The archers had been standing farther away to begin with and thus escaped the blast. Seeing their fellow disciples die before them, the five archers’ eyes reddened. They drew their bows and loosed several arrows in rapid succession.
The arrows hissed into the bloody mist as though entering empty air. There was neither the sound of impact nor so much as half a cry of pain.
Only then did the Young City Lord Cui recover his senses. Struggling free of Ren Yijue’s grasp, he suddenly shouted in a shrill voice, “Idiots! Fire the signal arrows!”
The signal arrow was a special Cui Clan warning arrow, used only when the situation was dire, such as during an attack by a powerful enemy or when the user’s own life was in grave danger. The five disciples reacted swiftly, each pulling out a signal arrow and shooting it into the sky.
The bloody mist suddenly rolled toward them and gradually thinned, faintly revealing a person at its center. The five signal arrows had only just risen when five hands formed from bloody mist caught hold of their fletching and flung them back to the ground.
After setback upon setback, even the normally well-trained Cui disciples went pale and no longer knew what to do.
Worse still, Qingping Mountain stood directly behind Dongxun City. To be blocked by an enemy at their own doorstep produced a kind of despair difficult to put into words.
Ren Yijue tossed the two people in his hands backward. The five Cui disciples holding bows caught the Young City Lord Cui and Cui Shensi, and when they saw the two were unharmed, tears welled in their eyes and they relaxed slightly.
Still shaken, the Young City Lord Cui nevertheless stepped forward and bowed. “Senior…”
Ren Yijue turned to look at him and raised a hand to stop him. “This is not the time to talk.”
In the confusion, no one noticed that while wiping the blood from his face, Ren Yijue gave a slight shake of his head toward the distance.
“You little children really cannot take a joke. Must you call the adults in your family over everything?” The languid voice carried laughter. “Besides, is there not already an elder here protecting you?”
Ren Yijue studied the blurred figure within the bloody mist, making no attempt to hide his contempt. “We have not met in years, yet you still have not changed this barbaric habit of drinking blood and eating raw flesh. Heh. Wuchen is as elegant as ever.”
Yin Wuchen said, “Such mockery may wound my heart, but I fear the pain will fall upon Cangyuan’s body.”
He was fastidious by nature and had been famous for many years. Had he not been severely injured today, and wary of Cui Xuanchan being nearby, he would never have resorted to such a crude method. He was already deeply displeased, and hearing Ren Yijue say this only made him angrier.
“For someone like Cangyuan, who has always known how to protect himself, to step forward for these little children… what, is there someone among them you know? Or do you have some old connection with the Cui Clan?”
Ren Yijue smiled openly. “No, nothing like that.”
“Oh? Throwing yourself into the net for a group of strangers does not sound like Cangyuan’s style,” Yin Wuchen said. “Since you are here, where is Ling Baiyao?”
Ren Yijue answered crisply, “Dead.”
Yin Wuchen fell silent. After a moment, he finally spoke in a leisurely tone. “I have long known how cunning and ruthless Cangyuan can be, but I did not expect Ling Baiyao to fall to your poisonous hand as well. Alas.”
Wariness abruptly entered his voice.
“I am curious too,” Ren Yijue said. “How did you come to work with Ling Baiyao? What, have you fallen so far that you are willing to eat his leftovers?”
The words were vicious, yet his voice carried an indescribable allure, almost like a lover whispering intimately.
The seven remaining Cui disciples understood only fragments. The two men sounded at once extraordinarily intimate and as though they bore a blood feud, leaving the disciples exchanging glances, unable to decide whether the senior who had saved them was friend or foe, good or bad.
Ling Baiyao fed on people’s seven emotions, leaving his victims vacant and witless, little more than empty shells; Yin Wuchen consumed human flesh and blood. The Cui disciples might not understand, but Yin Wuchen certainly did. Ren Yijue was mocking him for being beneath Ling Baiyao.
Yin Wuchen had always thought highly of himself. Hearing such an insult, he flew into a rage. “Cangyuan, you! Hmph… heh… very well, very well. Once I capture you, you will learn which of us has fallen to such a state!”
He looked furious, but inwardly he remained exceptionally calm. He continued absorbing the bloody mist to heal himself and refused to take so much as half a step forward.
“If you want to capture me,” Ren Yijue laughed aloud, “then why have you not come?”
In truth, whether in cultivation or combat experience, Yin Wuchen was far superior to Ren Yijue. Even injured, he was not necessarily unable to win. And Ren Yijue had plainly chosen to protect the remaining Cui disciples, placing himself at an even greater disadvantage.
Had Ling Baiyao been here, he would never have overthought matters. Yin Wuchen, however, was meticulous to the smallest detail and could not help thinking, Cangyuan has always acted cautiously and never puts himself in danger lightly. He has also only just fought Ling Baiyao. Who knows how much effort it took him to kill that foolish brute? If he were not completely confident, how would he dare come looking for me?
The two had crossed paths several times in Liuyanzhu. Yin Wuchen knew that although Ren Yijue’s cultivation was not exceptionally high, he was extraordinarily difficult to deal with and always found some way to turn defeat into victory. No one could guess how many contingencies he kept in reserve. Seeing him step out so fearlessly to save people, then hearing that Ling Baiyao was dead, Yin Wuchen already felt that something was wrong.
“You are not coming because you are thinking of leaving,” Ren Yijue said, his tone abruptly shifting. “Am I right?”
Having his thoughts exposed made Yin Wuchen shiver. Though the bloody mist grew thinner as he absorbed it and his wounds healed at astonishing speed, his will to fight steadily faded. He thought to himself, Who knows what magical treasure he has hidden on him, or what helper he has invited? Or perhaps… he has already joined forces with Cui Xuanchan, working together from inside and out, deliberately using these disciples as bait to lure me from hiding. This man is vicious enough to do anything.
Although thoughts of retreat had begun to rise, laughter still colored Yin Wuchen’s voice. “With you still here, why would I want to leave?”
As he spoke, the bloody mist around him grew thinner and thinner, and his human form naturally became clearer. Before long, his true appearance emerged. Surprisingly, he looked like a refined scholar with handsome, elegant features, and he slowly walked toward the group.
The seven Cui disciples did not know what to do. Yet as Yin Wuchen approached, some drew bows, some unsheathed swords, and others took up spears. Though they knew the disparity in strength between the two sides was enormous, they still prepared to fight to the death.
Seeing genuine fear on their faces rather than feigned weakness, Yin Wuchen reconsidered. What connection could Cangyuan possibly have with that old Daoist Cui that would make him sacrifice more than a dozen disciples to me? Cui and I had no old grudge. If he had sealed the entire city, I would have had no choice but to leave. And if he truly had plotted with Cangyuan to harm me, he should have appeared by now. Why would these disciples bother firing signal arrows? Cangyuan must be afraid I will come after him once I recover and is borrowing Cui Xuanchan’s name to scare me away.
When he saw that Ren Yijue still made no move whatsoever, his heart immediately settled. He had originally meant to seize a chance to flee, but now he genuinely advanced instead.
“Senior, may I ask your honored name?” The Young City Lord Cui stepped forward again, drew his sword, and stood with a grave expression. “My name is Cui Jingchun. This villain is vicious and cruel. If we unfortunately die here today, we will still be grateful for Senior’s great kindness even on the road to the Yellow Springs.”
He had heard enough to know Ren Yijue and Yin Wuchen were enemies. Though he did not know the exact difference in their strength, Ren Yijue had never once attacked, while the other spoke with extraordinary arrogance. Cui Jingchun naturally assumed Ren Yijue was the slightly weaker one.
Whatever old hatred existed between them, Ren Yijue had still fallen into danger in order to save the seven of them, and Cui Jingchun could hardly remain unmoved. Besides, from the moment they first met in the city, he had thought this senior strangely familiar, as though there were some fate between them. Unfortunately, with the situation so urgent, he had no time to think further.
Hearing the name, Ren Yijue paused in surprise and murmured, “So that is how it is.”
“What?”
“Nothing,” Ren Yijue said. “I will tell you after we get out of here.”
Get out? Could they really still escape?
The disciples could not help smiling bitterly. Yet seeing how composed he remained, a surge of courage rose in their hearts. Cui Jingchun’s blood heated even more, and he shouted, “Good! We will talk after we get out. Attack!”
The seven scattered and surrounded Yin Wuchen. Bows drawn and swords unsheathed, they rushed him all at once.