: The World of Martial Arts?

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On a rainy night, along the streets of Xiyang County, Liu Shen and Yu Shan raced desperately ahead on horseback, their steeds galloping at full speed for their lives.

Far behind them, the members of the Chiba Gang were also in hot pursuit, riding their own swift horses.

Even though warriors of the third and fourth realms possessed senses keener than ordinary men, the darkness and the curtain of rain left their vision clouded; they could only make out vague shadows, unable even to discern whether those fleeing ahead were men or women.

"Stop, thieves!"

"Scoundrels! If you have any courage, dismount and face us!"

"Villainous fiends! If we catch you, you’ll be cut to pieces!"

The members of the Chiba Gang shouted curses at the top of their lungs as they galloped through the rain-swept streets, as though there were an irreconcilable hatred between them and Liu Shen’s desperate party.

They did not know if those ahead could hear them, but they were certain that their own leader, riding nearby, could.

The households flanking the street, upon hearing the commotion outside, quickly extinguished their lamps if they hadn’t already, and those who had yet to close their windows hastily got up to do so.

In one inn by the roadside…

Several members of the Taishui Division, presently discussing their mission, frowned and exchanged glances when they heard the commotion outside.

Curious, they opened a window, catching the noise more clearly and glimpsing the Chiba Gang seemingly in pursuit of someone.

One of the men, intrigued by the sight, raised his eyebrows and asked with a smile, "So this is a vendetta of the jianghu?"

"No…"

The only woman among them shook her head and corrected him, "This is more properly called a jianghu manhunt."

"It’s all the same—it’s still the jianghu," the man replied, unconcerned, shaking his head as he clicked his tongue. "A sudden clamor splits the rainy night; I idle by the window to the sound of falling drops. Horses dash through the market, swallowed by the storm—how many among them will forfeit their lives?"

He recited this impromptu doggerel and clapped his hands in delight. "A fine poem, if I do say so myself!"

The others exchanged resigned looks, clearly accustomed to his awkward verses and the self-satisfaction that followed.

"Heh…"

The woman who had spoken earlier gave a cold laugh, unreservedly mocking, "There was a hint of the jianghu in the air, but it vanished the moment you recited that greasy poem."

"Su Jinyun!"

The poet glared at her in annoyance. "You may be my deputy on this mission, and you may doubt my judgment, but you may not disparage my poetry. Understood?"

"Cousin, must I address you as cousin to make you stop…"

Su Jinyun pressed a hand to her forehead with exasperation. "When you’re in the capital’s Pleasure Bureau, spinning off verses to impress the girls, I can let it slide. But now, we’re on duty—out in the field! Your greasy rhymes are enough to spoil our appetites. Why put us through that?"

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"Su Jinyun, don’t talk nonsense!"

Her cousin’s face turned anxious and he tried to scold her with forced sternness. "What Pleasure Bureau? I don’t know what you’re talking about! Some cousin you are, slandering your own kin with such wild stories!"

"Fine, then I’ll ask Uncle when we’re back."

Su Jinyun sighed. "I’m just curious: who was it last time who got drunk and suggested to your father that the three bureaus of the capital should be joined by the Pleasure Bureau, making it four?"

Her cousin paled at the memory, Adam’s apple bobbing, and pleaded in a whisper, "Cousin, keep your voice down—please!"

He glanced out the window, saw the gossiping glances from his subordinates, and realized that if the conversation continued, his reputation would be in tatters. Hastily, he pointed at several of them.

"You, you, and you—come with me!"

He straightened up and declared, "In broad daylight, within the borders of Great Qian, and right under the nose of the Taishui Division, someone dares to brandish weapons and commit violence in the streets! How brazen!"

With that, he strode out in righteous indignation.

The named subordinates looked at each other in confusion, but since he had already gone, they followed after him.

Su Jinyun watched his retreating back with a mocking gleam in her eye.

The two who had been left behind, still itching with curiosity about the half-finished gossip—especially since it concerned the famously flamboyant You Taishui of the Taishui Division—sidled up to Su Jinyun.

"Miss Su, who was it who suggested adding the Pleasure Bureau to make four bureaus in the capital?" they asked, grinning.

"Who else could it have been?" Su Jinyun curled her lips in a cold smile. "He was drunk and said he’d memorialize the throne with the idea—he nearly got hung up and beaten by my uncle for it."

"Pfft—hahaha!"

Laughter burst out in the inn.

…

In stark contrast to the merriment inside, outside in the rain, Liu Shen galloped as if his life depended on it, unable even to wipe the rain from his eyes.

He knew there were pursuers behind him—a pack of men out for blood.

He also knew that because he and his two companions had left the scene earlier, and since their horses were as swift as any, it would be difficult for their pursuers to catch them on horseback.

But there was one unpredictable factor—the leader of the Chiba Gang.

Anyone who held that position was surely a warrior of at least the fourth realm. A martial master with innate power could draw on inner strength far beyond the ordinary. Even if their horses could not keep up, such a master could!

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Liu Shen could almost feel a pair of eyes, hidden in the rain, fixed unerringly on the three of them—a pressure that weighed on his heart like a stone, leaving no room for carelessness.

Behind.

Zuo Shaosong rode grim-faced, leading the way. He had been skilled in archery since childhood, his eyesight extraordinary, and after attaining the fourth martial realm, his vision surpassed that of ordinary men.

It was thanks to him that the Chiba Gang’s party behind knew just where their quarry was headed.

The two groups, one fleeing and one pursuing, raced down the official road, neither knowing how long this desperate chase had lasted.

Zuo Shaosong gripped an iron-banded bow, his gaze locked on the three figures fleeing in the rain, yet he did not rush to nock an arrow.

He knew that to strike a third-realm warrior at a distance of several hundred paces, he would only have one chance.

Anyone who could slaughter an entire branch of his gang must be a martial artist of at least the third realm, and a distinguished one at that.

With the distance so great and the rain coming down, a hasty shot would only be worthwhile if it succeeded; if he missed, their quarry would be on guard.

So he waited, biding his time for a single, fatal shot.

Ahead.

Yu Shan, galloping hard, glanced back from time to time, not knowing whether the drops on his face were rain or sweat.

"The Chiba Gang came too fast…"

He shot a look over his shoulder and gritted his teeth. "If they catch up, I’ll hold them off for a while—you ride on ahead! With the darkness and rain, if you get far enough, they’ll be lost like headless flies and won’t be able to track you."

Liu Shen pressed his lips together and nodded. "And you?"

"Don’t worry about me."

Yu Shan swallowed hard, his voice hoarse. "I promised to keep you safe on this journey. My word is as good as gold!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the sky was split by a flash of white lightning, followed by a clap of thunder.

For a heartbeat, the sudden brilliance narrowed their eyes; in that moment of brief daylight, they saw a figure in the crowd behind, bow drawn and arrow ready.

Thwip!

An arrow shot forth with a shrill cry, but the sudden thunder almost drowned out its sound.

For an instant, time seemed to freeze. The falling rain was split by the feathered shaft, droplets bursting apart, the force of the arrow turning them to mist as it hurtled forward…