A sudden beam of light shot toward the southeastern corner of the manor. Bathed in its glow stood a chubby middle-aged man. It was none other than Gu Zhenqi, the seventh-ranked inner disciple of the Dongyang Sect.
From his sleeve, Gu Zhenqi flicked out a fist-sized pearl. It spun rapidly toward the incoming beam of light, and in an instant, exploded into a thick cloud of smoke that filled the air.
"Scum." Gu Zhenqi instantly grasped the attacker's intent. The strike hadn't been aimed at him; it was meant to cover the escape of the intruders inside the manor.
Though he saw through the tactic, he had no immediate counter. The smoke quickly spread, and under cover of night, it blanketed the entire Jinping Manor. Beyond a dozen feet, nothing could be seen.
"Junior Brother Ye. Junior Brother Su," Gu Zhenqi shouted. "Withdraw from the manor and guard the perimeter. Stop anyone trying to flee. If they resist, kill them without mercy."
From the south and southeast directions, two voices replied, "Understood, Senior Brother!"
The three Foundation Establishment experts of the Dongyang Sect retreated into the air, and the various rogue cultivators within the manor began to run. The Zhang clan elder, who controlled the manor's protective formation, was nowhere to be seen. Dead or alive, the formation had long since ceased functioning. The waist-high vine walls were no match for the fleeing crowd. Knowing the positions of the three inner disciples of the Dongyang Sect, everyone moved in the opposite direction, rushing madly northwest, bursting out of the manor through the smoke.
Liu Xiaolou was among them. But with his meager cultivation, he lagged behind, trailing at the very tail of the crowd. Escaping like this, he knew there was a high chance that the Dongyang Sect's experts, alerted by the commotion, would catch up to him. A wave of panic and despair washed over him.
Jinping Manor was in ruins. Who knew how many Zhang clan members had been killed or wounded? Though Liu Xiaolou hadn't killed anyone himself, would the Dongyang Sect care to listen to explanations?
No. Because they simply had to kill him to appease the public outrage.
His teacher had attended many of these Hero Gatherings and had once told him:
When you accept a Hero's Post, you have to be prepared to be abandoned. When it really counts, no one will come to save you. If you weren't there to serve as bait or a scapegoat, what reason did they have to let you share the spoils?
Liu Xiaolou understood this. He had known it going in. But to die on the very first post he'd ever accepted? He was bitterly unwilling.
Stay calm… calm…
His cultivation was too weak. Even if he managed to escape with the main group, he'd definitely be the last one left behind. The people who got away couldn't outrun the Dongyang Sect's Foundation Establishment experts; they just needed to be faster than him. Running with the crowd seemed like the worst thing he could do.
After a moment's thought, he clenched his jaw and made a split-second decision. He spun around and sprinted toward the narrow gap between the southeast and southern flanks; precisely where the two Dongyang Sect disciples had been positioned. If they were now circling the manor to pursue the main group, this zone might just be his chance.
Of course, there's no way to know for sure if the Dongyang Sect sent only three Foundation Establishment experts or if there were others. But judging from what he knew, even if there were more, most probably weren't at the Foundation Establishment. Either way, his choice was still far better than facing those Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Liu Xiaolou plunged into the smoke-filled darkness. In this moment between life and death, his second-level Qi Refinement cultivation was pushed to its absolute limit. His footwork and perception heightened far beyond their usual capacity. By the narrowest margins, he slipped past trees, stairways, heaps of rubble, and even people…
"Huh?"
"Who's that?"
"Ah...."
"Nearly ran me over!"
"Stop him!"
"Where'd he go? Where?!"
Liu Xiaolou pumped his arms and sprinted with long, powerful strides, chest out and head high, charging straight toward the edge of the manor. Suddenly, a tattered vine wall loomed ahead—about fifteen or sixteen feet tall.
He used to need a well-placed kick halfway up just to scramble over that height, but now, with a light push, he vaulted clean over it in one fluid motion.
His cultivation, stuck at the second level of Qi Refinemnt for three or four years, was it… showing a faint sign of a breakthrough?
There was no time to dwell on it. Once over the wall, he kept running. In the blink of an eye, he burst out of the smoke and was greeted by fresh air. Above him, stars blanketed the sky, and in the darkness, layers of mountain silhouettes stretched out before him.
A sharp cry rang out to his left, not far off: "Thief, halt! Surrender now or face the blade!"
"Still running? Tired of living?!"
"You dare flee? Die!"
Of course I'm fleeing... why would I stop and let myself be captured?
Liu Xiaolou drew a mouthful of his true qi and broke into a full-speed sprint, fast as a warhorse. He could sense that his pursuer wasn't one of the Dongyang Sect's three Foundation Establishment cultivators; this meant this was his chance to get away.
At first, he feared the pursuer would quickly catch up. But after fleeing several miles, the person still hadn't closed the distance. Glancing back, he saw the figure ten or so paces behind, trailing relentlessly.
From that brief look, he noticed a faint ribbon or sash tied around the person's forehead; its color unclear in the dark. The voice yelling at him to surrender sounded youthful.
Maybe this one's like me; just an early-stage Qi Refinement?
They continued running deep into unknown forested mountains, a dozen miles from Jinping Manor now, but the pursuer showed no sign of giving up. Liu Xiaolou began to feel irritated.
Suddenly, a wild thought struck him.
Should I try and kill him?
It could work. He might stop the pursuit, and if he got lucky, maybe the guy had something valuable on him?
But his teacher had warned him before: never provoke the disciples of prestigious sects lightly. Even the ones with weak cultivation. If they had the confidence to leave their sects, they were probably carrying some powerful artifacts or had deadly techniques to back them up.
Can my ordinary, low-grade Three Mysteries Sword hold up against that?
He was still hesitating when, up ahead, he spotted someone slumped against a tree, gasping for breath. The face was all too familiar; it was the man who'd tried to snatch his spirit herb back in the manor vault.
Somehow, this shady character had made it all the way out here. And was now taking a break right here.
Liu Xiaolou swept past the man like a gust of wind, startling him from his rest. A moment later, the fellow took off in pursuit and quickly caught up.
Clearly recognizing Liu Xiaolou, the man now ran shoulder to shoulder with him, panting and puffing as he asked between gasps:
"Brother… huff… is the Dongyang Sect… huff… right behind us?"
Still breathing hard, Liu Xiaolou managed a reply: "Yes…"
At once, the man's pace quickened. He darted ahead, leaving Liu Xiaolou several strides behind. His cultivation was clearly a notch higher.
Liu Xiaolou clenched his jaw and chased after him: "Don't panic, brother… huff… it's just one… might even be… a Zhang clan junior… pretty weak cultivation…"
At this, the man visibly slowed and began to glance over his shoulder more often. But the winding mountain path offered no clear view. What could he possibly see?
"Just one?"
"One."
"Not one of Dongyang Sect's inner disciples… Seven, Eight, Nine?"
"No… not them… just some regular… weakling…"
"What faction are you from, brother?"
"Pai Sect."
"Ah! A fellow brother from the sect! That's great… strange, though. I don't recall seeing you before?"
"Which branch are you from?"
"I'm from the Seventh Branch. My humble surname is Ma."
"Greetings, Senior Brother Ma… huff… I'm from the Ninth Branch. Surname Li…"
"Ah, that explains it…"
As they talked, their energy began to wane, and the pursuer behind them gradually closed the distance. By now, the first light of dawn had broken, revealing the man's figure and face...