Chapter Ten: The Assault
“Ah!”
A clear and piercing female voice echoed through the confined space.
Li Ju, clutching his aching ears, sat on the ground, grimacing as he looked at the two people in front of him who had assumed defensive stances.
“Villain, as long as I am here, you won’t lay a finger on my daughter!”
Old Carpenter Li threw himself protectively in front of Li Yan, his face fierce and unyielding.
Behind him, Li Yan shrank and trembled, resembling a frightened lamb before a bully.
“Father, it’s me.”
Li Ju pulled off the black cloth covering his face, speaking with a hint of helplessness.
“Ju... Ju’er?”
Old Carpenter Li was stunned.
“Brother... brother?”
Li Yan’s tears stopped.
“Are you really... brother?”
Li Yan asked cautiously.
“It’s really me,” Li Ju nodded in confirmation.
“Brother... why are you dressed like this, and how did we end up here?” Li Yan exchanged a glance with Old Carpenter Li before voicing her question.
Old Carpenter Li also looked at Li Ju, waiting for an answer.
“Well, it’s a bit complicated...” Li Ju began, then briefly explained the situation to them, making them understand that he had already taken them out of the city, and that their only option now was to escape to another town.
As for his martial arts, Li Ju told them that while he had once gone fishing outside, he had encountered a reclusive master who had taught him these skills.
Given their utter lack of knowledge about martial arts, Old Carpenter Li and Li Yan accepted this explanation without suspicion.
“Sigh...” After hearing Li Ju’s words, Old Carpenter Li couldn’t help but let out a long sigh. Having spent most of his life in Yangyuan County, he found it hard to leave his homeland. Now old, he had no desire for such upheaval.
By contrast, Li Yan, realizing she no longer had to marry into the Zhao family, couldn’t help but wave her hand in delight.
“Father, do you know the route from Yangyuan County to other towns?” After explaining everything, Li Ju turned to Old Carpenter Li.
Their immediate priority was to find a new city to settle in; the wilderness in these times was far too dangerous, and ordinary people could easily lose their lives to the wild.
“Where are we now?” Old Carpenter Li asked in return.
“In the woods not far from the county town,” Li Ju replied.
“The woods near the county town...” Old Carpenter Li tapped his finger absentmindedly on the ground, pondering for a moment before picking up a stone and drawing on the soil.
“Our Yangyuan County lies within Shimen Prefecture, bordering the cities of Shimen Prefecture, Guyuan County, and Pingning County under Quyang Prefecture.” As he spoke, Old Carpenter Li drew several circles on the ground to indicate the different cities.
“When I was young, I often followed trade caravans to Shimen Prefecture to work as a carpenter, so I know the way from Yangyuan County to Shimen Prefecture.”
A nostalgic look came over his face, as if he were reminiscing about his youthful days.
“Shimen Prefecture...” A look of joy appeared on Li Ju’s face.
He hadn’t expected his father to actually know the route; after all, in this era, over ninety percent of common folk never left their home town, let alone knew how to reach another city.
“Very well, our next destination is Shimen Prefecture,” Li Ju decided with a clap of his hands.
Gurgle...
At the sound, Li Ju and Old Carpenter Li both turned to see Li Yan, blushing and clutching her stomach.
“Brother, I didn’t eat last night...” Li Yan’s voice was as faint as a mosquito’s.
“Rest here. I’ll go find some food,” Li Ju said with a smile, shaking his head. He stood, pushed aside the stone blocking the cave entrance, and left the small hollow.
“Wait here until I return,” he instructed. “Don’t wander off—the forest is full of insects and beasts.”
“Don’t worry, Ju’er, I know what to do,” Old Carpenter Li nodded, assuring him.
Li Ju sealed the entrance again, glanced at the sky that was turning gray with dawn, and set off in a random direction.
Rustle...
Li Ju moved quietly through the woods.
Suddenly, he seemed to hear something and stopped in his tracks.
Hiss!
A black shadow shot out from a nearby branch.
His fingers formed a claw, and his arm sliced through the air as he snatched the shadow.
Hiss!
It was a snake, as long as a grown man’s arm, its skin banded in black and white, with a triangular head. It writhed violently in Li Ju’s grasp, but its vital spot was pinched tight, leaving it powerless to escape.
“A black-and-white ringed snake. Pity it’s poisonous and not edible.”
Li Ju looked at his catch with disappointment.
The black-and-white ringed snake was a common venomous serpent in these woods, its poison so fierce that even its flesh was tainted, making it inedible for ordinary people.
However, for someone like Li Ju, an external martial artist with internal energy cultivation, the snake’s venom was harmless.
“Though I can’t eat it, since I’ve run into it, I might as well kill it.”
With that, he squeezed, crushing the snake.
Whoosh!
Li Ju suddenly hurled the snake’s body behind him with force.
Swish!
A gleaming curved blade sliced through the snake, spraying blood.
Li Ju sidestepped the spray, but in the same instant, another curved blade thrust swiftly from the underbrush.
His palm muscles tensed, turning his hand an inky black.
Ghost Bat Claw!
Bang!
A dark figure was knocked backward.
Li Ju stood his ground, glancing at his palm, which now bore a deep, bleeding gash at its center.
But before he could pursue the retreating attacker, a volley of arrows shot from the depths of the forest.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Li Ju unleashed the Ghost Bat Claw repeatedly, swatting the arrows aside.
The grass swayed in the gusts stirred by his strikes.
Clang!
Two curved blades attacked simultaneously from different directions, scattering grass in their wake.
Li Ju braced himself and leapt, landing with each foot on a blade.
Hum—
The blades vibrated with a low ring.
In the faint moonlight, Li Ju saw the cold, emotionless eyes of the two masked assailants wielding the long knives.
He didn’t hesitate—springing again, he kicked both attackers flying.
Dodging another arrow mid-air, Li Ju’s feet tapped on a nearby tree, propelling him into the distance.
“After him.”
A cold voice rang out.
One shadow after another, armed with deadly weapons, melted into the night, pursuing Li Ju’s fleeing figure.