Chapter 79
The next morning, the two men rose early and continued their journey. By noon, they reached a deserted stretch on the main road. As they prepared to rest beneath a shady tree, the sounds of combat erupted nearby. Ordinarily, they would have ignored such a disturbance—but then a voice rang out clearly:
"So this is the infamous Demonic Cult Leader—a scheming coward who hides in the shadows!"
Su Ran, who had been leaning against Ji Chun with half-lidded eyes, jerked upright. "Did you hear that?" he demanded, voice sharp with disbelief. "They were talking about me."
Ji Chun, whose hearing had always been acute, nodded grimly. "Shall we investigate?"
Without another word, Su Ran shot toward the commotion like an arrow, alighting on a tree branch overlooking the scene. Ji Chun followed close behind. Below them, a masked figure stood over a man sprawled in the dirt. The stranger's black boots—embroidered with crimson clouds—crushed the fallen man's chest, eliciting a spray of blood. Three other corpses littered the ground nearby.
"I may be a villain," the masked man mused, his voice a glacial whisper that raised the hairs on one's neck, "but tell me, oh righteous Dao hero... why can't you stand?" A cruel chuckle followed.
The injured man spat blood, his defiant glare faltering as he met the stranger's gaze. Suddenly, his body began to tremble violently, pupils shrinking to pinpricks. "Y-you...!" he stammered, face blanching—but before he could finish, two silver needles flashed, embedding themselves in his temples. He collapsed, lifeless.
Su Ran's grip on the tree branch tightened. Who was this impostor? As the masked man turned, his blood-red eyes flicked unerringly to their hiding place.
"Come out." The command was casual, almost bored.
Exchanging glances, Ji Chun and Su Ran dropped from the tree, landing a dozen paces away. Su Ran's whip was already coiled in his fist, his stare venomous as it locked onto the stranger's unnatural crimson irises. Ji Chun, too, sensed the man's formidable aura—his martial arts were clearly peerless, his motives inscrutable.
"Who are you?" Su Ran bit out.
The masked man's lips curled at the corners. "Didn't you hear? I'm Su Ran, Leader of the Demonic Cult. Surely you've heard of me?"
Rage ignited in Su Ran's chest. How dare this fraud stand so calmly before the real thing! Without another word, he lashed out with his whip—a scarlet streak aimed to split flesh from bone. The stranger sidestepped effortlessly, though his eyes briefly glazed at the sight of the weapon. The whip struck earth, carving a furrow into the dirt.
Ji Chun moved to intervene, but Su Ran barked, "Stay out of this!" He hesitated. Su Ran had always been prideful; to assist unasked would only insult him. And truthfully, even recovered from childbirth and stronger than ever, Su Ran was struggling. The masked man moved with eerie precision, toying with him like a cat with a mouse.
Since when had such a fighter existed? Su Ran thought wildly, sweat beading his brow. He'd faced countless opponents, but none who could so effortlessly outmatch him. Worse, the man seemed to recognize him—pulling strikes at the last moment, refusing to land a killing blow. Then, with a sudden palm strike halted a hair's breadth from Su Ran's vitals, the stranger disengaged, flipping backward with preternatural grace.
"This Venerable One acknowledges your skill," he called, voice mocking, before vanishing into the trees.
Su Ran's vision swam red with fury. That parting jab—acknowledgment? It was a slap to his pride. He made to pursue, but Ji Chun caught his arm.
"We can't match him," Ji Chun said quietly, though the admission tasted bitter. That the martial world harbored such power—unknown, unchecked—was terrifying. "He didn't know you at first, but he recognized you during the fight. Why impersonate you? Why spare you?"
Su Ran wrenched free but didn't chase. Ji Chun was right: this went deeper than a skirmish. The Demonic Cult's reputation was being twisted, and they walked into a viper's nest blind.
"We proceed with caution," Ji Chun said, guiding Su Ran back toward the road. *"Whatever game he's playing, we'll uncover it in Xilongzhou."*
"That man is clearly no ordinary foe," Su Ran said, his voice steadier now as he regained composure. "With martial arts factions swarming to Xilongzhou in search of Di Mang—whether he's truly there or not—I suspect someone's pulling strings behind the scenes. And now this mysterious impostor appears... This journey grows more treacherous by the hour."
Ji Chun nodded grimly. "The Liangyi Sect's year-long hunt has already claimed half their numbers. Now with clearer rumors pointing westward, more are rushing to their doom."
As they spoke, they reached the main road. Just beyond lay the tree where they'd tethered their horses. Suddenly, a couple came sprinting toward them, desperation in their every step. Ji Chun instinctively moved to step aside, but Su Ran's face darkened, his hand already reaching for his whip to strike down whoever dared obstruct his path. Quickly, Ji Chun wrapped an arm around Su Ran's waist and guided him to the roadside.
As the couple drew nearer, their plain clothing marked them as common folk—and the reason for their flight became apparent. A pursuer somersaulted through the air, landing before them with a kick that sent the husband sprawling. The bundle in the man's arms went flying, revealing itself to be a swaddled infant, the attacker caught a corner of the cloth. The baby hung precariously in the air, its terrified wails piercing the afternoon calm.
The assailant smirked, shaking the child as if ready to dash it to the ground. "Lies won't save you!" he roared at the weeping parents now kneeling in the dirt. "Tell me where that monster is, or your brat meets
Though typically indifferent to others' plights, the infant's cries struck something primal in Su Ran. His expression iced over. In a blur of motion too fast for mortal eyes, he materialized behind the tormentor. Delicate fingers—deadly as scorpion's sting—found the man's neck. A crisp twist, and the body crumpled.
With his free hand, Su Ran caught the falling child by its swaddling cloth, cradling it against his chest with surprising expertise. He rocked gently, soothing the baby even as another attacker charged blindly forward. Su Ran didn't bother looking up—just sidestepped the corpse at his feet while continuing to comfort the child.
Ji Chun intercepted the remaining assailants with a single palm strike that sent them staggering. Their eyes bulged when the seemingly gentle monk repelled their full-force assault with barely a gesture. "M-mercy, Venerable One!" they stammered, scrambling backward.
"Leave," Ji Chun commanded, and they fled like startled hares.
The couple, realizing their salvation, prostrated themselves. "A thousand thanks, Masters! A thousand—"
"Why were you pursued?" Su Ran cut in coolly, bouncing the now-quiet infant. His tone suggested he'd have no qualms replacing the parents if their story proved unsavory.
Trembling, the wife answered, "Masters, three nights past, a wounded youth came to our door—handsome but with strange red markings on his eyes. We're simple folk; we dared not refuse him shelter. By dawn he'd vanished... but all our fowl were found bloodless. We thought little of it until today, when those men burst in demanding his whereabouts—but we truly know nothing!"