Chapter 168 - 112: Gorge Ambush, Ouyang Yin Reappears

"Morning."

Zhang Su nodded.

The two went downstairs together and ate breakfast in the inn’s main hall.

Breakfast was simple: a bowl of millet porridge, two steamed buns, and a small dish of pickled vegetables.

Zhang Su ate quickly, finishing his porridge in just a few gulps and eating both buns.

Gu Ying ate more slowly, sipping her porridge one small mouthful at a time.

Her two guards had also eaten at the next table and were already waiting outside.

After their meal, the group of four set off once more.

The horse-drawn carriage traveled slowly along the main road. Once they left the small town, the terrain on both sides gradually grew more rugged.

Not long after leaving town, the four of them arrived at a canyon.

The canyon was flanked by steep cliffs, their grayish-white rock exposed to the elements.

A few sparse pine trees grew on the cliff faces, their twisted branches swaying gently in the wind.

Only a single main road cut through the middle of the canyon, with sheer cliffs on both sides.

Suddenly, Zhang Su raised his hand sharply.

"Stop."

The carriage halted. Zhang Su’s gaze was fixed ahead.

Gu Ying asked, "Young Master Zhang, what’s wrong?"

Zhang Su didn’t answer immediately.

His eyes were locked on a certain spot up ahead, his gaze sharper than usual.

"There’s killing intent!"

Zhang Su said in a low voice.

"Killing intent?"

Gu Ying and her two guards were all alarmed and uncertain.

The two guards exchanged a look and simultaneously placed their hands on the hilts of their sabers.

They followed Zhang Su’s gaze and looked ahead.

Sure enough, a figure stood ahead with their back to them.

The person was standing motionless in the middle of the main road.

The figure was slightly stooped, looking quite old.

There was something vaguely familiar about this person.

"Young Hero Zhang, I have been waiting for you for quite some time."

A wizened voice rang out.

The voice echoed through the canyon, carrying far.

Then, the figure ahead slowly turned around.

Gu Ying got a clear look.

The person facing them, with his white hair and beard, was none other than Ouyang Yin, a Clan Elder from Hidden Sword Manor!

Gu Ying glanced around.

Sheer cliffs everywhere.

There was only one road, with no way to bypass him.

Ouyang Yin was waiting here. He had clearly come prepared.

A sense of foreboding washed over Gu Ying.

Ouyang Yin was a Clan Elder of Hidden Sword Manor and a master of the Embracing Pill Realm.

Just last night he was at the manor, and today he had appeared in a canyon a hundred li away.

’What could he want, waiting for us here?’

The answer was self-evident.

Zhang Su’s gaze clashed with Ouyang Yin’s in midair.

Neither of them spoke.

The canyon was quiet, save for the wailing of the wind as it cut through the cliffs.

"Kill us, then conveniently toss our bodies off the cliff where no one will ever find them. What a brilliant plan."

Zhang Su said, breaking the silence.

He had already guessed Ouyang Yin’s plan.

"Correct."

Ouyang Yin didn’t deny it.

He nodded, a faint smile appearing on his wizened face.

But the smile was cold.

"The scenery here is beautiful. It makes for an excellent burial ground."

He paused, his eyes falling upon Zhang Su, and looked him up and down.

"Zhang Su, you had a bright future ahead of you. I never wanted to kill you."

Ouyang Yin’s voice was soft, almost a sigh.

"Unfortunately, you shouldn’t have killed Ouyang Pu, and you certainly shouldn’t have set your sights on the Sword Nurturing Skill."

His gaze gradually grew colder.

"I have no other choice. I can only ask you to accept your death!"

As Ouyang Yin finished speaking, his stooped body straightened.

An invisible aura emanated from him, powerful enough to make one’s heart palpitate.

Moreover, a sword had appeared in Ouyang Yin’s hand at some unknown moment.

Zhang Su’s eyes fell upon the sword.

"Ouyang Yin, you’re from Hidden Sword Manor. How could you ever forsake the sword?"

Zhang Su’s voice was calm.

"Let me guess."

He paused, looking Ouyang Yin directly in the eye.

"You’ve also practiced the Sword Nurturing Skill."

Ouyang Yin didn’t deny it.

His eyes flickered slightly.

Zhang Su continued, "I just wonder... how long have you been Nurturing your sword?"

Ouyang Yin was silent for a moment.

Then, he smiled.

His smile held a trace of pride.

"Zhang Su, you are indeed very clever."

"That’s right. I have Nurtured my sword for thirty years. No matter what tricks you have up your sleeve, you won’t be able to block this one strike, thirty years in the making!"

"Today, you will die without a doubt!"

The moment his voice fell, Ouyang Yin’s hand was already gripping the hilt of his sword tightly.

The wind in the canyon suddenly stopped.

The air seemed to freeze.

The two guards kept their hands on their saber hilts, not daring to make a single move.

Gu Ying’s face had also turned pale.

She didn’t know Martial Arts, but she could feel the suffocating aura.

She glanced at Zhang Su.

Zhang Su stood there, motionless.

His expression was calm, showing no fear or tension.

He just watched Ouyang Yin quietly.

The morning light spilled into the canyon, coating their figures in a layer of gold.

Ouyang Yin had Nurtured his sword for thirty years.

Now, the time had finally come to draw it.