Chapter 53: Pushing the Golden Mountain, Toppling the Jade Pillar

Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Pushing the Golden Mountain, Toppling the Jade Pillar

"AAAAGH!"

A bloodcurdling shriek tore from Cheng Ziqian’s mouth. The intense pain twisted his face into a demonic mask.

But he had survived in the Jianghu for years, and his instinct for survival overrode everything else. Cheng Ziqian grit his teeth against the pain and kicked off the ground with his good right foot. He shot backward with unprecedented speed, leaving a trail of blood as he fled for his life.

’The mission, my reputation—none of it matters now.’ All he wanted was to escape this place.

Shen Dujiang, watching from behind, was utterly dumbfounded. He seemed to have forgotten the searing pain in his own shoulder.

’Chen Yue actually blocked that sword with his chest? Inner Armor? A Heart-Protecting Mirror?’

The crucial part was Chen Yue’s strike. It had nearly cleaved Cheng Ziqian in two, forcing him into a pathetic retreat!

’A single exchange decided the victor? The difference in their skill was that obvious?’

’This... Is this fucking guy an Alchemy Master?’ Shen Dujiang felt his entire understanding of the world shatter.

He suddenly remembered when Chen Yue first came to the black market, asking to buy Martial Arts Manuals from him...

’Based on the power Chen Yue just displayed—that Body Technique, that strength... what use could those trashy Secret Manuals from the black market possibly be to him?’

’And he even haggled with me so seriously back then...’ An overwhelming sense of absurdity washed over Shen Dujiang.

Chen Yue watched Cheng Ziqian’s retreating back and pushed his Vertical Cloud Thousand Layer Step to its limit. His feet seemed to tread on flowing clouds and gentle breezes, and within a few steps, he was right behind Cheng Ziqian.

Sensing the rapidly approaching presence, Cheng Ziqian was scared out of his wits. A crazed look flashed in his eyes as he bit the tip of his tongue, forcing his vital blood to surge and drastically increasing his speed.

Without looking back, he hurled his longsword behind him with his right hand.

The sword became a streak of cold light, letting out a piercing shriek as it shot straight for Chen Yue’s face.

This strike was infused with all of Cheng Ziqian’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit. It wasn’t meant to kill, only to delay his opponent for a moment, giving him enough time to escape.

"ROAR!"

The bones and tendons in Chen Yue’s body resonated in unison, a faint tiger’s roar accompanying the sound. Gang Qi flowed into his blade as he swung down at the incoming sword.

"CLANG!"

A deafening explosion rang out as sparks flew like rain. Cheng Ziqian’s desperate attack was sent flying backward by Chen Yue’s strike, and fine cracks even appeared on the sword’s blade.

The momentum of Chen Yue’s short blade barely faltered before he smoothly flicked it forward.

A flash of light, cold as the winter moon, traced an arc and blinked past the back of Cheng Ziqian’s neck.

Cheng Ziqian’s mad dash came to a sudden halt. His forward momentum carried him a few staggering steps further.

His eyes widened and he opened his mouth as if to speak, but only great gouts of warm blood poured out.

"THUD!"

Cheng Ziqian’s body collapsed heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. He twitched twice, then went still. Only the clean-cut wound on his neck continued to gush blood, staining the earth beneath him red.

Chen Yue stepped forward and quickly searched Cheng Ziqian’s body. Aside from a few taels of Broken Silver, he found a folded piece of silk and brocade tucked close to the man’s skin.

Chen Yue unfolded it. The pattern and material were identical to the one he had taken from Yuan Tiansu’s body.

Shen Dujiang limped over, his eyes filled with a mixture of complicated emotions and lingering fear as he looked at the corpse and the silk in Chen Yue’s hand. He spoke in a low voice:

"I owe you my life this time. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve been a goner tonight. What is that?"

Chen Yue shook his head and put the silk away. "I’m not sure. It’s probably related to the faction behind them. We shouldn’t stay here. Let’s leave first. Your injury..."

"It won’t kill me!"

Shen Dujiang gritted his teeth and pulled out a small porcelain bottle. He tipped out two pungent-smelling black pills and swallowed them, then took out some wound powder and hastily sprinkled it on his shoulder before tightly binding it with a cloth strip.

"Let’s go. I have a courtyard that’s safe for now. We’ll head there."

Without another word, the two quickly cleaned up any traces at the scene that might reveal their identities, then used the cover of night to disappear silently into the darkness.

Shen Dujiang led Chen Yue, weaving and winding through the alleys, finally stopping before a small, low-walled courtyard on the edge of the old city district.

The courtyard walls were mottled, and the wooden gate was old. Shen Dujiang took out a key, expertly unlocked the gate, and ushered Chen Yue inside, quickly barring it behind them.

The courtyard was more spacious than expected but just as simple. There was only a main house flanked by a woodshed and a kitchen. A pile of junk sat in a corner, covered in a thin layer of dust, a clear sign that no one lived here regularly.

Shen Dujiang lit an oil lamp on the main house’s table. The dim, yellow light barely managed to push back the darkness. He finally let out a breath of relief, slumping into a wooden chair and gasping for air.

Although his shoulder was bandaged, blood was still seeping through, and his face remained pale.

He looked up, his face illuminated by the flickering lamplight, and looked at Chen Yue. "My friend... are you... are you really an Alchemy Master?"

Chen Yue sat down in another chair. Hearing this, a low chuckle came from beneath his mask. "Didn’t I tell you before? My friend is the one who practices Alchemy. I just practice Martial Arts. Have you forgotten already?"

Shen Dujiang was left speechless. He remembered Chen Yue had indeed said that before, but he had assumed it was just a cover story. Now... ’Could it actually be true?’

"But you’re this strong!"

Shen Dujiang pointed in the direction of the black market. "So why did you buy those basic Secret Manuals like Cao Shangfei at my stall back then?"

Chen Yue poured himself a bowl of the cold tea from the table, sniffed it, then took a slow sip before replying:

"To learn by analogy. You shouldn’t underestimate those basic manuals. The tallest towers are built from the ground up. No matter how profound the Martial Arts, they all grow from the fundamentals. It never hurts to review them."

Hearing this, Shen Dujiang’s eye twitched. He was speechless for a long moment.

He looked at Chen Yue’s completely earnest expression, stewed for a bit, and finally gave up on arguing the point.

"Do you have any idea what’s been going on in Youlin County lately?" Chen Yue set down his teacup and looked at Shen Dujiang. "What kind of treasure could this tiny county possibly be hiding to attract all these powerful and shady figures?"

Seeing they were back on topic, Shen Dujiang shook his head, his gaze hardening. "I’ve been wondering the same thing. And these last two groups... they don’t seem to be working together."

"They’re definitely not."

As he spoke, Chen Yue dipped his finger in the cold tea and sketched a simple, swirling flame pattern on the tabletop.

Shen Dujiang leaned in for a closer look, his brow furrowed as he muttered:

"This symbol... I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before. It looks familiar. So the group from tonight had a different mark?"

Chen Yue dipped his finger in the tea again and, next to the flame pattern, drew a few meandering, wavy lines, like ripples in water.

"The ones with the flame sigil call themselves the Divine Flame Cult. This water pattern is the mark I found on the group from tonight."

Shen Dujiang stared at the two symbols side by side, his brows knitting tighter and tighter as if he were trying to unearth a memory from the deepest corner of his mind.