Chapter Twenty-Six: Quadruple Kill!

The Road to Shu is more treacherous than ascending to the heavens themselves.

The Jester had never traversed the Road to Shu, but he was convinced that the mountain paths of Hate Mountain were far more perilous.

Rip!

The sound of fabric tearing pierced the air. The Jester turned around, glanced back, and exclaimed in horror, “Ah! My white suit…”

“This is my favorite suit…”

“What kind of cursed road is this? I’ll kill you, kill you…”

He drew his double-barreled pistol from his waist and fired at the thorny tree that had ripped his clothing. With a thunderous boom, the tree exploded into fragments, leaving a gaping crater where it had just stood.

The explosion’s shockwave struck him as well, sending his small ponytail flying loose and leaving his hair wild and disheveled, as if he had gone mad.

Shan He frowned deeply and said angrily, “Jester, your shouting is going to alert the enemy… And that’s not how you use energy rounds, you’re wasting them.”

“Alert the enemy?” The Jester pointed at the burly, bald man leading the group with a machete, hacking open a path. With a mocking tone he said, “He’s making such a commotion up front—do you really need me to alert anyone? Not even a mouse would show itself, let alone people…”

No one could discern the Jester’s abilities, but his knack for provoking animosity was unrivaled.

Sure enough, the bald giant was enraged. Brandishing his machete, he stormed up to the Jester and roared, “Believe it or not, I’ll chop your head off right here!”

The Jester toyed with his pistol, his expression mocking as he replied, “I don’t believe you.”

Tsk, tsk, tsk—not only does he draw ire, but he courts death as well… Truly remarkable.

The bald man’s machete flashed silver, the blade trembling in his hands. The energies of yin and yang infused the weapon, transforming it from an ordinary blade into something far more formidable.

Clearly, he was a cultivator as well.

And at least at the peak of the Body Tempering Realm.

The Jester blew on the barrel of his pistol, as if to infuse it with energy, utterly unfazed by the giant’s threat.

“Courting death!” roared the bald man, raising his machete high, intending to bring it down on the Jester’s head.

Smack!

A large hand gripped his wrist. Shan He shook his head at the bald man and said, “Jinta, don’t be reckless.”

Jinta bellowed, “Who’s reckless? This clown started it!”

“You know what kind of person he is…” Shan He’s eyes glinted red as he spoke coldly, “And I give you my word: if he tries this again, I’ll break his neck myself.”

Jinta shot the Jester a venomous glare, then released the flow of yin and yang from his weapon, slinging his machete over his shoulder as he resumed his place at the head of the group.

He was responsible for forging the way ahead, and thanks to his unique cultivation technique, he could also shield the entire party in moments of crisis.

Once Jinta had moved on, Shan He turned to the Jester and asked, “Did you hear what I just said?”

“I heard, I heard—I’m not deaf, am I?” The Jester grinned at Shan He, fully aware that the old man was truly angry. If he pushed him too far, he might really make an example out of him.

“Mr. Shan He, I understand your point. You don’t want anyone in the group fighting, you want us to stick together. But I have a brilliant suggestion… What if everyone splits up? Then everyone could have it their own way—wouldn’t that be great for all of us?”

“No.” Shan He refused outright. “I made that mistake before—splitting up is what led to Wu Ying and Wu Feng’s deaths. The situation is clear now: there are more skilled hands beside our target. We can’t give them the chance to defeat us one by one.”

“Fine. But people together will always quarrel. If I end up arguing with them again…”

“I’ll still break your neck.”

Shan He’s patience with the Jester had reached its limit. Before they’d even glimpsed the phoenix, they’d already lost two of their best.

If this continued, their entire group might be wiped out.

As the leader, Shan He owed it to everyone to keep them safe. Besides, he had no intention of dying in this stifling, accursed place.

He wanted to return to New Star, his own golden haven of comfort and pleasure.

The Jester merely shrugged and, for once, did not retort.

Within Hate Mountain, the vegetation was thick and thorny; every step was a struggle. Without Jinta’s relentless hacking at the front, much of the terrain would have been impassable.

Even though these assassins were all highly skilled, moving through the dark forest sapped their strength.

“Lord Shan He, should we try again tomorrow?” the Serpent Woman suggested. “They’re in the shadows, we’re in the open. Wandering through this dense forest at night is too dangerous.”

Shan He pondered for a moment. “No. Wu Feng and Wu Ying have already alerted them. They know we’re here. If we wait until morning, they’ll have vanished without a trace.”

“We’re struggling to travel by night—how far could they get?”

“Don’t forget, the owner of that cottage is Tang Fei, the best hunter in the Hate Mountain settlement,” Shan He declared. “Clearly, when they left, they took Tang Fei and his family as hostages… otherwise, why would his home be empty?”

“A mere hunter… No matter how skilled, how formidable can he be?” the Serpent Woman scoffed at Tang Fei. “Don’t forget, when it comes to tracking and killing, we are the professionals.”

“No risks,” Shan He insisted. “Within our control, we take out the targets. Once we’re done, we return to New Star—you’ll have everything you desire.”

“Fine, I was just making conversation. I’ll follow your orders,” the Serpent Woman agreed.

“Has your little snake sent back any word?” Shan He asked.

“After it sent those images an hour ago of them heading in this direction, I lost track of them… I suspect they discovered the scout snake,” the Serpent Woman answered, worry on her face. “But I’ve given new orders—if it finds any trace, it’ll alert us at once…”

Just then, Jinta, who was at the front, suddenly shouted, “Careful—ambush!”

Even as he spoke, his machete was already slashing down several bamboo arrows flying toward them.

The others immediately rolled aside, seeking cover.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…

Rows of bamboo arrows swept across, blanketing the area.

Some blocked with blades, some parried with swords, others dodged with agile steps. By the time several volleys had passed, not a single assassin was injured.

“Tricks for children!” Shan He sneered. “This is the most primitive kind of arrow trap, triggered mechanically or by pulling a cord…”

“If we’ve run into an arrow trap, they must be just ahead. Everyone, press on! Finish them off, and we can go home to a hot bath.”

“Kill them all!” Jinta roared, machete in hand, and charged forward.

The others followed closely, not willing to lag even half a step. If they let the big guy carve up that little bird, who would they complain to?

Crash…

Suddenly, Jinta felt himself lifted off his feet; a large net surged up from below, ensnaring him completely.

He was shocked, trying to hack the net with his machete, only to find his limbs immobilized.

He was like a fish caught in a net—space to move was vanishingly slim, and the more he struggled, the tighter he was bound.

At that moment, Jinta’s hair stood on end; a top assassin’s instinct told him he was being targeted by a deadly intent.

Night as thick as ink—a pitch-black arrow emerged from the shadows, hurtling toward the suspended Jinta like thunder and lightning.

An unbroken chain of killing blows!

Jinta’s mouth went dry; he could no longer care for an assassin’s dignity and shouted, “Help me!”

Snap!

The rope broke, and the net plummeted toward the ground.

Shan He stepped forward and caught Jinta’s falling body with one hand—though not as burly, his strength was astonishing, holding Jinta aloft like a legendary hero cradling a pagoda.

The arrow swept just over Jinta’s head, flying into a distant tree.

Bang!

The first tree couldn’t withstand the arrow’s force and snapped in two.

Even more terrifying, the arrow did not lose momentum—it bored on.

Second tree, third tree…

A series of explosive cracks echoed through the woods.

Only after it pierced the fifth tree did the arrow finally lodge deep in the trunk, unable to move further.

Everyone’s pupils dilated in terror.

What kind of archery was this? Even in darkness, the archer could strike true at a hundred paces.

And what kind of force? One arrow pierced through the trunks of four trees, only stopping at the fifth.

“Qi Manipulation Technique…” Shan He rasped. “There’s another master of the Qi Manipulation Realm.”

He knew very well—without the infusion of yin and yang energy, an arrow could never be so fearsome, nor possess such terrifying penetration.

One arrow loosed: first strong, then weak, and at last spent…

But to drive through five trees—where was the logic in that?

Now he understood the gaping wound in Wu Ying’s neck: it was the devastating power of a Qi Manipulation master’s attack, so potent that even nano-grade battle armor would struggle to withstand it.

Crack!

A crisp sound rang out, like a sickle slicing through chives.

Shan He felt a wetness on his face. He wiped it with his hand—sticky, hot liquid smeared his palm.

Blood.

A machete, spinning in the air, landed in the hand of a young man not far away.

And Jinta, whom Shan He still held aloft, had his head fall to the ground with a dull thud—along with the net that had wrapped around it.

The fourth deadly trap had been sprung.

(P.S.: Many thanks to the most handsome, most adorable Little Prosperity for becoming our Galactic Mascot. Handsome is a lie, adorable is a lie, Prosperity is a lie, but Little is true.)