My shoulder was suddenly clapped, startling me. I turned my head to see the senior!
I looked at him in surprise. He could really use Qing Gong. I hadn't seen or heard any movement at all, and he was suddenly beside me.
He pulled me behind him. We retreated into the woods before he said, "I've already dealt with four people. The remaining two, I don't know if they ran off or are hiding. None of you should reveal yourselves. We'll wait here and see if he comes out."
I was truly amazed. Not to mention anything else, he single-handedly took down four men in black, and the people in the room were completely unaware.
How did he fight these people? Without a sound?
Perhaps the clashes of masters are different from what we see in movies. If you watch Hong Kong or Taiwanese films, every move and stance is accompanied by sound effects. What would a real fight be like? It concerns life and death, victory and defeat, and is a hundred times more brutal than movies.
The senior told us all to stay put. He then quietly went out and circled around to the back of the house.
We held our breath. The air seemed to freeze, and the entire mountain forest was enveloped in death, making it hard to breathe.
Just then, I saw a dark figure approaching the thatched hut. He bent his head low, walking like the wind. Yes, this must be one of those men from before. I inwardly thought, "Bad news." They might have split into two groups, one to distract the senior and another to go to the thatched hut.
As the man neared the room and the senior hadn't appeared, I became anxious. The senior told us not to show ourselves, and I knew we were no match for these people, so I could only worry helplessly.
Suddenly, I saw a black shadow flash on the roof, and it seemed to float down, blocking the approaching man. The man was sent flying far away by the person who descended from the roof. I heard a muffled grunt, and his body went limp to the ground. The shadow dragged him into the woods and didn't emerge itself.
I knew the person who came down from the roof must be the senior, and I also understood the senior's moves. He didn't fight them directly, but struck vital points, defeating them in one move.
I had been mistaken earlier, thinking there were two people acting separately. It turned out to be only one. I almost impulsively exposed our location.
What about the other person? Why didn't they come together?
Perhaps because the senior was so fierce at the beginning, taking down four of them alone, it made them split up to preserve their strength.
There was silence for a long time. I thought the senior had miscalculated, that there were originally five people, not six.
Just as I was about to go look for the senior, I saw the door of the thatched hut suddenly open. A person emerged, and by the light from the room, I could see his build. He was also thin, dressed in common clothes, not tall, with a crew cut.
Qian Fugui whispered, "It's him!"
I thought to myself, "This is bad. We were looking for him, and he came out on his own. Isn't this courting death?"
As expected, a black shadow darted from the side of the thatched hut. In just a few steps, he was in front of the divine doctor, thrusting his weapon towards the doctor's chest.
I almost cried out. The senior had defeated five, and yet the last one succeeded. All the previous efforts were in vain.
Just as I was about to exclaim in surprise, I saw the divine doctor's figure flash. The man in black lunged but missed. He then took a step back and pressed forward again.
So, the divine doctor was also a master. No wonder the senior hadn't shown himself.
The man in black moved like lightning, his short blade incessantly stabbing at the divine doctor. The doctor dodged left and right, managing to avoid being injured.
Suddenly, he leaped out of the circle, kicked up a stick over a meter long from the ground, caught it, and swept it in a natural motion, knocking away the man in black's short blade. Then, with a swift step, he pressed the stick against the man's throat. The man cried out in pain, making muffled sounds in his throat, but did not scream. Enduring the pain, he retreated backward.
The divine doctor quickened his pace, shoved him down forcefully, and pressed his knee against the man's stomach, rendering him immobile.
He shouted into the woods, "Senior Brother, come out!"
He was definitely calling the senior. So, they were brothers. This confused me a bit. The senior had said on the road that they were estranged, so it seemed the senior wasn't telling the whole truth.
Not only were they familiar with each other before, but they were also aware of today's events.
I saw the senior emerge from the woods and walk straight towards the divine doctor and the man in black. They exchanged no further words. The senior held a rope and bound the man in black. Only then did the divine doctor stand up. The senior then shouted towards our direction, "You can come over now."
I knew he was calling us. I quickly called out to the other two and emerged from the shadows to join them.
The divine doctor looked at us in surprise. It seemed our appearance had not been expected.
He looked at the senior with a hint of doubt. The senior said, "Let's deal with this first. We'll go inside and ask him who sent him."
We helped lift the man in black from the ground and dragged him into the room.
The man in black didn't want to go in, standing stubbornly in place.
The senior picked up his dagger from the ground and handed it to Wen Siqiang, saying, "It's up to you. Get him inside."
As he spoke, he entered the room alone.
Wen Siqiang held the dagger against the man's waist and said to him, "Go in. If you don't want to go in, that's fine too. I'll send you to find your brothers."
The man in black's waist was bent by Wen Siqiang's jab, suggesting he had put considerable force into it.
Wen Siqiang added a bit more force and said, "Looking for trouble?"
Only then did the man in black reluctantly follow us into the room.
The room was large but quite simple. Inside, besides a few plank platforms, there was a bed made of wooden boards, covered with a sheet, and a thin quilt. Nothing else.
Describing it as "utterly destitute" would be very apt.
I couldn't understand it. Wu Guodong alone must have given him quite a bit, so why was he so impoverished?
I couldn't worry about that now. Interrogating the man in black was urgent.
The senior sat on a wooden stool and looked at the man in black, saying, "Let me guess, and see if I'm right. You're from the triangular region. This trip is related to Wu Guodong. Let me guess who sent you, Jiang Hua, right?"
When he said the name Jiang Hua, the man's body moved slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. Who was the senior? I could tell, and he could tell even more. He continued, "It seems Jiang Hua is impatient. It's just that you were unlucky enough to be seen by me beforehand. What, did I guess correctly?"
The man in black looked at the senior, neither confirming nor denying.
The senior said to Wen Siqiang, "Give what you have in your hand to our brother across from you, and let his fellow townsman send him home. Don't dirty your hands."
The senior's insight was truly sharp, even discerning Qian Fugui's identity.
He understood that Qian Fugui didn't have our credentials, but Wen Siqiang was different. Having a life on his hands wasn't a good thing.
They escorted the man in black out. The senior said to the divine doctor, "These three came to find you. The matters outside have been handled. It's time to talk about the main issue."