Chapter 95

Chapter 95

Unlike the leisurely ascent the day before, this time, the bald man hurried forward beneath the shafts of sunlight piercing the forest canopy. Following him, Chen Shu, fearing she might lose him, soared onto the treetops. She trailed his weaving silhouette closely as they raced deeper into the mountains.

One high, one low, their figures sped through the woods, veiled by towering ancient trees.

Both possessed considerable martial prowess. The bald man, after all, commanded respect within the valley. As for Chen Shu, her skills spoke for themselves. Thus, the treacherous mountain path—which had jolted them for half an hour in the cart the previous day—was conquered in merely half a quarter-hour. Soon, they had surmounted the steepest slope.

The place Chen Shu hadn’t entered yesterday now lay just ahead.

The rustling leaves whispered past her ears. Throughout the journey, the bald man remained oblivious to Chen Shu shadowing him until they reached the spot where Chen Shu had leapt from the cart. He halted abruptly. Chen Shu dropped from her tree, finding a thick trunk to duck behind. Peering furtively around it, she scanned the clearing.

The lush forest remained unchanged, save for a sudden checkpoint barring their path. It seemed identical to the one Chen Shu had glimpsed in her hasty observation.

Likely due to the intense battle, there were no visible guards behind this crude barrier of wooden stakes and packed earth. Instead, someone hailed, “Guardian Guo!” and hurried forward to meet him. The two murmured briefly before the bald man erupted in apparent fury, his voice booming.

“How have you conducted your duties here?!”

She couldn’t tell if this was the same arrogant man from yesterday. Now, he half-bowed and replied cautiously, “It’s… it’s just that Hall Master Wei herself arrived. I dared not obstruct—”

“She was stripped of that title! Everyone in the Valley of Villains knows this! Why feign ignorance here?” the bald man roared. “At this critical juncture, if this sparks trouble—it won’t be just me implicated, the entire valley will suffer!”

“I understand! I truly tried to stop her,” the man hastened to add. “I just thought… since it’s only some lifeless things… how important could it—?” His voice dwindled into a near-whimper as he cringed visibly under Guardian Guo’s wrath, the final words lost to Chen Shu at her distance.

“It is important now! Out of my way!” Guardian Guo snarled. Seething, he lashed out abruptly to seize the man. Thankfully, perhaps sensing the blow, the man sidestepped just in time. The Guardian’s forceful grab merely snatched at empty air, sparing him from being slammed into the wall. Still consumed by his urgent task, Guardian Guo paid no further attention. He vanished behind the low wall in an instant. The guard stared after his departing figure. Chen Shu, from her angle, couldn’t see whether Guo had truly gone, but she heard the guard suddenly exhale a long, shaky breath. He straightened up, wiped his forehead, and seemed surprised to find his hand damp with sweat. He muttered a low curse under his breath.

Turning back to resume his largely pointless vigil, he nearly jumped out of his skin at an unexpected, curiously spoken question right beside his ear.

“What does ‘son of a bitch’ mean?” Chen Shu inquired plainly. “Do you dislike dogs, too?”

“Like or dislike, I wasn’t saying those four—” He broke off mid-exclamation, his head snapping upwards. His eyes bulged, fixed on Chen Shu with terror. “Where did you—?”

“No need to fret where I came from! Just know I followed the bald man!” Chen Shu explained, blinking. She attempted a disarming smile, but it only deepened his look of horror. Suppressing a sigh, she added, “Merely taking a peek inside, nothing chaotic—I haven’t even killed anyone yet!”

The comment proved counterproductive. The man instantly stiffened, alarm flashing across his face. Instinctively, his hand flew to the weapon beside him—a long sword. He snatched it up, swinging it wildly towards Chen Shu, bellowing a threat designed more for intimidation than actual attack—

But between the dread inflicted by Guardian Guo and the shock of Chen Shu appearing out of nowhere, his legs were trembling like jelly. Merely appearing upright required immense effort. Wounding someone? Impossible. His trembling hands couldn’t even steady the weighty eight-feet-long sword. As he lifted it waist-high for the swing, the unbalanced momentum threw his footing into chaos, nearly toppling him before the cut landed.

Chen Shu merely watched the blade, seeming almost drawn downwards by its own heft, with silent resignation. She sidestepped the clumsy lunge with trivial ease. Turning calmly, she saw the man stumbling uncontrollably in the very direction she had vacated.

The gaping opening he presented was beyond negligence. Even if Yun Shen were here, a single well-placed shove would have sufficed to trip the panicked guard onto his own fallen blade. Any resulting disfigurement, or worse, a slash to the throat, would be purely self-inflicted.

But Chen Shu merely sighed and shook her head. Recalling how the entire valley lay besieged by imperial forces with experienced commanders overseeing events, she had learned. Instead of violence, she swiftly chopped the back of his neck with the edge of her palm. The guard crumpled unconscious. She caught him smoothly and unceremoniously dumped his body into a thick clump of wall-side weeds.

Dusting off her hands, she rose to survey the situation behind the wall.

Beyond the barrier lay neither buildings nor structures. Only a relatively open woodland met her eye—a stretch of exposed rock, thick weeds, and a few scattered trees significantly shorter than the forest giants outside. These blocked much of her line of sight.

Even without the trees, however, the clearing itself seemed utterly void. At first glance, nothing appeared unusual.

“…Oh dear. Could he even be woken up?” Chen Shu murmured, glancing down at the guard slumped like a corpse at the base of the wall. A flicker of hesitation crossed her face, followed by another soft sigh — whether relieved she hadn’t needed to kill him or frustrated she couldn’t pry any useful information from him, even she wasn’t sure. The deed was done. She turned, taking two steps forward, and began cautiously following the faint tread marks barely visible on the grass.

Just moments before, the bald man had entered through here, leaving behind clear traces. From how he entered the courtyard and the guard’s reaction, this “secret room” storing gold and silver treasures must be near the wall, no more than ten steps away.

The ground bore not only the bald man’s footprints but also the marks left by the bored guard killing time, along with the morning’s chaotic imprints—news-bearers rushing uphill and responders hastening downhill—a tangle of overlapping tracks difficult to distinguish.

Chen Shu scrutinized the mess for a long time before finally recognizing a trail faintly marked by ruts. Could it be from the medicinal herb cart hauled up the mountain yesterday, the one “sleeping” beside her bedding? Delighted, she followed the tracks and, within two paces, saw the cart’s wheelmarks stopping before a large boulder.

Knocking on its surface, she heard hollowness behind—or perhaps this counterfeit boulder itself was man-made, crafted to disguise a secret entrance. Its shape perfectly mimicked a sheer cliffside rock, complete with rain-etched grooves and clinging wisps of weeds. Nothing about it looked unreal.

But no matter how authentic it seemed, it wasn’t real. Beyond the odd sound when knocked, as Chen Shu pressed her ear close, she could make out muffled human voices inside the “rock.”

First, arguing. Then, an abruptly cut-off gasp.

Chen Shu’s heart lurched.

Her hands unconsciously swept over the stone. They found nothing—just tore away half the moss growing in the cracks, revealing still no latch or lever to “open” this door.

The voices behind the boulder had ceased. Pressing her ear again, she heard nothing now.

Gritting her teeth, Chen Shu abandoned the search. Taking half a step back, she clenched her fist, gathered her spiritual power, and aimed at the boulder—

Thoom!

With a single punch, the massive rock shattered into pieces, spraying around like water droplets. Behind them lay revealed: a dimly lit, winding passage.

Though smashing the door proved effortless, Chen Shu paused, expression torn between haste and hesitation. She flexed her hand, drew a sharp breath, and finally stepped into the passage.

While full dawn illuminated the outside world, the secret passage should have plunged her into absolute darkness. Yet as Chen Shu advanced, her eyes adjusted to the gloom. Feeling her way along the rugged walls, counting protruding pebbles, she gradually realized the path ahead wasn’t dark. A faint light filtered in. The closer she got, the brighter it grew—an illumination oddly different from candlelight.

The tunnel twisted but remained straightforward, avoiding unmovable boulders or layers of rock by simply bending around them, never actually tunneling towards the mountain’s peak.

But then, traveling inside the mountain, how could sunlight be visible?

Chen Shu’s breath hitched. She sprinted ahead. Just over ten strides later, the light wavered into clarity as she finally stepped into its source. She turned—

A gleaming, bald head rolled to a stop at Chen Shu’s feet, leaving a shocking trail of blood.

Even without looking, she knew whose clean-shaven head it was—none other than the “Guardian Guo” who had just entered the mountain!

Though mediocre, he held a minor command position within the Valley of Villains, his quick reflexes against the guard moments ago proving some competence. Yet in mere moments, he’d been decapitated. His wide-open eyes stared sightlessly at Chen Shu, frozen in death’s shock.

Startled, Chen Shu looked up.

Her gaze met a rock wall, strikingly beautiful under the sunlight’s cast. Framed against it was a large, open door. At this dead end of the secret passage, besides the disguised rock wall marking the secret room’s entrance to her left, her right opened onto the fog-wreathed mountains—a tranquil vista far removed from the valley’s raging battle below, starkly contrasting the blood’s metallic tang in her nostrils.

Nameless Cliff… Nameless Cliff. Though “Nameless,” it lived up to its “Cliff” moniker.

The fierce sunlight now etched the scene before her in stark detail: scattered viscera, hacked limbs.

This secluded chamber, carved into the cliff face, made perfect sense now—how “Zhong Xiao” discreetly transported cartloads of treasures here.

But in such a place… how had “Guardian Guo” met such a brutal end?

Chen Shu’s eyes swept upward. She immediately spotted the bizarre figure—cloaked in black, its fingers so emaciated that sunlight traced the blue veins beneath its skin. Clearly, this person had argued with “Guardian Guo,” and for reasons unknown, had delivered the killing blow.

But the cliff ledge held another person.

Behind the killer stood someone swaddled in a frayed, dusty robe. Though similarly robed and slender, this figure was visibly more disheveled. Days of confinement seemed to have drained Yun Shen’s spirit. Seeing the unkempt hair and glimpsing the unnaturally pallid face peeking through, Chen Shu’s already anxious heart clenched tighter.

Unlike the killer’s shadow-obscured visage, Yun Shen’s hands were forcibly extended into the light, revealing wrists brutally lashed with thick rope, gripped firmly by the murderer.

“…What is this?” Chen Shu froze, lifting her gaze to meet the figure’s eyes.

“Naturally, seizing the chaos for personal gain,” a strangely indistinct voice replied. “Look at this chamber filled with treasures. Doesn’t it stir your heart?”

“I’m not tempted.”

“You’re not tempted? Excellent. That man who tried to stop me earlier, he—” The speaker paused midway and chuckled, his pallid smile emerging from the shadows with an unnervingly coquettish edge. He pressed on, “If you’re not enticed by it, why have you come looking?”

“I’m here for my sword,” Chen Shu replied. After a moment’s silence, she estimated the distance—far too great to save anyone by charging forward—and summoned a sincere, placating smile. “If you’re only after treasures, surely killing that scoundrel should suffice. Why are you holding someone else hostage?”

“Oh, this one?” The man deliberately raised Yun Shen’s bound hands, revealing his previously hidden face. It was indeed Yun Shen, his face scratched red by gravel, lips cracked parched from thirst. Stricken mute and pitiful to behold—it was Wei Mian.

“Simple,” Wei Mian remarked. “I learned that a remarkable fighter recently arrived in the valley—one capable of killing in the blink of an eye. Naturally, I needed some insurance.”

“Haha,” Chen Shu forced a laugh, grasping for flattery. “You’re the one who can kill in the blink of an eye! No need for modesty…” She nudged Guardian Guo’s head at her feet with her foot.

Wei Mian stayed silent, yanking Yun Shen effortlessly toward the empty cliff’s edge—

Bound and ashen-faced, Yun Shen couldn’t struggle. Lowered abruptly by Wei Mian, he nearly missed his footing. Chen Shu watched in horror, her heart leaping as his feet slid perilously close to the abyss.

“Wait!”

“Wait? Wait for you to devise a plan to kill me?” Wei Mian bared her teeth in a grin, stepping backward into the shadows before shouting, “If you don’t want him to die horribly over that cliff, get lost! If you want your sword, don’t blame me for not holding back—”

As she shouted, she shoved Yun Shen another step toward the edge.

This time, Yun Shen was truly suspended—feet dangling over the void—held solely by the rope, a hairsbreadth from catastrophe!

Chen Shu went silent, retreating instantly. Wei Mian then lowered her head near Yun Shen, whispering something far too faint for Chen Shu to catch.

“You look so slender… how are you this heavy?”

Yun Shen didn’t answer, his lips barely moving as he murmured:

“Lower me a bit more.”

“Lower? You madman—tired of living?”

“…You found that imitation sword while rummaging in the secret room, didn’t you? She’ll see it the moment she enters. Right?”

“Correct,” Wei Mian confirmed, suspicion flickering across her face. But before she could question him further, she gasped, eyes widening in shock!

In the blink of an eye, Yun Shen twisted. The ropes binding his wrists, seemingly rigid moments ago, went pliant. They loosened with a rustling sound. Before Wei Mian could meet his gaze—

Yun Shen had slipped free of his bonds, tumbling headlong into the seemingly bottomless abyss!

As Wei Mian breathed in, registering the scene, a sudden rush of wind accompanied another figure flashing past her—

Chen Shu.

Without a shred of hesitation, she hurled herself over the precipice, chasing Yun Shen’s falling form into the void!

Below, mountain mist curled in tendrils like crystallized steam, dispersing the lingering scent of blood. Chen Shu had rushed forward so fast that she seemingly kicked Guardian Guo’s head by accident, sending the rock-scarred visage trundling back toward Wei Mian.

Wei Mian recoiled, startled awake. Kicking the gory head away brought a shudder of belated dread. By the time she peered outward once more—

The mountains stretched endlessly, already void of Chen Shu or Yun Shen.