The forest was bathed in the morning light, filled with the sweet, clear song of birds. A slight chill ran through the air with the mountain breeze, gradually warming as the sun climbed higher.

Ning Yi and Hong Ti walked through the wilderness. Hong Ti occasionally climbed to higher ground, surveying the surroundings before sharing stories of her adventures with her master and the lessons she had learned.

"...The highest points usually offer the best view, but everyone knows that. That's why the best scouts are most cautious in such places. If the situation during a battle is complex, and a scout sneaks up, surrounded by four or five people, it becomes interesting. I remember once in the Lüliang Mountains, I encountered a Khitan scout swaggering up the mountain to observe the surroundings. I was watching from behind, but before I could react, someone from another stronghold beat me to it. They killed the scout and stole his belongings..."

According to Ning Yi's thoughts, or rather his theoretical deductions, the monk Tun Yun or Lin Chong and others were still following them. Even in flight, he couldn't afford to be careless. The possibility of a sudden attack always existed, and Ning Yi remained vigilant. However, perhaps because Lu Hong Ti was also an expert in this field, such an event didn't occur, proving that he didn't always receive protagonist-level treatment.

Seeing Ning Yi's vigilance, Hong Ti shared her knowledge of wilderness survival, including identifying wolf dens, fox tracks, and rabbit hunting spots. The tall woman seemed to know everything. Perhaps having settled into the master-disciple dynamic, Hong Ti's speech gradually leaned towards that of a "master," becoming... slightly more authoritative.

At times, Ning Yi could vaguely see another woman in her. In the fragments of stories about her master, he could piece together images of two women, one tall and one small, traveling through the wilderness. Of course, after psychologically transitioning from friend to master, Hong Ti spoke less about her childhood.

Naturally, after the events of the previous night, their relationship, though nominally master and disciple, felt somewhat peculiar.

Ning Yi's inherent aura prevented him from being subservient. Even though Hong Ti wanted to act like a "master," their way of speaking and interacting didn't change much, especially since Hong Ti believed "Wan Ren Di" (万人敌, a warrior capable of defeating ten thousand men) was incredibly impressive. She calmly explained the rules of survival in the forest or on the battlefield, and Ning Yi listened respectfully. However, their master-disciple relationship never felt entirely clear.

That morning, Hong Ti caught a fish in a nearby stream. Ning Yi cleaned it and sliced it into thin sashimi with a small knife, which they shared. They still had half a piece of smoked meat, but Hong Ti didn't eat it, so Ning Yi didn't touch it either. Eating raw fish was a necessity due to the difficulty of making a fire. Hong Ti was already accustomed to eating raw food, but she found the tender fish slices somewhat novel. Ning Yi simply thought the fish wasn't as delicate as salmon. His character had a hedonistic side, but also a practical one. If the conditions were worse, he wouldn't hesitate to eat raw wild fowl.

As they traveled, Hong Ti occasionally leapt forward, using her sword to cut down wild fruits. However, it wasn't yet late autumn, so most of the fruits were sour and astringent. After eating them, though, they helped to reduce the fishy taste in their mouths. Ning Yi ate a few, keeping the rest with him. Their journey that day was winding, and they didn't plan to reach the nearby county town. Instead, they found a dry spot sheltered by a rock in the forest, not far from a small river. Hong Ti caught another fish, which Ning Yi cleaned. He sliced the fish into sashimi on the rock, using leaves as a垫着. The setting sun cast shadows across the valley as he prepared the fish, and Hong Ti watched him from a nearby rock, as if they were playing house.

They had been fleeing for a day, and it was hard to say if such caution was still necessary. However, for Ning Yi, while he wasn't afraid of taking risks, he preferred to be cautious if possible. By now, the remaining two hundred men from the Dulong Gang should have reached Anping. And by tomorrow, the Wu Rui Camp's army would likely be heading this way. The Liangshan people, the so-called alliance, and the local greenwood forces around Anping and Zhuxi would be routed. All he needed to do was wait.

That night was the fifteenth of the seventh month, and the moon was full and bright. They returned to the rock, and Hong Ti had him lie on the ground, then performed Tui Gong Guo Xue (推宫过穴, pushing palace passing acupoints) on him again to circulate his Qi and blood and eliminate any hidden dangers from breaking through the Six Paths. Ning Yi was covered in sweat from the ordeal and asked if he could wash in the small river. Hong Ti accompanied him, waiting behind a large rock while he washed, then had Ning Yi stand guard while she washed. Ning Yi stood behind the rock, looking at the moon and listening to the sound of the water.

That night, they talked intermittently. Late at night, Hong Ti sat down under the large rock, curled her knees to her chest, and hugged her bundle and sword. Ning Yi organized his belongings near the rock. At some point, he joined her, sitting close beside her. Hong Ti's shoulders tensed, but when Ning Yi reached out and embraced her, she naturally leaned into him – or perhaps "depended" was a better word.

As on the previous night, Hong Ti leaned slightly, curling up against him. The moonlight was round and full, and the mountain wind howled through the gaps in the rocks. Occasionally, when she opened her eyes, Hong Ti's gaze was complex. They... were supposed to be master and disciple. But soon, she quieted down, quietly... depending on him.

Ning Yi woke up first the next morning. The forest was still dark, filled with the sounds of animals. It even sounded as if something was walking nearby. The woman in his arms was pressed against his chest, sleeping soundly in his embrace, her folded legs against his. He could feel her steady breathing.

Looking back, he didn't truly understand the woman in his arms. And aside from Hong Ti's initial statement that she "lived like a beast," she hadn't shared much about life in the Lüliang Mountains. Even when she did, she tried to stick to objective facts for Ning Yi to reference the situation. Ning Yi had experienced darkness, and he had tried to imagine the situation in the Lüliang Mountains as darkly as possible. But he knew that as a modern person, his idea of darkness was different from the reality of the Lüliang Mountains. No matter how hard he tried, there would be differences.

The idiom "Yi Zi Er Shi" (易子而食, exchange children to eat) was just an idiom in later generations. The concept of hunger was also just a simple concept to modern people who had never truly been hungry for many days. Death and humility, ferocity and tyranny, were mostly the same, unable to truly convey the heart-wrenching despair and oppressive dread.

At this moment, he thought back to the initial question they had exchanged when they first started learning martial arts.

"What do you want..."

He murmured softly in the darkness, but received no reply, perhaps because Hong Ti hadn't registered his voice as a signal to wake up.

The two set off again that morning. Hong Ti's demeanor was no longer as natural as it had been yesterday, when she was acting as his "master." After all, Ning Yi had held her and slept with her again. Although Hong Ti had grown up in the Lüliang Mountains, she knew the meaning of "Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Parents, and Teacher" thanks to Liang Bingfu's teachings. She had already publicly declared herself Ning Yi's master to protect him. If there was something ambiguous between them, in addition to the "demon of the heart" accusation, there would likely be another excuse for others to target him – manipulating human nature and inverting human relations. She didn't know how much damage such a reputation would cause in the south, but it was bound to be significant.

When he hugged her, she didn't want to avoid it. But thinking of these things, her mind was in turmoil. And... what was he thinking when he hugged her like that?

She thought about these things, and Ning Yi had many thoughts of his own. They were relatively silent along the way. They had already passed a county town. By the afternoon, when they gradually saw the outlines of houses, they decided to head towards Yiyuan County. However, the pursuers they had expected finally appeared.

About one or two barren mountains away from Yiyuan County, Lu Hong Ti was the first to spot Lin Chong, Shi Jin, and others on the mountain ridge. Then some sharp-eyed elites from Liangshan seemed to see her and Ning Yi. Lu Hong Ti didn't confirm again, leading Ning Yi to run towards the other side of the mountain. After running for a while, someone came chasing from the side. Lu Hong Ti frowned, "There are two... They are experts..."

She wasn't afraid of a one-on-one challenge, but if two experts came from different directions, it would threaten Ning Yi. As they ran, they emerged from the forest and saw an abandoned village in the desolate mountains. Ning Yi ran fast, but he knew that his pace was slowing the woman in front of him down. He said, "If you can turn back and kill them, don't worry about me. We'll charge towards the county town. I'm not helpless."

Hong Ti ran ahead and shook her head, "It's not that... They are acting strange... Wait."

She slowed down abruptly as she ran. They had reached a road at the edge of the abandoned village. Ning Yi followed her a few steps behind. Hong Ti stopped, blocking the rear with her left hand. Ning Yi reached out and grasped her palm, and then stopped. They stood there holding hands. Hong Ti didn't think much of it for a moment. She frowned, looking at a figure in the fork in the village road ahead.

It was a blue-robed old man who looked to be about fifty years old. Although he was burly, his temples were already gray. He stood there with his hands behind his back, his eyes calm. Ning Yi was good at reading people. From the old man's aura, he could tell that he might have been an official. Although Chen Jinxia and others also had a composed aura, the aura of someone who had been in the officialdom was very different from that of a江湖草莽 (Jianghu outlaws). For some reason, as the afternoon sun shone down, Hong Ti held her sword in front of her chest, as if facing a great enemy.

At the same time, a voice came from afar, "Hahahaha, it wasn't in vain that I waited here for two days. You two lovebirds really came..." The arrogant tone belonged to Tun Yun monk. There seemed to be many people running towards them from the direction of the abandoned village. While Lu Hong Ti might be excellent at escaping in the mountains, Tun Yun monk and Lu Wenhu were the real locals when it came to understanding the surroundings. When they couldn't find Ning Yi and the others, they simply estimated a location and waited here, and they really found them.

Ning Yi looked back. A slightly younger middle-aged man in a blue robe appeared in the woods. He said in a low voice, "It seems that those two deliberately chased us here..." Hong Ti shook her head and said softly, "No, he's one of them. Look at the top of his head..." Ning Yi looked carefully and realized that the old man with his hands behind his back was actually emitting heat from the top of his head.

Ning Yi didn't know how much his speed had slowed Hong Ti down. But he had no idea what level of cultivation a person who could force them here from behind and wait ahead would have. As he pondered, the old man was also sizing them up. He frowned slightly as he saw their hands held together. Then, more than ten figures rushed out from behind the abandoned village. The leader was Tun Yun monk, with Lu Wenhu, Han Li, and others beside him, all with smiles on their faces.

A dozen people surrounded them, facing the back of the blue-robed old man. Han Li sneered, "Haha, I wondered why you stopped. So you were waiting for reinforcements..." He laughed a few times and shouted, "Lin Chong! Shi Jin! Liangshan - here - " His voice echoed through the mountains.

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man frowned. Ning Yi looked around at the mountains, but there was no sign of the Liangshan people. Tun Yun monk was still moving forward. At this moment, they heard the old man speak, "Oh? If I am reinforcements, can you really handle it?" His voice was steady and loud, deafening. As soon as he spoke, Lu Wenhu's face suddenly changed. Tun Yun monk walked over, putting a large hand on the old man's side and said, "If not, then step aside!"

Tun Yun monk was highly skilled in martial arts. Among Lu Wenhu and others, he was considered the best. His single-handed push seemed effortless, but it actually had great power. By taking action next to the old man, he also intended to test the suddenly appearing old man. With his martial arts and seniority, it wouldn't be excessive to stand shoulder to shoulder with anyone in the Jianghu. But this time, he pushed the wrong person. As his sleeve whistled, the old man turned his head. The first thing he saw was the old man's extremely sharp eyes, like the whiskers of a fierce tiger, provoking anger.

As he pushed, the old man's body also tilted slightly with the small movement of his head. His shoulder narrowly avoided his palm by a hair's breadth. Then, the old man simply gripped his hand and threw a punch.

A punch was thrown.

In the monk's eyes, the old man's fist force and aura were all-encompassing -

At that moment, what appeared before them was someone neither side had expected...

Support Wan Ben Shen Zhan and share this site with friends who need it! Leave a message if you can't find a book!